Grumman s2f/s-2 tracker and wf-2/e-1b tracer pdf download

Bing Yahoo Google Amazone Wiki. Grumman tracker. Grumman tracker Grumman tracker videos. Grumman tracker wiki. Grumman tractor trailer. Compare Search Please select at least 2 keywords.

Most Searched Keywords Clay city banking fairfield il 1. Person county animal services 2. Free patreon account 3. Create a color palette 4. Resolution of respect for classmate 5. Bupa saudi arabia website 6. Ten worst foods 7. Saks sports bar vadnais 8. Sound, this may seem like a small success, but it Just as jet engines wrought a similar change in has been noted by some that the Aerial Torpedo commercial and military aviation, it is the effect was the first unmanned aircraft vehicle UAV to of the Big Change that matters more than the be recovered and flown again.

At that frankly destructive mission of armed conflict. It was a long time coming. Eagle aerial torpedoes. The dive into the target was initiated after a was demonstrated in a successful flight down tion.

The specially designed 41hp engine pro- given number of engine revo- the Seine a month before the Great War began. The distinctive lutions. Photo courtesy Automatic Airplane. Daring tests undertaken by contributed controllability. The last few flights in enjoyed some success, but by that time, no one cared. The Navy continued testing the radio control of pilotless aircraft, reaching a milestone on September 15, , when a control aircraft successfully flew a radio-controlled Curtiss F5L flying boat from takeoff through its flight and water landing.

Delmar S. Spurred by U. The 40hp in the launch aircraft. The fuselage dramatically increased demand for target drones was made out of wood mother ships in and early Encouraged by tests conducted in in able makeshifts including the use of a rotary cardboard. It had a range of which 47 of 50 flights were deemed successful, phone dial to select drone altitude and weapons 40 miles. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons the Navy contracted for assault drones and release options. STAG-1 was sent to the Solomon mother ships.

An agreeably flyable 46 attacks considered successful. The system airframe, the midwing monoplane was powered enjoyed little support, however, and was can- by two hp Lycoming engines, spanned 48 feet, celed.

Both types of aircraft were pushed over- and weighed 5, pounds. With TDR-1s board on the way home. The RCA. Only one attack where, carrying bombs, Navy modified war-weary bombers into massive caused significant damage to the enemy.

Photo nated BQ-7 into them. Using TV imaging and a plicated control system. A director located in a courtesy of Stan Piet radio control system, laden with 18, pounds PV-1 Ventura flew the pilotless BQ-8 after receiv- of Torpex explosive, the bombers required pilots ing course corrections from an accompanying onboard during takeoff and a short cruise-flight PB-1 Navy B , which received the television phase.

Just before the plane reached the North image from the BQ In its first test flight, flown Sea, the two-man crew armed the Torpex and by Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy and Lt. Wilford John With wingtip-receiving anten- bailed out. Poor Sparrow I missile develop- ber , crew fatalities were surprisingly low, TV quality frustrated the only actual attack on a ment at NAS Point, Mugu, but maintaining control of the aircraft proved sub pen.

After those two flights, the program was the last in May Photo courtesy of Stan Piet to be nearly impossible. In attacks against Ger- canceled. Only one other attack-drone system saw action during that time.

Submarines Point Mugu in the late s. Photo courtesy of Stan Piet Falconer may have been the first U. Images were captured by a still camera or an optional video camera. According to many destroyer com- and be available for use in a timely manner.

Photo from the aircraft in hostile territory. Unquestion- On the negative side, of QHC courtesy of USAF ably, the Q-2C brought unmatched speed, range, and QHDs procured 55 percent were lost and survivability to the remotely piloted recon- in crashes due to electronic-systems failures in naissance mission, setting the standard for all either the aircraft or the shipboard control units.

QHs also 3, Lightning Bug sorties between August bombed river traffic and tested cargo transport and June , losing Many Military analysts point to the inherent drones an average of one potential liability of depending on a satellite loss for every six sorties.

KnocK out gps and Many electronic survivability rate of 87 per- navigators Might drift aiMlessly. Still, the complexity of the systems and a natu- The Navy ceased DASH operations in Novem- ral proclivity for commanders wanting human ber and would not procure another ship- eyes and cameras over the target stopped further board drone for nearly two decades.

