I popped into Modelzone this morning to see what was new in town. After I squeezed around the tall pile of Trumpeters Wellington kits without knocking them over I spied some Hobbyboss kits on the shelves. Despite being advertised for months this is the first time I have come across any. 1/72 is not my scale but out of curiosity I peeked inside the box of a Hurricane. A proper box with a separate lid. Inside all the parts have their own compartment in a vac-formed tray. Not many parts but they looked well moulded with no flash and there are some nice looking small parts such as the tailwheel. I cannot say how accurate they are but they look excellent value for £3.99. They already seem to have at least 20 different kits. If you like 1/72 they could be well worth taking a look at especially if you want a quick build.

I had a look at some Hobbyboss kits at the Sutton Coldfield show today.
They look great value for money and I think I'll pick a couple up soon and see how they go together.
The mouldings on the 109 I looked at today seemed really good.Some nice details and engraved panel lines too.
Two canopies were included as well. A one piece closed canopy and a three piece canopy to enable you to pose it open.Nice touch!
Nige

Curiosity finally got the better of me and I purchased a Hobbyboss Spitfire Mk Vb under the pretext that I will send it as a present to a friend in Poland. Before wrapping it up and posting it I of course had to check that the contents are all there and in good condition.

This kit is not at all like a conventional plastic kit. The fuselage is a single piece as are the wings that clip into place on the underside. In this respect it fits together like the components of a Corgi diecast. There is some cockpit detail, seat mainly, but painting it will be awkward. Adding extra detail such as an instrument panel or seat belts will be difficult. Perhaps decals could be the answer. Once the fuselage and wings are joined then there are just a few extra bits to add, elevators, radiators, exhausts, wheels etc. There are two sets of transparencies for an open or closed cockpit.

Fit looks very close and I don’t think any filler would be required. If you used superglue you could be at the painting stage in ten minutes. I leave it to magazine reviewers to decide how accurate it is or not but it looks ok after a cursory comparison with some plans though the tyre clearance bulges might be at a peculiar angle. There are two wedge shaped protrusions on the under surfaces of the wings just in front of the cannon bulges. If they are meant to represent something I cannot think what they could be. Perhaps they were required by the moulding process? There is no mention about removing them in the instructions but care will be needed to do so, so as not to eliminate the fine panel detail. You will have to make your own undercarriage doors from card as none are provided.

The real let-down in the kit is the markings. Decals are provided for two Spitfires from Polish Squadrons. BM144 RF.D of 303 Squadron, fairly well known mount of Jan Zumbach with Donald Duck emblem, and AD140 JH.H of 317 Squadron. The first thing that stands out is that the squadron codes are white not Sky. However, both schemes also have other errors.

BM144. This is not too bad. During his third tour with 303 Squadron Jan Zumbach flew three Spitfires in succession which featured four different Donald Ducks. They are often confused in profiles and by kit manufacturers (e.g. Airfix 1/72 Spitfire Vb). The number of kill markings (too many for BM144) and the style of Donald suggest to me that they belong to another of his Spitfires, probably EP594. The squadron badge should be on both sides of the fuselage and the serial number looks to be too small. If you want more accurate markings then Techmod have a whole sheet devoted to Zumbach’s Donalds (1/72 and 1/48).

AD140. This was photographed in late 1941 at Exeter. Apart from the white codes the markings are basically correct. However, it was Grey/Green/MSG not Earth/Green/Sky. The propeller pitch mechanism on Spitfires was prone to leaking and this led to the myth that Polish squadrons painted the spinners red and white. They didn’t, it’s a band of oil. Red and white spinners are a feature of late and post war Mustangs, Spitfires always had Sky or Black spinners as RAF rules dictated. You can see a photograph of this Spitfire here:

http://geocities.com/skrzydla/

Click on 317 Squadron then on Aircraft. It’s the one with all the seagulls around it. There is also a correct profile.

Hi Toni

It sounds like a good candidate for a Review before you send it to Poland. I saw a lot of new low-cost 1/48 scale armour last time I went into Hobbyzone (Shermans, T-34s and Landing Craft) - are these from the same company?

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan,
I believe Hobby boss are connected to Trumpeteer.
They have started doing a range of armoured vehicles in 1/48 and 1/35.
They produce quite a few 1/72 aircraft kits already with some 1/48 kits in the future.
This is their website .
Andy

Hi Rowan!

My LHS received all the range of HobbyBoss 1/48 Armor and 1/72 aircraft. I purchased one of the T-34s and must say it's a fine looking model., especially for the price! Too bad they don't do the aviation kits in 1/48 scale... or should I say fortunately!

Jean-Luc

Hi again

Well, I don't make a habit of buying tanks, but after what Jean-Luc wrote, I couldn't resist getting a T-34/85 on the way home! :-) It's incredible - a full interior and beautiful moulding! Tamiya had really better watch out! From their website, I see HobbyBoss have a section all ready for future 1/48 scale aircraft kits... we could be in for a real treat! Definitely a manufacturer to watch...

All the best

Rowan