Airfix Wish-List

The new range of Airfix products coming out is hugely exciting. When they announce that their catalogue for the next year is being released I am always itching to get on and find out what they have in the pipeline for the next year. However there are a few things which they haven't got round to doing yet which I would love to see them re-tool from older releases.

Because I have a huge interest in the Battle of Britain I would like Airfix to produce some of the light bombers that are often overshadowed and forgotten in the conflict, to complete the collection. They need to do re-tools of the Hampden and the Fairey Battle, with hopefully decal options for the bombing of the French Channel Ports that occurred through the Summer and Autumn of 1940 as the RAF desperately tried to impede the German invasion fleet wherever they could.

Staying on the Battle of Britain theme, but from the German side, the Junkers JU-88 needs desperate re-tooling, With recent new tools for the ME109, Dornier Do17z, Heinkel HE-111 P2 and the JU87 Stuka, the only thing left for them to do is the JU-88, and I am surprised they didn't do it for this year considering it is the 75th Anniversary of the battle. I hope it is something they look to do in the future.

I know some say that Airfix have done the Spitfire to death and they should back away, but I would like to see new tools for the Vb and IXc come out, as these versions are equal in popularity as the Ia. I'm sure these will be done at some point but whether they consider it a priority I do not know. With the basis for them already in the I/Ia/II kits it wouldn't take much to make another version.

Since the ME109-E4 got retooled, the BF109G is also in need of a retool. The old version is seriously lacking, and as one of the main fighters of the Second World War, especially the war against the bombers, Airfix should be looking at doing this pronto. With enough versions kicking around airfields and museums in the UK and Europe there shouldn't be a problem with Airfix bringing their new scanners in to get an up to date kit made up.

Staying on the bomber theme, I would like to see a B17G 'Flying Fortress' made up. With the amazing job Airfix have done doing new tools for the Lancaster, C-47 and the upcoming Heinkel, Whitley and Shackleton, I get excited with the thought of what a new B17 would look like! A definite must have and hope it is done soon!

The Mosquito is another aircraft that looks simply beautiful, and with the success Airfix had with the 1:24 version, I am waiting for them to do a re-tool for the 1:72 and 1:48 versions. I would love to see this done soon as it is such a fantastic aircraft, especially in its appearance and the old versions certainly do not do it enough justice!

Last year's 1:72 and 1:24 models of the Hawker Typhoon were also absolutely fantastic, I hope to get the chance to build the 1:24 version one day! However they are missing a model in 1:48, and with Airfix supposedly looking more into this scale and the lack of versions in this scale on the market (Italeri being the best out there at the moment), I would love to see the trio of scales completed. If the 1:48 version was a halfway house on detail between the 1:72 and 1:24 version then this could potentially be one of the best 1:48 scale aircraft that is out there. Please look into it!

An ME262 would also be a good one to re-tool. Being the first jet fighter of its kind and the roll it played in the German home defence campaign, I think a new tool for this then ground-breaking plane would be marvellous and I would snap one up straight away if it became available!

This last one is probably the least likely to get done but a wish for one can still be made; HMS Queen Elizabeth in 1:350. Yes, this model would be huge, but with HMS Illustrious and HMS Daring being done, it would be great to see this mammoth ship also done in the same scale. However I feel that this is a long shot at best, and even if it was done, we may have to wait several years to see it!

Airfix 1:72 Boulton Paul Defiant (A02069) In-Box Review

Box Cover Art 

Introduction and Background:

My first review is for Airfix's newly tooled Boulton Paul Defiant. It came out back in January 2015 however this is the newest model I currently have on me to write about!

First of all some history on the aircraft itself. The Defiant, or 'Daffy' as it was known to aircrews, was a two seat turret interceptor. It's birth came in 1935 when the RAF ordered for a defensive turret fighter with the belief that the UK would need defence against large bomber formations. The first squadron to receive the Defiant was No. 264 Squadron in October 1939, with several others being equipped thereafter. No.264 Squadron were responsible for downing Dornier Do17z 5K+AR that ended up crashing on the Goodwin Sands in the Summer of 1940 and got raised in May 2013. Its first operational sortie occurred on May 12th, 1940, with the machine facing success against the German bomber hoardes but was highly vulnerable and suffered considerable losses at the hands of the more agile formations of 109s. The Defiant found itself better suited to a night fighter role where it's weaknesses weren't so heavily exposed.

