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{"cz":"Info EDUARD"}
{"cz":"Měsíčník o historii a plastikovém modelářství.","en":"Monthly magazine about history and scale plastic modeling."}
12/2023
Good day, Dear Friends, After a three-year break, we made a return to Telford, and it was a triumphant return at that! After all, Britain is the cradle of our business, and the Telford event is the biggest exhibition in our field and it would be a mistake to miss it. Our plan is to continue attending such events, beginning with Nuremberg in January/February.
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INFO Eduarde-magazine FREE Vol 22 December 2023# 166Page 2
INFO Eduard# 166© 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.e-magazine FREE Vol 22 December 2023Page 3
eduardeduardDECEMBER 2023CONTENTSEDITORIALKITSBRASSINPHOTO-ETCHED SETSHOW TO WORK WITH PHOTO-ETCHEDSPACEBUILTON APPROACH–January 2024TAIL END CHARLIEHISTORYBOXART STORYFM-1 ProfiPACK 1/48P-39N Airacobra ProfiPACK 1/48Bf 109E-4 Weekend 1/48Avia S-199 ERLA canopy Weekend 1/72X-1 Mach Buster ProfiPACK 1/48 re-releaseBf 109G-4 ProfiPACK 1/48 re-releaseAlbatros D.V Weekend 1/72 re-releaseAlbatros 1/72F-4E 1/48X-1 Mach Buster 1/48KURFÜRST 1/48THE EASTERN AIRCRAFT FM-1 WILDCATMedal for Heroism, Col. Jiří Pavel KafkaF/O Oldřich Doležal, DFCZáhada zbarvení izraelských S-199Air war over Ukraine-Drones and defenseagainst themOn the limitSunday at the golf clubYoav MessersA Steak for FreeThe Bavarian Knight4828346278848898108127Published by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21support@eduard.com www.eduard.comPage 4
EDITORIALGood day, Dear Friends,After a three-year break, we made a return toTelford, and it was a triumphant return at that!After all, Britain is the cradle of our business,and the Telford event is the biggest exhibitionin our field and it would be a mistake to missit. Our plan is to continue attending such events,beginning with Nuremberg in January/February.I firmly hope that this year we will meet morecolleagues from other companies and morebusiness people and journalists there than lastyear. I'll admit I'm a little nervous. Through thelevel of participation of companies at Nuremberg,how much the world is returning to normal canbe gauged, and we would all be grateful forindications that it really is doing just that.In January, just prior to Nuremberg, we’ll bein Hradec Králové, attending their event there.In the spring, we will continue our exhibitionactivities in Prosek in Prague, we will probablyalso be in Italy in Verona and in Poland inBydgoszcz. In April we will attend the traditionalshow in Mosonmagyarovár, followed by Zagrebin May, and I would like to go on a survey ofSaumur. There will be another Iron Bunnycontest in Bublava in June, which is a uniqueinvitational event for selected participants, butour involvement in it is significant. Then, inthe summer, we’re in Wisconsin for the IPMSUSA Nationals. That will be followed by E-day,Eindhoven, Nitra and Telford. That’s it. I missanything??At every one of this year's exhibitions,I was very pleased with the response that ourmagazine received from modelers. I take it asthe result of our efforts to transform our monthlypublication from a comprehensive advertisingleaflet into an online modeling magazinethat not only informs, but also entertains. Fora year now, we have been preparing for the nextstep, which will be adding a paid supplementto the Info Eduard magazine. Don't be afraid ofthat idea. I promise, it won’t be a waste of yourmoney, and not just because it will be a wellthought out magazine. It will be a paid for itemfor several reasons. Our current magazine, asyou know it, including historical and technicalarticles, will remain in its current form.An optional addition will be made available.The plan is that it will consist of an editorial,which I will probably still write myself, butI won't go into too much detail in it regarding ourown items, and it will feature an interview withone of the personalities connected to our fieldand fields related to it, such as military or civilaviation. The main content will usually be threehistorical and technical articles, and severalother sections, that are not specifically gearedto our products. It will be news concerningmodel making; what new people have madeor are preparing to make, especially in termsof kits, but there may also be informationabout new books, films, and we are preparinga section covering flight simulators, as well asnews from aviation in general and museums,and of course, build articles. But these will byno means be limited to our kits. They will coverinteresting and well-built models from variousexhibitions, regardless of the manufacturerof the source kit or the accessories used intheir completion. In order to put all of thistogether into a functioning entity, we had to findcollaborators who demand payment for theirwork. We currently pay external contributors,but the majority of the articles are from us, theeditorial board members. We write them in ourspare time, apart from our regular work duties,and we don't get paid extra for it, and we believethat our efforts will be reflected in the sales ofour products. It will be different in the optionaladdition, where the content of each issue willbe a rather more expensive matter. Our ownadvertising content will also be very limited inthe attachment, remaining more a part of theclassic free Info Eduard magazine. All in all, themagazine supplement will be a costly affair toput together which we will not be able to affordto fully subsidize, so we will be selling it.So, how can I claim that paying for thesupplement to our monthly magazine won’t bea waste of your money? At the moment I don'tknow exactly how much it will cost, but we willbe in the range of $10US. For this, in addition tothe attachment, you will also receive a discountcoupon for purchases in the Eduard e-shop. Thecoupon will be a one-time purchase, but it willgive you a total return on your investment in themagazine when you buy it, and you'll still havefun doing it. You and we should both profit fromit. You will be able to try it out in March.Now you might be wondering what willhappen to the printed magazine. The answer isthat there will be no printed Info Eduard, at leastfor the foreseeable future. We have come to theconclusion that it is beyond our capabilities forthe time being. I'm not saying it will never be, butnot right now, while we are focused on finishingthe above described attachment.New Items for DecemberQuite a while back, I decided to slightlychange the format of my editorial and limit thelist of current news that I point out month aftermonth. I can't shake the feeling that I'm doingunnecessary work, duplicating what everyonefinds in the issue, and annoying a lot of people. Ifinally reached a decision. So I'll limit myself tothe most important or significant items only. Ifyou didn't like it, get in touch. I would love to hearINFO Eduard4December 2023Page 5
from you. The most important piece to come outof December is the 48th scale Profipack FM-1Wildcat. You might say it's just another Wildcat,but I find the kit very interesting and importantfor several reasons. One of the reasons isthat the FM-1 is not quite a mainstream type.It's actually a bit of an outsider, at least in termsof public interest and knowledge. I dare say thatmany people don't even know of its existence.It is not an aircraft that has seen famous battleslike its cousins, the F4F-3 and F4F-4 Wildcats,or the Corsair and Hellcat, not to mention theMustang, Spitfire and Bf 109. It was a workhorse that toiled, faced the task at hand head on,fought and then went on to become practicallya footnote. It flew and fought on fronts that arelargely overlooked, even underappreciated, andgenerated stories that are known only to a smallgroup of historians. Nevertheless, these frontswere very important, absolutely essential forwinning the war. It was the home front where theFM-1 had the role of trainer, training hundredsand possibly thousands of naval aviators, andthen the Battle of the Atlantic where the FM-1sdid the hard and dangerous work of protectingAtlantic convoys, in long and bloody battleswith German submarines for supremacy of theAtlantic. Task forces, built from destroyers andescort carriers, from which mixed (composite)squadrons of FM-1s, and later FM-2s, Avengersand Wildcats operated, played an absolutely vitalrole in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1944, FM-1swere still involved in the invasion of Normandyand southern France as British Wildcat Mk.Vs,and eventually, a good number of them survivedto this day, despite not being able to competewith their younger and more powerful FM-2descendants in this regard.The FM-1 is not exactly a world-famousaircraft, but it is an important aircraft. And I likethat, and I'm sure I'm not the only modeler whofinds its perceived mediocrity appealing. Thecolor schemes in the FM-1 kit are also attractive.There are six of them and their compositionis incredibly varied for a WWII seaplane. Fourselections are American, each with a differentcamouflage scheme. Among them is also thesubject of the kit’s box art, an aircraft thattook part in the second combat mission of VC-1from the deck of the escort carrier USS BlockIsland, during which the patrolling Avenger,accompanied by this Wildcat, located andattacked two German submarines. You willbe able to learn that they were not just anysubmarines from my article that I am preparingfor the January issue of the Info Eduard. Andthe USS Block Island was not just any aircraftcarrier either; among other things, it was theonly American aircraft carrier sunk duringWorld War II in the Atlantic. And the submarinethat sunk it was not an ordinary submarine.In short, the story of this ship is rich, youwill see for yourself! Another of our featuredmachines, the September 1943 Wildcat fromthe aircraft carrier USS Nassau, with its redoutlined insignia and yellow tactical markings,represents perhaps the most colorful mid-warsubject that US naval aircraft have to offer.In addition to the American Wildcats, the schemeselection includes two Royal Navy Mk.V Martlets,one from the Normandy invasion, the other fromthe invasion of southern France. However, bythen, Martlet Mk.Vs were already called WildcatMk.Vs, and if you're wondering why, refer to TomCleaver's FM-1 article in today's magazine.Among other December kits, there are somebig resurgences. The last 850 48th scaleProfipack Bf 110 G-4s, Catalog Number 8208, aregoing on sale. This is one of the new products forJanuary, 2021, which went on sale in December,2020. It was on sale for four days when ourinfamous fire broke out, which destroyed allthe moldings, which we had in stock at thetime, something around a million sprues in all.Fortunately, it didn't destroy the boxed kits andkit packaging components, so 2200 boxed unitswere sold, leaving us with components for the850 kits we boxed last month that are going onsale right now, almost exactly three years afterthe fire. This is a great opportunity to get anattractive kit, take advantage of it! Those kitswon't be available too long!Among the reissues, we have the 1:48th scaleBell X-1 in the Profipack line. This kit was createdin the late 1990s, at the height of our short runs,back when we didn't make our own molds orpress the plastic ourselves. Mr. Pavel Vandělíkmade the molds for us and also produced theplastic sprues. Cooperation with him, or moreprecisely, his family, moved us forward in leapsand bounds qualitatively. Our kits, even if theywere still short run injected into epoxy molds,started to take on a world standard, and webegan to believe in ourselves and dared todo venture on to bigger and more interestingprojects than those First World War biplanes. Welaunched into the Tempest and Yak 3 and enjoyedthe kind of morning glory that easily gets to one'shead. At that time, we went to Chicago every fallfor the RICHTA show, which was presented inthe States as the American equivalent to theNuremberg show. That was typical Americanconfidence, and RICHTA was much smaller,but I loved driving there and always enjoyedit. And on one of these trips, I think in 1996, butmaybe it was a year earlier, I met Chuck Yeager.If you want to envy me, you don't have to. I wasyoung and stupid then and didn't enjoy it asmuch as I was supposed to. There were a lotof war pilots still alive at that time, and it feltlike a normal meeting with an old pilot. Well, asI say, I was a young fool. Today I would enjoy itin a completely different way. But on that note,various people began planting the bug in my earthat we should do a Bell X-1 because the 50thanniversary of Chuck's record breaking flightwas coming up and an anniversary model of theBell X-1 would be an absolute and spectacularblockbuster. It made sense, especially inAmerica. But the one who nurtured that ideain me the most was a Frenchman, the editor-in-chief of Replic magazine, Christian Ginisty.He was very suggestive, as the French are.By the way, he drove a Ferrari, he must havebeen doing well as editor-in-chief! In the end itseemed like a good idea and we made the BellX-1. The master was created by Zdeněk Sekyrkaand Jindra Balon, the molds by Pavel Vandělík,the picture on one box was painted by StandaTarasovič, the other by Martin Novotný, who wasjust starting out at the time. We were alreadyproducing Profipack kits as well as the then stillnameless regular line, which later evolved intothe Weekend label. The kit had some flaws, noteverything fit as it should. We were learning andonly had a vague idea of just how far we stillneeded to go. And incidentally, the flaws in thekit are still there, but at this point, I think a littlelenience might be in order. Today, they carrya certain historical significance!Although the kit was a nice little item, quitetop-notch for the time and for what Czechconditions allowed, it all had one flaw. No onemuch cared. No one was cheered when it wasreleased and no one lost any sleep over it. Thefiftieth anniversary of the first supersonic flightjust sorta came and went, and as we were stilllearning about marketing at the time, modelersINFO Eduard5December 2023Page 6
weren’t purchasing our X-1 much. Not that itwas an outright flop, but let's just say that ourBell X-1 fell short of expectations. Over time,however, the disappointment passed, we soldout the entire production run after a few years,and since we always had new ideas and thusthings to do, I only have the fondest of memoriesabout it. We then released it several more times,and in the end it always sold quite briskly. I likethis kit; it has a story and I like stories!Coincidentally, we have one more reissue ofan older kit in the December listing, the 72ndscale Albatros D.V. It may surprise you, but thisis a developmentally younger kit by a generation,with galvanized molds. Galvanized molds - that'salso an interesting story, but for another time.We have plans to re-release several of theseoldies but goodies next year. We will be creatingthe EDUARD HEAVY RETRO line for this purpose.We will release several kits in it that have somesignificance for the history of kit manufacturingat Eduard. Of course, we believe that they willalso be attractive to customers and that theywill not be like the first edition of the Bell X-1.The first item in the Heavy Retro range will bea 1:48th scale Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparvieroin February, commemorating our collaborationwith then MPM, now Special Hobby and JulesBringuier, owner of Classic Airframes. Plasticfrom these old molds is not a piece of cake,it's really a bit of molding archaeology, but ourcolleagues at Special Hobby are up to the task.The next kit will be the 48th Ki-115 Tsurugi, whichis our first project, created in 3D modeling andmilled on CNC machines. We want to preparethe 72nd scale L-410 Turbolet for E-day and the48th Lysander for November, with which we willremember our cooperation with Gavia. If thesekits are successful, we may continue with themfrom time to time and occasionally reminisceabout a piece of kit manufacturing history.Let me make two comments about December’snew releases. The first is that almost all of theBrassin accessory items, for the first time ever,are almost exclusively for our own kits, witha nice collection of FM-1 Wildcat sets amongthem. Check them out!I would also like to mention the two decal sets.Both are F-35 decals for the Tamiya kit, one forthe 1:48th scale kit, the other for 72nd. And, asyou might expect, these are our decals, theones still hated and rejected by some modelers,enthusiastically accepted by many others.Lately, the justification for rejecting our decalshas been centered around the alleged need toremove the carrier from them when applied.It is surprising how many modelers mention thisfeature as a negative, even though we ourselvesdo not state or recommend such a thing.On the contrary, we actually present them astraditional decals, and the carrier does not needto be removed from them. Just treat them likeany other decal, apply them to a glossy surfaceand paint them with clear varnish after drying.The carrier then becomes invisible on the surface.By the way, the fact that the varnish has irregularedges and has a relatively wide overlap aroundthe color motif of the decal has a significanteffect on the fact that after varnishing, the edgeof the varnish on the surface of the model ispractically unrecognizable. And it doesn't evenneed a thick coating of clear. So please, people:you don't actually need to remove the carrierafter applying the decals, and the wider offsetdoesn't matter; it can't be seen on the finishedmodel!ArticlesToday we have our regular update on airoperations over Ukraine by Miro Barič andthe second part of Working with PE by JakubNademlejnský. From history, we have todayan incredibly relevant article on the historyof the FM-1 WIldcat by Tom Cleaver and twoarticles dedicated to Czechoslovak airmen ofthe 311th Bomber Squadron RAF, honored onOctober 28 of this year by President Petr Pavel.Jan Zdiarský writes about Mr. Jiří P. Kafka, thelast surviving member of 311th Squadron, andPavel Vančata and Pavel Türk write aboutMr. Oldřich Doležal. Yoav Efrati contributes anarticle about the coloring of Israeli S-199s. Thiswas originally supposed to be a Box Art storyfor the December release of the S-199, but Yoavdidn't fit the format, so his text is a standardarticle. Richard Plos wrote the Box Art storyfor both Bells, the Airacobra and the X-1, beingreleased in December. Another two Box Artstories, for the Bf 109E-4 and the Albatros D.V,were written by the no less experienced JanBobek. I was supposed to add the last article,about the scene depicted on the box of the FM-1,but I, like Yoav, got it wrong and ended up witha rather extensive article about the escortaircraft carrier USS Block Island, in which, inaddition to the Wildcats, Avengers, aircraftcarriers and destroyers also involvea considerable number of German submarines.It will be my honor to present all this to you inthe January issue of magazine.In Closing…So, I managed to not shorten the editorial toomuch this time either. So sorry. I won't shortenit next time either, because the next editorialwill be about the our plans for 2024, and thatcertainly can't be anything short. Today I alreadywrote a little about said plans for next year, butit was only a small hint of what is to come nextmonth.A few more organizational comments. Todaybegins our next Sweep event, with sixteen itemsgoing on sale, mostly older Weekends in originalpackaging and a few Profipacks, also in oldboxes. They will be available while stocks last,which in some cases isn’t much.Also on sale are the December batch of newBundles. They will be on sale until the JanuaryBundles are launched. So you have abouta month to buy these items.As every year in December, our salesdepartment will be open until December 23rd.But please note, the last orders for which weguarantee dispatch this year, by December 23rd,will be for orders received no later than Monday,December 18th. At the same time, we will makean exception in the launch of January’s newreleases, which will be available to order fromDecember 15th. After the holidays, the salesdepartment will reopen on Wednesday January3rd, 2024.Dear friends, thank you for the support youhave shown us in this difficult year. I wish youa Merry Christmas, a lot of peace and goodhealth, and a Happy New Year's.Happy Modeling!Vladimir SulcINFO Eduard6December 2023Page 7
THE EASTERN AIRCRAFT FM-1 WILDCAT
The FM-1, originally known as the F4F-6, was Grumman’s response to the nearly-unanimous opinion among U.S. Navy wildcat pilots that the six-gun wing of the F4F-4, with an ammunition load for four guns redistributed among six to save weight, while significantly reducing the total time of fire by 20 seconds - an eternity in combat - was unacceptable. The F4F-6 saw the weapons reduced again to four, which was judged more than adequate for the fighter in combat.
