Delaware Valley Scale Modelers



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DELAWARE VALLEY SCALE MODELERS is a Chapter of the International Plastic Scale Modelers’ Society USA, chartered 1972. We meet on the first Friday of each month at 7:30 pm, at the Artisan’s Hall, located at 8100 Roosevelt Boulevard (U.S. Route 1), just North of Cottman Avenue at the Pennypack Circle in Philadelphia, PA.

You can visit us on the Web at: .

You can also visit the Philadelphia Area Club Modelers on the web at: .

DVSM Officers

President..…. Dennis Sosna

Vice President. ………………Walter Hughes Jr.

Secretary………………………...Jason Rothgeb

Treasurer & IPMS Contact……...Joe Vattilana

Contest Chairman…………………Dennis Levy

Program Chairman.…………….…Jim Rosado

Membership Chairman……...Vince Buonfiglio

Theme Chairmen…Tommy Kortman & Bob Doebly

Newsletter Editor & Webmaster…Tony Wootson

November’s Business Meeting:

By Jason Rothgeb

November’s meeting saw an attendance of 34 members and seven guests. There were number of items on the agenda for this month. The first of these were the elections. Dennis Sosna will serve a second consecutive year as the club President, Walt Hughes will continue as Vice President, Joe Vattilana will serve once again as Treasurer. Also continuing on will be Dennis Levy as Contest Chairman. Those officers stepping down include Tony Wootson as Newsletter Editor and Jason Rothgeb as club Secretary. The club is looking for volunteers to fill these vacancies in the coming year. The current members serving in these role will provide orientation and transition for any member willing to serve the club in these roles in ‘04.

Joe V. Gave a Treasurer’s report in which he stated that the club is good financial health and has paid the rent for the year. To ensure the sound financial health of the club, Joe asks that all members promptly pay their dues for the coming year. Club members are reminded that membership dues for the year are $15.00. Any member wishing a more detailed report about the club’s finances can talk to Joe in person.

The next item of business was discussion of the Five Favorite

Contest to be held in December. Contest Chair Dennis Levy

explained that the rules of the contest are that it is open to anyone who wishes to participate, club members and guests alike. The only requirements are that you must have a subject entered to vote for the winners. There are no categories; participants are invited to vote for the five models they like the most. Contestants may enter up to three subjects in the contest. Members are asked to arrive early to ease the contest’s operation. Entry will begin at 6:00 P.M. and close at 7:30 P.M. With the early start and a lot of folks skipping dinner, comes the annual holiday dinner party. Members are asked to bring a finger food appetizer and come hungry.

After a little bit of a lull, the club saw a guest displaying their work at the club for the first time. Greg Hogg displayed an AMT 1964 Mercury Marauder in ½5 scale. It is hoped the Greg enjoyed himself and will return next month to display again and consider membership in the club. There were no guests displaying for the second time in November.

It was also announced that club members will be meeting at Jenkintown Hobbies the last Saturday of January in the afternoon. This additional meeting will allow club members who are unable to attend first Friday meetings to get together as well as making it easier for visitors from other clubs to pay DVSM a visit. For details members can talk to Ariel Fernandez or Bob Doebley.

Models and their Builders

|Name |Model |Manufacturer |Category |Scale |Details |

|Dave Anderson |Automotive |1/ 24 |1934 Ford Modified, 1968 Plymouth Duster, |Monogram |pit scene with figures |

| | | |1956 Chevy Pickup | | |

|Dave Anderson |Aircraft |1/ 48 |PBY Catalina |Monogram |plane history and box art |

|Dave Anderson |Aircraft |1/ 48 |P-47 Thunderbolt |Monogram |diorama base |

|Dave Anderson |Aircraft |1/ 48 |P-51 Mustang |Monogram |diorama base |

|Bob Cicconi |Automotive-Diecast |1/18 |1969 Indy 500 Winner Branner Hawk |Ertl |Driven by Mario Andretti |

|Bob Doebley |Automotive |1/ 24 |Toyota Corolla Rally car |Tamiya |Work in progress |

|Wyatt Erb |Automotive |1/ 24 |1996,2000,2003 Pace Cars |Various |Displayed with Custom made |

| | | | | |Borg-Warner Trophy |

|Doug Goerke |Aircraft |1/ 32 |P-38J Droop Snoot |Revell | |

|Doug Goerke |Armor |1/ 32 |M4 Sherman Tank |Motorworks | |

|John Goschke |Aircraft |1/72 |Republic F-84 Thunderjet |Frog |originally released in the mid ‘50s, |

