SCALE MODEL NEWS

SMN Report: We make no apologies for featuring another World War II bomber from Hong Kong Models - this one adds two more engines, and a lot more size, to represent the famed Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Manufactured to 1:32 scale, it’s a biggie all right. Coming soon The HK Models Boeing B-17 is not available yet, and the pictures here show the assembled prototype, not an on-sale model. But we expect the big beast, which will be available to complete in either ‘F’ or ‘G’ version, sometime soon. When assembled, the  Hong Kong Models  B-17 will have a wingspan of some 788 mm (31 in) and a length of 988 mm (38.9 in). Legendary defences The B-17's multi-gun capacity to repel fighter attacks, while flying on to inflict heavy damage to enemy targets was legendary, making its title ‘Flying Fortress’ a well-earned label. This Flying Fort cartoon was painted in 1944, by Lt Col Ross Greening, while a prisoner of war in Germany at Stalag Luft 1. The splendid drawing was published later ...

David Jefferis reports Airfix takes us back to the night of May 16-17, 1943, and the classic raid ‘Operation Chastise’ on German dams in the Ruhre river valley. The aircraft featured is a 1:72 scale Avro Lancaster, containing 125 parts and a wingspan of some 430 mm (16.9 in). There are plenty of Lancs around from manufacturers that include Revell’s 1:72 version, but Airfix is the granddaddy of them all, with its first kit dating back to the early 1960s. This ‘Chastise’ edition is considerably better than that early kit (and so it should be!) but still features a not-quite-right fuselage cross-section. Section of dam Not to worry though, as the kit makes up well and looks great with the included section of dam, which turns the whole assemblage into something of a shelf-filler. There has been some license taken with the actual architecture, but the general effect is impressive. Upkeep bomb Also included in the kit is a separate ‘bouncing bomb’, inventor Barnes Wallis’s brainchild device ...