HISTORYTHE EASTERN AIRCRAFTFM-1 WILDCATFAA Wildcat Vs of 846 in June 1944, with their D-Day invasion stripe. 846 flew anti-submarine patrols from HMS Tracker off the westernend of the invasion area. [IWM]The FM-1, originally known as the F4F-6, wasGrumman’s response to the nearly-unanimousopinion among U.S. Navy wildcat pilots that thesix-gun wing of the F4F-4, with an ammunitionload for four guns redistributed among six tosave weight, while significantly reducing thetotal time of fire by 20 seconds - an eternityin combat - was unacceptable. The F4F-6 sawthe weapons reduced again to four, which wasjudged more than adequate for the fighterin combat.The decision had been made in February1942 that General Motors would convert itsfive idle automobile factories in Linden, NewJersey, for the production of aircraft, underthe management of a new subsidiary, EasternAircraft. As Grumman expanded production toinclude the Avenger as well as the F4F Wildcatover the spring and summer of 1942 whilepursuing development of the F6F Hellcat, it wasobvious something had to give at Grumman’sproduction facility at Bethpage, Long Island.While GM management believed they wouldshow the aircraft industry how to reallymas produce airplanes, those experiencedin aircraft production doubted a workforceused to the lower tolerance requirements forauto production could change and becomecommitted to the high tolerances for accuracydemanded by the aviation industry.With the outstanding success of the Hellcat,which entered production in September 1942,the Navy ordered Grumman to develop otherproduction sources for the Wildcats andAvengers, so the company could concentrateon all-out Hellcat production. This would bethe new 4-gun F4F-6, which would now beknown by the designation FM-1 for EasternAircraft.Eastern Aircraft was assigned productionof the Wildcat; the company built a shed atBethpage that summer, remembered as “thefastest-built, least-ostentatious office inGeneral Motors’ history,” where employeescould learn the ropes of producing Wildcats. InAugust 1942, Grumman provided the largely-rebuilt factory in Linden with parts to buildtwo Wildcats on the new production line undersupervision by Grumman employees. Thenext six contained only one-eighth of theirparts from Grumman. These were acceptedby the Navy after inspection in September.After that, Eastern was on their own. By theend of December, 21 FM-1s had been deliveredsince the first two. That number was matchedin January 1943, with the total doubled inFebruary and doubled again by April 1943.Grumman delivered its last Wildcats in June.The FM-1Wildcat in the Battleof the AtlanticNearly all U.S. Navy FM-1s were used in theAtlantic, where they operated from CVEs inthe Battle of the Atlantic against the GermanU-boats.The FM-1s operated in composite squadronswith TBM-1C Avengers. Standard operatingprocedure called for one or two Wildcatsto strafe a surfaced U-boat to suppressor divert its anti-aircraft defenses as oneof more Avengers bored in to attack withrockets or bombs. If the U-boat pulled theplug and dived, an Avenger could drop a “Fido”acoustic torpedo that homed on the propellernoise.The escort carriers USS Card (CVE-11), Core(CVE-13) and Santee (CVE-29) were the first toenter the Atlantic battle in the summer of 1943withe FM-1s replacing their previous F4F-4s.VC-9, which first served aboard USS Bogue(CVE-9) that spring and summer with F4F-4swent aboard Card for deployments inSeptember through November. The squadroncontinued the success they had first achievedaboard Bogue, finishing 1943 with a score ofeight U-boats confirmed sunk; a ninth wasconfirmed in 1944 when they operated aboardUSS Solomons (CVE-67) to make the squadronNumber One in sinkings during the war.Thomas McKelvey CleaverINFO Eduard8December 2023Page 9
VC-1, which operated from Card in 1943-44,and VC-13 which operated from Core, were tiedin second place with scores of four U-boatssunk each.German U-boat commander Admiral Dönitzcountered the appearance of the CVEs byre-equipping his submarines with strengthenedAA batteries of two 20mm twin mounts anda 37mm single mount, ordering them tofight it out with the Wildcats and Avengers.The up-gunned U-boats could put up a terrificamount of flak, which was often enough tomake aircraft withdraw out of range.The first U-boat to fight it out was U-758,which was caught on June 8 by VC-9 Wildcatsand Avengers from Bogue. U-758 fought offtwo TBM’s and four FM-1s, forcing the aircraftto withdraw while the submarine got away.The next fight involved a patrol of anAvenger and a Wildcat from Core which caughtthe tanker U-487 on the surface on July13, 1943. The U-boat gunners shot down theWildcat, killing the pilot. The Avenger calledup reinforcements and circled out of rangetill they arrived. The two FM-1s attacked fromdifferent directions and cut down the guncrews by strafing; the Avenger delivered thecoup de grace before other crewmen couldman the guns and the “Milch Cow” disappearedinto the ocean’s depths with its load of fuel oil.Between May and December 1943, the newhunter-killer groups based around a CVE andits air group claimed 27 U-boats sunk. Theenemy was no longer the formidable threatthey had been in the years before. By 1944,veteran U-boat skippers who survived theirpatrol to return to base reported that aerialactivity in the mid-Atlantic was more thanwhat they found in the Bay of Biscay. FM-1sbegan being replaced by the new FM-2 “WilderWildcat” in the composite squadrons in March1944.On June 4, 1944, the hunter-killer groupbased around USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60)became the first U.S. Navy unit to boardand capture an enemy warship since theWar of 1812, when her VC-8 Avengers andWildcats attacked U-505 after USS Chatelain(DE-149) reported a sonar contact and drovethe U-boat to the surface with a Hedgehogattack. U-505 was damaged in the attacksand the crew abandoned her. A boarding partyfrom Chatelain took control of the submarineand prevented the scuttling charge from goingoff. The submarine was then towed to NorfolkNaval Station. Today, U-505 is on display at theChicago Museum of Science and Industry.HISTORYUSS Guadalcanal, commanded by Captain Daniel V. Gallery, captured U-505 after driving the U-boatto the surface on June 4, 1944. This was the first enemy warship captured by the U.S. Navy sincethe War of 1812. [USN Official]A boarding party from USS Chatelain (DE-149) boarded the U-boat after the crew abandoned ship and preventedscuttling charges from exploding. [USN Official]Once the U-boat was secured, she was towed to NorfolkNaval Station, Virginia. [USN Official]INFO Eduard9December 2023Page 10
The Wildcat Mk.V in FAA ServiceThe FM-1 began appearing in FAA Wildcatsquadrons in the fall of 1943, serving underthe designation Martlet Mk.V. The name waschanged in January 1944 to Wildcat Mk.V whenall US aircraft in FAA service adopted their USnames.Wildcat Mk.V JV579, in service as “F-forFreddie” of 846 Squadron, FAA, named “ThatOld Thing”, is probably one of the betterknown Wildcats in FAA service, since a photoof it wearing distinctive D-Day identificationstripes has been widely shown ever since thewar.This Wildcat, then a Martlet Mk.V, wasoriginally delivered to 1832 Squadron, basedat RNAS Eglinton, aka “HMS Gannet”, locatedin Northern Ireland in November 1943. TheWildcats of 1832 Squadron were latertransferred to 846 Squadron, a “composite”squadron of Wildcats and Avengers aboardHMS Tracker in the spring of 1944.Tracker began as CVE-6, the sixth Bogue-class CVE converted from a C-3 merchantmanhull in 1942. She was transferred uponcompletion to the Royal Navy in November1942 and arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland,in March 1943 after delivering aircraft fromNorfolk Virginia to Casablanca, Morocco. Overthe rest of 1943 and early 1944 she sailed as ananti-submarine convoy escort.On January 4, 1944 846 squadron embarkedfrom RNAS Machrihanish. The new squadronwas equipped with 12 Avenger Mk.II torpedobombers and four Wildcat Mk.V fightersformerly of 'B' flight, 1832 Squadron. Amongthe Wildcats was JV579.During the work up period there were fourflying accidents, two involving Avengers, andtwo Wildcats; the first was on January 7 whenLt. J. E. Scott RNVR, crashed on deck landingin Wildcat JV333. The second incident wasfatal: on January 10 Avenger FN828 crashedinto the sea after its starboard wing came offwhile making practice glide bombing attackon the ship, possibly due to exceeding themaximum speed limitations; pilot Sub-Lt G. A.Houghton RNVR, observer Sub-Lt E. B. DixonRNVR, and gunner Leading Airman R. F. Gates,and a passenger Ordinary Seaman G. A. Smithwere killed in the crash. On January 13 Lt G.W. McCabe RNVR in Wildcat JV348 landed withhis arrester hook up and entered the barrier.An unidentified Avenger crashed on take-offon January 20; the aircraft veered into the portcatwalk and its engine broke away from itsmounts; the aircraft went overboard and pilotSub-Lt S. J. Martin RNVR and two crew weresafely picked up by the plane-guard destroyer.After working up with the new squadron,Tracker was assigned to on anti-submarinesweeps on the Gibraltar convoy route westof Cape Finisterre in February, working withHMS Biter as Air Group A.2 with one carrierassigned to anti-submarine and the othera fighter carrier supporting Ocean EscortGroups.Convoys ONS.29 and OS.68/KMS.42departed Liverpool on February 12; ONS.29for Halifax and OS.68/KMS.42 for Freetown/Gibraltar. Biter and Tracker initially supportedONS.29 while on passage to their rendezvouswith the escort groups for the combinedFreetown/Gibraltar convoy. The wind droppedon February 18 and the convoy was becalmedin the Bay of Biscay, famous for its atrociousweather conditions.On February 23, OS.68 with 29 vesselscontinued on to Freetown, KMS42G with 27ships arrived at Gibraltar on February 25. Theescort group spent a week at Gibraltar. 846Squadron flew ashore to RN Air Section NorthFront, re-embarking on March 2 when Trackersailed to meet the next convoy.Biter and Tracker supported Convoy SL150/MKS41 which formed at sea off Gibraltar onMarch 3 when Freetown-UK convoy SL.150rendezvoused with MKS41, Gibraltar-UK.Flying was again hampered by a lack of wind.SL150/MKS41 was attacked on March 10 byU-575 which sank the Flower Class CorvetteHMS Asphodel. Four of Tracker’s Avengerssearched for the U-boat but no trace was found.Biter and Tracker arrived in the Clyde onMarch 12th. After a one week leave, Trackerjoined HMS Activity with 819 Squadron, withthree Swordfish and seven Wildcats, to escortConvoy JW58, leaving Loch Wew to MurmanskOn March 27, 1944. On March 30, two Wildcatsfrom Activity intercepted and shot downa Ju-88. The next day three Fw 200 Condorswere intercepted and shot down. 846'sSub-Lt R. H. Meed RNVR in JV490 and Sub-Lt G.C. Debney in JV485 of 819 Squadron shot downone Fw 200 while 846's Sub-Lt Swift in JV522shot down the second and the third was shotdown by an 819 pilot.On April 1 a serious accident occurredaboard Tracker when an Avenger sighted andattacked a U-boat, but was unable to drop itsdepth charges. The pilot was able to drop threeof the four while returning to the ship. Despitefrantic signals to "go around again" from thebatsman, the pilot flew straight into the rounddown, at full throttle. The aircraft ended upwith its tail hanging over the stern, balancedwith the port wing on the stern Boforsmounting. The Avenger caught fire; the crewgot out but the pilot was badly burned and diedbeing taken to sick bay. A serious fire burnedon the aft of the flight deck. The fire grew andammunition in the Avenger and the Boforsmount ready use locker popped and exploded.Fire crews and damage control parties put thefire out in 15 minutes. Later that day anotherpair of Wildcats from each squadron claimedHMS Tracker (D24), originally CVE-6, the sixth Bogue-classCVE converted from a C-3 merchantman hull was transferredupon completion to the Royal Navy in November 1942. During1943 and early 1944 she sailed as an anti-submarine convoyescort. [Crown Copyright official]HISTORYINFO Eduard10December 2023Page 11
a BV 138 seaplane shot down in flames.846 Squadron lost two more Wildcats onApril 2; one in a barrier crash, the otherditched when Sub-Lt T. D. Lucey, RNVR madea strafing attack on a surfaced U-Boat and camein too low, striking the conning tower. He wasrescued after 1 hour, 55 minutes in the freezingwaters.On April 3 an 819 Squadron Swordfishspotted another U-Boat. The Swordfish cameunder heavy AA fire and was joined by AvengerFN869, flown by Lt J. S. Toner, RNVR, Lt R. A.Woodward, RNVR, and Wildcat JV512 flown bySub-Lt G.W. McCabe, RNVR of 846 Squadron.Combined depth charge attacks by the Avengerand rocket attacks by the Swordfish withstrafing by the Wildcat resulted in the sinkingof U-288 in the Barents Sea southeast of BearIsland.Convoy JW59 reached Vaenga Bay withoutloss on April 4. Activity and Tracker coveredreturn convoy RA58 which sailed on April 7.The convoy arrived at Loch Wew on April 12 andTracker was detached to Belfast, arriving onApril 14 to enter Harland & Wolf's dockyard forrepairs to her fire damage.Returning to duty on April 29, Trackersuffered storm damage in the WesternApproaches and spent the first part of May inthe Floating Dock at Greenock.On June 3, 1944, Tracker left Greenockcarrying 12 Avengers and 8 Wildcats of 846Squadron; 'L' Flight of 1832 Squadron havingbeen transferred on May 13. On June 5, allhands were employed painting the aircraftwith the black and white recognition stripesfor the invasion.Tracker joined CVEs HMS Pursuer andEmperor for operations in the westernapproaches as part of the cover forces foroperation Neptune, operating in a position150 miles west of Lands' End carrying outanti-submarine patrols to intercept U-boatsattempting to enter the English Channel.On the night of June 10, Tracker and theCanadian frigate HMCS Teme collided in thedark when Teme was chasing down a U-boatcontact and swept clean across Tracker’sbow at 0200 hours. Tracker rammed Temeamidships and the two ships were entangledas the heavy swell pushed Tracker in a 'sawing'motion as if she was going to cut Teme in two.When eventually separated Teme had a gapinghole and was taken in tow by HMCS Outremontback to the UK.Tracker was able to maintain her stationdespite her stove-in bow; the next day shecatapulted all 21 aircraft over 40 minutes;Tracker arrived in Belfast on June 12 wherethe damage inspection indicated the need fora refit.846 Squadron was decommissioned on June12, 1944, and Wildcat JV579 was transferred toa training unit.On April 3, 1944, Operation Tungsten - thefirst Fleet Air Arm attack on the Germanbattleship Tirpitz - saw 40 FM-1 Wildcat Mk.Vsof 881 and 896 squadrons aboard the CVEsPursuer and Searcher fly flak suppression forthe strike missions.On August 15, 1944, the two squadrons - nowequipped with new Wildcat Mk.VI fightersalong with 882 Squadron flying Wildcat Mk.Vs- supported “the other D-Day” in OperationDragoon, the invasion of Southern France.By November 1944, all FAA Wildcatsquadrons were operating the “Wilder Wildcat”-the Wildcat Mk.VI - while the Wildcat Mk.Vsspent the rest of the war in training squadrons.846 Squadron, a composite escort carrier squadron of Wildcat Mk.V and AvengerMk.II aircraft, was assigned anti-submarine defense of the Normandy Invasion. [IWM]Eastern Aircraft FM-1 Wildcat Mk.Vof 846 Squadron. The Fleet Air Armreceived Martlet Mk.V fighters (laterknown as Wildcat Mk.V) in October 1943.By November 1944, all FAA Wildcatsquadrons were operating the “WilderWildcat”- the Wildcat Mk.VI - while theWildcat Mk.Vs spent the rest of the war intraining squadrons. [IWM]HISTORYINFO Eduard11December 2023Medal for Heroism, Col. Jiří Pavel Kafka
One of the participants in the Czechoslovak resistance abroad between the years 1939-1945, who received high state honors from the President of the Czech Republic on 28 October 2023, was Col. Jiří Kafka, the last surviving Czech member of the No.311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF. Congratulations to Mr. Kafka!