| | | | | |built from reissue kit, circa 1964. |

| | | | | |Out of the box except...Rivets, |

| | | | | |raised panel lines and decal locaters|

| | | | | |removed. Panel lines rescribed. |

| | | | | |Serial and buzz numbers scanned and |

| | | | | |redrawn on Macintosh computer, laser |

| | | | | |printed on clear decal stock. |

| | | | | |Superscale insignia, tail stripes |

| | | | | |from red decal stock. |

|John Goschke |Aircraft |1/72 |A4D-1 Skyhawk |Airfix |“From zero to model in four nights.” |

| | | | | |Built “out-of-the-bag” with no mods |

| | | | | |save some rescribing and one scratch |

| | | | | |main gear strut to replace lost |

| | | | | |original. Original kit decals. Kit |

| | | | | |originally released in 1958. |

|Greg Hogg |Automotive |1/ 25 |1964 Mercury Marauder |AMT |MCW paint rubbed out with Meguiars |

| | | | | |polish |

|Ben Howell |Aircraft |1/72 |BV 222 Vac |Combat Models |Disappointed-Injection model |

| | | | | |available! |

|Walt Hughes |Aircraft |1/72 |TV-95MS “Bear” |Trumpeter | |

|Conner Levy |Aircraft |??? |Space Shuttle |??? | |

| |Ship |1/80 |Dapper Tom-Baltimore Clipper |Model Shipways |Carved hull, deck planked |

| |Aircraft |1/72 |Canadian Fire Fighter/Mars |Combat Models |Vacuform-thin shell |

|Conner Levy |Automotive |1/32 |Police Car | | |

|Jamie Makin |Automotive |1/ 24 |Ferrari Enzo |Tamiya |Wiring & Plumbing |

|Darryl Peters |Automotive |1/ 25 |32 Vicky Street Rod |Revell/ R&MoMD |Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland |

| | | | | |Resin Body |

|Jim Rosado |Figure | |Presentation #1 German Hunting Tiger | | |

|Jim Rosado |Figure | |Presentation #2 | | |

|Jim Rosado |Figure | |Presentation #3 | | |

|Jason Rothgeb |Automotive |1/ 24 |Chezoom Custom 57 Chevy |Testors |Tamiya clear over Testors Chezoom |

| | | | | |teal MV lenses replacing kit pieces |

|Jason Rothgeb |Automotive |1/ 24 |1970 Chevelle SS 454 |Monogram |In progress |

|Andy Such |Automotive |1/ 24 |Ferrari Enzo |Revell |wired and plumbed |

|Andy Such |Automotive |1/ 25 |1973 Sprint Car |AMT |wired and plumbed |

|Andy Such |Automotive |1/ 25 |Rat Rod |Revell |wired and plumbed |

|Jack Szuchy |Armor |1/ 35 |KVII Russian Heavy Tank |Tamiya |Built in 1970s |

|Lou Ursino |Armor |1/ 35 |Russian T-34/85 m.1944 |DML |warriors resin wheels, CMK barrel |

|Lou Ursino |Armor |1/ 35 |Swedish Strv-103B tank |Trumpeter |out-of-box |

|Lou Ursino |Armor |1/ 35 |German SdKfz. 232 8 wheel armored car |Tamiya |out-of-box |

|Lou Ursino |Armor |1/ 35 |German Panther Ausf. A (early) |DML |Atak resin zimmerit, edward barrel, |

| | | | | |Trak2 photo-etch engine screens |

|Scott Valentine |Automotive |1/ 25 |1950 Chevy Pickup 3100 |AMT |in progress |

|Joe Vattilana |Aircraft |1/ 48 |Grumman HU-16 Albatross |Scratchbuilt |under construction |

| |Ship |1/60 |Puritan-90s Cup Defender |Mantua |hull, deck-planked, sewn sails |

|Drew Volz |Automotive |1/ 25 |Honda |Revell |In progress |

|Joe Volz |Aircraft |1/ 48 |EA-6B Prowler |Revell |Cutting Edge decals |

Testors 1:24 scale "Super Tuners" Honda S2000

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By Tony Wootson

Ever get a completely spontaneous urge to just buy a model, rush home and build it? I'm sure you have.

You know the scenario: you visit a hobby store, browse up and down the isles and see something that catches your eye. You move closer to it, pick up the box and closely scrutinize the kit.

Even though you have about a bazillion UNBUILT models at home, for some insane reason you decide that one more won't matter all that much. (Right???)

This happened to me once several years ago, when making a trek to a local Toys R Us Store. I spied a number of new, 1:100 scale Bandai Gundam kits. These are snap-tite models with many, many parts molded in multiple colors. The parts contain some exquisite detail and unrealistically good fitting characteristics.

