A —_ wo 1:72, 148 un 182 Heinkel He162 and Spitfire Mk.XI close-ups Step by step tutorials: construction, painting and weathering How to detail your model: using aftermarket products and scratch-building Complex finishes made easy F< Spencer Pollard, Haris Ali, Marcus Nicholls, ADH Sloael tar dal anvacee Nownebonal Brett Green, Daniel Zamarbide, Juan Villalba, a ry - ‘Alan Firbank and Roy SutherlandHow to build. hen | started building models as a Child, the choice of kits avaliable to me and my far from large pocket: money budget, were from Airfix, Matchbox ‘and Revell, | remember clearly seeing these appear in my local post office and that tush of excitement when the time came to bulld another little masterpiece. ‘Though these kits were great at the time, the aval of a monthly magazine (Aisi), ushered in hitherto unknown ranges, Monogram, Heller and ultimately, Tamiya. It would be a while though before | would be able to enjoy any of these kits - especially Tamiya’s excellent aircraft - but once | did, | knew | would be hooked for life. My first experience of a Tamiya aircraft kit was their original Harrier Jump Jet. 'd always been a fan ofthis aircraft - indeed, | stil am! - so when the chance and the money became available to buy this kit twas an opportunity not to be missed. When | had itn my hands and opened that box for the fist time, | simply couldn't believe my eyes. Up until that point I'd only ever built small 1:72 aircraft kits, so this was a real step up. It was bigger of course, but the detail seemed extraordinary and there was an engine in there! I'd never seen an engine in aki, let alone a jet! What a joy! Everything just seemed so exatic, with instructions in Japanese; litle cartoon characters telling you how to build the kit; parts in their own litle bags. Over the years, Ive built a huge number of Tamiya kits and to this day, they remain my favourite manufacturer. When other companies have arrived on the scene to offer more and more Complex products, with greater levels of detail and sophistication, Tamiya have continued to release the ‘most user-friendly kits on the market today, kits that are well designed, beautifully packaged and relaxing to build. They appeal to all sectors of the market from the absolute beginner looking for a weekend project, through to the enthusiast wiling to spend months on that once in a ifetime bull. Its with great pleasure then that I'd like to introduce this new ‘How To Build...” guide dedicated to Tamiya’s excellent range of aircraft kits. Not only isit pleasing to have been able to dedicate an entire publication fo my favourite manufacturer, itis wondertl to have been able to do it with the help of so many amazing modellers. Each of them has Created a wondertul modelling feature for you to enjoy, based around some of Tamiya’s best kis, the resulting collection being a wonderfully balanced look at both their ange, and what is possible from it'd lke to thank ther all for ther efforts and state publically that this book would have been nowhere Near as good as | believe its, without their help, Thanks guys! This then, is ‘How To Build... Tamiya Aircraft’. We hope you enjoy reading it, every bit as much as we enjoyed puting it together! ‘Spencer Pollard, October 2013. 2 How to Bulls. Tamiya Aircraft Kits Tamiya’s Aircraft AMA Spencer Pollard ‘Spencer was bor in Haverfordwest, South Wales in 1967. Having been born into a itary family (bth his mother and father served in the Royal Navy) it was not suprising to see him develop an abiding interest in the mitary and thanks to that leet Air Arm connection, aca, both fullsize and in miniature, Having spent many years building models as a hobby, Spencer was able to turn a part-time passion int aful-tme carer, as he swapped a role in the Civil Service for one in the Editors chai, taking over the rains of Miltary In Scale magain in 1997. Sbdeen years on, Spencer changed direction once mare as he joined the ADH team to become their in-house mode-maker, working an @ wide range of models both miltary and civilan. He spends downtime playing drums in 2 rock-covrs band, ving in Shropshire with his wife Lza UN EN Copyright © 2013 ADH Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole of any text or photographs without written permission from the publisher is stictly prohibited, While due care has been taken to ensure the conten ofthis book are accurate, the publisher cannot accept liability for errors. First Published in the United Kingdom by: ‘ADH Publishing Ltd,, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedtordshire, LUS 10x Telephone: 44 (0) 1525 222573, Fax: 44 (0) 1525 