L-60 Brigadyr

Thanks to the AZ Model we have now on market two excellent kits of this plane in 1/72 scale and main difference is the engine used in this kits.  Kits stock numbers are AZCZ 36 and AZCZ 37. Box design capture well known old style seen before on KP boxes. Content in both kits are two frets of the injected molded plastic (identical in both kits),  photo etched parts, printed instrument panel, resin nose, instruction leaflet and decals. Resin part make largest difference and they are present engine and two different types are made. First kit contain in line engine while the another kit have radial engine.

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Parts are nice molds with crisp details on it and etched metal parts give great value to the assembly of the kit. In both cases decals are given for the few airplane samples and they are very colorful, what make this kit even more attractive. This is very rare kit so it deserve all attention to the modelers and no doubt that it is worth to have it. In the above gallery you have extracted details from the archive images of the original airplane and hope it will be of great help in the kit modeling.

Srecko Bradic

Sample product is provided by Filip Tomci from AZ Models

Read also this:

1. CMR resin kit Venom
2. Zlin 50 AZ 4822
3. Eduard Bf109E 1/32 detail set

Eduard F6F-5 interior for Hobby Boss

Parts which present framing and construction are in the natural color of the material but the parts which represent instruments and cockpit board are painted. You should note that for the F6F-5 Hellcat was used two method of finish inside cockpit and this colors have to be used in final painting. In general set present basic F6F-5 variant but many parts can be used on other versions of the Hellcat and on the images bellow you can see standard version as well E version of F6F-5.

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Hobby Boss have very good kits and this is very important addition to their kit of Hellcat. You can purchase this product here!

Bradic Srecko

Sample product is provided by Jan Zdiarsky from Eduard

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1. Eduard’s 49411 F6F-3 Hellcat self adhesive set
2. Eduard’s 49588 F6F-3 Hellcat gun bay set
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Su-7

No way that this kit can be described as straightforward to build but it is in other hand far from hard kit. First at all you have to assembly cockpit section which have also intake cone on its front. Merge with fuselage half’s could bring you much trouble in later work if you does not do this properly. My advice is to prepare completed cockpit section, fuselage half’s, nose landing gear, ejection seat and cockpit canopy. Make dry run of this elements as well it position and make best possible. If you miss this check out, you could have some issues later, like the gaps in the nose landing gear, impossibility to close cockpit due to the too high position of the seat and so on.

When you solve above mention step and fix it in the moment when you set up good position, later work could be described as easy. Note that after the join the fuselage with cockpit, that you need to determine which version you have to build as well from this depend part to be used. Inside is for example two versions of wings and vertical. No matter which version you build, I have note some gaps in the wing to fuselage joint, gap is in the rear lower section. As well I did not see this on the images of actual plane, I have cement this.

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Kit have several external ordnance options and you should place this armament or fuel tanks in regard to the diagram provided in the instruction assembly. No problem if you make your options in regard to the actual images. Cockpit canopy have two options, open or closed. Personally I more prefer streamlined look so I have choose close cockpit part.

Finish is given for the six machines and on last page is the stencil diagram. Decals are provided on one sheet and they are of top quality. All colors are from Gunze Sangyo range but I have used mix of the Vallejo paints for this.

This is rare kit and definitely worth to have it. You can by it direct here!

Bradic Srecko

Sample kit is provided by Jan Zdiarsky from Eduard

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1. Bf108 Taifun Eduard kit 8054
2. Dora by Eduard
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Harrier MDF book

SAM Publications deliver Harrier book in their well known series of MDF books and author of the book is Andy Evans. Book follow all of the features of the MDF series, 128 pages, soft cover, full color. Book cover all of the Harrier variants which were build and flown and it start with the Kestrel which is used to develop VTOL operations, what was unknown field in the sixties. General content is in the five chapters but there is also separated appendix which cover specific area of the Harrier.

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As well this is dedicated to the plastic modeler, this book have section with plastic kits and accessories. Kits are very good presented with few of the model builds which cover few manufacturers and models and there is list of the all available scale products related to this aircraft.

Book have great number of excellent images, extract from manuals and blueprints, fold out technical drawings, color profiles. This book is the all in one products and offer all essential info in one place. Content is very good designed and text and content easy to follow. Book is definitely recommended!

Srecko Bradic

Sample book is provided by Gary Hatcher, Editor from SAM Publications

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1. Grumman F-14 Tomcat MDF 15 book
2. The Hawker Hunter – A comprehensive guide
3. EE Lightning Modellers Datafile

Kit stock number is AZ 4822 and it come in nice illustrated box.  Inside is the three frets of the grey plastic parts, one transparent part, one sheet of the photo etched parts, two sheet of the decals and instruction leaflet. As usual, painting schemes are printed on the back of the kit box. Plastic parts are good molded, well engraved and with good rest of the surface details. All of the details I could find on the images available on Internet was also present there on the kit.

Zlin 50

I can not say that build of this kit is straightforward and as well there is need for the fittings of parts, some skill are required so this can not be credit as the kit for the beginner. During the interior assembly I have made some changes and I have paint some structure elements in the medium green color as well I have noted this on the available images. Thanks to the photo etched part, interior can be made very detailed. During the build kit have need to be very carefully filed on the wing to fuselage join line and I have used both liquid as well standard model filler.

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All of the proposed samples for finishing have very simple basic coat of the polished aluminum and the bottom in the area is red color. The rest is given by decals. Interesting to note is that polished metal bottom surface is given as decal and I was a little disappointed in first moment when I have seen this. But when apply on surface this decal give really good presentation of the real metal so solution is good. General note is that much care have to be taken during the decals application as well they are so thin.