This just occurred once again a day before Thanksgiving. On my way home I dropped by a local Hobby Store, (M&G Hobbies), to see what I might see. When approaching the car model section I noticed some very kewl and colorful car kits. Yep, a CAR MODEL! (For those of you who don't know, my modeling interests have tended to be in the sci-fi vehicular and comic book figure realms over the past couple of years.)

The kit that caught my eye was a Testors metal body model of a Honda S2000. For several years now Testors has been

releasing very reasonably priced metal body car kits that are pre-painted and have a pretty good amount of detail built into them. (This is probably an attempt on their part to try to attract and retain younger model builders.) I picked up one of Testors' Black Viper kits 2 years ago.

This go-round the model that grabbed my attention was a small, very kewl looking brown and black two-tone two-seater convertible that resembled the old Datsun 200 series.

Scrutinizing the box I noticed that a detailed engine was included, along with real rubber tires and a hood, trunk and doors that could be opened.

The fact that the box had the listed characteristics: "…Prepainted body. Minimal gluing/no painting required. Most parts screw or snap together…" helped out a bit. The description "Assembles in about 1 hour..." also helped to firmly grab my attention. Finally, the fact that this model was heavily discounted succeeded in pushing me over the cliff (and into the deep, dark modeling abyss.)

After arriving home I promptly opened the box. I was VERY PLEASED with things like an aluminum colored and chrome plated exhaust & muffler system that was already attached to a black chassis, chrome plated wheels already inserted into rubber tires, a multi-colored partial engine compartment "top" along with two clear light parts (that already had the corresponding red colors painted on) and two light chrome parts (that already had a clear, amber color applied). (Hear that, Jamie?! ()

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All told there were 12 parts molded in black, an additional 4 black axle parts ingeniously designed to attach into the back of the wheels and allow them to spin, 2 black parts that allowed the two front wheels to turn together, the 4 chrome plated wheels and 4 rubber tires, 2 silver colored seats, 4 clear and 2 chrome light parts, two small intricate decal sheets (that included a metal foil sheet to be used as the rear and side view mirrors), 11 small screws and the chassis.

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I was once again impressed with the very nice two-tone color and markings that had already been applied to the car. Although I haven't seen them, it reminds me of a car that would appear in one of the Fast and Furious movies.

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After salivating over my newly acquired custom car I decided to wait until the following day before building this sleek racing machine. (This would also enable me to take my "before" pictures.)

The next day after waking up I started worked on the kit. Ironically, even though it was Thanksgiving I was able to get this baby built before the end of the day. (Who needs visiting relatives when there's a model to be built?)

The model went together very quickly, although there were a number of "problem areas" with the instructions. First, there were no directions that pertained to the attachment of the small speedometer decal nor the smaller rear-view and side-view mirror metal decals. (These should be attached as soon as possible, due to some difficulty that will exist if done after the model has been assembled.)

In addition, some of the pictures of the parts did not jive up completely with the shape of the actual parts.

The inner rear trunk compartment did not seem to align up with any internal guidance areas and the front two screws and one rear one could not be attached up through the car's chassis to the body, (because the screws were too short and the associated holes did not go completely through the chassis.)

All in all though these discrepancies did not present all that much of problem and I was able to work through them pretty quickly.

I ended up using a drop of Zap-a-Gap super glue on each of the adjoining parts to help them remain tightly attached to one another.

A plus about the instructions are that they list a number of advanced modeling techniques that can be used to add some realism to the model. Drybrushing, applying washes, painting the back of the clear light parts silver and scuffing the tires with sandpaper were listed.

I ended up skipping all of these options, since my intention was to build this model straight out of the box, (unlike what ended up being the case with that unsuccessfully built Testors Viper kit. It's still waiting to be painted after I stripped away the pre-paint black finish.)

I hoped that this model would help to get my dormant, (hardening) modeling juices flowing once again.

This actually succeeded, since later during the Thanksgiving 4-day weekend I dusted off my airbrush along with several on-again/off-again modeling projects and started worked on them.

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The Honda S2000 was a BLAST to build, (despite the discrepancies in the instructions). I really, REALLY like its very unique, attractive coloration and markings.

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Heck, I even ended up attracting the attention of my 12 year old son and my 3 year old daughter so much that I had to promise to buy one for each of them to get them to stop playing with mine.

Every now and then I think all of us modeling folk need a fun, quick build to help remind us why we got into modeling in the first place.

I've had so much fun with this car that I'm going to go back to M&G's to pick up a different Testors "Super Tuners" car, (in addition to the two more Honda S2000's for my kids).

Bill Herting & IPMS

Several weeks ago I received an email message from a guy named Bill Herting. Bill was a long time model builder who had gotten out of model building but still had numerous models and reference material lying around, (taking up space and collecting dust).

So, Bill visited the IPMS web site and eventually got my name and email address as a contact for a local IPMS Chapter.