At programs, including the Sky Eye and the poten- the same time, Ryan began touting its Ryan tially capable Aquila, but they remained limited reconnaissance variant with longer wings for for a variety of reasons.

Meanwhile, a continu- higher-altitude flight and radar-return-reduction ing Israeli search for a relatively inexpensive RPV modifications to the fuselage and engine intake. The U. Photo courtesy of launched from two battleships. Overall capability per pound of airframe that both kinds of pilotless vehicles—lookers and keeps rising and is unlikely to level off soon.

It has been a learning process. ISR and armed attack. At the top of the weight A key reason for the growth certainly lies in and cost scale is Global Hawk RQ-4 , which com- U. This and a multitude of sensors. The Aurora Orion completed an hour i. Thus, the and ends that often frustrated U. Top: The Raven is a squad- deployable, short-range, Infallibility Is for Popes many electronic navigators might drift aimlessly. Photo courtesy of among them being completely accurate position- GPS jamming.

Several companies are working on Wikimedia Commons Above: With a wingspan of feet, ing. Available Manpower Limits airplane-size unmanned aerial vehicle. Photo courtesy of accelerated the open use of the GPS satellite net- ness and limited supply of its operators. Far from Wikimedia Commons work by civilians as well as organizations, and the being a one-to-one-scale video game, drone opera- impact of increased accuracy has been dramatic.

PerhaPs the greatest constraint on drone oPeration, how- ever, comes from the very remoteness and limited suPPly of its oPerators. For crew positions in airframes. Does seeing drones capabilities.

How readily can the military intelligence systems. Unit from a confused and disoriented, hunkered-down and civilians use the same technologies? It is built by General Atomics. At what rate will the tactical situation on the ground. Demand guarantee about drones is that they are here to across the battle spectrum continues to ratchet stay, and we are only seeing the tip of a very up as well.

The future of Iraq. CAPs over battle areas worldwide increased drones is going to be interesting. J to 65 per day by but only satisfied 21 per- cent of requirements. In , Curtiss-Wright, in an attempt to gain part of the developing light-aircraft market, introduced its CW-1 Junior.

It did well against the competition, such as the Aeronca C I was moved to the Robertson plant near St. Louis, which was to become the commercial airplane unit of the corporation. Walter Beech of Travel Air fame and later Beechcraft was president.

October 5, The fuselage was a fairly a low-horsepower engine of simplified design, so they stripped the complicated tubing structure that formed the streamlined nose with radial-engine concept to the very basics and used only 3 cylinders.

The wings were traditional Zekes used overhead valves, and their rocker arms, which could wood design, fabric covered. They used only four bolts to hold the soon became one of the more popular Flivvers of the early s. The fix for that was to install tension rods, tying each cylinder. Left bottom: The flight deck had better instrumentation than many of its peer group. Above: Generous tail surfaces were a trademark. Left: The fuel gauge appears to be the often-used Model A Ford unit.

Below: The original 40hp, 3-cylinder Szekley engine has been replaced by a 65hp Continental. For cruise, I set the engine at rpm, which gives me about 65mph ground speed, depending on the wind conditions and the load.

However, elevator control pressures are light, so flying out of trim is not really a problem. However, the Junior has a big rudder that requires some effort, but it acts in a very conventional way. Due to its long wing, the rate of roll is slow, and in rough air, it can be uncomfortable. It also a complete history of and tank-busting aircraft of carriers with even more accuracy than covers naval aircraft and equipment the French x-plane WWII.

Heavily illustrated manned aircraft. HC Item AD HC Item CP With numerous gives an objective account of the controversy Special Types air and ground photographs, readers that grew around the aircraft, and describes Norton Focusing on military are presented with colorful vistas of the M. SC Item SP HC Item HK SC Item GB SC Item material to write the definitive book about have never before been seen.

HC Item SP Supplemented fighter aircraft to enter combat. Fs R SC Item AD The inside pages are printed in black and white most books were originally due to the historic nature of the photos with the cover being full color. Our complete satisfaction guarantee also applies to POD books.

