AFV Modeller Ltd

AIR Modeller Magazine #11 April/May 2007

Reviewed By  Mike Howard, IPMS# 30741

MSRP: 6.00 GPB (approx $12 USD) Web site: www.airmodeller.com Air Modeller has come out with yet another great issue, this time including one of my all time favorite aircraft subjects: the F-104. This issue opens with a build article for an NF-104, the same aircraft that Chuck Yeager is seen bailing out of in the movie "The Right Stuff". The NF-104 was a Starfighter with a tail mounted booster rocket to allow altitudes in excess of 100,000 feet to be reached. It also sported a unique control system (RCS) that allowed controlled flight in the thin air of the upper atmosphere. The author of this article shows the steps required to take a standard 1/48th Hasegawa F-104C and add the Cutting Edge NF-104 conversion set. Careful assembly and minimal filler usage were the main goals as the NMF (Natural Metal Finish) would reveal any and all defects quite readily. Nice pictures of various in-process steps, including assembly, painting and weathering can give some great insight into what it took to complete the excellent end result. Following the NF-104 is a build of the 1/48th Tamiya Spitfire Mk.5 modified to represent a high altitude version used in the Middle East. Some aftermarket parts are used (Aires pointed wingtips) and the build looks very nice. No in-process pics are included with this build. Nice coverage of the new Eduard Fw-190A8 is up next. The article thoroughly documents the kit and the build both in pictures and text. I know this has been a popular kit and the author's finished product definitely shows how nice it can look with just a little work. As an accompaniment to this build, an Fw-190 "scrapbook" follows. This includes 2 pages of nice detail photos and 2 pages of color profiles. For me, even being a huge F-104 fan, the highlight of this issue is Zdenek Sebesta's build of the 1/32nd Pacific Coast Models Macchi MC.200. I have a soft spot for WWII Italian aircraft, specifically fighters, and the aircraft shown here has to be one of the nicest builds I have seen. The author takes the original kit to new limits in exposing the engine, detailing the wheel wells, cockpit and cowl gun compartment. Many in-process photos show what all of the incredible bits look like under the paint. Lots of scratchbuilding was done to add missing details in all areas of the airframe. This is one of those models that will keep you looking over it time and time again just to see what details were missed on the last pass through. Very well done!! The big detail section in this edition is on the F-104 Starfighter. Eight pages, with a mix of period and museum photos, will delight the reader with colors and details. Lots of good stuff here for fans of the "Missile with a man in it". The usual 6 or so pages of the "latest, greatest" new items for aircraft modelers is next. Resin details, books, plus a couple of kits, will help lend some new ideas as to where your next budget outlays may go. Finally a quick article on a 1/48th Hasegawa Bf-109F2 brings the issue to a close. The most impressive part for me is the mesmerizing paint scheme. From some angles it appears to be an illusion or possibly a teeming mass of colors. Definitely worth a look. A big "Thanks" goes out to AirModeller magazine and IPMS USA for this highly recommended review sample.

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