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MPM Production have sent us details of their latest 1:72 Special Hobby kits, with two versions of the Me 163, a Douglas Bolo, plus the ultimate Seafire in Korean War service:

One of the Czech weather lore for April recalls this month's weather as volatile. This year's April weather is constant. At least here in Czech Republic the winter's still out there. The snow laying everywhere and possible there's more of it than during Christmas. Thankfully we can still build models despite the weather outside. Yet, we have new kit to come this month. Just beforehand I'd like to announce future kits' releases. Soon, we will release Fairey Firefly Mk.4/5 in 1/48 scale followed by another box of Firefly Mk.I (the first out will be Pacific Theatre camouflages), the hungrily sought Heinkel He 115 in 1/48 scale and in 1/72 scale similarly sought for Short Sunderland. But more earlier we will release 1/72 scale SB2U-1 and SB2U-2 Vindicators (new kit produced from new mould), Vickers Vildebeest Mk.IV and two camouflage versions of Caproni Ca.310. The first box will faeture Yugoslavian, Croatian and Hungarian machines while the second will feature Italian Regia
Aeronautica machines together with Spanish Frakists' machines. Moreover, we are working on 1/32 scale Fiat G.50 in two versions. The April new releases follow:

SH72258 Messerschmitt Me 163C “Prototypes” 1/72
The Nazi Germany tried to stop the Allied bombing campaign with all that was available. This also meant the rocket fighters such as Messerchmitt Me 163B. During the combat deployment of Me 163B several structure flaws occurred. Due to the limited rocket motor fuel capacity and sole rocket nozzle the combat time was limited. Pilots also complained about the canopy lacks efficient rear view. These deficiencies should have been eliminated in Me 163C version. This new version featured tear drop shaped canopy, the fuel capacity was increased but mainly the rocket motor featured another nozzle cruise one. All those modifications increased the motor working time to 12 minutes. Three prototypes were built in Peenemûnde. The proposed
mass production had never started, though. All three prototypes were destroyed to prevent their seizure by Red Army.

The kit of this rocket fighter contains one sprue with plastic parts including optional horizontal stabilizer parts,
injected canopy and detailed resin and photo-etched parts. Decals included offer markings for V-1 and V-2
prototypes (reconstructed according to sources) and one fictive machine in German and captured in RAF colours.

SH72263 Messerschmitt Me 163C “What-If War” 1/72
During World War 2 Japanese empire had been purchasing modern weapons production licenses in Germany. This also comprised aircraft. Among the aircraft that were purchased and produced was even Messerschmitt Me 163C. These rocket fighters were produced for Imperial Japanese Air Force
that deployed them to 47th Sentai that protected Tokyo against US bombers, mainly against B-32s and B-39s. During the Allied invasion in spring 1946 allies captured part of these machines.

The plastic parts of this kit are the same as of SH72258 with different decals. The latter offer one machine in Imperial Japanese Air Force 47th Sentai markings, one machine evaluated by Imperial Japanese Navy at Yokosuka Air Technical Arsenal, captured and subsequently evaluated machine in US marking and the other by ATAIU-SEA (Allied Technical Air Intelligence South East Asia) tested at Tebrau.

SH72265 B-18 Bolo "War Service" 1/72
According to 1934 specifications issued by USAAC High command B-18 Bolo was designed. The DB-1 (factory designation) design was derived from the design of the famous civil Dc-2 aircraft. Unlike Dc-2, the
DB-1 was mid-wing design with bomb bay located in the fuselage under the wing's cross section and
defensive armament consisting of three 7.65 mm machine guns located in manually operated nose and dorsal turrets and one in ventral hatch. Except of the initial batch later on, additional machines were ordered under designation B-18A. These new machines featured new, picked nose. In total 350 B-18s were ordered but only 312 machines were produced. B-18 and B-18A then became the most widely used US bomber of the pre war era. Bolos were stationed in continental USA so at Hawaii and Philippines. When the War had broken out part of the machines stationed at Hawaii and Philippines was destroyed by surprise Japanese attacks. The rest of Philippines based machines were used mainly for military transport to maintain the connection with Australia.

The surviving machines were ferried over to Australia and some of them were used by US Army for submarine patrols in US coastal waters and in Panama Canal area and, also for training purposes. Except of US Army, B-18 Bolos were also used by Canadian Air Force (designatecas Digby Mk.I the Canadian version can be purchased under Cat. No.SH72251) and Brazilian Air Force.

The kit contains four sprues with plastic parts, injected clear parts, resin and photo-etched parts. Decals included offer markings for 2 US Army machines and two Brazilian ones. Machine no.7 fought over Philippines and featured field applied camouflage. The other US machine operated from Hawaii in 1943 and featured typical Hawaii and Panama camouflage pattern. Both Brazilian machines featured camouflage, too.

SH72259 Seafire FR Mk.47 Korean War Fighter-Bomber „Hi-tech“ 1/72
Development of the Seafire versions during the WW2 lagged a bit behind their Spitfire counterparts. After the end of the war this trend continued, but this doesn´t apply for the last versions of the Seafires. Fuselage of Seafire Mk.47, the very last version of this aeroplane was the same as for Spitfire Mk.24, but Seafire Mk.47 was driven by RR Griffon 88 engine with counter-rotating three-bladed propellers, and lower-fuselage air-intake was moved front to begin right behind the spinner. The wing of this Seafire was also foldable. Spitfires Mk.47 began their service in 1948 and during the next year took part in fighting the Malayan communist warriors, flying from the deck of HMS Triumph. In 1950 the Mk.47 Seafires fought in the Korea war, operating from the same carrier. They remained in service until 1954.

Box with model of this beautiful aircraft contains four sprues of higly detailed plastic parts and one sprue with clear canopy parts, all identical to the SH72099 kit. In addition you can find another sprue with injected parts of the armament, rockets and bombs. The kit also contains decals with stencils and coloured etched parts, that enhance cockpit and also exterior of the model. The decals are for three different machines, two of them from the Korea war and the last one from the British Isles.

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