Flight Journal Bookshelf www. It bombers, plus attack and anti-submarine covers the tasks of converting and testing aircraft, both for the U. Army Air Forces the B carrier airplanes and more. HC Item 9, pgs, photos, drawings. SC MC Covers model development in the by actually building and test-flying airplanes photos. SC Item work. HC the Luftwaffe, which and local conflicts. A pgs, photos. HC Item MC SC Item colors. Hesitantly, Sikorsky began describing an pilot.

That February, after establishing several aircraft he had been thinking of in his spare time. He warned his host that most aviation authorities records, his S-6 won first prize at the Moscow considered his concept impossible. The prevail- International Aircraft Exhibition. Several of the newly formed Aviation Division of the RBVZ, a huge indus- attempts to build heavier aircraft had ended in trial complex that built locomotives, rail cars, automobiles, and dismal and expensive failures.

The chairman, however, urged him to continue. The That spring, Sikorsky accepted the offer and aircraft would have four motors, accessible in Right: Igor Sikorsky was not moved to St.

By midsummer, he was testing two new with a series of increasingly detailed questions. He immigrated to the United States in , Petersburg that fall.

During the competition, fund the project. Then, as tion from the chairman of the military competition. Photo courtesy The chairman was giant aircraft was completed in the win- of Sergei I. Sikorsky Below: Sikorsky designed and built retired Gen. Michael V. With a wingspan of 92 feet 10 years after the Wright with a vision. The airplane represented a monumental ner, Sikorsky reported ered by four hp Argus engines. The advance in technology. Sikorsky entries.

Shidlovsky then it was frequently seen over St. There, the Czar walked around the aircraft, then climbed aboard the Grand. The success of the Grand led to an improved version, a larger, more powerful four-engine aircraft. It was named the Ilya Muromets after a legendary warrior-knight.

The I. Photos by Budd Davisson. Petersburg for some minted some years earlier. Sometime before 6 hours 30 minutes. J departed with a crew of three copilots Lt. Lavrov, Capt. Prussis, and mechanic V. Petersburg to his hometown of Kiev. The flight was fairly routine to the fuel stop in the town of Orsha. The next morning, heavy rain and low clouds made the flight to Kiev a dangerous affair. This award is given to those flight.

Shortly after the return flight, Sikorsky had who go above and beyond with their model. It competition that it might as well have been the space shuttle. In January , six P2Y-1s flew the next patrol plane requirement with an enclosed cockpit and an nonstop from San Francisco to Hawaii, at feet, in heavy weather, added lower half-wing sesquiplane with a foot span.

The new to a world record 2, miles in 24 hours and 34 minutes. President XP2Y-1 was ordered on May 26, Its P2Y background before the upper engine was removed. Its first test flights on Francisco in 34 hours and 45 minutes. The Navy was strongly focused on air-cooled engines for capability as a bomber. No P2Y airframes are thought to exist today. It was even more surprising, considering they had attempted a third engine addition to an earlier version, with the same result.

Photo courtesy of Joe Gertler. For an iconic American brand The challenge posed for a brisk-reading book is titled Lucky They eventually face a critical pictures are mostly black and white, from Ralph Nader. But far from becoming a recon mission in which they generously gave almost 30 percent of the book is in color.

We learn of tragic and near-tragic flights. After all, Fallibility, Humanity, and Resiliency. For a book well as the day-to-day challenges faced by founder William E. Boeing was the son of a that necessarily covers so much loss of life, those serving in the Pacific. The Conspiracy section is particularly takes another thumping in these pages, AH Apache attack helicopter image, compelling and covers the recent Malaysia and his air marshall, Gen. George Churchill which gets its own page.

In this section, a disappearance as well as the crash of Kennedy, who was popular with his men. They interestingly recap more photogenic , including those as a perfect complement to the book. Some minor distractions to me are the pilot hubris. My recollection of that book The leading characters in the story are use of British English in the text and the is that it also holds that pilots are prey to the Capt.

Jay Zeamer and Lt. Joe Sarnoski. For my money, never to blame. This is doing so, reminded me of another film: the enlisted man to officer and receives his also covered in The Crash Detectives and Glenn Ford melodrama Fate Is the Hunter. If this kind of book is your thing, it would author transitioned quickly from one story to make a welcome addition to your library. J the other. So attention is required. The tone is conversational, however, and this book is a fine work of nonfiction.