220574 Email: enquiries@adhpublishing, com Website: wwww.achpublishing.com Designed by Alex Hal page page 4 age 6 age 16 age 26 rage 7 rage 28 ease 40 rage 48 rage 08 page 66 rose 12. rage 79 rage 80 rage B2 Foreward Introduction Chapter 1 Wooden Wonder: 1:72 De Haviland Mosquito FB.MKNI~ Spencer Pollard Chapter 2 ‘The People's Fighter: 1:48 Heinkel He162 ~ Haris Ali Chapter 3 In Colour: Heinkel Het62 Chapter 4 In Focus: Heinkel He162 Chapter 5 Green Ghost: 1:48 Bristol Beaurightor — Brett Green Chapter 6 Winter Warrior: 1:72 Focke-Wuife F190 — Roy Sutherland Chapter 7 ‘Just An llyushin: 4:48 llyushin 1-2 Shturmovik — Marcus Nicholls Chapter 8 The Phantom Pirate: 1:32 McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom — Daniel Zamarbide Chapter 9 Bent Wing Bird: #48 FAUMt Corsair — Juan Vilalba ‘Mk.X~ Alan Frank and Spencer Polard Chapter 11 Improving The Image: 1:32 Spitfire accessories — ‘Spencer Pollard Chapter 12 In Focus: Supermarine Spitfire MKD Chapter 13 Final Thoughts How to Bulld.. Tomiva Aircraft Kits 3STO) sO SETTING THE STANDARD Tamiya's aircraft kits have become the yardstick by which others are judged, but it hasn't always been that way, because like everyone else, this famous range started at the bottom and slowly, but surely, worked its way to the top.. 180 ype Be, doubt that many people who build a new Tamiya airerat kit in 2013 with all of i's refinements and incredible state of the art details, will give much thought to the history of the company, or t's decision to make thei fist aircraft kit over four decades ago. Buti is worth casting your mind back to atime when the stil infant Tamiya Prastic Model Company had no aircraft kits in ther line, but were looking enviously West, wondering just what they could do to compete in this important market. Being a Japanese company, Yamiya concentrated heavily on their own machines, choosing somewhat unsurprisingly - given Shunsaku Tamiya’s history of bbulding model ships from wood for the family's modeimaking business the battleship Musashi a their first ever plastic model ki He'd spent many years building ships from wood, but after being introduced to plastic model kits ‘ta mode! shop in Shimbashi in Central Tokyo, he knew that the future would be in plastic and so the dificult decision was made to create a kit inthis medium. Tamiya 8 we know it today, was born. Following the release of the Musashi and a subsequent Panther tank — released in the then bizarre scale of 1:35 - Tamiya turned it’s attention to an aircraft and another home-grown subject, the Type 82 Zero, The Zero was the most famous of all Japanese fighters and although it was available from the American 4 Introduction company Monogram, Tamiya wanted to add this aireatt o their range. Basicaly sound, itwas ft that Monograms kit cin really capture the tru lines ofthe Zero and so Tamiya's designers set about using their new-found skits and no small arnount of national pride, to create a kit that was mote accurate and more detailed In June of 1963, this new kit was released, marking the start of thei 1150 Famous Aircraft Series’. Not only was tis kt widely praised in Japan, it marked the start of sales abroad, where foreign modellers bbagan to see ust how good these kis from Japan could be. I also rmatked the start of a methodology, ‘whereby the designers would attempt to visit locations where real aircraft wore housed to take accurate measurements ~ which wasn't s0 easy at that time! ~ in ctder to make their models as realistic as possible. This continued withthe release of other 1:50 kits of Japanese aircrat (including the FIN2 Type 0 Pete, Ki61 Hien and “ype 99 Dive Bomber), along with the smaller, simpler 1:100 Mini ‘Jot Seri’ the fst of which, the Mig-19, was released in December of 1968. Eventually, this series ‘would culminate inthe release of a ‘wonderful 8-52 bomber and equally impressive Space Shutlo— one of very few space kits that Tamiya would attempt to produce, Though the name of Tamiya was naw becoming more wellknown, it wasn't unt the release of thei fist 1:8 kit in 1971 thatthe pattern was ‘en Tamas {ist 132 fe UA oneal. was telat in 180 ‘albestandard ioe i eters alo ao wih euret ‘ret eon ower mosis were ‘inves ete ‘48 Sea Hamer Fas. curiae Fabia Wa, ‘het i rote dy.set for the ranges that have become 0 familiar today. Though I'm unable to prove this, it would appear that Tamiya took the decision with the release of the Hawker Siddeley Harter, to offer kits to the enthusiast that would fit in with those available from other ranges. In a quik of fate - or blind luck, take your pick! - Tamiya appear to have followed manufacturers