One of the participants in the Czechoslovakresistance abroad between the years1939-1945, who received high state honorsfrom the President of the Czech Republicon 28 October 2023, was Col. Jiří Kafka,the last surviving Czech member of theNo.311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF.Congratulations to Mr. Kafka!Mr. Kafka visited Eduard on January 17, 2018.The following photo gallery is a testamentto the visit.Col. Kafka, who flew several hundredoperational hours on anti-submarinepatrols in Liberators of Coastal Command,RAF in the period 1943-45, arrived inEngland as early as 1939 as one of „Winton’sChildren“.The visit, organized by Mr. Stanislav Černý,took place during the finalization of the‘Riders of the Sky 1944‘ project (LiberatorGR Mk.III and Mk.V, Coastal Command,RAF) - Limited Edition No. 2121. Duringa tour of the company‘s constructionand production facilities, Mr. Kafkawas understandably, interested in anyreferences to ‘his’ Liberator.Col. Kafka was with his partner Dr. Machačová and StanislavČerný welcomed by the director of Eduard, Vladimír Šulc.Lt. Kafka examining a sample of ‘Riders in the Sky 1944‘,which became a component of the Limited Edition kit No. 2121(March 2018).October 28, 2023The President of the Republic awarded the Medal for Heroismto Col. (Ret) Jiří Pavel Kafka for heroism in battle.Medal for Heroism (for heroism in battle)Jiří Pavel Kafka (May 2, 1924) - The last surviving Czechaviator who served with No.311 (Czechoslovak) BombardmentSquadron in the RAF during the Second World War. As a child,he and his siblings came to Britain as part of the transportsorganized by Nicolas Winton. In 1942 he joined the army.He first served in a Czechoslovak ground unit, underwent basictraining and was then selected for the RAF. After the war hereturned to Czechoslovakia, went to Britain again in 1947 andlived there with a break in the 1960s, when he stayed in Israel,until the fall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.He has been living in Prague since 1990.HISTORYINFO Eduard12December 2023Page 13
Colonel Jiří Pavel KafKawas born on May 2, 1924 in Prague. The family was of Jewishorigin, the father worked as a lawyer and at the same time wasthe chairman of the Jewish community in Prague, while hismother stayed took care of the home. Jiří Pavel Kafka attendedboth general school and academic studies. Thanks to his father‘sforesight, Jiří and his siblings managed to travel to England on theso-called Winton Transport (June 28, 1939) just before the outbreakof the Second World War. In England, Jiří Pavel Kafka and hisbrother were first placed in a camp for refugee children in Ipswich,from where both brothers went to elementary school and then tosecondary school in Cheltenham. However, Jiří Pavel Kafka wasnot amused by this, and he left for an apprenticeship at SigmundPumps. In June 1942, he decided to join the army. He served inthe Czechoslovak land army for approximately three months,underwent basic training and was then selected for the Royal AirForce (RAF). He was assigned as a gunner and radio operatorwith No.311 Squadron, in which he served from September 1942to September 1945. After the war, he returned to Czechoslovakiaand was reunited with his mother, who survived the ghetto in Lodzand Auschwitz. In 1947 he went back to England. After his father‘sdeath, his mother also lived there. In 1960, he and his family movedto Israel, where they lived for eight years. Then they returned toEngland again and after 1990 have resided in Prague.Biography of Col. Kafka was processed within the frameworkof the Post Bellum project, Memory of the Nation of the CRO.You can support the Post Bellum project here.More information about Col. Jiří Kafka:Židovské listy | Paměť národa | Seniorum | WintonfilmHISTORYINFO Eduard13December 2023Page 14
HISTORYWith Martin Nademlejnsky Mr. Kafka alsowent through some of the sources used forthe preparation of the camouflage schemesand decals. He even recognized himself onone of the photographs in the ‘B-24 Liberatorin RAF Coastal Command Service’ put out byJAPO.Karel Vorlicek presented our guests thecamouflage schemes prepared for thekit. Even after more than seventy years,at the age of 94, Mr. Kafka was able to adda number of interesting bits of informationabout the Liberators.17/1/2018INFO Eduard14December 2023F/O Oldřich Doležal, DFC
Oldřich Doležal was born on March 1, 1912, on the threshold of adulthood he studied for four years at a small Richter radio receiver manufacturing company in Ostrava before joining the Baťa shoe company in Zlín as a machinist in 1931. From there, he enlisted on October 1, 1934, in Telegraph Battalion 4 in Prešov, Slovakia. After training as a radio operator, he served in Košice and Spišská Nová Ves, before retiring to the reserve as a private. He returned to Baťa, but now as a ground radiotelegrapher at the Otrokovice airport.
HISTORYF/O Oldřich Doležal, DFCPavel VančataPavel TürkOldřich Doležal was born on March 1, 1912,on the threshold of adulthood he studied forfour years at a small Richter radio receivermanufacturing company in Ostrava beforejoining the Baťa shoe company in Zlín asa machinist in 1931. From there, he enlistedon October 1, 1934, in Telegraph Battalion 4in Prešov, Slovakia. After training as a radiooperator, he served in Košice and SpišskáNová Ves, before retiring to the reserve asa private. He returned to Baťa, but now asa ground radiotelegrapher at the Otrokoviceairport. After upgrading his qualifications, hebegan flying as an on-board radio operator andalso underwent training as a sport pilot. OnMarch 11, 1939, he took off with the company'sLockheed L-10A Electra on a business tripto Kraków, Poland, from where he continuedto Belgrade, Yugoslavia, where he learnedabout the German occupation of his homeland.He therefore flew to the British Isles wherehe worked in the East Tilbury branch of thefactory before joining the Army Reserve Corpsat Cholmondeley Park in Great Britain onSeptember 24, 1940.In March 1941, he was reassigned tothe air force at his own request, and withregard to pre-war military training, heOldřich Doležal (March 1, 1912 - November28, 1983) - Military pilot. A native of Ostrava,he trained as a radio operator and in 1941 hejoined the RAF in Britain, where he completedpilot training. He was then assigned to the311th (Czechoslovak) Bombardment Squadron,where he took part in anti-submarine missionsover the Bay of Biscay. His crew achieved oneof the greatest successes of the CzechoslovakRepublic in December 1943, when it sank theGerman ship Alsterufer, which was carryingstrategically important tungsten supplies.In 1944, he took part in Operation Overlord,the invasion of Normandy, and then servedin the Transport Air Force. After the war,he joined Czechoslovak Airlines. In 1950, heparticipated in the coordinated hijacking ofthree domestic airliners from Czechoslovakia.He was sentenced in absentia to 25 years inprison for this act. He died in 1983 in Britain.(Office of the President of the Czech Republic,Ministry of Defence, ČR)"The President of the Republic awarded theMedal for Heroism in memoriam to Col. OldřichDoležal for heroism in battle."October 28, 2023Sgt. Oldřich Doležal while serving in the RAF. [J. Popelka]INFO Eduard15December 2023Page 16
HISTORYbegan his aviation career in May 1941 asa ground radiotelegrapher with the No.312(Czechoslovak) Fighter Squadron at JurbyBase on the Isle of Man. He was not satisfiedwith his assignment and managed to convincehis commander to reassign him to pilot training.He went through the elementary part of itfrom July 1941 in Watchfield and followed it upwith further training at Brize Norton Airfield.He was certified as a pilot of multi-engineaircraft with the rank of Sergeant on ChristmasDay, 1941. He underwent operational training at1429 COTF from April to September, 1942, asthe second pilot of Sgt Václav Soukup's crew.He took off for the operational christeningof the No.311 Squadron on October 24 asa member of F/Lt Bohuslav Eichler’s crew,and he was given command of his own crewin March 1943, when he held the rank ofFlight Sergeant. From August 26, as a newlycommissioned officer with the rank of PilotOfficer, he continued patrolling the Bay ofBiscay on four-engine Liberators. Germansubmarines avoided him for more than a year,but he made up for it on December 27, 1943.During his 52nd combat sortie, he claimed oneof the greatest successes in the history of theunit - he sank the German blockade-breakerAlsterufer. This feat earned him the BritishDistinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in January,1944. He completed an operational tour of 69patrol flights lasting 662 hours on August 17,and already by September 5 he enlisted ina course for transport pilots at No.105 (T) OTUin Bramcote. From December 12, 1944 until theend of the war, he then took the post of captainof transport Liberators with No.246 Squadron.In his liberated homeland, he continuedto serve with the Air Transport Group withthe rank of Lieutenant before demobilizingat the end of March, 1946 and returning tothe Baťa company. In March 1948, he joinedČSA (Czechoslovak Airlines) and on March25, 1950, he became one of the participantsof a planned group flight. The crews of threetransport Dakotas flying from Brno, Bratislavaand Ostrava to Prague headed west and landedin Erding, Bavaria. He himself piloted the planetaking off from Bratislava, while his wife andsix-month-old son flew from Ostrava in theplane flown by Captain Ladislav Světlík, a pilotwith No.312 Squadron during the war. Afterreturning to the UK, he found it very difficult tofind employment. He worked as a clerk duringthe day and studied diligently in the evenings toobtain his commercial pilot's license in March1954. At first he drove tourists around Europe,from 1957 he conducted aerial surveys for oilcompanies in Libya for two years. Here he alsotook part in one of the first expeditions to therecently discovered wreck of the AmericanLiberator ‘Lady Be Good’. It went missing duringa raid on Naples in 1943 and was presumed lostover the Mediterranean. Instead, the wreck layin the Libyan desert since her demise.After returning from overseas, he flew untilthe spring of 1965, when he had to stop forhealth reasons. He briefly ran a retail business,became a journalist for the anti-communistagency Free Czechoslovak InformationService for a few years, and finally returned tohis original electrical engineering professionin the fall of 1969. The pilot, who survivedthousands of hours of war and post-war flyingwithout a single scratch, had an unfortunatefall in January 1970 and remained bedriddenuntil his death on november 28, 1983 at the ageof 71. In 1991, he was posthumously promotedto the rank of Air Force Colonel.Oldřich Doležal on his return to his homeland.[J. Popelka]A sketch of the unfolding of the attack on the "blockade breaker" Alsterufer mentioned in the SURFAT Reportby Doležal's crew. [Author’s Archive]On December 27, 1943 at 4:07 p.m., Doležal's crew flying Liberator GR Mk.V BZ796 "H" attacked the German armedmerchant ship Alsterufer at 46°30' north latitude and 18°50' west longitude. An MC500 bomb hit the ship directlybehind the superstructure and exploded inside the vessel. The photograph shows the spreading fire caused bythe bomb and thick smoke above the ship. [Author’s Archive]INFO Eduard16December 2023Page 17
HISTORYLiberator GR Mk.V, BZ796, P/O Oldřich Doležal,No.311 Squadron, Beaulieu, December, 1943Liberator GR Mk.V BZ796 (ex-USAAFB-24D-5-CF s/n 42-63819), originallyin service with No.53 Squadron (A.L."J"), transferred to No.311 Squadron onSeptember 27, 1943 where it made itsfirst flight on October 3, 1943. Receivedaircraft code "H". The aircraft's offensivearmament consisted again, as a rule, ofsix or seven anti-submarine DC250 Mk.XIdepth charges in the bomb bay (in the caseof an attack on shipping, then one GP250bomb and one MC500 bomb) and eightunguided rockets suspended four by fouron external carriers, fixed on both sides ofthe aircraft’s nose.He flew a total of 13 operational flightswith No.311 Squadron - the first onNovember 10, 1943 and the last on February4, 1944.On December 27, 1943, at 0945h, theGerman armed merchant ship Alsterufer(displacement 2,729 GRT) was sightedby Sunderland "T" of No.201 Squadronat 46°40'N, 19°30'W, carrying a cargo ofstrategic raw materials from the Japaneseport of Kobe to Bordeaux. The Alsteruferhad one 105 mm cannon, two 37 mmcannons, four 20 mm cannons and a cablebarrage fired by rockets (P.A.C. = Parachuteand Cable) for its defense.The Sunderland attack was not successfulas the aircraft bombed through cloud cover.At 1135h a Sunderland coded "Q" of No.422Squadron attacked, but the bombersmissed the target. This was followed by aSunderland coded "U" attack from No.201Squadron which also bombed through theclouds, again without a visible hit. At 1607hDoležal's crew on Liberator "H" attackedthe ship at 46°30'N and 18°50'W. The vesselwas hit by five RP unguided rockets abovethe waterline, while the GP250 bombmissed the target, but the MC500 bomb hitthe hull directly aft of the superstructure(behind the smokestack), exploding insidethe ship and causing an extensive fire. Thecrew then began to abandon the ship. Theburning Alsterufer was finally attackedbetween 1615h and 1630h by Liberator FL907"F" of No.86 Squadron with one MC500 bomb,but missed. At 1714h, Liberator FL943 "L"of No.86 Squadron attacked the alreadyabandoned wreck at 46°42'N 18°44'Wwith two MC500 bombs. Both missed thetarget, but one landed only 9 meters fromthe side of the ship. At 1800h, a secondMC500 was dropped by Liberator FL907 "F",but that also missed. At 1758h, additionalAllied aircraft, four Halifaxes as well asFAA Tarpons, were sighted in the area bythe crew of Liberator FL907 "F". At 1800h,Halifax "Q" of No.502 Squadron reportedthat the ship was sinking at a position of46°33'N, 18°55'W. Four hours after beingabandoned by the crew, the Alsterufer sank.A total of 74 sailors from four lifeboatswere picked up by ships of Escort Group 6in the afternoon of December 29, 1943, ata position of 46°06'N, 19°10'W.The significant success of the No.311Squadron was celebrated by extensivearticles in the British press, and fortheir performance the aircraft captainP/O Oldřich Doležal and the navigator/bombardier F/O Zdeněk Hanuš wereawarded the British Distinguished FlyingCross (DFC). All other crew members wereawarded the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939.The aircraft (engine no. 4) was slightlydamaged by fire from the ship (Cat A).On February 8, 1944 the Liberator wasflown from Beaulieu to Prestwick toScottish Aviation Ltd. On March 8, 1944,after the installation of the Leigh Lightsearchlight, it was assigned to No.1674 HCU.It was withdrawn from RAF service on June21, 1947.INFO Eduard17December 2023Israeli S-199 - The Color Mystery
The most difficult aspect of making an accurate representation of the Avia S-199 in Israeli service is confirming the color of the airplane. Historians of the IAF relied on a document issued by the IAF in the early 1950's which listed the airplanes in IAF inventory and their colors by name, with no reference made to any color standard. The Avia S-199 was found on this list and was described as being painted gray.
HISTORYIsraeli S-199 - The Color MysteryAvia S-199 Daled-123.The most difficult aspect of making anaccurate representation of the Avia S-199in Israeli service is confirming the color ofthe airplane. Historians of the IAF relied ona document issued by the IAF in the early 1950'swhich listed the airplanes in IAF inventory andtheir colors by name, with no reference madeto any color standard. The Avia S-199 wasfound on this list and was described as beingpainted gray.Post World War II black and whitephotographs of the S-199 in Czechoslovakianservice, show light and dark colored airframesnext to each other, which have been interpretedto be differing shades of a locally manufacturedcolor MNO 2036 Smalt - similar or the sameas RLM 02 or RLM 02 with a bit RLM 83 DarkGreen. In a mid-1994 visit to the Israel AirForce museum by President Ezer Weismann,a former "Messer" pilot, he insisted that thegray painted S-199 on display was painted thewrong color. On 02 January 1995, I met withPresident Weismann, who pointed to the RLM68 color chip in my Official Monogram PaintingGuide to German aircraft 1935-1945, furtherstating that the color was more of a khakiA close-up of the 101 Squadron emblem on a Messer equipped with the Erla canopy.Yoav EfratiINFO Eduard18December 2023Page 19
HISTORYcolor, "as seen on soldiers uniforms". In crossreferencing RLM 68 published in MonogramPublications book on WWII Luftwaffe colorswith FS 595, I learned that this color isnearly identical to F.S 34258 green, which issignificantly more vivid than the "khaki green"color that he meant. I first published myfindings about RLM 68 in the December 1995issue of IPMS/Israel, Kne-Mida magazine, thiscolor finding was close yet wrong.A sample of the actual green color was foundseveral months after my findings, when myfellow model builders and historians Ra'ananWeiss and Rami Skladman interviewed a formerIAF Avia S-199 mechanic named Shabtai Katz.During their visit, he showed them a fuel capthat belonged to an IAF S-199 Avia. From thisfuel cap the color of the Avia was found to havebeen painted "khaki green" similar to Germanpost WWII standard RAL6013 Schilfgrün.In February of 2003 the correct RAL 6013green color was relayed to Joseph Goldman,who is in charge of restoration of the IAFmuseum exhibits, and he repainted Avia D.112in the correct green and restored the markingsto represent Avia D.120 as it appeared duringoperation "Yoav". An interesting eventhappened when I revisited the IAF museum inApril of the following year, the correctly greenpainted Avia had turned…GRAY! The lack ofUV protective layer had turned the green intogray, the mystery had come full circle thusexplaining why the 1950's vintage documentwas in error.The time between operations, with S-199 Daled-121 in the background.An Avia S-199 Daled-117 with its ground crew.Avia S-199 Daled-120 taxiing.Artwork upgraded national insignia on Daled-117.An Israeli S-199 undergoing maintenance.INFO Eduard19December 2023Page 20
HISTORYThe originally green overlay color changes to a grey tone on the restored exhibit aftera few months in the sun (April 2004).Israeli Air Force Museum - Avia S-199 Daled-112 adorned with the markings of Daled-120 shortly after restoration (February 2003).On October 12, 2014 I finally had theopportunity to see the Avia S-199 fuel can withmy own eyes. IAF museum curator Avi MosheSegal presented me the key to his vault wherethe original Avia painted S-199 fuel cap waskept. With Tambor German RAL, United StatesFS 595B, British Standard BS 381C/1964 andHumbrol color catalogs at hand, I compared thecolor of the S-199 fuel cap in direct and indirectsun light. The fuel cap's khaki color wasa direc t match to RA L 60 13, it was slightly darkerthan FS 595B-14257, and had no equivalent inBS 381C and Humbrol color. Fortunately forus model builders RAL6013 is available in theRevell enamel range of paints as SM362.INFO Eduard20December 2023Page 21
Air war over Ukraine - Drones and defense against them
In the period from October 1 to October 31, which we are observing in this part of the series, the importance of drones and defense against them has become evident in various aspects. Therefore, we will focus mainly on them this time. However, another significant weapon appeared in Ukraine during this time – ATACMS missiles with longer range.