I was able to read it quickly, although I suspect the ease with which one digests its contents is in inverse proportion to the frequency with which one flies. ISBN X. Hotson, Fred W. The de Havilland Canada Story. Stitt, Robert. Air Enthusiast , No.

ISSN Sullivan, Jim. Taylor, Michael, ed. Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft. New York: Gallery Books, Winchester, Jim ed. Serie Aeronaval in Spanish. Archived from the original on 28 May IIB and Mk.

XV Avro York C. Flag of Australia converted. The original article comes from Wikipedia and is available here. Here you can find information about the authors of the article. No changes have been made to the images - but these are usually scaled down like the original source of the article, i.

Click on an image for more information about the copyright and the license. Here you can see the changes made to the article. Navigation Startpage Random page. Themed portals Geography History Science. This section does not cite any sources. April Learn how and when to remove this template message.

Main article: Grumman S-2 Tracker in Australian service. Main article: List of displayed Grumman S-2 Trackers. Grumman and Northrop Grumman aircraft. B-2 B SF 1 S2F. SU 1 S2U. United States tri-service ASW aircraft designations post S-1 1 S-2 S Canadian Armed Forces post unified aircraft designations. CO CO 2. Airbus A Avro Anson Mk.

Baddeck No. DA20 DA Star. Westland Lysander. Norseman North American Harvard Mk. Avro Lancaster Mk. I must admit I have always preferred the look of the Gnat in its single seat form. Of all the sprues on display the Tempest appeared to be the least advanced, as it was only the parts without the sprue frame so we may have to wait a little longer for this one. That said if all of these kits come to fruition this year we are looking at a very good year indeed!

It was a pleasure to meet up with Ladislav from LF Models and see at first hand the range of hand carved wooden propellers. Look out in next month's accessory section for a closer look.

A look at their web page www. We will bring you a closer look at these items in next month's accessories section. The other release is the Fw D-9, the first boxing for an example from JG.

Well I must confess I succumbed and treated myself to the new Macchi M. A preview is featured elsewhere in this month's issue. I have started to remove the casting blocks and I like what I see!

Hopefully it is imminent! Kovozavody Prostejov KP colour schemes including a racer! If you like Avia B. We are advised that these will be available at the US Nationals at the end of July. As ever to keep up to date with all of the accessories released by Eduard visit their webpage at www. Unfortunately the decals for the kit had not arrived in time for the show, but we hope to bring a look at this one just as soon as we can as I am sure it will be popular!

Their web page is under construction at present, but I look forward to seeing what else this company will produce! RS Models Quite a bumper month from RS this month seeing some new kits and some reboxed with new markings; first up is the rather attractive Avia Ba.

Next is the cannon armed version of the Avia B. The Avia Bk. More Avia Bk. With the exception of the three first machines, the Bk. Next is the Avia B. The new Flettner Fl B-2 Product code: will make a rather dimuntive model! The innovative Fl was one of the first operational helicopters that was used on board ships.

If your company or product is no t featured and yo u would like it to be included, pl ease contact us at the edito rial email address. The prototypes were build in different variants, one- or two-seater, closed or open cockpit. With a landing platform mounted on turret Bruno, several operational patterns were successfully tested. The Hien came to the frontlines in the summer of and flew in battles over New Guinea, the Philippines, Okinawa, and in the defence of the Japanese Home Islands.

Over 3, examples of various Ki variants were built. The KiI-Otsu was the second production variant. Two This model comes with markings for the Chinese Air Force and a very nice low viz grey option from Pakistan. A must for all AFV modellers Weathering Wash Our weathering wash has been formulated with several key non-toxic ingredients to bring you a superior clay based wash to add detail and realism to your model.

Photo-Etch Placer Our photo-etch placer is a re-usable wax based positioning stick that will help to hold and place even the smallest piece of photo-etch or styrene. Normally when you open a resin kit there are massive pour stubs to remove, but this kit has none what so ever. The resin parts in this kit are first rate and this is the first resin kit where I have seen proper locating pins on the fuselage T and tongue and slot fixings for the wings.