such as Monogram who were producing kits in 1:48, only to see those same ‘manufacturers retumn the favour by in some cases, changing from the production of military kits in 1:32, to Tamiya’s preferred scale of 1:35! Who did what, when and how, ‘matters not one iota today, because we now had a consistent set of scales in which to work, completed in Tamiya's case, by the release of what is believed to be their fist 1:72 aircraft kit (the Kyushu Shinden) and the introduction in 1980 of their superiative 1:32 range in the form ofthe atthe-time, incredible, F-14A Tomcat, From the off, Tamiya decided that they wanted their kis to be as wel: detailed, wel-moulded and easy to build as they could make them, But moce importantly than that, they wanted to ensure that they were fun! There was no point anyone tackling a Tamiya kit the result was a frustrating process: no, they had to be easy to build and leave the modeller feeling relaxed and pleased wth the results. Over the years that has certainly been the case, with virtually every Tamiya aircraft kit that I've had the pleasure to build being an exercise in relaxing assembly and rewarding painting, From simple beginnings, the kits have developed in terms: of thei detail and features, but one thing has remained consistent their fit and engineering, both of which often leave you wondering ifit is possible for them to be any better! Each subsequent release has improved on the last, with the appearance of their epic 1:32 FAU Corsair leaving modellers speechless, such is its deta, accuracy and ease of assembly: '500 parts and its sil fine enough for a relative beginner to have very few problems with t! How many times can you say that? ‘As well as the sheer quality of the Not al of Tanias i re tay ature he 1100 Space sate cone 3 fen favre wan st, reesced ane il fein ttn of is ene eat, te dy The test aera ‘eae om Tamiya [str nreanle Fas cor e Shuttle Tamia marked me release of mele ‘oom 48 aera Bt cr product, Tamiya have often taken a less obvious path with their choice of subjects. Sure, they've released Popular aircraft such as Spitfires, Messerschmitts and Mustangs, but amongst those releases, we also have other delights such as a wonderful Swordfish, Heinkel 219, ‘Skyray and their 100th 1:48 kit, the stunning Fieseler Storch, a kt that not only marked major milestone, but also introduced some culting- ‘edge moulding techniques not seen in an aircraft kit before, This book is dedicated to Tamiya's range of aircraft kts and as such, offers you the reader, an insight into a range of different ie eeaton | ps al est tytn ts | scale he superale Feel Slorch. subjects, scales and approaches that will hopefully inspire you to build one of these wonderful kits yourself. We've drawn together a range of talented modellers who will take you through each build and Coffer up plenty of constructional techniques and painting ideas that ‘you will be able to draw upon, to help you build something similar. ‘You may not want to build exactly the same kits that we have, but you may stil be able to use each of the ‘models to illustrate what is possible ‘a detail here, a painting effect there, ‘a fool that you may nat have seen before, an idea that may be useful There'l certainly be plenty to enjoy! How to Bull. Tamiya Aircraft kitsIit_.De Haviland Mosquito F.V/NEEI Merefeckeae mel Scale: 172 ‘Mote: Inecion Moulded Sil lave: inermedite by Spencer Pollard hen deciding on the contents of this, modelling guide, we knew that we had to feature a 1:72 kit, but which one? ‘amiya haven't concentrated on this soale as much as they nave on 1:48 models, but when the decision has been made to release a kit, the results have often been very good indeed. Perhaps the best kit in the series, is also perhaps ane of the ‘most famous, De Haviland’s twin: engined powerhouse, the Mosquito. Over the course of this feature we will discuss in deal just how good this kit i, 6 chapter 1~¢ Haviland Mosquito FB.VINF.!WOODEN WONDER The world's first truly ‘Multi Role Combat Aircraft’, De Havilland's masterpiece would leave a lasting impression on generations of aviation and modelling enthusiasts around the globe. What better way then to open the contents of this new book, than with Tamiya's excellent 1:72 model? How to Bulld. Tamiya Aircraft Kits 7SE OA INITIAL THOUGHTS Tamiya have three 1:72 Mosquito kits in their range: a glass-nosed BMKkIVPR Mk.IV; a radar-equipped NF MkxXII/XVII; and the subject of this feature, the gun-nosed FB MkINF Mk All of these kits share common pats that cover the ‘main fuselage, wings and cockpit sections, with alternative parts to built the