Miro BaričPhotos: Ukrainianarmed forces,social media and otherpublic sourcesAir war over UkraineDrones and defense against themThe United Kingdom supplied the Terrahawk Paladin system to Ukraine.In the period from October 1 to October 31, which we are observing in thispart of the series, the importance of drones and defense against themhas become evident in various aspects. Therefore, we will focus mainly onthem this time. However, another significant weapon appeared in Ukraineduring this time – ATACMS missiles with longer range.Let's begin with sad news. On Thursday,October 5, Russia committed another of its warcrimes. Shortly after noon, a ballistic missilefrom Iskander hit a café in the village of Hrozain the Kharkiv region. A farewell ceremony fora soldier from this village was taking place atthat moment. 59 people, including a six-year-old boy, lost their lives, and seven others wereinjured.Hroza had around 500 inhabitants before thewar. It was initially occupied by Russian forcesbut was liberated in September 2022 duringthe counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region.Just before the attack, there were 330 peopleliving in the village. One Russian missile thuskilled 10 percent of the pre-war population ofthe village. Every family in Hroza lost someone.The soldier whose funeral took place onOctober 5 had died earlier. His remains weretransported to his hometown only now. Hiswidow, son, and daughter-in-law also died inthe Russian attack. A few days after the attack,the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) statedthat the Russian missile had been guided by twocollaborators, brothers Vladimir and DmitryMamonov. They had lived in the village beforeand fled to Russian-occupied territory afterits liberation. When they learned about theplanned funeral on social media, they decidedto attend, assuming that fellow soldiers of thedeceased soldier might also be present.Moscow tried to justify the attack byspreading lies that many neo-Nazis werepresent at the funeral. However, the UN HighCommissioner for Human Rights, through itsown investigation, found that all victims ofthe attack – 36 women, 22 men, and one child– were civilians. It is uncertain whether Russiaintentionally attacked civilians or simply failedto verify information from collaborators whoprovided the target coordinates. The UN calledon Russia to acknowledge responsibility,identify and punish the perpetrators, andprovide compensation to the victims' families.ATACMS in actionOn the other hand, Ukraine demonstrateda rocket attack that had a spectacular effecton military targets, unlike the Russian one.The U.S. and Ukraine did not announce thedelivery of ATACMS missiles in advance; theyused them immediately. The first ATACMSmissile strike on Tuesday, October 17, targetedairports in Berdyansk in the Zaporizhia regionand in Luhansk. It was a total surprise forthe Russians, and they suffered significantdamage.HISTORYINFO Eduard22December 2023Page 23
Drones have become ubiquitous in Ukraine.Intact M74 submunition from the M39 ATACMS missile.Ka-52 helicopter in a photo released by the Russian Ministry of Defense.Illustrative photo of the ATACMS missile launchfrom the M270 MLRS launcherAt first glance, it may not seem so, but thereare 35 shrapnel hits in total in this detailedphoto of the Ka-52 helicopter.Fires resulting from ATACMS missile attackat the Berdiansk airport.The extent of the damage was hard toestimate because, in addition to completelydestroyed and burnt helicopters, several werehit by dozens or even hundreds of fragmentsbut did not catch fire. These machinesappeared untouched at first glance in satelliteimages but were, in fact, irreparably damaged.Austrian analyst Tom Cooper, citing sourcesthat examined all available images, statedthat there were 13 Ka-52 helicopters, twelveMi-8, two Mi-8, and two Mi-24/35 helicoptershit at the Berdyansk airport. In Luhansk, sevenMi-28, six Ka-52, and four Mi-8 helicopterswere hit. In total, the Russian armed forceslost 46 helicopters.A few days after the attack, the Russiansreleased a video showing that nothing hadhappened at the affected bases. The videocaptured an empty apron with small cratersfrom ATACMS missile submunitions at regularintervals. However, fresh traces of heavyequipment were visible, indicating that theRussians had removed something from thearea before filming – and in large quantities.Moreover, even before the video, immediatelyafter the attack, a video shot by Russiansoldiers on the edge of the affected base inBerdyansk appeared. It showed five or six fires– buildings and helicopters were burning.The remaining helicopters were withdrawnby the occupiers to the east, to the Taganrogbase, which is on Russian territory. Ukraine,based on an agreement with its allies, cannotuse Western weapons against it. For Russianhelicopters, this means a longer flight to thefront and less time for searching and trackingtargets. According to recent reports, Russiahas only about 25 Ka-52 helicopters in usablecondition.950 pieces of submunitionThe Ukrainians have continued tosuccessfully use ATACMS missiles. In the lastdays of October, they targeted the forwardairfield in Tokmak in the Zaporizhia regionand an S-400 air defense system battery inthe Luhansk region. In the latter case, at leastthree launchers were destroyed.Interestingly, ATACMS missiles provedeffective in a direct confrontation with theS-400 system, designed for ballistic missiledefense. Calculating their trajectory is crucialin countering them, and ATACMS missilescomplicate this process. After launch, theyreach speeds of Mach 3 and initiate a series ofmaneuvers, altering not only their altitude butalso their flight path. This makes it impossibleto determine their trajectory. Immediate post-launch maneuvering also hinders identifyingthe launch location, providing protection forthe launching platform against retaliatory fire.Ukraine has so far received the oldestversion of these missiles, the M39. It hasa shorter range compared to later versions(165 km versus 300 km), but it carries a largerpayload—up to 950 pieces of M74 submunition.Each submunition is about the size of a baseballand weighs half a kilogram. The submunitionsfrom a single missile cover an area of threehectares, where the shrapnel kills everythingliving and destroys unarmored vehicles,helicopters, and planes.HISTORYINFO Eduard23December 2023Page 24
ATACMS missiles have a caliber of 610 mmand are launched from M142 HIMARS or M270MLRS rocket launchers, which Ukraine hasbeen using since last summer. However, untilnow, they only had missiles with a caliberof 227 mm and a range of about 80 km. Onelauncher can fire either six 227 mm missilesor one ATACMS missile. The wheeled M142HIMARS can launch one ATACMS missile, andthe larger tracked M270 can launch two ofthese missiles due to its two launchers.Stalemate?On the ground, the situation has barelychanged, although both sides are attemptingoffensives. Russia continued its pressure inthe Kupiansk area in the north of the Kharkivregion and launched an extensive offensiveoperation near Avdiivka in the Donetskregion. After massive losses of equipment,they shifted to a tactic of constant infantrywave attacks. Despite significant casualties,they achieved minimal territorial gains in theobserved period near Avdiivka.A similar situation unfolded near Bachmut.In the areas of Robotyne and Verbove in theZaporizhia region, the Ukrainian advance tothe south was halted. However, there wasan expansion of the Ukrainian salient to theeast and west. Ukrainians also establishedseveral small bridgeheads on the left bankof the Dnieper River in the Kherson regionand continued to expand them. In this area,Ukrainians successfully deployed helicoptersflying low over the river and launching salvosof unguided rockets at Russian positions.Ground battles were accompanied by anincreasingly massive use of drones. Overthe mentioned bridges on the left bank ofthe Dnieper, Ukrainians gained an advantagethrough the successful use of jammers thatrestrict Russian drones. In other sectors,Russians use drones to replace artillery andemploy them in kamikaze attacks not only onequipment but also on trenches with Ukrainiandefenders. Drones of various sizes operate overthe battlefield, with larger reconnaissancedrones at higher altitudes and modified smallcommercial drones moving in large numbersjust above the ground.Machine guns and cannonsagainst dronesThe fight against drones has becomea significant priority. In addition to thementioned jammers and other largerelectronic warfare means, electronic rifles—essentially handheld jammers—are suppliedfrom the West. Allies are also providing variousweapons to Ukraine. For instance, Norwaysupplied remotely operated weapon stations,CORTEX Typhon, along with Dingo vehicles onwhich they are mounted. The number of unitsdelivered was not disclosed, but the value ofthe Norwegian delivery was 65 million euros.The CORTEX Typhon system is equippedwith a 12.7mm machine gun and operates intwo modes. The first is automatic, where thesystem itself destroys all drones within itsrange. This avoids precious time loss, crucialespecially during kamikaze drone attacks,where every second counts. However, thismode can only be used when there are noAnother illustrative shot published by the Russian Ministry of Defense, this time featuring the Mi-8.Use of heavier reconnaissance drones in photos from the Ukrainian armed forces.HISTORYINFO Eduard24December 2023Page 25
friendly drones operating in the vicinity. In thesecond mode, the operator decides to openfire after verifying the drone's identity. Theeffective range is 2 km.From Australia, 160 Slinger systems weresent to Ukraine, with 110 to be mounted ontracked armored vehicles M113 and 50 onwheeled Bushmaster vehicles, also suppliedfrom Australia. Slinger uses a 30mm calibercannon and has a magazine with 150 proximity-fused grenades. The goal, therefore, doesn'thave to be a direct hit; the grenade explodes ina target‘s vicinity destroying it with fragments.In addition to a set of optical devices, Slingeralso has a ballistic radar. The system's dayand night cameras can capture a target ata distance of 12–13 km and precisely identifyit at over 4 km. The ballistic radar can targeta vehicle at a distance of 3.5 km, a soldier at2.2 km, and a large drone (such as DJI Matrice600) at 1.4 km. The smallest targets, like smallquadcopters DJI Phantom, can be targeted atapproximately one kilometer.In October, Britain also provided Ukrainewith Terrahawk Paladin systems. In this case,it is a relatively heavy tool transported bya truck. The platform is equipped with a mastwith a radar, laser rangefinder, and day andnight cameras. On the opposite side there isa remotely controlled 30mm caliber cannon.What makes Terrahawk Paladin exceptionalis the ability to supplement the cannon withAPKWS rockets with a caliber of 70 mm withlaser guidance. However, there are too fewof these sophisticated systems to adequatelycover the entire front line. Therefore, the mostcommonly used are still ordinary machineguns mounted on any available vehicles.Destroyed by drones as well asfriendly fireDrones have contributed to further lossesin the Ukrainian air force during the observedperiod. On Tuesday, October 10, one Su-25 wasdestroyed at Dolgintsevo Airport near the cityof Kryvyi Rih by a Lancet 3 drone. There werealso photographs of MiG-29 aircraft destroyedat Kulbakino Airport near Mykolaiv. Accordingto some sources, these are new losses inOctober, but in reality, these are images offighters destroyed in the previous month.Despite this, the repetition of the attack onDolgintsevo is a striking negligence on thepart of Ukraine, as the first attack occurred onSeptember 19.In addition, Russian channels claimed onMonday, October 16, that Shkolny Airport nearOdesa was hit by a missile, resulting in thedestruction of six aircraft. Satellite imagerysupposedly confirmed this. However, theimagery captured the aftermath of an attackin May 2022, showing two damaged trainingThe turret of the Australian Slinger system.The most commonly used weapons against dronesare still anti-aircraft machine guns.HISTORYINFO Eduard25December 2023Page 26
L-39 Albatros aircraft and four MiG-21 fighters.Ukraine never used these aircraft. Three wereMiG-21bis originally repaired for Yemen andAlgeria but never delivered and had not flownfor over ten years. The fourth was a two-seaterMiG-21UM.From previous periods, there is alsoa shot-down Ukrainian Su-24, whose wreckagewas found near Bachmut, and the Russianspublished its photos on Wednesday, October18. Most likely, it is the Su-24M with thefuselage number "white 69," lost in May 2022near Soledar. Its crew, Colonel Igor Khmaraand Major Ilya Negar from the 7th TacticalAviation Brigade, perished.The only Ukrainianaircraft whose downing was confirmed in theobserved period is an Mi-24 helicopter fromthe 16th Independent Army Aviation Brigade.The helicopter crashed on Friday, November 20,near the village of Chasiv Yar in the Donetskregion. An Mi-8 helicopter was subsequentlycaptured on a mission attempting to rescue thecrew of the downed Mi-24. At least one of them,Colonel Serhiy Novosad, lost his life.During the observed period, the Ukrainianside reported the downing of several RussianSu-25 aircraft during the battle for Avdiivka.However, none of them has been confirmedso far. It is possible that the wreckage willbe found and appear in footage later, as hashappened many times during this war. Whatis confirmed, in addition to airports destroyedby ATACMS missiles, are two downings mostlikely caused by "friendly" fire.In the first case, a single-seat Su-typefighter was destroyed on Friday, October 6. Theaircraft crashed near the village of Nikolske,near Mariupol in the Donetsk region. The pilotsuccessfully ejected and parachuted to safety.In the second case, however, the entire three-member crew of a naval Mi-8MTV-5 helicopterperished. After being hit by its own air defense,Small commercial drones are the most widely used on the battlefield.The Gepard anti-aircraft tank with kill marks.HISTORYINFO Eduard26December 2023Page 27
the helicopter crashed into the sea on Sunday,October 22. The aircraft belonged to the 98thIndependent Mixed Aviation Regiment, and thecrew members who lost their lives were MajorGrigory Azanov and two other officers, MaximPasechnik and Alexei Kontievsky.Zaluzhny's ideasIn conclusion, let's revisit the topic ofdrones through the reflections of UkrainianChief of General Staff Valeriy Zaluzhny, whowrote an extensive thesis for The Economist,dedicating considerable attention to drones.Zaluzhny states that the situation on the frontis heading towards a stalemate, which is morefavorable to Russia. He also outlines five waysto overcome this stalemate:Achieving Air SuperiorityOvercoming Minefields at Sufficient DepthEffective Counter-Battery FireCreating and Preparing Adequate ReservesEffective Electronic WarfareRegarding the air force, Zaluzhny mentionsthat at the beginning of the war in Februaryof the previous year, Ukraine had 120 tacticalaircraft, of which only 40 were in satisfactorytechnical condition. There were 33 mediumand short-range air defense battalions, ofwhich only 18 had well-maintained equipment.However, with the help of allies, both the airforce and air defense were strengthened.Fighter jets, attack aircraft, and helicopterswere supplied, along with 16 different typesof Western air defense systems, rangingfrom man-portable missiles to self-propelledanti-aircraft guns like the Gepard and Patriotsystems.As a result, significant losses were inflictedupon the enemy. According to Zaluzhny, theRussian air force lost the equivalent of oneair army, and in the case of helicopters,13 regiments (brigades) of the army aviationwere lost. While the enemy is building newattack aviation units, unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) have taken on a significant portion ofreconnaissance and airstrikes.To achieve air superiority, Zaluzhnyproposes the simultaneous mass use ofcheap flying decoys and attack drones. Lures,together with drones in one combat formation,would overwhelm the enemy's air defense,confuse the opponent regarding the actualnumber of combat assets during an attack, andforce them to reveal their defense positions.For countering enemy drones, Zaluzhnysuggests using drones with nets to eliminatethe threat of kamikaze attacks on own units.Reconnaissance drones with infrared camerasat night should be blinded using strobe lightsto prevent them from detecting the positions ofUkrainian troops and equipment. Mass use ofelectronic warfare means (portable jammers,anti-drone rifles) is essential on the contactline to protect own ground forces.Zaluzhny also addresses the threat ofmanned aircraft releasing glide bombs froma distance onto Ukrainian positions. The useof air defense radar simulators that illuminatethe approaching aircraft would, ideally, scarethe pilot into releasing their deadly payloadfrom a greater distance, making it lessaccurate and effective.Among the five points necessary to overcomethe stalemate, we have delved deeper intoaviation, the main theme of this series. Besidesthese, Zaluzhny emphasizes the importanceof rational logistics organization and theexploration of new and unconventional ways tobreak the parity with the enemy.This Ukrainian Su-24M was lost in May 2022 near Soledar; photos have only surfaced recently.Ukrainian MiG-29 destroyed at the Kulbakino airport. Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter firing the unguidedrockets at the Russian positions.HISTORYINFO Eduard27December 2023Page 28