Decal Options:

No. 264 Squadron, Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, July 1940, PS-U

No. 151 Squadron, RAF Wittering, Cambridgeshire, Feb 1941, DZ-Z

Sprues:

Sprue A

This sprue contains the two fuselage halves, as well as the turret, pilots, propeller as well as various other small parts.The panel lines on the two fuselage halves are at a nice depth where they are highlighted, however aren't so deep to ruin the authenticity of the model. The two pilots also are a break away from the Airfix pilots of old - no more flash or indistinguishable facial features, these two are finely moulded and are done in the specific position of pilot and gunner. Some of the smaller parts are very thin and look like they could bring some sweaty forehead moments whilst trying to pry away from the plastic, however if suitable care is taken there should be no problems.

Sprue B

Sprue B doesn't contain many parts; the main parts being the top halves of both the wings, with the rear and vertical stabilisers and parts of the undercarriage. There is some nice wiring detail on the inside of the undercarriage bay, which isn't visible in the picture to the right but is on the other side of the part to the bottom right. Everything else is finely moulded with once again some very nicely accentuated panel lines.

Sprue C

Sprue C contains the underside of the wings, as well as several fiddly small parts which go into the cockpit and undercarriage. Again care is going to be needed when trying to take off some of the smaller parts as recent Airfix kits have very soft plastic and these tend to break very easily. However even the smallest parts have a nice amount of detail on them for the size they are, with the bottom half of the wing also having nice panel detail which will show up nicely at the end of painting and decals.

Decals:

Decal options for 264 and 151 Sqn.

The decals are up to the usual standard that we expect to see from Airfix these days. Strong, clear and with a large range of small detailed transfers to add authenticity to the completed model.

Thoughts and Opinions:

Overall I am very impressed with this kit. The detailing is fantastic on the parts, the instructions are amazingly clear and the decal options are fantastic. I was unsure for a while whether to purchase this model, with the winning factor being I wanted it to go with the newly released Dornier Do17z from Airfix. However I am very glad I did so and I can't wait at some point to launch into this model and build it (a build review will be posted as and when!). 

Another plus point is that with the range of decals out on the market, there is a view to build 4 Defiants carrying the same 264 Squadron code; which might seem insignificant to others, but there's something I like about having lots of the same aircraft but having them as part of the same Squadron. This model I shall be doing as PS-U from 264 Sqn., however I shall also look to be purchasing the Defiant-Dornier Dogfight Doubles Kit as well as hopefully two more in the future so that I can put Xtradecal's X72217 Defiant decal options on them. This would give me Squadron codes for PS-U, PS-B, PS-T and PS-Z and as a diorama would look fantastic. However this is me thinking way ahead as I simply don't have the time to build so many in one go! 

If anyone is in two minds as to whether to get this or not, then stop thinking and go and purchase one, especially those that are interested in the Battle of Britain and the aircraft that took part in the battle! Hopefully I will be able to do this kit some justice when I finally get round to making it up!!

Scott

Welcome to scottislesmodelreview!!

Hello and thank you for looking at my blog!

So why scale model reviews?

I have always held an interest in war-era aircraft ever since I was a little boy, Spitfires fascinated me and I remember that every time I would stay at my Nan and Grandad's I would ask them to take me to the Spitfire and Hurricane Museum over at Manston airport, along with any local airshows that were going on. I loved playing with toy planes as a child and this soon turned to having model aircraft hanging on my ceiling that my Dad would make for me after work.

When I was about 9/10 years old I was finally allowed to start having a go at making models myself and I had a group of mates at the time who were also interested in doing it. I built all sorts of models in all sorts of different scales from the age of 9 until about the age of 12/13. The demands of exams at school and college made me put my scalpel and my tiny enamel pots down for a few years but in the Summer of 2012 I got back into the hobby that I love getting lost in. Since then I have been indulging in all of the great new tooled kits that Airfix have been releasing (with the odd Revell and Tamiya creeping in!), whilst also browsing forums such as the Airfix Tribute Forum and Britmodeller for reviews and construction tips.

However recently I have found that there aren't as many reviews going up for new models coming out, and forums really aren't my thing so I thought I would make a blog which will feature in-box reviews of new kits, as well as build threads to show how kits go together and what I used to give them the desired look I wanted. I'm not the best modeller out there by any means and I'm hoping that I can be given lots of tips and ideas as I go along by members of the internet out there! This blog will enable me to write model reviews, which is something I have wanted to do for a while, but also gives me a chance to bring my historical interests in, as well as acting as an online reference that I can always refer to for future builds of mine! If it is able to help anyone at the same time then it is a bonus and any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Most of the builds and reviews on here will be for Airfix because I am very impressed by their build quality nowadays as well as the wide range of models they're bringing out. I personally am a great fan of the Battle of Britain and the D-Day eras of World War Two so most of the models I purchase are to do with one of these periods, but not always exclusive to!

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you enjoy what I post up in the future!

Scott