aifferent nose sections and glazing. You'l also find smaller variations too, with different weapons and markings part of the package, but essentially, each kit isin the main, very similar and so the ideas and techniques seen in this feature can be used no matter which version you choose to build | always enjoy the intial inspection of a kitand this one was no different. Opening the box revealed the packaging, bagged grey spiues, instructions and decals that we have come to expect from Tamiya, all of hich look to be excellent, A closer inspection of the kit parts revealed supatbly moulded plastic parts with No trace of flash in evidence (come to think of it, when was the last time you find flash in any Tamiya ki). Being a very simple, wooden aircraft, the surface of the airframe is in the main, free from panel ines, bbut where there are some ~ around the engine nacelles — the scribing is dolicate and in scale. twas also pleasing to see that the designers had made an attempt to incorporate raise rivets around the upper wing panels rather than recessed holes =a most welcome feature that can bbe futher accentuated with some careful painting The smaller details are equally wall done. Perhaps the most Impressive aspect ofthe kit are the main undercarriage legs and their hhuge tyres. These are delicately moulded with comprehensive levels of detail that look excellent once carefully assembled. The only compromise in this area is that the undercarriage doors are fixed in place with rather large tabs that look out of scale, Though invisible with the model on its wheels, I chose to remove then and create more in-scale hinges, Which caused more trouble than it was worth, Should | build another fone of these kits I'l give this, Improvement’ a miss, Consueton bogies wi he ing "he ear xeage ard vse secon. Thetis very goat, stead up wt ‘teal of 2 Fe ee ie wth medium grade ‘race sp, Te meror ote Tse that old be removed were {is wy evra layers of Mr Primer uric 000, 8 Chapter 1 be Haviland Mosquito FE.VIIN. ‘A assemty work on is model ws ead oot ih Mic Cements om Guna Sango: This vr thi ial ‘cement Tows beauty en des wiimote ap. The fags ae forthe wera rors were replaced wih sale Tunes oe competed mostTe bese coc essen and reat for ate exra deal. Aeon dtl win ‘The cockpit is similarly impressive with neat levels of detail, and an almost complete collection of radios, seats and radar scopes, to please the enthusiast. What's Not so pleasing are the number of ejectoc-pin marks that affict this pat of the model. There are ‘a number of these on the inner walls of the cockpit that need to be either removed (dificult at best) or filed (only slightly easier). In the tend I chose to deal with the most ‘obvious ones as best as I could for the pictures, being happy that ‘ones the canopy was in place, what remained was going to be invisible ~ and so they proved to bel Detail and features aside, one of the great pleasures when building a Tamiya kit is that everything just fits as it should, the engineering land subsequent tolerance between the parts, being impeccable, And 50 it proved to be in this case, the only need for any filer being along the upper edge of the nacelles where they meet the horizontal wing surfaces. The fit ofthe parts across the remaining pieces was simply supeto, only a quick swipe with a expt tote fem of some The eched sea straps are a worl dono Dotted datas and se oda sip. ‘he cet. They were patted st. its amazing bow fee areal | sialon improve even the snpest ot eels Washing and daastig Ratpes utter fmbelish he dt No gue sega tonnld he cet Inplce ewig pare and falas Raves bing more ‘tan up othe ot — ‘esting be cae reveals the Clutere nate of the esau’ ‘aaitonl wing and hose etched ‘aps crt bap improve he ook ‘eek por pan. Though et rotated sme tine an op ten the a8 ts as a rer touch ot meres. How to Bull. Tamiya Aircraft Kits 9SE OA ‘Though an aftermarket st was bout th paris werent sed ef ruer and ertors being removed an ‘epost ‘The popes singe ‘ane Caroll paig| rig the etn hese impr eares. 10 chapter 1- De Havilind Mosaute FBNINFAI Radar oils rom the cod set mpc th an i pets, en. ‘hen a section of tre ‘flapped oer sanding sponge, being needed to ‘make the joints perfect. You see, ‘modeling can be reaxing! Though the bulk ofthe constuction is indeed straghttonar, there are a number cf areas that | would pechaps attend tonext time, that caused a ite ‘rouble this time around, The panel lines eround the upper gun bay access panel on the nose are a litte wonky on my model and with the addition of the nose cone, look crooked. Similar, there's a panel onthe upper fuselage that could