When I spoke to the chaps from SBS at ModellBrno they said the kit had been over a year and half in the making, and the final product really shows that labour of love that went into it. The instructions are provided on a folded A4 sheet and are clear and easy to follow. The colour and markings sheet is colour printed on A5 with a scheme on either side.

A nice touch is that the propeller stencils are also included on the sheet, something that is often missed. I am really looking forward to building this one, once I can clear a slot on my very busy workbench! My thanks to SBS Models for providing the review sample, and the full range and profiles of all the available Comet options can be seen at www.

After seeing the kit in the resin at ModellBrno in the Czech Republic which as I write was only last weekend I could not resist treating myself. The kit comes in the standard HpH sturdy top-opening box, in which you find a number of re-sealable plastic bags containing all the resin parts, the etched steel fret, the HGW fabric seatbelts, the decals, the clear resin windshield, the wooden beaching trolley and a compact disc with the instructions on it.

As an aside it should be noted that the HpH instruction booklets can be downloaded as PDF files from the HpH webpage and if you have the capability can be opened in iBooks on your mobile device. Of course also in the box is the small chocolate, which has become a standard treat to be found in an HpH kit!

The resin castings for this compact flying boat fighter really do look good, the fuselage is of particularly note as it is almost a single casting, and the cockpit is inserted from below and is A outer-wing support struts; an Albion Alloys strut-maker and a supply of brass tube and rod will sort that out, though. The beaching trolley for the flying boat has been supplied in laser cut wood along with a couple of trestles to support either end of the fuselage.

A number of parts on the PE fret are used to dress up the trolley, which should look very good with a couple of washes. The resin castings for this compact flying boat fighter really do look good sealed in by the bottom of the hull of the boat keeping seam lines to an absolute minimum. The wings feature beautifully restrained rib tapes and stitching which will look just right under a coat of paint. As is the case with other HpH kits you will need to do a bit of scratchbuilding for the In this release from HpH the markings are supplied as decals and they supply two Italian options.

Macchi M. This kit will be next on my bench and I have set myself the challenge of completing it for the Eday issue of SAMI on sale in September ! We start with both four- and five-spoke wheels for the Supermarine Spitfire as well as a more modern set for the Revell Saab Gripen. What I particularly like about this set is that the tyres do not have that heavily punctured look seen on some other sets.

The full range can be seen online at their new website www. Our thanks to SBS Models for the samples. This manufacturer was not one that I was aware of until I heard about them via a friend who had purchased their F-4G sets for his Revell Phantom.

You also receive a detailed canopy frame for the D variant. They can also be contacted direct via email at [email protected] Our thanks to Gary of GT Resin for supplying the information on his range.

This is a small motorised unit that is used to move aircraft on United States Navy carrier decks and its small size and tight steering circle means that it can be used in very confined areas of the carrier deck not possible with larger units.

This mini kit is predominantly resin with brass details, while a small decal sheet supplies you with stencil markings. Each set comes with a small instruction sheet, not needed on the one-piece pitot tubes but very handy on the Spitfire set. A nice touch is that brass is supplied for all the missile fins which in this scale are tiny, but Brengun have also supplied six templates to make sure these are assembled square and true.

The full range can be seen at the Brengun website at www. Our thanks to Jan Sobotka for giving us the opportunity to show this range. Expo Tools Airbrush and Compressor set By Alec Smith Expo Tools have boxed up a very nice Airbrush and Compressor set AB that although aimed more at the beginner end will be suitable for most modellers at a very reasonable price. The dual action airbrush is of the gravity feed hopper variety, and has a decent size hopper.

It also comes with a braided hose that is a good 6ft long! The action works very smoothly with the spray width being adjustable between 0. Thanks to Expo Tools for the review sample. The full Master range can be viewed on their website at www. Our thanks to Piotr Czerkasow for supplying us with the review samples.

We start with a really simple conversion for the USN version of the B Mitchell, the PBJ-1H, which basically has a large radome grafted on to the starboard wing which Attack supply in resin. The only nonNavy subjects is a set of five F pylons for the recent Tamiya F16C Block 50 and a replacement stabilizer set which includes brass discharge wicks. AL These are simple, high quality resin sets and are highly recommended; to see the full range visit www.