Definitely this is not an few days project but the result is the very beautiful scale model of Zlin 50. If you like that type of plane, have some modeling skills, this is kit for you!!

Bradic Srecko

Sample kit is provided by Jaroslav Osten from AZ Models

Read also this:

1. AZ model Zlin Z-50 M 1/48 cat no Az 4823
2. Spitfire FR Mk. XVIII AZ Model
3. Spiteful AZ Model 1/72

What you het inside is the two frets with the grey plastic parts as well one clear canopy. No matter that kit in general have no much of the parts, it is very good detailed, simply to build and precisely engraved. Same building is very straightforward and it can be run into the two paralel assembly build. One is the assembly of the cockpit canopy and the another which could be run in the same time is the wing assembly as well landing gear assembly. In regard of what type of cement you are using and what type of the paint you are using, you can make kit assembly in one day.

Spitfire FR Mk. XVIIIe

Few thing I would like to point about the assembly- first at all kit should have transparent round window on the fuselage, behind the canopy, this is place where is the camera placed. This is not done in the kit so this is on you to alter this window. Another point is the underwing pito tube, kit part 30. As well on the place where it is placed, on the kit have to be put national insignia decal, it is best not to cement it during the assembly but when the kit is completely painted and cover with appropriate decals.

My choice of the final kit finish pay to the plane from the No. 208 Sq, serial TZ 233 and fuselage code letter T. This kit have very interesting camouflage pattern where is the Medium Sea Grey at the top and the Dark Earth and Light Slate Grey at the top. I have used Vallejo as well Revell acrylic paints for final painting. What I have to note is the national insignia roundels- they are smaller then they have to be and colors are not dull as it have to be. I have seen only one image of this airplane and whole machine is very weathered.

In general this is very nice kiit, easy to build to all level of modelers. Nice add from AZ Model and hope that they will continue with more interesting release.

Sample kit is provided by Jaroslav Osten from AZ Model

Srecko Bradic

Read also this:

1. Spiteful AZ Model 1/72
2. Spitfire AZCZ35
3. AZ Model 7301 Spitfire mk Va 1/72

Inside is two frets of parts in grey plastic as well one clear canopy part. This kit have very crisp molded parts and very precise engravings over the surface. No doubt that manufacturer give best effort to use maximum accurate data to make this kit. Plastic is soft and very easy to work with it. In general this kit have just enough parts need to make kit. Assembly sheet is very clear and easy to follow. I have to note that you have no parts number on the frets but as well there is not much of parts and the numbers are noted on the front page of assembly leaflet, it is not problem at all to build the kit.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Ia

Kit could be built very fast. Canopy is good basic detailed and if you are not fan of the super detailing, all you need to add is the photo etched seat belts. Cockpit interior fit perfect with fuselage. Wing assembly is a little bit difficult and you have to sand the trailing edge from inside of the lower wing half, part number 3. After that wings could be perfect joined and then placed on fuselage assembly section. Another problem I have experienced with cockpit canopy and in this reason rear section is a little narrow so clamps have to be used to press this area on fuselage to fit to the canopy.

Instruction is simple made and what I miss is the another side view. Decals are very quality and inside was two sheet, one with the basic inscriptions and the another with the national insignia and unit markings. My choice is the first machine shown on box, flown by P/O J. Muzika. What I have note is that on the box art this machine is shown with two plates over the exhaust but as well I could not find any image of this machine, I did not add it but please note about this feature if you decide to build this kit.

Very good kit and I warmly recommend it!

Srecko Bradic

Sample kit is provided by Jaroslav Osten from AZ Model

Read also this:

1. Spitfire FR Mk. XVIII AZ Model
2. AZ Model 7301 Spitfire mk Va 1/72
3. Eduard 1137 Spitfire LF Mk Vc Limited Edition

Spiteful scale model

This very interesting machine is not common subject of the aircraft kit manufacturers so this is very great thing that well known manufacturer AZ Models has deliver brand new kit on the market in March 2010. Kit is in the 1/72 scale and the kit item is AZ 7299. Box have very nice art on the front side and camouflage and markings scheme at the back side. All kit parts coming on only one fret of grey plastic and another small contain transparent cockpit canopy. Machinery work on the parts are excellent, parts are very crisp and very precise details.

Assembly of the kit is very easy and could be done very fast. Some details are noted in assembly leaflet so I would like to make some points in this way. Cockpit assembly could be much better and faster if you cut slot in the rear canopy and this slot use to set in position of the rear cockpit fuselage frame, part no 9 in kit. What is also have to be made is very small scallop which is placed on the starboard side of the engine cowling. I find also that under nose air intake is a little bit wider so it is recommended to sand its half’s before join it in its position. In the attached images you will note some of the external details.

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All images I have in the collection show that Spiteful have sharp demarcation lines of the camouflage colors so take a note of this and use tape or any other method you prefer. In the decals are provided option to make two samples operated by RAF and one ‘What If’ sample with imagined Israeli markings.

Kit could be described as the excellent optimized kit as well it is good shaped, easy to assemble and it is possible to be made also by the less experienced modelers. No doubt that expert modeler could upgrade it into the top wining kit as well the same kit is very good base of this. With this kit AZ Model continue with their excellent products in the 1/72 scale and some of the kits are really rare subjects.

This product is highly recommended!!

Srecko Bradic

Sample kit is provided by Jaroslav Osten from AZ Models

Read also this:

1. Spitfire FR Mk. XVIII AZ Model
2. Zlin 50 AZ 4822
3. AZ model Zlin Z-50 M 1/48 cat no Az 4823