BOXART STORYThe Bell P-39 Airacobra was anything buta high-altitude fighter. Even the prototype, thoughpowered by a turbocharged engine, did not excel athigh altitudes in terms of top speed, and after theinstallation of the Allison V-1710-39 with a single-stage supercharger, the promising fighter wasdefinitely doomed to be combat-used only at lowand medium altitudes. All the more interesting isthe story of F/O Kirby F. Smith, who managed toshoot down a Ju-88D-1 reconnaissance aircraftflying at an altitude of over 31,000 ft m.This occurred on August 6, 1943. The pair ofF/O Smith and F/O Simmonds from the 346thFighter Squadron, part of the 350th Fighter Groupoperating in northwest Africa, was conductinga test flight during which one of the pair simulatedan enemy aircraft while the other tried to locateit using radio guidance. During this task, thepilots received a report of the presence ofa German reconnaissance aircraft, so they quittheir exercise and, after guidance by a groundstation, began their climb to the target. Thescout had already flown over the coast andheaded out over the sea, while the two alreadynotoriously “out of breath” Airacobras fought forliterally every feet of altitude as they approachedtheir operational ceiling. The pilots reached thetarget’s altitude some 100 miles from the coast.Smith wasted no time as the fuel ran out and theengine temperature reached concerning values.As soon as he came within range, he opened fire.The powerful recoil of the 37 mm cannon causedhis aircraft to drop some hundred foots, but thestricken Ju 88 went into a slow descent and itscrew’s parachutes appeared in the sky...That day the Luftwaffe lost two Ju 88reconnaissance aircraft in the Mediterranean.One was doing weather reconnaissance, theother a long-range photo reconnaissance. Bothwere Ju 88D-1s. K. F. Smith’s victim was mostlikely the one of Fw. Heinz Pracht from the 3rd(F)/33 (WNr. 143073, 8H+LL), as the other lostJu 88D-1 belonged to Wekusta 26, a weatherreconnaissance squadron based in Frosinone,more than 380 miles from the site of the shoot-down, and it seems unlikely that it would haveoperated that far away.Smith and Simmonds would have had an easiersituation if they had gone on a test flight withthe P-38s that all three squadrons of the 350thFG had received in order to fight the high-flyingGerman reconnaissance aircraft. Each squadronreceived two of them in May 1943, and their pilotsmanaged to shoot down 26 percent of all Luftwaffereconnaissance aircraft over northwest Africa byearly October.The story of the formation of the 350th FG isinteresting in itself. It was created somewhat outof necessity due to the USAAF command’s effortsto use all available resources prior to the plannedinvasion of North Africa. And so, it was decided toemploy American pilots in Europe, to supplementthem with pilots from USA and equip them all withAiracobras, which were originally to be receivedby the French and had been awaiting their fate incrates in the UK for quite a time. From the USA,a forward echelon of 119 men from the 31st FG and52nd FG, the groups that flew the P-39, set outfor Europe on September 20, 1942, from HardingField. At the same time, American pilots operatingin Europe were being assembled. However, thesewere not the pilots of the Eagle Squadrons thatformed the 4th FG, known as the Debden Eagles,but men scattered in various RAF and RCAFsquadrons. The activation of the 350th FG tookplace at Duxford on October 1 and included the345th (Devil Hawks), 346th (Checkerboards) and347th (Screaming Red Asses) Fighter Squadrons.By early January, 800 ground and flyingpersonnel were ready for action and all movedto Africa during January and February 1943. TheP-39 flight from England to Port Lyautey, FrenchMorocco, was itself a dangerous task, as it wasa seven-hour flight, conducted largely over enemyterritory. Of the 75 pilots who took off for theflight between January 3 and February 28, only61 reached their destination. Ten were forcedto land in Portugal due to headwinds, as wasa pilot whose on-board electrical system failedin flight. One pilot was shot down over Biscay bya patrolling Ju 88 from a KG-40, another of thosewho did not make it to the destination had tomake an emergency landing in Spain and anotherone lost his orientation over Ireland and crashedwhen trying to return to England.In Africa, pilots from all squadrons flewpatrol and interception missions, provided coverfor convoys and escort for bomber, transportor reconnaissance aircraft. Their duties alsoincluded close air support, so it could be saidthat they were the “Jack of all trades”. And, as thestory depicted in the boxart by Adam Tooby, whoprepared it for kit Cat. No. 8067, proves, they evenmanaged the role of high-altitude fighters withtheir Airacobras.Illustration: Adam ToobyOn the limitText: Richard Plos#8067INFO Eduard28December 2023Page 29
#84196BOXART STORYSunday August 18, 1940 is known as TheHardest Day. One of the units that defendedEngland was the No. 501 Squadron RAF, whichflew more than 50 combat sorties during thisday. At around 1pm, a formation of its twelveHurricanes was sent to the Canterbury areaand was due to climb to a flight level of 20,000ft.Five other squadrons were sent to same areato attack the some 350 German aircraft thatwere forming up over the Pas-de-Calais asit was clear that they would head for targetsin England.One Gruppe of JG 3 and III./JG 26 “Schlageter”flew ahead of bombers on a free hunt. Althoughthe Kommandeur of III./JG 26 was Major AdolfGalland, during this mission he was replacedby the Kapitän of his 9. Staffel Oblt. GerhardSchöpfel. When his formation arrived overCanterbury, he spotted the Hurricanes ofNo. 501 Squadron gaining altitude in a very tightformation in a circular climb. Sensing a uniqueopportunity, Schöpfel ordered his unit not toattack and dived on the Hurricane formationalone with the sun at his back.His surprise two-minute attack wasdevastating. His first opponent was hit frombehind at a distance of 100 meters, with partsfalling off, smoke and flames billowing out.P/O Kenneth Lee's radio was knocked out andhe didn't have time to warn the others. SThesecond opponent was also hit from a distanceof 100 metres, the Hurricane caught fire andthe badly injured Polish pilot F/O Kozłowskibailed out. The rest of the British formationstill did not notice anything. Schöpfel´s gunfiredisintegrated the third victim in mid-air and Sgt.McKay surprisingly survived with injuries. Then,tragically, P/O Bland was killed at point blankrange and his machine exploded. Schöpfel'scanopy was completely covered with oil fromBland's machine and he had to disengagefrom the combat. This fight became not onlya welcome subject for German propaganda,but also a significant milestone in Schöpfel'scareer. After a few days he became commanderof III./JG 26 and in December 1941 was appointedKommodore of JG 26. What were the stories ofhis victims?Kenneth Norman Thomson Lee was bornin Birmingham on June 23, 1915 and beganhis training at RAFVR in 1937. He served withNo. 111 and 43 Squadrons RAF before the startof the war, and was posted to No. 501 Squadronin September 1939 and saw combat with themin France. He was awarded the DFC in October1940 and served in Africa from late 1941. FromSeptember 1942 he flew Kittyhawks withNo. 260 Squadron. However, during a raid onCrete on July 27, 1943, he was shot down andtaken prisoner. He scored 7 victories in WW2.In January 1945, he survived a death marchbetween POW camps. He died on January 15,2008.Franciszek Kozłowski was born on April 14,1917 in Wodzisław. At the beginning of the war hefought with the 122 Eskadra Myśliwska equippedwith PZL P.11c fighters and he was credited withshared destruction of two bombers. At the endof 1939 he reached United Kingdom and in earlyAugust 1940 he was assigned to the No. 501Squadron. In February 1941 he was transferredto the Polish No. 316 Squadron and was killed inaction over France on March 13, 1943.Donald Alistair Stewart McKay was born inPontefract, Yorkshire in 1917. This bank clerkbegan his flying training with the RAFVR in 1937and went through the same units as KennethLee in 1939 and 1940. He returned to combat inlate 1940 and during subsequent service withNo. 91, 234 and 274 Squadrons he gained furthercombat successes. He scored 14 victories inWW2 and received DFM. He was dischargedfrom the RAF in 1947 and returned to the RAFVR.His wife died from the effects of a surgery onOctober 30, 1959, and McKay committed suicidetwo days later.John Wellburn Bland was born on May 9, 1910in Calne, Wiltshire, into the family of the vicarof St Matthews Church in Cotham Park, Bristol.He was assigned to the No. 501 Squadron beforethe war began, but transferred to the No. 601 Sqafter the outbreak of the war and won his firsttwo victories during the fighting over France.In July, he was reassigned back to No. 501 Sqand scored one more victory before his death.Kenneth Lee had bitter memories of this day.With a gunshot wound in his leg, he landed ona parachute near Whitstable and waited in hisbloodied flight suit in the bar of the local golfclub for an ambulance. Speaking at his address,a club member said: “The machine-gunningmade me miss my putt. And who's that chapat the bar? Bad show, all that blood - I don'tbelieve he's even a member”.Text: Jan BobekIllustration: Marek RyśSunday at the golf clubINFO Eduard29December 2023Page 30
BOXART STORY #7472Seventy one years ago, on a dirt strip ofa rural farming settlement called Hertzelia,Messerschmitts, Spitfires, and Mustangstook to the air to defend the new State ofIsrael. Israel's War of Independence was wonin three phases, the second phase took placebetween 15th and 22nd October 1948, whenoperation "Ten Plagues" was set into motionto dislodge the Egyptian army entrenched30 minutes away from Tel Aviv, along theAshdot Hebron road and the "Faluga pocket".Operation "Ten Plagues" was headed bythe Southern Front commander Yigal Alonand was later renamed after Yitzhak Dubno,codenamed "Yoav" by his commanders in thePalmach. Dubno, a senior Palmach officer,was charged with planning and leading thedefense of the kibbutzim Negba and YadMordechai, and was killed in an air raid onKibbutz Negba shortly after Egyptian forcesbegan their offensive on Israel's southernfront.Preparation for Operation "Yoav" beganin the summer of 1948 with all airworthyaircraft including light and heavy transportplanes, bombers and fighters were fittedto deliver bombs brought from abroad andmanufactured locally. Most missions duringOperation "Yoav" were concentrated onbombing the Egyptian forward airbase of ElAhrish and the Egyptian army headquartersset up at the Iraq Al Sudan fortressoverlooking the Faluga pocket along theAshkelon Hebron road. The eight day longoffensive was successfull in dislodging theEgyptian army from the road connectingAshkelon to Jerusalem and pushed themfurther south, beyond the city of Beer Sheva.On October 16, 1948, IAF headquartersnotifies all ground units that Israel's fighterplanes belonging to Israel's only fightersquadron, the 101 squadron, have theirspinners painted in red and the ruddersdecorated with red and white stripes in orderto distinguish them from Egyptian Spitfiresoperating in the same area. To furtherdifferentiate the Israeli fighter planes fromthose of Egypt, especially Egyptian Spitfires,Star of David roundels were applied on thewings for the first time. The aircraft availableto the 101 squadron at the start of Operation"Yoav" include Avia S-199 Daled-113, 114, 117,118, 120, 121, and 123; Spitfires Daled-130,131, 132, 133, and 134; and P-51D MustangsDaled-190 and 191 in final stages of assembly.During Operation "Yoav", Avia S-199Daled-121 wearing red and white rudderstripes and red spinner was credited withhitting an enemy aircraft. On the first day ofthe offensive, on October 16th, Rudi Augartenclaimed downing a Royal Egyptian Air ForceSpitfire Mk.IXc, this kill was not confirmedby IAF intelligence and is only considered asa damage claim.With the end of "Operation Yoav" on October22, 1948, and winter weather softening thedirt runway in Hertzelia, the 101 squadron ismoved on November 9, 1948, to the formerRAF base at Castina, later to be known asHatzor Air Base.On December 22, 1948, the IDF intiatedanother offensive that pushed the EgyptianArmy beyond Israel's borders. This operationwas to be called Operation "Horev" whichlasted until January 7, 1948, and cullminatedin a ceasefire that ended Israel's War ofIndependance and set the borders of thecountry as they are recognized today.The official IAF code name for the AviaS-199 was Python. IAF pilots who wereWWII war veterans referred to the AviaS-199 as the Messerschmitt. This name wasshortened to "Messer" as stated to me byPresident Ezer Weizman. "Messer" also hadthe dual meaning, amongst European Jewswho spoke the Yiddish language, "messer"also means "knife" which is pronounced"Sakeen" in Hebrew.Depicted machine with fuselage codeDaled-121 was delivered to Israel on July 20,1948, during Operation "Balak", flight No. 70.It made its first flight in Israel the day afterdelivery and the left side of its nose wassubsequently decorated with the emblemof the 101 tayeset (squadron). The originalsmall and black painted Daled-121 wasobliterated and changed to a larger whiteone. On September 14, 1948, Bill Pomerantzflipped this aircraft on landing. The "Messer"was repaired and served until the end of thewar, on December 22, 1948. In 1950 it wastransferred to Tel Nof and scrapped.Illustration: Adam ToobyYoav MessersText: Yoav EfratiINFO Eduard30December 2023Page 31
#8079BOXART STORYThe left hand moves the lever forward to thefull throttle while the right hand pushes the stickforward. The aircraft tilts its nose and the engineyells at full power. The airspeed indicator needlemoves up the scale towards the top value rapidly.Just a bashing moment, the nose screams ina protest, and the reducer breaks off! The propellerimmediately exceeds its maximum revolutions,the blades break off, and the cone follows.The aircraft, suddenly “tail heavy”, rises its cripplednose wildly upwards. The overwhelming overloadknocks the pilot unconscious, and he only regainsconsciousness after a few seconds at 40,000 ft.The nose of the aircraft is deformed, one coverpanel torn off. The forces during the transitionfrom dive to climb bent the wings to an unusualdihedral, but the aircraft remains controllable, sothe pilot puts it into a glide and turns towards thebase. After a few dozen of minutes, the wheelsof the crippled Spitfire Mk.XI touch down on therunway at Farnborough. It is April 27, 1944 andW/Cdr Anthony F. Martindale has just recorded thehighest speed ever achieved by a piston aircraft.As the record shows, before the reducer brokedown, the airspeed was over 700 mph, knockingthe Mach 0.92!Cut, a three-and-a-half-year fast forward.This time, the pilot turns on the four chambersof the XLR-11-RM-3 rocket engine, one afterthe other, giving it a maximum thrust of 6,000lbf (26.5 kN). The orange Bell X-1, looking likea .50 bullet, slices the air with its thin wings likea butter knife. The speed increases steadily, theneedle of the machmeter easily surpassing theheroic performance of W/Cdr Martindale andhis poor Spitfire. Quite smoothly and withoutvibration, the gauge moves past Mach 1 andslowly continues on. On reaching Mach 1.06, therocket engine falls silent after twenty secondsof work and the pilot takes the aircraft intoa glide. It takes nearly 14 minutes to descendfrom 42,000 feet and the wheels touch downon the runway at Rogers Dry Lake. It’s October14, 1947, and Charles “Chuck” Yeager has justbecome the fastest man on the planet and thefirst to break the speed of sound. Ironically, heachieved this feat as an incapacitated pilot.But that was discovered only when it was all over...Prior to the record-breaking flight, which wasscheduled for Tuesday, Chuck and his wife weresupposed to take a weekend trip, but a pregnantGlennis wasn’t feeling well, so they stayed home.On Sunday, she was better, so they at least wentto dinner at the Happy Bottom Riding Club, part ofa large ranch built near the base by Florence Lowe“Pancho” Barnes, a pilot who had competed in airraces in the prewar years with the famous AmeliaEarhart and, among other things, had flown inHoward Hughes’ famous film Hell’s Angels (1930).She also announced at the beginning of the X-1program that the first pilot to break the speed ofsound would get a free steak in her restaurant.That evening Chuck still had to pay for hisdinner and then he and Glennis decided to gohorseback riding. Someone slammed the ranchgate, which Yeager didn’t expect. His horse rearedup and jumped sideways and the rider left hissaddle involuntarily. Two broken ribs were thetoll, but rather than confess to the flight surgeon,which would have taken himself out of flyingfor a while, he went to his friend veterinarian.And because he found he was unable to close thecockpit door with his right hand, flight engineerJack Ridley cut off his broom handle so he coulduse it as an improvised lever. Once the door wasclosed and the necessary checks were made torelease the X-1 from the mother B-29, nothingcould stop Yeager!The whole situation was depicted in The RightStuff (1983) movie, in which Chuck was playedby Sam Shepard, while Ed Harris portrayed thesecond American astronaut, John Glenn, andScott Glenn played the first American in space,Alan Shepard... Interesting names coincidence,isn’t it? Kim Stanley portrayed the flamboyantranch owner, and five years after The Right Stuff,a movie was made about “Pancho” Barnes herself,starring Valerie Bertinelli.Stanislav Tarasovich’s painting, boxart of kitCat. No. 8079, depicts aircraft number 46-063, thesecond prototype operated by the NACA (NationalAdvisory Committee for Aeronautics). ChuckYeager never flew it, but the entire X-1 programis forever associated with him and his record-breaking flight. And the film’s conversationbetween “Pancho” and Gordon Cooper’s wifeis a testament to how dangerous the work oftest pilots was, regardless of military or NACAaffiliation:Trudy Cooper: “I just noticed that a fancy pilotlike Slick over there doesn’t have his picture onyour wall. What do you have to do to get yourpicture up there anyway? Pancho Barnes: "Youhave to die, sweetie …"Text: Richard PlosIllustration: Stanislav TarasovičA Steak for FreeINFO Eduard31December 2023Page 32
BOXART STORY #7406It is no coincidence that Max Müller becamethe second most decorated German aviator ofthe Great War, after Manfred von Richthofen.The athletic and determined Müller hadalready joined the Bavarian armed forces in1907. He became the personal driver of theBavarian Minister of War, Otto Freiherr Kreßvon Kressenstein. By applying directly to hispassenger, Müller obtained a transfer to theaviation training in December 1913. He becamea very experienced and courageous aviator.Although he was a Bavarian, he felt at homein Boelcke´s Prussian Jasta 2. Even afterbeing transferred in early 1916 to Jasta 28w("w" indicates a Royal Württemberg unit) asa five victory ace, he felt well accepted.He liked a lot two of the commandersof Jasta 28w, Lt. Schäfer and Hptm. Hartmann.However, both were killed in action, Schäferin early June and Hartmann in early September1917.While Hartmann was still alive, Max Müllerwas promoted to the rank of Leutnant onAugust 26, 1917. This was the first suchpromotion in the German armed forces. Müller,who by then held the highest possible NCOrank (Offiziersstellvertreter), was the victorover 26 opponents. After his promotion, hewas immediately awarded both the “Blue Max”and the Bavarian Medal in Gold in the first halfof September.At the beginning of September 1917, Müllerhad the fuselage of his machine painted red,as at that time he was leading the Jasta 28win combat flights. Antonis Karydis' boxartshows Müller in a dogfight with a SopwithCamel, which took place on 10 September at19:30 over Houthulst Forest. It was probablya machine from No. 70 Squadron RFC. Duringthe following day he forced another aircraft ofthis type to land.Hartmann's successor on 10 Septemberbecame Oblt. Jahns, on whose accountwas only one air victory. At that time MaxMüller apparently began to doubt whetherhis superiors would ever be willing to puthim in command of Jasta 28w. When Jahnswas killed in action on 24 September, Müllerapparently expected that his moment hadcome and he would become commander ofthe unit. To his disappointment, however,command was given to Prussian Lt. Emil Thuy,who accounted for about half the BavarianMüller's tally. Moreover, the two officers didnot get along very well. However, Müller, whowas to be assigned to a Bavarian fighter unit,requested a transfer back to the PrussianJasta 2, whose designation had since changedto Jasta Boelcke (Jasta B).Müller was greeted with enthusiasm byhis old unit at the end of October 1917. Threequarters of a year earlier he had left it asa NCO and Boelcke's promising pupil with fivekills to his credit. He returned as an officerwith nearly thirty victories. He was at thattime the second most successful living fighterpilot after Manfred von Richthofen.When the commander of Jasta B, Lt.Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp was killed on6 January, Müller was put in command. Tohis disappointment, he was not appointed asa Staffelführer. However, he was determinedto earn the permanent post. The 8th of January,he imparted to the pupils at a flight school theexperience of how to effectively attack two-seater observation aircraft. The very next day,he found himself in just such a situation whenhe attacked a crew of RE.8 of No. 21 SquadronRFC manned by Capt G. F. W. Zimmer and 2.LtH. A. Somerwille. They were attacked by sevenAlbatros planes under Müller's command andSomerwille fired on all the machines. Müllerbroke away from the fight, his machine caughtfire and he seemed to jump out of the machinein desperation without a parachute. SE.5s ofNo. 60 Squadron subsequently joined the fight.However, not even Müller´s comrades couldagree on the exact course of Müller's tragicend. What is certain is that Müller was foundwith a bullet in his chest, which must havecome from the defensive fire of RE.8. Ironically,Capt. Zimmer (soon to receive the DFC) wasof German descent, as his father was animmigrant born in Heilbronn, Württemberg.Max Müller was the second most successfulBavarian fighter after Rudolf Berthold, and inMarch 1919 he was posthumously awarded theBavarian Military Max-Joseph Order, Knight´sCross, retroactive to November 1917. By thisact he was knighted and his name was nowgiven as Max Ritter von Müller. You can learnmore about this exceptional aviator in thepublications of Lance J. Bronnenkant, GregVanWyngarden, Bruno Schmäling and JörnLeckscheid.Illustration: Antonis KarydisThe Bavarian KnightText: Jan BobekINFO Eduard32December 2023Page 33