Our thanks to Attack Squadron for supplying us with the review samples. If you are interested in this range you can purchase them direct from the manufacturer at www. It is a logical move for some of the larger kit manufacturers to sell a range of tools that can be purchased at the same time as you purchase their model kits. This month we have 3 samples from the Revell range which are all made to a very high standard.

Pointed nose, straight 2. The instructions supply all the information you need as well as period photographs with descriptions of the colours rather than matches to individual paint ranges. The decals are well printed and this is just as well as a small registration issue would have ruined this sheet.

But the printers have got it as near perfect as possible in the scale. The instructions supply all you need to know for all three schemes. PS FE Strike Eagles This sheet supplies 9 options all of which have bomb scoreboards on the fuselage sides from missions in Afghanistan between and These sheets are available from Starfighter-decals. Our thanks to Olimp Models for supplying the samples from the Print Scale range. Our thanks to RAM Models for the decal sheets which can be ordered at www.

A similar scheme also features on the sheet for the Ju 87 which has a stunning selection of schemes from different Axis nations. Each sheet has instructions with colour profiles and colour instructions using the Xtracolor range. Kent RAF Northolt. If you have any of the three subjects above on the bench it is well worth seeking out these sheets. Our thanks to Hannants for supplying the review samples.

And many like me also waited and hoped for the recovery of Apollo 13 after a near disastrous fire in an oxygen tank led to this craft's return to earth in dramatic fashion. Which of course many years later was turned into an award winning film. Now using the Hasegawa Sea King as a base, Starfighter and Old 66 Decals have produced a decal to produce Old 66 as it appeared during and immediately after the Apollo 13 mission, and a few extra decals are supplied so you can also produce the aircraft at the time of the Apollo 12 mission if you have the references.

You are also supplied with a template to reduce the size of the stabilizer to the early appearance. Of course you also get a history of the aircraft as well as a discussion of the evolution of its markings.

These sheets are available from starfighter-decals. Although personally I missed the railway traders, who were present last year, they had been replaced by more major traders to the show this year, who had evidently heard this has now become a show that is not to be missed.

The North Midlands Expo signified the rebirth of the old Meir Model Show, which last occurred in , since when they have been looking for a new venue.

Michael Booth exhibited with us for the first time at Cosford this year remember his wonderful hand painted Airfix Do 17? The crew reported back that the venue and food a Meir tradition were good but some work is needed on other things, particularly the tables, seating and the layout in general.

Due to the surfeit of table space the competition became well subscribed and talent shone through as we took no less than two gold, three silver and two bronze, which is quite a haul. So congratulations are due to all who have worked hard to revive the show The hosts once again put on a large display themselves of great variety.

Finally, a small indulgence if I may: One of the crew, Radleigh Bushell, will probably be recuperating from a major back operation by the time this appears in print and consequently we wish him all the best and a speedy and trouble free recovery and naturally a quick return to the fold. Doors open at For further details see: www. Doors open at 10am and the show closes at 4pm. For further details see: ipmsavon.

For further details see: midlandexpo. Doors open at 10am and the event closes at 3pm. For further details see: ipmslancashshire. For further details contact Jim Smith on If you would like your event listing then please contact Geoff Cooper-Smith on or at [email protected] Full details of all coming shows and photo reports on those attended can be obtained by visiting www.

It was extremely well thought out and very, very effective. It set you thinking as to the possibilities in this scale. One great aspect of the show, and why it is worth the long journey up to North Shields, is that a lot of Scottish clubs reciprocate and make the long journey south.

The Scottish Aviation Special Interest Group put on a fantastic little display which covered many aspects, including a little vignette covering the history of the beach landing strip on the Isle of Barra. Each session was limited to 15 people each and all of the sessions were fully booked in advance, The small groups made for a nice atmosphere where people were free to ask questions.

The modellers giving the presentations were from The Czech Modellers Seriously group and are all recognised masters of their subjects. The show soon filled up on the Saturday morning with plenty of traders to see and buy from as well as club stands to look at, and the incredibly well attended competition with over models taking part!

One of my harder tasks was to pick the SAM Publications special prize winners for best Junior aircraft and best Senior aircraft. Any number of models could have been chosen, but these two stood out for me! Who amongst us has never wanted to throw a model to the wall? Developed in the mid's as a replacement for the MiG to counter the potential threat of fast, high-flying American intruders like the SR, the MiG could routinely achieve Mach 2. Built largely of steel with speed as a primary goal, its agility at altitude was poor, and successful interception depended on large, long range missiles like the R33 AA-9, the Russian equivalent on the AIM Phoenix and the R AA-6 Acrid infra-red or radarguided weapon.

Some MiGs have been built, with service use expected until around The plastic represents an early model without the prominent semirecessed in-flight-refuelling probe of the upgraded MiGMF which one might expect a machine to have, and which is in fact shown in the box art and the painting instructions. Packaged in Revell's usual endopening box, there are 2 light grey sprues amounting to 30 parts, a small clear canopy and a simple decal sheet for the minimal markings and dielectric panels.

Revell's classification of skill level 3 seems a little optimistic. It's a mile away from the decals for the mountings. There's no cockpit, shape hardly Mach 3 capable!

The two undercarriage is rudimentary. I think the XF is in fact too dark, despite a second application with white added. The Syhart decals went on without any serious problems, - they are very thin and have a rapid 'grab' so aren't keen to move once they're down, so care is needed. I highlighted the engraved panel lines with an oil wash and a fine pencil, and drew in a few other panel lines based on drawings I found from a Russian website.

I used a fine-tipped orange marker to add them. Some grey pastel grubbying of the upper surfaces and wheels completed the model. This is what you get in the box. The horizontally-split upper and lower fuselage halves fit quite well, I added a plastic strip tab at the vertical joint behind the wing for strength, and I also added a mock bulkhead inside the intakes to prevent a hollow look. There's no mention of the need for nose weight, but a trial balance suggested that tail sitting was on the cards, so a bit of lead was added just behind the main intakes.

I spent quite a long time thinning the leading edges of the enormous intakes since they draw the eye like magnets. Fit of the vertical fins is not so good, particularly at the trailing edge. I couldn't decide if it was the front or back of the fin which was wrong so ended up packing the trailing edge. Stabilisers and ventral strakes fit reasonably although there's none of the sophistication of angled mounting faces found in current Revell models. I carved a gun blister from plastic strip and rod and added the tiny fairings radar warning receivers?

I stuck with the kit missiles despite the thick wing surfaces, - they look enormous on the model, but in fact scale out as 1. This model can be built out of the box as a reasonable replica, either by novice modellers, or as a quick interlude by those more experienced.

It isn't up to Revell's latest standard, however, and is lacking some crucial details. If I was to build this again, and I probably will, I'd do it in flight, I'd close and fill the undercarriage doors, and add a scratch-built refuelling probe. The type was used by the Soviet Union, Russia and Kazakhstan, so there must be some more interesting marking options out there. My thanks to Revell GmbH for the review sample. It is powered by two General Electric TGE turbo-shafts which drive a four-bladed, good performance main rotor, can carry 11 troops with two pilots and has the ability to carry heavy underslung loads up to 3.

The UH has a high survivability level for the pilots whose seats are surrounded with special Kevlar armour. Almost the entire helicopter is able to absorb small arms fire up to 7. The main rotor blades can even tolerate moderate fire from a 23 mm cannon. Similarly protected are the fuel tanks as well as the fuselage, which are crash and bullet proof and therefore protect the crew as well.

The extremely strong non-retractable landing gear absorbs almost all impact forces. The tail rotor is inclined at 20 degrees which is a feature intended to produce a certain amount of lift. The UH also has exhaust-gas diffusers to reduce its vulnerability to heatseeking missiles. It also carries shoulder mounted stub wings with an ESSS system with four stations that can carry additional fuel tanks and weapons such as Hellfire anti-tank missiles and rocket pods.

The Gulf War back in saw UHs in different versions being deployed close to the front line of the battlefield on a variety of missions: transport, resupply, rescue, and medevac.