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#82204FM-1 Wildcat1/48The ProfiPACK edition kit of US WWII aircraft carrier-basedfighter FM-1 Wildcat in 1/48 scale.Kit presents FM-1Wildcats from US Navy combat over the Pacific and theAtlantic, and also from the British FAA.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 6decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: noProduct pageKITS 12/2023INFO Eduard34December 2023Page 35
VC-1, USS Block Island (CVE-21), Autumn 1943BuNo. 15334, VC-33, USS Coral Sea (CVE-57), November 1943The VC-1 composite squadron operated from USSCard (CVE-11) during its first deployment. Theunit operating from escort carriers with WildcatsF4F-4 fighters and Avenger bombers in thesummer of 1943 scored several successfulattacks on German submarines. An aircraft withnumber 14 served with VC-1 on USS Block Islandin the fall of 1943 during second combat tourof the unit. During this deployment the U-boatU-220 was sunk on October 28. The paint schemefor this aircraft was one of two standard onescreated for single engine aircraft operating in theAtlantic area. It consisted of shades of Dark GullGrey and Light Gull Grey on the upper surfacesand Insignia White on the lower ones. The nationalinsignias had the original red trim overpainted.Photographs of this and other Wildcats from USSBlock Island are often attributed to VC-55, but theaffiliation with VC-1 is evidenced by the emblemlocated under the cockpit.The VC-33 composite squadron participated inOperation Galvanic in November 1943, whereUSS Coral Sea (CVE-57) operated alongsideUSS Corregidor (CVE-58) and USS LiscomeBay (CVE-56) during the attack on Makin Atoll.One of the FM-1s of VC-33 operating from USSCoral Sea was the one with number 33, whichcrashed during one of the landings on that shipin November. The Wildcat’s livery was done inthe standard shades of Sea Blue, IntermediateBlue and Insignia White. On the fuselage, rudder,engine cowls and leading edge was black number33, while the original white S33 marking underthe cabin was overpainted.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard35December 2023Page 36
VC-33, USS Nassau (CVE-16), September 1943BuNo. 46776, VC-13, USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60), spring 1944The VC-33 is shown in its pre-embarkationform on the USS Coral Sea (CVE-57). At the time,VC-33 was preparing on USS Nassau (CVE-16) foran early combat deployment as part of OperationGalvanic. The USS Nassau did not intervene inOperation Galvanic, but in December 1943, ArmyP-39 Airacobras from the 72nd FS launchedfrom her deck to reach their combat area.The Airacobras then fought from the airfieldat Makin Atoll, which was also captured thanksto air support from the Wildcats of the USS CoralSea. The livery of the Wildcats from the timethey were training on USS Nassau was donein the standard shades of Dark Gull Grey and BlueGrey. The distinctive A2 code on the fuselage andwings marked the aircraft used for training andwas removed after the transfer to the USS CoralSea. The hand-painted S29 marking on the backof the fuselage was the aircraft designation onthe VC-33. This makeshift inscription was on thestarboard side only.Wildcat number 4 has been mistakenly assignedto VC-58 by the vast majority of sources. Thisunit, however, operated in the spring 1944 fromthe USS Guadalcanal and was operating WildcatsFM-2. In January and February 1944, the VC-13Squadron, known by the emblem with a drawingof a cat painted on the sides of the fuselages ofits aircraft, operated from the ship. Unfortunately,the application of the unit’s emblem is notdocumented for Wildcats FM-1 of VC-13, althoughUSS Guadalcanal records from February 1944 domention the unit’s emblem. With the FM-1 versionWildcats, this was the third operational tour forVC-13 in early 1944. During the previous two inthe spring and summer of 1943, the squadronoperated from USS Core (CVE-13) and scoredseveral successful hits against German U-boats.In the spring of 1944, after rearming with the newFM-2, the unit underwent another combat tourin the Atlantic. The last combat deployment wasin 1945 in the Pacific from USS Anzio (CVE-57).Wildcat’s paint scheme was done in the standardshades of Dark Gull Grey and Insignia White.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard36December 2023Page 37
No. 846 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Tracker, June 1944JV377, No. 882 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Searcher, August 1944This color scheme shows a Martlet Mk.V withcode letter B belonging to No. 846 Naval AirSquadron operating from the deck of HMS Tracker.The serial number was painted over withinvasion stripes and thus remains unknown.On the starboard side of the fuselage behind theengine cowling there was the white inscription,probably “Lim Lady”. The camouflage patternof the Mk.V Martlets was applied in shadesof Temperate Sea Scheme, so that the uppersurfaces were painted with Extra Dark Sea Greyand Dark Slate Grey shades, while the lowersurfaces were painted Sky. Black and whiteinvasion stripes were on the fuselage and wing.The HMS Searcher ship operated mainly aroundthe UK coast from 1943. In late December 1943she escorted convoys and ships in the Atlanticand arrived in Norfolk in early January 1944.She took part in the attacks on the Germanbattleship Tirpitz as part of the Home Fleet StrikeForce in Operation Tungsten, during which herrole was to provide fighter cover. Martlet Mk.Vserial number JV377 was one of the aircraft ofNo. 882 Squadron supporting Operation Dragoon,the Allied invasion of southern France in August1944. The camouflage pattern of the Martlet Mk.Vwas applied in Temperate Sea Scheme, i.e., withthe upper surfaces in Extra Dark Sea Grey andDark Slate Grey, the lower surface in Sky.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard37December 2023Page 38
1/48built by Robert Szwarc#82204MARKING CFM-1 WildcatKITS 12/2023INFO Eduard38December 2023Page 39
The VC-33 is shown in its pre-embarkationform on the USS Coral Sea (CVE-57). At thetime, VC-33 was preparing on USS Nassau(CVE-16) for an early combat deployment aspart of Operation Galvanic. The USS Nassaudid not intervene in Operation Galvanic, but inDecember 1943, Army P-39 Airacobras fromthe 72nd FS launched from her deck to reachtheir combat area. The Airacobras then foughtfrom the airfield at Makin Atoll, which wasalso captured thanks to air support from theWildcats of the USS Coral Sea. The livery ofthe Wildcats from the time they were trainingon USS Nassau was done in the standardshades of Dark Gull Grey and Blue Grey. Thedistinctive A2 code on the fuselage and wingsmarked the aircraft used for training and wasremoved after the transfer to the USS CoralSea. The hand-painted S29 marking on the backof the fuselage was the aircraft designation onthe VC-33. This makeshift inscription wason the starboard side only.VC-33, USS Nassau (CVE-16), September 1943KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard39December 2023Page 40
Recommended:for FM-1 Wildcat 1/48644241 FM-1 LööK (Brassin)648943 FM-1 undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)648944 FM-1 wheels (Brassin)648945 FM-1 folding wings PRINT (Brassin)648946 FM-1 exhaust PRINT (Brassin)648947 FM-1 engine PRINT (Brassin)648948 FM-1 wheel bay PRINT (Brassin)648949 FM-1 seat PRINT (Brassin)648950 FM-1 gun barrels PRINT (Brassin)3DL48149 FM-1 SPACE (3D Decal Set)OVERTREES#82204XFM-1 Wildcat1/48Product pageOVERLEPT#82204-LEPTFM-1 WildcatPE-Set 1/48Product page#648943#648948#648945#648949KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard40December 2023Page 41
1/48P-39N AiracobraThe ProfiPACK edition kit of US WWII fighter aircraft P-39N Airacobrain 1/48 scale. Kit offers P-39 from service with the American, Italianand Soviet air forces.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 6decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: no#8067Product pageKITS 12/2023INFO Eduard41December 2023Page 42
P-39N-1, 42-9385, Lt. Kirby F. Smith, 346th FS, 350th FG, Reghaia, Algeria, September 1943P-39N-5, 42-18810, 40th FS, 35th FG, Nazdab, New Guinea, fall 1943On August 6, the Luftwaffe lost two Ju 88reconnaissance aircraft in the Mediterranean.One was conducting weather reconnaissance,the other long-range reconnaissance. Bothwere Ju 88D-1s and the victim of K. F. Smithand his Airacobra was most likely the aircraft ofFw. Heinz Pracht of 3. (F)/33 (WNr. 143073, 8H+LL).The other lost Ju 88D-1 belonged to Wekusta26 (weather reconnaissance squadron), basedat Frosinone, more than 600 km from the siteof the shoot-down, which occurred about 160km north of Cherchell on the African coast. TheGerman reconnaissance aircraft were operatingat an altitude of about 30,000 feet and so eachsquadron of 350th FG received pair of P-38s tointercept these high-flying enemies. On thatAugust 6, however, Smith had to climb to thehigh-flying target with a breathless Airacobra aswell as his wingman, F/O Harold M. Simmonds.Shots from the 37mm cannon nearly stopped theAiracobra in mid-air as it fluttered at the limitof maximum range. The fire, however, sent theenemy to the ground, or, better to say, to the water.A swastika-style kill sign subsequently appearedon the right side of Smith’s aircraft under thecockpit.USAAF and RAAF single-engine fighter aircraftoperating in New Guinea from the second half of1943 onward carried white tail surfaces, usuallyin combination with white painted wing leadingedges. Both intended as identification markingsof their own aircraft. The 40th FS had been flyingAiracobras since the summer of 1942, when thesquadron was tasked with the defense of PortMoresby harbour. From December 1943, thesewere gradually replaced by P-47 Thuderbolts.During their spell with Airacobras, the pilots ofthe 40th FS recorded a total of 51 enemy aircraftdestroyed, which was the highest score achievedby a squadron armed with P-39/P-400 aircraft.Unlike the sister 41st FS, paintings on the doorsof the 40th FS were rare. The door with paintingof miss Julie was also retrofitted on the No. 51aircraft. Thus, the same aircraft is documentedboth with and without this painting. The painteddoor was originally attached to the Airacobraserial number 42-18802 from the 41st FS, whichwas an aircraft purchased from a fund-raisingcampaign organized by the students of Union –Endicott High School (N.Y.).KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard42December 2023Page 43
P-39N, 42-8747, Guard Capt. Grigoryi Andreevich Rechkalov, 16 GIAP,the Soviet Union, August 1944The Airacobra flown by the second mostsuccessful Soviet and Allied fighter (61 kills)had serial number 42-8747. Aircraft from thisdelivery were taken over by the 16 GIAP (GuardFighter Air Regiment) in mid-May 1943 andshortly after was Rechkalov awarded the firstGold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Theaircraft had the standard Olive Drab/NeutralGray livery at the time, with white stars in theUS markings painted red, supplemented withred stars on the upper right and lower left winghalves. However, there is no overall photo ofthe aircraft in this form. Only photographs froma later period are known. The aircraft alreadybore the symbols of at least 48 kills. In thephotographs taken on August 19, 1944, it is seenas wearing number 42547 on the tail. Accordingto Alexander Klubov’s memoirs, the rear fuselageof Rechkalov’s aircraft was deformed duringaerial combat and was repaired with the useof the rear fuselage of another aircraft, namely44-2529, which was a P-39Q. In doing so, theoriginal rudder was used, resulting in a differentnumber on each side of the tail. In some of thephotos, the color of the rear part of the fuselageappears to be different from the rest, leadingone to believe that it was partially repaintedwith Soviet AMT-4 color after the repair.But the original blue disc of the US insignia isquite clear which hangs some question marksover this, including whether the rear fuselagereinforcement (offered as etched parts PE 19, 20,23, 24) was actually fitted at that time. Based onthe distinct remnant of the US emblem, it appearsit was not, other sources say that Rechkalov’sAiracobra was fitted with the reinforcingstructure. The depicted form is therefore only oneof the possible reconstructions of the appearanceof this aircraft.P-39N-5, 42-18815, Lt. Walter A. Hymovitch, 41st FS, 35th FG, New Guinea, Nadzab, fall 1943On November 26, the last combat of Airacbrasof the 35th FG with Japanese aircraft occurred.Pilots of the 40th and 41st FS scored seven killscertain and six more probable without losses.During a morning patrol over Finschhafen,a formation of four Boomerangs covered bythree Airacobras from the 41st FS clashed witha group of more than twenty Ki-43 Oscar fightersescorted by Ki-48 Lily bombers. In defendingthe Boomerangs, the 41st FS pilots shot downfour Oscars, with a fifth kill only recordedas probable. One of the kills was credited toLt. Walter A. Hymovitch. A typical feature of the41st FS Airacobras was the painting applied to theleft cockpit door. Lt. Hymovitch had a gunslingerfigure named Whiskey Pete painted on it.The drawing appeared on the film footage,but it does not show the entire drawing.Our interpretation is therefore a reconstruction,especially of the lower part of the figure.It is clear, on the other hand, that the aircraftdid not have white leading edges of the wings,as was usual for Allied aircraft in this theater ofoperations.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard43December 2023Page 44
P-39N-1, 42-18354, Maj. Charles F. Hoover, 345th FS, 350 FG,Ghisonaccia, Corsica, December 1943P-39N-1, 42-18378, 10° Gruppo, 4° Stormo, ACI, Lecce-Galatina, Italy, 1944Late in the summer of 1943, the aircraft of Capt.Charles E. Hoover, commander of the 345thFS/350th FG, was an Airacobra called “TheShark” after the shark’s mouth painted on thenose. The markings were unusual for the 350thFG, not only because of the mouth, but alsobecause of the absence of yellow stripes onthe wings and aft fuselage. As presented, theaircraft had its armament reduced to a pairof machine guns in the wings. The Olive Drabcolor of the camouflage of the upper surfacessported clearly visible an extensive repairs,giving the surface the appearance of two-tonecamouflage. During the repairs, most of thestenciling disappeared under the new paint.The markings of the aircraft changed duringservice and two different forms are documented.The one shown here corresponds to the periodin which the “Shark” operated from Ghisonacciabase in Corsica in early 1944. Below theDevilhawks emblem, two swastikas symbolizingkills were marked on the port side. It is notentirely clear whether these are Hoover’s,as he shot down one Bf 109 in February 1943and was involved in the probable destruction ofDo 217 on October 21, 1943. But the two kill marksmight also represent two victories achieved bythe aircraft. One swastika would thus representthe aforementioned Do 217, the other the Me410, which according to his memoirs was shotdown by Lt. Ogilvie. However, this kill was notofficially confirmed, as the encounter occurredover enemy territory and was unwitnessed.The Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana (ACI) wasthe air force of the Southern Italian monarchistgovernment of Pietro Badoglio, formed inOctober 1943 after the armistice concludedbetween Italy and the Allies at Cassibile.The ACI then used aircraft supplied by the USAand Great Britain in addition to Italian types. Atthe time of handover to ACI, this Airacobra hadbeen operated approximately a year and a halfby the 345th FS/350th FG USAAF in Africa andthe Mediterranean. These worn out Airacobraswere mainly used by the Italians to train pilotson the new equipment. The aircraft with theJig-Jig insignia on the nose was photographedwith other decommissioned P-39s from the350th FG at an Italian airfield and was probablyone of the first to receive Italian cockades, asthe other aircraft in the picture are still inUSAAF markings. The Italian cockades wereapplied directly to the original Americanmarkings at four positions, and two were addedto the upper right and bottom left wing halves.At the same time, the yellow stripes markingthe aircraft operating within the 12th AF USAAFwere retained. The aircraft has not undergoneany other changes and can therefore be builtin its spring 1943 form, when it was still partof the 345th Fighter Squadron, thanks to thealternative US markings offered in the decal.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard44December 2023Page 45
49238 P-39Q/N (PE-Set)648202 P-39 wheels early (Brassin)648203 P-39 wheels late (Brassin)3DL48150 P-39N SPACE (3D Decal Set)D48068 P-39 stencils (Decal Set)EX702 P-39/ P-400 TFace (Mask)Recommended:for P-39N Airacobra 1/48OVERTREES#8067XP-391/48Product pageOVERLEPT#8067-LEPTP-39N AiracobraPE-Set 1/48Product page#648202#648203#EX702#3DL48150KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard45December 2023Page 46
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Oblt. Gerhard Schöpfel, III. /JG 26, Caffiers, France, August 1940WNr. 1433, Hptm. Hans von Hahn, CO of I./JG 3, Grandvillers, France, September 1940WNr. 5375, Hptm. Wilhelm Meyerweissflog, Stab/JG 53,Etaples, France, September 1940Gerhard Schöpfel was born on December 19 in Erfurt.In 1936 he joined the Luftwaffe and in September1939 was appointed commander of III./JG 26. His firstaerial victory came on May 19, 1940, during the theBattle of France and he subsequently added morein the Battle of Britain. His best day came on August18, 1940, when he was credited with shooting downfour Hurricanes Mk.I. The Bf 109E-4 of Oblt. GerhardSchöpfel sported the standard camouflage of theperiod, consisting of the RLM 71/02/65 colors. In theBattle of Britain, the camouflage was supplementedwith yellow identifiers: the yellow wing tips,elevators and yellow triangle on top of the rudder.A yellow pennant on the aerial column indicatedthe group commander. From January 1943, Schöpfelheld various staff positions with the Luftwaffe. InMay 1945, he fell into Soviet captivity, from which hereturned in December 1949. He died on 17 May 2003.Hans von Hahn was born on August 7, 1914,in Frankfurt am Main. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1935after serving with the Kriegsmarine. On September18, 1939, he was appointed commander of 8./JG 53and achieved his first kill on December 22, 1939.On August 27, 1940, he took over command ofI./JG 3 from Hptm. Günther Lützow. He also took overhis command aircraft WNr. 1433, camouflaged withRLM 71/02/65 colors, which were supplementedwith RLM 70 sprayed rings and irregular patchesof RLM 71 and RLM 02 colors on the fuselagesides. The nose of the aircraft bore the emblemof I./JG 3 – the mythical Tatzelwurm worm paintedin green. Under the windshield on port side therewas the pilot’s personal emblem – a cock in a circle.The kill marks were painted on the rudder in theform of black stripes with cockades. Also threeballoon symbols were added. By the end of WorldWar II, von Hahn had shot down 31 enemy aircraft.He survived the war and died on November 5, 1957.Wilhelm Meyerweissflog was born in 1889 andserved as air observer during the Great War. Laterhe lived in Switzerland and often travelled to theUSA as a businessman. As a member of JG 53“Pik As” he served as administrative officer at thesquadron headquarters. It was his aircraft thatis pictured in the famous photograph as beingrefueled at the former British base at La Villiazeon Guernsey, the occupied Channel Islands. Hptm.Meyerweissflog fell into captivity on September 5,1940, after taking off on his own decision, trailingformation of JG 53. His Messerschmitt was hit in thefuel tank by Spitfire, probably flown by F/Lt. Hughesof No. 234 Sqn over England and he had to belly-land. The aircraft originally carried a camouflagescheme consisting of RLM 70 and 71 colors, whichwere repainted to RLM 71 and 02 livery, includingthe fuselage side surfaces. However, remnants ofthe RLM 70 remained visible on the nose, aroundthe cockpit and in front of the tail surfaces. Thered band around the nose appeared on the aircraftof the Stab/JG 53 after the order to replace withit the unit’s emblem, the Ace of Spades. It wasthe Göring’s decision how to punish the unit afterlearning the wife of the commander of JG 53, Maj.Hans-Jürgen von Cramon-Taubadel, had Jewishancestry. The white wingtips and rudder were thestandard recognizing features of Luftwaffe aircrafton the Western Front.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard47December 2023Page 48
WNr. 2060, Lt. Hans Guse, 2.(J)/LG 2, USSR (today´s Republic of Moldova), July 1941Like JG 77, also Lehrgeschwader 2 waswithdrawn from the combat after the Greekcampaign to rest and re-equip. The unit did soin Belgrade. The relocation to the Romanianterritory followed in the middle of July when theLG 2 unit equipped with Messerschmitts Bf 109E(some in the fighter-bomber configuration) wason alert to be deployed against the Soviet Union.Its operation Barbarossa participation startedearly morning of June 22. The “Black 10” aircraft,which retained its camouflage from Greeceand Crete campaigns and was equipped witha tropical filter, was shot down by Soviet I-16son July 10, 1941. The pilot is still listed as missingin action. The aircraft marking was complementedby I.(J)/LG 2 marking under the windshield and2. (J)/LG 2 behind the fuselage cross.FE1403 Bf 109E-4 Weekend (PE-Set)644024 Bf 109E LööK (Brassin)648058 Bf 109E wheels (Brassin)648472 Bf 109E cockpit & radio compartment (Brassin)648474 Bf 109E engine (Brassin)3DL48049 Bf 109E-4 SPACE (3D Decal Set)EX400 Bf 109E-4/E-7 Weekend (Mask)EX995 Bf 109E-4 TFace (Mask)Recommended:for Bf 109E-4 1/48#648472#648474KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard48December 2023Page 49
1/72Avia S-199 ERLA canopyThe Weekend edition kit of Czechoslovak single enginefighter Avia S-199 with ERLA canopy in 1/72 scale.This type of aircraft was used by the Czechoslovakand Israeli air forces.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 4decals: EduardPE parts: nopainting mask: noresin parts: no#7472Product pageKITS 12/2023INFO Eduard49December 2023Page 50
D-121, 101 Squadron (tayeset), Chel Ha Avir, Qastina, Israel, September 1948D-115, 101 Squadron (tayeset), Chel Ha Avir, Herzliya field base, Israel, July 1948This machine with fuselage code dalet 121 wasdelivered to Israel on July 20, 1948, duringOperation Balak, flight No. 70. It made its firstflight in Israel the day after delivery and the leftside of its nose was subsequently decoratedwith the emblem of the 101 tayeset (squadron).In preparation for Operation Ten Plagues(October 15 to 22, 1948), later renamed “Yoav”,the aircraft were fitted with red paint on thepropeller cones and red and white striping onthe rudder in order to distinguish them from theEgyptian Spitfires as the Israeli Air Force alsoused Spitfires. This marking was applied to allIsraeli aircraft, including the S-199s of 101 tayeset.To further differentiate Israeli aircraft the insigniawith the Star of David was applied on the uppersurfaces of the wing for the first time. They wereoriginally not applied so as to keep the aircraftparked on the ground as invisible from the airas possible. The original small and black-painteddalet 121 was obliterated and changed to largerwhite one. On September 14, 1948, Bill Pomerantzflipped this aircraft on landing. The “Messer” wasrepaired and served until the end of the war,on December 22, 1948. In 1950 it was transferredto Tel Nof and scrapped.This aircraft with fuselage code dalet 115 wasdelivered to Israel on July 13, 1948, duringOperation Balak, flight No. 60. It was fitted withthe original oil radiator under the nose and didnot sport the additional small bulge on the biggun breech bulges, allowing installation of MG 131machine guns. It made its first flight in Israel onJuly 20, 1948, and, like most 101 tayeset aircraft,bore its emblem on the left side of the nose.The dalet 115 designation was of an earlier typein this form, i.e., black, and smaller in size.The aircraft did not have Israeli markings onthe upper wing surfaces and did not live to seetheir application as Alexander Jacobs crashedit heavily on landing on September 8, 1948.The aircraft was heavily damaged and writtenoff. “Sandy” Jacobs was one of the experiencedIsraeli pilots, and he was one of those whoretrained on the S-199 in České Budějovice,Czechoslovakia.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard50December 2023Page 51
S-199.99, 1st Squadron, Air Regiment 8, 3 Air Division, Brno-Černovice,Czechoslovakia, 1950/51S-199.310, 3rd Squadron, Air Regiment 7, 3 Air Division,Brno-Černovice, Czechoslovakia, spring 1949This aircraft was test-flown on May 31, 1948,by factory pilot Antonín Kraus. Two monthslater it was assigned to the 1st squadron of AirRegiment 8. At the end of September 1949, it wastransferred to Air Regiment 3, then crashed onOctober 28 at Medlánky airfield with pilot por.(Lt) Vlastimil Fabiánek in the cockpit. Afterrepair in Kunovice factory it was assigned tothe previous aviation regiment again and wasdamaged on March 16, 1951, by rt. (F/Sgt) ZdeněkOstrčil. From summer 1952 the aircraft wasassigned to the 18 Air Regiment based at Plzeň-Skvrňany airfield and from January 1953 it servedwith the 51 Air Regiment there. The aircraft waspainted in the original lighter greyish green colorand was one of the S-199s armed with cannonsin underwing pods boosting the firepower of thetwo fuselage machine guns.The aircraft from Aero production (an examplewithout wing armament) was assigned to AirRegiment 7 in Brno-Černovice in August 1948. Itbecame an aircraft of the staff flight but waslater assigned to the 3rd Squadron. The aircrafthad a greyish green painting, while its propellercone was painted white. On May 30, 1949, it wasdamaged in emergency landing near Boskovicewith rt. (F/Sgt) Karel Kessler behind the controls.In the autumn of 1950, during overhaul in Kunovicefactory, the original hinged canopy of the “Erla”type was replaced with a sliding bubble one.As such, already with the 5 Air School Regiment andwith UL-51 fuselage code, it was damaged duringtake-off from Zvolen airport on August 26, 1952.672284 S-199 exhaust stacks PRINT (Brassin)672285 S-199 wheels PRINT (Brassin)672288 S-199 cockpit Erla canopy PRINT (Brassin)672293 S-199 4xETC 50 rack w/bombs (Brassin)672294 S-199 engine PRINT (Brassin)3DL72008 S-199 SPACE (3D Decal Set)D72038 S-199 Czechoslovak national insignia (Decal Set)D72039 S-199 Israeli national insignia (Decal Set)D72040 S-199 Czechoslovak stencils (Decal Set)D72041 S-199 Israeli stencils (Decal Set)SS815 S-199 Erla canopy Weekend (Mask)CX656 S-199 Erla canopy Weekend (Mask)Recommended: forAvia S-199 ERLA canopy 1/72#672294KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard51December 2023Page 52
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46-062, Charles Yeager, Muroc Dry Lake Base, October 194746-063, Chalmers Goodlin, Muroc Dry Lake Base, April 194646-063, Robert Champine, Edwards AFB, June 1949Charles “Chuck” Elwood Yeager became the firstman in history to break the sound barrier in thisaircraft on October 14, 1947. It was piquant thattwo days prior the record flight, Yeager broke tworibs in a horse-riding accident and was unableto move his right arm due to the pain. Bell’srocket-powered experimental aircraft waspainted bright orange throughout and alreadysported new style of the national insignia. TheGlamorous Glennis inscription in front of theentrance door related to Chuck’s wife. Yeager wasan American World War II fighter ace with 13 kills,and his Mustangs bore the same name. He wasshot down over France and, with the help of theFrench Resistance, made it across the occupiedterritories to Gibraltar. From there he returnedto the unit. After the war, he make use of the ruleallowing the downed pilots to choose a base fortheir further service. Because of family reasonsYeager chose Wright Field, the research anddevelopment center of the U.S. Air Force. Therehe was picked by the chief of the flight test team,Colonel Albert Boyd, and assigned to his group ofexperimental aircraft pilots.After several test glide flights, the secondexample of the X-1 rocket plane made its firstpowered flight on April 11, 1946, with Chalmers“Slick” Goodlin in the cockpit. The aircraft waspainted the same bright orange as the firstexample but sported the original war periodinsignia on the wings and fuselage and hadthe inscription BELL Aircraft painted in front ofthe cockpit and under the tail surfaces.Both prototypes of the X-1 plane continued to beused for supersonic flight tests, and the secondexample received a white paint job after 1948, inwhich it flew until October 1951. On June 16, 1949,Robert Champine made a test flight to performwing pressure distribution tests, stabilitychecks, and rolls at Mach 0.91. Nine pilots flewa total of 74 powered or unpowered glide flightswith 46-063 until it was retired in October 1951.The aircraft was then converted to the X-1Eversion.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard53December 2023Page 54
46-062, Jack Ridley, Edwards AFB, May 1950Both experimental Bell X-1s made all but oneof their flights being dropped from the airbornecarrier, which was a specially modified B-29.The only exception was a conventional take-offfrom the runway made by Charles Yeager withthis aircraft on January 5, 1949. At that time, theaircraft still bore the all-orange livery, whichwas subsequently modified by partial whitepainting. On May 8, 1950, Jack Ridley carriedout vibration and load tests on the wing and tailsurfaces. Just four days later, 46-062 conductedits last flight with Chuck Yeager behind controls.This flight was made for filming purposes only.The aircraft was then retired after 82 test flights.Ten pilots changed in the cockpit. Today it is ondisplay at the National Air and Space Museum inWashington, D.C., in its original full-orange form.OVERTREES#8079XX-1 Mach Buster1/48Product pageOVERLEPT#8079-LEPTX-1 Mach BusterPE-Set 1/48Product page48908 X-1 upgrade set (PE-Set)3DL48151 X-1 SPACE (3D Decal Set)Recommended: forX-1 Mach Buster 1/48#3DL48151KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard54December 2023Page 55
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Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 14997, Lt. Erich Hartmann, 7./JG 52,Taman, the Soviet Union, May 1943Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 14946, Maj. Wolfgang Ewald,Stab III./JG 3, Kertch, the Soviet Union, April 1943Lt Erich Hartmann, the most successful fighterace in history, began to ply his trade with 7. StaffelJG 52, to which he was assigned on October 10,1942. He first flew the Bf 109G-2, but by the firsthalf of March 1943, Bf 109G-4s were arriving.From the beginning of May 1943, after gaininghis 11th and 12th kill, he was made Rottenführer(leader of a two-ship flight) and his score beganto quickly rise to reach 352 by the end of the war.For his success, he was awarded the Knight’sCross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds.Hartmann’s “White 2” was camouflaged in thestandard Luftwaffe scheme consisting of RLM74/75/76. The factory codes on the fuselage sidesand the bottom of the wings were not completelyobliterated, but only partially oversprayed witha white wave (III. Gruppe marking). The whitenumber 2 and a yellow band together with theyellow bottom wing tips were all common toLuftwaffe aircraft operating on the Eastern Front.The nose of the aircraft carried the marking ofits previous user, I./JG 52. Flying this aircraft,Uffz. H. Meissler was forced to belly-land behindenemy lines due to engine failure on May 28, 1943and was taken prisoner.Wolfgang Ewald was born on March 26, 1911,in Hamburg and joined the ranks of the Luftwaffein 1935. Shortly after completing fighter traininghe was attached to 2./J 88, with which he servedin Spain until August 1937. Shortly after his returnin May 1939, he was named CO of 2./JG 52, whichhe led through the invasion of Poland and theBlitzkrieg against the Netherlands, Belgium andFrance. At the end of August, during the Battleof Britain, he was given command of the entireI. Gruppe JG 52. After serving with Jagdfliegerführer2, he was assigned to III./JG 3 on May 20, 1942 andsubsequently led it from July 23. Not even a fullyear after, on July 14, 1943, Major Ewald was hitby ground fire. He had to bail out and was takenprisoner, spending 76 months in captivity (untilDecember 1949). After his return to Germany,Ewald was involved in the formation of the newLuftwaffe, from which he retired in 1960. He diedon February 24, 1995. During his Second WorldWar combat career, he shot down 77 enemyaircraft, and claimed also one victory in Spain.He received the Knight’s Cross on December 9, 1942.The aircraft that Major Ewald flew in April 1943 overthe Kerch Peninsula was camouflaged accordingto the Luftwaffe fighter standard, consisting ofRLM 74/75/76. The yellow bottom wing tips andfuselage band denote Eastern Front service, andon the nose is the JG 3 unit marking. Lt. Adolfvon Gordon was shot down in this aircraft duringcombat with Il-2s on April 20, 1943.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard56December 2023Page 57
Bf 109G-4/trop, WNr. 15013 Lt. Ulrich Seiffert,8./JG 53, Tindja, Tunisia, April 1943Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 19566, ten. Giuseppe Gianelli,365aSquadriglia, 150oGruppo Autonomo,Sciacca, Sicily, July 1943The III./JG 53 took part in the defensive battlesof the German Afrika Korps in the face ofincreasingly offensive pressure emanating fromthe Allied advance through today’s Tunisia at theend of spring 1943. This unit was based in Sicily,but a temporary home for the 8 Staffel was madeat the Tunisian base at Tindja from April 1 to April20. This tropicalized Bf 109G-4 was flown byLt. Seiffert during this time period. The aircraftwas sprayed in a desert camouflage consistingof RLM 79 which covered the upper and sidesurfaces, while RLM 78 was the bottom sidecolor. The white bottom wing tips and the whitefuselage band ahead of the tail surfaces wereidentifying marks for aircraft on the southernfront. The upper surfaces would later receivea squiggle pattern of RLM 80.Italian Macchi C.202 fighters flown by theRegia Aeronautica from the beginning of thewar were due to be replaced by their morecapable descendants, the Macchi C.205s, FiatG.55s and Reggiane Re.2005s. Due to slowproduction initiation of the later types and theneed for fighters to combat Allied air power,Germany was asked to supply its southern allywith the Messerschmitts Bf 109G, mostly theG-6 version. The Italians received ten Bf 109G-4s, and all, along with G-2 and G-6 aircraft,were assigned to the 150oGruppo Autonomo.This unit was made up of the 363a, 364aa 365asquadriglia and to counter the Allied air threat,they were based at Sicily. The Bf 109G-4 usedby Italian units came from Luftwaffe stocks andso were camouflaged in RLM 74/75/76 shades.The German national insignia were oversprayedwith the Italian color Grigio Azzurro Chiaro1, and, as in the case of aircraft 365-1, with theaddition of small squiggles of Verde Oliva Scuro 2.The usual white identifiers used on the southernfront at the wingtips bottom and the fuselageband were added to be consistent with Luftwaffeaircraft.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard57December 2023Page 58
Bf 109G-4, Lt. Av. Petre Protopopescu, Escadrila 57, Grupul 7 Vânătoare, Kirovograd (Kropyvnytskyi/ Ukraine now),the Soviet Union, June 1943Alongside the German armed forces, combatagainst the Soviet Union was also carried outby Finland, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Slovakiaand Spain Axis allies. Romanian ground unitsoperated alongside the German ones on thesouthern front supported by their own air units.In March 1943, the Romanian unit Grupul 7began to accept the Messerschmitts Bf 109Gbut was subsequently moved to combat areasin the Ukraine. The aircraft flown by Lt. Av PetreProtopopescu carried a camouflage schemecomposed of German RLM 74/75/76. The Germannational insignia was oversprayed with thesame colours, and the markings were replacedby Romanian ones, i.e., the St. Michael Cross.The rudder carried the Romanian national colors.Both sides of the front of the aircraft carried theinscription “Don Pedro”, the pilot’s nickname.OVERTREES#82117XBf 109G-41/48Product pageOVERLEPT#82117-LEPTBf 109G-4PE-Set 1/48Recommended:for Bf 109G-4 1/48FE910 Bf 109G seatbelts STEEL (PE-Set)648247 Bf 109G exhaust stacks (Brassin)648265 Bf 109G external fuel tanks (Brassin)648309 Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)648720 Bf 109G-4 wheels (Brassin)648935 Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT (Brassin)EX558 Bf 109G-4 (Mask)EX582 Bf 109G classic canopy TFace (Mask)#648935#648309#648720Product pageKITS 12/2023INFO Eduard58December 2023Page 59