This one is matt dark olive green overall. The two options also differ from one another as the former version could carry cabin-mounted machine guns while the latter had the ESSS wing to carry fuel tanks on four pylons, or if used as an attack type could carry rocket pods and Hellfire missiles. Upon opening the box one finds 2 medium grey sprues and one clear, all sealed in polythene bags. The parts contain minor traces of flash but panel lines are beautifully engraved.

The 10page instructions contain a brief history, and sprue plans which contain five redundant items blanked out. There are 44 stages of construction and a two-option colour guide that refers to the colours used, in various languages.

At every stage the colour for each part is defined. The kit has a structurally detailed two-piece hull, with the entire cockpit and instruments and central console all enclosed.

There is a transport floor with 14 benches. Main and tail rotors are movable. There are parts altogether including sensors and aerials. The cockpit has crew seats, pedals and two control columns. Construction and painting of this and the main cabin followed the instructions.

The seats have moulded-on belts, and were given a dirty wash. The complete cockpit assembly was secured to one fuselage half before joining the halves together.

After closing a few areas needed filler, these are marked with red arrows. Featured in the kit are separate cabin sliding doors with machine gun positions and one cabin door that can be assembled open. The decal sheet is of good quality and has a decal for cockpit instruments as well as the upper control console, although the latter cannot be seen to good effect once in place. Short decal strips for the lurid yellow electro-luminous formation lights are included.

The dark decal stripe on the leading edge of the fin is a further communications antennae. This I found too long and therefore it should be shortened by 3 mm. The decals also include black walkway areas. The clear curved parts at the nose need trimming at their mating surfaces in order to fit well. Using a sharp trimming knife and frequently checking the fit of the clear parts made this OK. An area that required careful planning was at stage 14 involving the exhaust.

Parts 64, 65 and 52,54 needed a couple of dry fits to find the best positions, as there was an absence of guides for items 64 and 52 in particular. I also chose not to leave the main doors open, otherwise I would have had to show detail inside the cabin, and there were no locators of any sort to keep the doors in their right position.

I applied liquid cement to the base area and closed the doors carefully followed by more application of cement all around them. If you build the transport version and need to fit the ESSS wings there is no exact indication where these are to fit but reference to the excellent box art helps to approximate their location.

It is a pity that no external fuel tanks are supplied since these would be more appropriate for this transport version. The armament pylons that fit into the optional stub wings require some filing too.

Yellow legend decals that fit to both sides of the Hellfire missiles made them look all the more authentic. The main rotor has four short pins, which are the four linkage and control rod parts B70 x 4, in stage I found that these were not long enough to reach to their intended ends so I replaced them with metal pins, slightly longer than originally supplied.

Looking with hindsight these proved beneficial if you intend to make the rotor rotate as they make a much stronger assembly. To the wire cutter positioned over the cabin roof I added side brackets made from cut metal wire as depicted in the box art. An armour plate was also added at the top of the exhaust outlet. This is a rectangular plastic card 4x6mm. Two small antennae that were under the fuselage were removed and replaced at the nose as shown in the box art.

Maybe some will agree that if you make a transport version, no armament other than defensive machine guns need to be added, with the option of having the small side wings with a set of ferry tanks to fit.

Our thanks to Revell for supplying the review sample which can be purchased from most good model shops; to see the full range visit their website at www. A subsidiary of Hobbico, Inc. All rights reserved. Trade enquiries welcome. But this is much cooler and way bigger. Three sealed bags with two grey and one clear sprues, plus the decal sheet.

Panel lines are raised but restrained. The canopy is thick but quite clear after a few dips in Future. The plastic parts have very little flash. All the parts are a bit basic, slightly chunky and easy to work with. Plus you get 2 figures which are not bad, just a bit old fashioned and basic. The instructions are 6 pages of exploded drawings. Everything does line up…eventually. Tip 2: open up the holes for the pegs on the fuse and wings a mm wider.

This gives a bit a wiggle room. For a change of pace the engines are first. Unfortunately, if you want to close the cowlings up, you have to trim about 2mm off the top of each cylinder to make them fit tightly, I used a Dremel tool to grind them down. There are sink marks on the back of the props, but a little filler smoothed them out.

I wanted to have a clean Beaufighter. As the engines were drying I moved on to the cockpit.