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Albatros D.V 1154/17, Lt. Max Ritter von Müller, Jasta 28, Varsenare, Belgium, September 1917Albatros D.V, 2030/17, Lt. Alfred Lenz, Jasta 22, Ercheu, France, April 1918Max Müller was the German ace with 36 victories.He finished his pilot course on April 4, 1914 andat the outbreak of the war, he joined BavarianFFA1. Following his one-seaters course he joinedKEK Nord in May 1916 and after a short spell withJasta 1 he got tempted by the offer of OswaldBoelcke to join the Jasta 2. Müller achieved hisfirst victory on October 10 and added four morebefore the end of the year. On January 20, 1917 hewas transferred again, now to the new Jasta 28,where he became the most successful pilot of theunit. By the end of the 1917 his score had risen to36 victories and Müller decided to return to his“old” Jasta 2. But after the death of Walter vonBüllow, the CO of Jasta 28, Müller was appointeddeputy leader of the unit. He took off for his firstStaffelführer combat flight on January 9, 1918 andit turned out to be also his last flight. The fueltank of his Albatros was hit during combat withR.E.8, the aircraft caught fire and went down inflames. With no parachute and inevitable dreadfuldeath Müller opted to bail out from the cockpitto his inevitable end. His Albatros D.V sportedpersonal marking of the stylised black comet; thefuselage got the red painting to reflect the newStaffelführer status. The horizontal stabiliserwas in yellow with black longitudinal stripe – theunit´s colour markings.Alfred Lenz scored six victories during the GreatWar and although not the most successful ace, hewas highly regarded long-time leader of Jasta 22.Prior to the war he served in Infantry Regimentr. 95, being commissioned in the Reserve. He hadre-joined his unit at the outbreak of the war butrequested pilot training. After the completion, hejoined FA61 at the end of June 1914 and scored hisfirst victory in 1915. He went to FFA23 and FokkerKommando Vaux under Berthold´s leadership inJanuary 1916. The unit later became Jasta 4 andLenz had stayed there from September to October16, 1916. His next move was to the Jasta 14 later,but he did not achieve any success. Nevertheless,he was appointed commander of Jasta 22 onJuly 1, 1917 and stayed there till the end of thewar. He flew Albatros DIIIs in 1917, Pfalz DIIIs andAlbatros D.Vs in 1918. After the war he servedas an aerial gunner with Abteilung 431 in 1919.This Lenz´s Albatros D.V is a bit of mystery, asthe blue colour of the fuselage is only probable.Some sources also mention green colour, butLenz was a Bavarian, so the cobalt blue would belogical choose for him. Apart of the band of thediamond shaped objects behind the cockpit, thereis an interesting painting at the rear of a personsitting on the big bird and looking through thelens at something what looks like D.H.2 airplane.KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard60December 2023Page 61
Albatros D.V 4629/17, Lt. Hans-Joachim von Hippel, Jasta 5, Boistrancourt, France, February 1918Albatros D.V 2299/17, Lt. Xaver Dannhuber, Jasta 26, Abeele, Belgium, 1917Hans von Hippel served with Jasta 5 fromDecember 22, 1917 until August 15, 1918, whenhe was transferred to Jasta 71. He claimed fourvictories, but only two were confirmed. One ofthese non-confirmed ones were reported byvon Hippel on the Russian front when flying withFA 37. During WWII Hippel flew Ju 52s with theLuftwaffe. He died in 1975. Hippel flew RichardFlashar´s Albatros D.V with red dragon paintedon the fuselage (2065/17) for some time, as hedamaged this Albatros D.V during the take-offattempt from the grassland. Von Hippel tried torescue his crash-landing comrade Lt. Schlömer,but the take-off was interrupted by the enginemalfunction. Later he flew another AlbatrosD.V with his personal marking of black, whiteoutlined zigzag arrow on both sides of thefuselage. Apart of this aircraft with the green/mauve camouflage of the upper surfaces, thelater one had the Flugzeugstoff covered wings(Lozenge). The fuselage of both was painted withthe Pfalz silvery „Schutzfarbe“, which was of goodsupply to the Jagdstaffeln using the Pfalz D.IIIsscouts as well.Although this Albatros D.V is usually assignedto Bruno Loerzer, it is very probable, it was infact the mount of Xavier Dannhuber, the winnerin 11 aerial combats. Apart of other indications,he was photographed himself standing by theplane or sitting in the cockpit. Dannhuber firstsaw action with Kagohl 6 (Kampfgeschwader derObsten Heeresleitung - Combat squadron of theSupreme Commander), later was transferredto Schutzstalfel 25, before he was assigned toJasta 26 on July 1, 1917. Dannhuber got woundedupper arm in an air fight on October 18 and afterhis return on November 7, he moved to Jasta79b as he was appointed the CO of the unit.He was injured in a crash when test-flyinga Pfalz Dllla at the Thugny airfield on February 11,1918. After several months of medical treatmentand convalescence Dannhuber had returned tohis unit and reassumed command on October9. Five days later he achieved his 11th and lastvictory, shooting down Sopwith Dolphin nearBohain. His Albatros was painted in black andwhite bands scheme typical for Jasta 26 aircraft.It also sported the six-pointed star on both sidesof the fuselage and five-colour Flugzeugstoff onthe wings.SS741 Albatros D.V Weekend (PE-Set)CX600 Albatros D.V Weekend (Mask)RECOMMENDED: for Albatros D.V 1/72KITS 12/2023INFO Eduard61December 2023Page 62
BRASSINLööK 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: noLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardsand STEEL seatbelts for Fw 190A-7 in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no644230F-16D Block 50 LööK1/48 Kinetic644240Fw 190A-7 LööK1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard62December 2023Page 63
644241FM-1 LööK1/48 EduardLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardsand STEEL seatbelts for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 1 part- 3D print: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noBRASSINCollection of 3 sets for MC.202 in 1/32 scale.Recommended kit: Italeri- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels634045MC.202 LööKplus1/32 ItaleriProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard63December 2023Page 64
BRASSINCollection of 3 sets for MIG-17F in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: AMMO- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheelsCollection of 3 sets for F-16D Block 30 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Kinetic- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- ejection seats644236MiG-17F LööKplus1/48 AMMO644237F-16D Block 30 LööKplus1/48 KineticProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard64December 2023Page 65
BRASSINBrassin set - gun bays for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/48 scale.The set consists of gun bays for both wings.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: Arma HobbySet contains:- 3D print: 22 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: noBrassin set - external fuel tanks (3 types) withracks for Bf 109K in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- 3D print: 3 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648906Bf 109K external fuel tanks1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct page648938Hurricane Mk.II gun bays PRINT1/48 Arma HobbyINFO Eduard65December 2023Page 66
648940Fw 190A-7 cockpit PRINT1/48 Eduard648941Fw 190A-7 engine & fuselage guns1/48 EduardBRASSINBrassin set - cockpit for Fw 190A-7in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 19 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noBrassin set - the engine and fuselageguns instalation for Fw 190A-7 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 31 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: noProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard66December 2023Page 67
BRASSINBrassin set - the undercarriage legs for FM-1in 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: no648943FM-1 undercarriage legs BRONZE1/48 EduardBrassin set - the undercarriage legs for Fw 190A-7in 1/48 scale. The legs are made of bronze.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 2 parts- bronze: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648942Fw 190A-7 undercarriage legs BRONZE1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard67December 2023Page 68
BRASSINBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for FM-1in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels anda tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 5 parts- 3D print: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: yesBrassin set - folding wings for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 10 parts- spare plastic wings: 1 set- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: no648945FM-1 folding wings PRINT1/48 Eduard648944FM-1 wheels1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard68December 2023Page 69
BRASSINBrassin set - engine for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 35 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: no648947FM-1 engine PRINT1/48 EduardBrassin set - exhaust pipes for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648946FM-1 exhaust PRINT1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard69December 2023Page 70
BRASSINBrassin set - wheel bay for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 10 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - pilot seat for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no648949FM-1 seat PRINT1/48 Eduard648948FM-1 wheel bay PRINT1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard70December 2023Page 71
BRASSINBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Bf 109G-2& G-4 in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the mainwheels and a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replacesplastic parts. Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 3 parts,- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes672341Bf 109G-2/G-4 wheels for bulged wings PRINT1/72 EduardBrassin set - gun barrels for FM-1 in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648950FM-1 gun barrels PRINT1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard71December 2023Page 72
BRASSINBrassin set - cockpit for Bf 109G-2 in 1/72 scale.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 9 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noBrassin set - cockpit for Bf 109G-4 in 1/72 scale.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 9 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no672343Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT1/72 Eduard672342Bf 109G-2 cockpit PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pageProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard72December 2023Page 73
BRASSINBrassin set - radio compartment for Bf 109Gin 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 5 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: no672344Bf 109G radio compartment PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pageBrassin set - wheel bays for F6F in 1/72 scale.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no672345F6F wheel bays PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard73December 2023Page 74
www.eduard.com/bfcBRASSINBrassin set - propeller for Bf 109G in 1/72 scale.The spinner could be removed. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 2 parts- resin: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no672346Bf 109G propeller PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pagePage 75
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 76
BRASSINCollection 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%.SIN648115FM-2 w/ armoured headrest ESSENTIAL1/48 EduardProduct pageINFO Eduard76December 2023Page 77
BRASSINCollection of 3 sets for F6F-3 and F6F-5 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Eduard- undercarriage bays- 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 %.SIN648117F6F undercarriage1/48 EduardProduct pageINFO Eduard77December 2023Page 78
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How to do With Photo-etched Accessories, Part II. - Gluing Parts and Painting
In this segment of the article series, I aim to streamline the modeling process for working with photo-etched parts, introducing advanced techniques and lesser-known chemicals that significantly expedite the process. Toward the end of this section, I will share valuable tips on painting photo-etch.
PHOTO-ETCHEDHow to do With Photo-etched Accessories,Part II. - Gluing Parts and PaintingIn this segment of the articleseries, I aim to streamlinethe modeling process forworking with photo-etchedparts, introducing advancedtechniques and lesser-knownchemicals that significantlyexpedite the process. Towardthe end of this section, I willshare valuable tips on paintingphoto-etch.Jakub NademlejnskýWhen anticipating thepainting of specificphoto-etched parts,it's advisable topre-paint them withisopropyl alcohol beforecutting them from theplanchette. This processeffectively degreasesthe parts, removing anyoily residue that mightinterfere with the paintapplication, preventingsmudges. Unpreppedphoto-etch is susceptibleto paint peeling.INFO Eduard84December 2023Page 85
PHOTO-ETCHEDThe completed, degreased parts, cut with precision using etch scissors(my preference being Italeri ones), and expertly bent with straight tweezers.To ensure a successful bond, I dispense several drops of thin superglue fromvarious manufacturers onto coated paper. Experimenting with different brandsand consistencies of glue is recommended.Some people work better with extra-thin glues, but they are demanding on speed of application. With gel adhesives,on the other hand, you have plenty of application time, however, the cleanlinessof the adhesive is challenging, you probably can't do without using a debonderafterwards.When attaching metal photo-etched parts to plastic, it's advisable to coat theplastic component, at least at the gluing point, with isopropyl alcohol too.The area is then perfectly prepared for the application of the photo-etchand we do not have to worry about the joint not being strong enough.For the gluing process, carefully dip small parts into a drop of superglue, which remainsviable on the coated paper for an extended period, facilitating a more comfortableapplication.Using tweezers to secure the piece in place allows ample time for accurate positioning,preventing the surrounding area from being inadvertently coated with glue.The glued side of the piece is dipped into a drop of thin superglue, and pointed tweezers are employed to secure it in place. The slow-drying nature of the glue providessufficient time for precise placement.INFO Eduard85December 2023Page 86
With the piece firmly glued, the surrounding arearemains clean, free from excess glue.Once the piece can be maneuvered, use pointed tweezers for handling.The 36506 set includes a colored part from the SPACE product range. The applicationprocedure for this product line is detailed in Info 03/2021 on pages 53-54. A briefsummary: wet the part with base paper in water and detergent over a sponge.Employing the applicator described in Part I, apply a few drops to the desired gluing area. Unlike metallic photo-etched parts, I recommend placing SPACE parts directlyonto the pre-applied glue rather than dipping them.The SPACE part is glued in place.PHOTO-ETCHEDINFO Eduard86December 2023Page 87
Apply 2-3 coats of Surfacer beforeproceeding to spray the partwith surface colors. This methodenhances the durability of the painton the photo-etched part, allowingit to withstand less careful handling.Tweezers with rubber bands on thetips are recommended to preventpaint scratchesBefore painting, it's advisable to recoat the already glued and bent part withMr. Metal Primer-R.Apply Mr. Metal Primer R with a regular brush, ensuring a thin film, and allow it to dryfor 15 minutes.Apply Mr. Metal Primer R with a regular brush, ensuring a thin film, and allow it to dryfor 15 minutes.Before the initial paint coat,apply Mr. Resin PrimerSurfacer either with spray orairbrush variant.(to be continued)PHOTO-ETCHEDINFO Eduard87December 2023Page 88
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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%.BIG49388 Yak-9T 1/48 ZvezdaBIG49389F-4G 1/48 Meng491376 Yak-9T 1/48FE1377 Yak-9T seatbelts STEEL 1/48EX974 Yak-9T 1/48481121 F-4G reinforcement straps & formation lights 1/4849103 Remove Before Flight STEEL491378 F-4G 1/48FE1379 F-4G seatbelts STEEL 1/48EX972 F-4G 1/48Product pageProduct pageINFO Eduard92December 2023Page 93
All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.BIG EDBIG72176 PBY-5A 1/72 Hobby 2000/AcademyBIG5369USS Nimitz CVN-68 PART I 1/350 Trumpeter72731 PBY-5A exterior 1/7273806 PBY-5A 1/72CX115 PBY-5 Catalina 1/7253295 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 1 1/35053296 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 2 1/35053297 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 3 1/350Product pageProduct pageINFO Eduard93December 2023Page 94
MASKSIT FITS!JX320 AH-1G1/35 ICMJX321 AH-1G TFace1/35 ICMEX991 Seafire F.XVII1/48 AirfixEX992 Seafire F.XVII TFace1/48 AirfixEX993 Mi-171/48 TrumpeterEX994 Mi-17 TFace1/48 TrumpeterEX995 Bf 109E-4 TFace1/48 EduardEX996 F6F-3 US national insignia1/48 EduardCX656 S-199 Erla canopy Weekend1/72 EduardJX320 AH-1GJX320 AH-1GJX320 AH-1G TFace JX320 AH-1G TFaceJX320 AH-1G TFaceJX320 AH-1G TFaceEX992 Seafire F.XVII TFaceEX992 Seafire F.XVII TFaceEX991 Seafire F.XVIIEX991 Seafire F.XVIIEX992 Seafire F.XVII TFaceEX992 Seafire F.XVII TFaceINFO Eduard94December 2023Page 95
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RELEASESDECEMBER 2023KITSPE-SETSZOOMSMASKSDECAL SETS82204 FM-1 Wildcat 1/48 ProfiPACK8067 P-39N Airacobra 1/48 ProfiPACK84196 Bf 109E-4 1/48 Weekend7472 Avia S-199 ERLA canopy 1/72 Weekend8079 X-1 Mach Buster Re-release 1/48 ProfiPACK82117 Bf 109G-4 Re-release 1/48 ProfiPACK7406 Albatros D.V Re-release 1/72 Weekend53300 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 6 1/350 Trumpeter53301 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 7 1/350 Trumpeter36511 WC-52 1/35 Zvezda36512 BMP-3 1/35 Zvezda321015 AH-1G early 1/35 ICM481125 FM-1 landing flaps 1/48 Eduard481126 Mi-17 cargo seats 1/48 Trumpeter481127 Seafire F.XVII exterior 1/48 Airfix491399 Seafire F.XVII 1/48 Airfix491401 Mi-17 1/48 Trumpeter491402 Mi-17 cargo seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Trumpeter491404 Sea King HAS.1 cargo interior 1/48 Airfix491405 Sea King HAS.5 cargo interior 1/48 Airfix491406 Sea King HU.5 cargo interior 1/48 Airfix33361 AH-1G early 1/35 ICM33362 AH-1G early seatbelts STEEL 1/35 ICMFE1399 Seafire F.XVII 1/48 AirfixFE1400 Seafire F.XVII seatbelts STEEL 1/48 AirfixFE1401 Mi-17 1/48 TrumpeterFE1402 Mi-17 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 TrumpeterFE1403 Bf 109E-4 Weekend 1/48 EduardSS815 S-199 Erla canopy Weekend 1/72 EduardJX320 AH-1G 1/35 ICMJX321 AH-1G TFace 1/35 ICMEX991 Seafire F.XVII 1/48 AirfixEX992 Seafire F.XVII TFace 1/48 AirfixEX993 Mi-17 1/48 TrumpeterEX994 Mi-17 TFace 1/48 TrumpeterEX995 Bf 109E-4 TFace 1/48 EduardEX996 F6F-3 US national insignia 1/48 EduardCX656 S-199 Erla canopy Weekend 1/72 EduardD48114 F-35A stencils 1/48 TamiyaD72046 F-35A stencils 1/72 TamiyaINFO Eduard96December 2023Page 97
BIG-EDBIG-EDRELEASESBRASSINLöökPLUSBIG SINSPACE644230 F-16D Block 50 LööK 1/48 Kinetic644240 Fw 190A-7 LööK 1/48 Eduard644241 FM-1 LööK 1/48 Eduard648906 Bf 109K external fuel tanks 1/48 Eduard648938 Hurricane Mk.II gun bays PRINT 1/48 Arma Hobby648940 Fw 190A-7 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard648941 Fw 190A-7 engine & fuselage guns 1/48 Eduard648942 Fw 190A-7 undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/48 Eduard648943 FM-1 undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/48 Eduard648944 FM-1 wheels 1/48 Eduard648945 FM-1 folding wings PRINT 1/48 Eduard648946 FM-1 exhaust PRINT 1/48 Eduard648947 FM-1 engine PRINT 1/48 Eduard648948 FM-1 wheel bay PRINT 1/48 Eduard648949 FM-1 seat PRINT 1/48 Eduard648950 FM-1 gun barrels PRINT 1/48 Eduard672341 Bf 109G-2/G-4wheels for bulged wings PRINT 1/72 Eduard672342 Bf 109G-2 cockpit PRINT 1/72 Eduard672343 Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT 1/72 Eduard672344 Bf 109G radio compartment PRINT 1/72 Eduard672345 F6F wheel bays PRINT 1/72 Eduard672346 Bf 109G propeller PRINT 1/72 Eduard634045 MC.202 LööKplus 1/32 Italeri644236 MiG-17F LööKplus 1/48 AMMO644237 F-16D Block 30 LööKplus 1/48 KineticSIN648115 FM-2 w/ armoured headrest ESSENTIAL 1/48 EduardSIN648117 F6F undercarriage 1/48 Eduard3DL32021 AH-1G early SPACE 1/35 ICM3DL48147