Bill's message was straightforward: he wanted to know if Del Val was interested in taking his models and supplies off of his hand, free of charge. (The only catch perse was that I or someone else would have to drop by his house, since he was limited in getting around due to a cast that was on his leg.)

Since I thought that his offer was a very generous and kind one, I offered to compensate him - (with the discretion of our Treasurer and President) - for his donations. At the worst case I offered to put his model items out for sale, passing the money collected back to him.

His reply was: "No, this is not necessary. I really believe in IPMS and this is my chance to help the society out."

Two weeks later I dropped by his house and ended up toting home a bunch of old IPMS Quarterly Magazines, a small stack of old Fine Scale Modeler Magazines and Profile Publications, along with some small wooden plaques, two Woodland Scenics trees and other Woodland material, along with the following model kits:

a 1:35 scale Heller Char Somua S35 (Tank), a 1:35 scale Tamiya Marder II, a 1:32 scale Airfix German Half-Track Sd Kfr 250/3, a 1:35 scale Tamiya British Infantry Tank MkII Matilda, a 1:35 scale Tamiya Russian Tank T34/76 1942, a 1:72 scale Hasegawa/Minicraft Starter Truck Toyota GB, a 1:72 scale Hasegawa/Minicraft Fuel Truck ISUZU TX-40, a 1:32 scale Hasegawa Focke-Wulf Fw190 Dora -9 (from the Collectors' Hi-Grad Series), a 1:76 scale Fujimi British Infantry Tank Valentine, a 1:48 scale Monogram Messerschmitt Me 262, an OLD 1:48 scale Monogram Airacobra, an OLD 1:72 scale Monogram Goshawk F11C-2,

an OLD Hawk 1:72 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109G, a 1:48 scale Monogram Mustang P-51B, a 1:48 scale Tamiya Nakajima KI84IA Hayate (Frank), a 1:48 scale Nichimo Toryu (Nick),

and a 1:48 scale Nichimo Nakajima KI-43-1 Oscar.

I'd like to publicly thank Bill for his very kind offer. I'd also like to use Bill and his generosity to shine some light onto IPMS in general.

The International Plastic Modeler's Society is a very good organization that contains many other nice guys just like Bill. One of the ways that I'm impressed with them is their children model building program. They regularly supply model kits and modeling supplies free of charge to chapters and individual members who are interested in conducting their own Make-it-

take-it building sessions.

When the sponsorship dried up a number of years ago they asked for (and received) donations from individual IPMS members and chapters to keep this very worthwhile program going.

Their IPMS Journals that are published every other month have become a very informative and diverse, "slick" modeling publication that contains an ever-increasing number of color pictures.

Finally, last but not least the insurance that they supply to chapters (including ours) helps to allow us (and the other

Chapters) to meet.

If you have not already done so, I urge you to consider joining

IPMS. The yearly membership fee is $21 for an adult membership, and you can find the particulars in an advertisement box found at the bottom of this newsletter.

Thanks.

- Tony

AMPS OOB Kit Review:

Tamiya 1/35 Scale Kits:

No. 35623; M1025 Humvee Armament Carrier.

163 parts (139 in tan styrene, 16 in clear styrene, 8 in black vinyl); price around $32.00.

No. 35266; Modern U.S. Equipment Set; 116 parts in tan styrene price around $10.00.

Advantages: best Humvee kit produced so far; flexible options provide for doing nearly all the M998 family vehicles from this chassis; amazing mold work rivals the Tamiya Willys MB (new) kit for skill; add-ons permit building later model vehicles.

Disadvantages: high cost may surprise some modelers (mold work is the culprit); late to the game in comparison with other kits.

Rating: Highly Recommended (M1025), Recommended (Accessories).

Recommendation: For all modern softskin and US fans

F I R S T L O O K

 

The AM General High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle or HMMWV – "Hummer" to the civilians and Humvee to the military – was the winner in a long competition held by the US Army to replace its existing 1/4 ton (e.g. jeep class), 3/4 ton, and 1 1/4 ton trucks with a single, more mobile and more modern vehicle capable of meeting any existing mobility requirement. They began to enter service in the late 1980s as the M998 series vehicles, and have gone through an A1 upgrade in 1994 and an A2 upgrade a few years later. The main differences in the basic types were that the A1 series standardized on the so-called "Heavy HMMWV" chassis, giving all the vehicles the same "stretch" capability for weight carrying and development, and the A2 series introducing a new engine and transmission.

 

 It comes in a myriad of modifications and variants, the main ones of which are these:

M966 TOW carrier

M996 Mini-Ambulance

M997 Maxi-Ambulance

M998 basic troop carrier vehicle M1045 TOW carrier with supplemental armor

M1025 basic armament carrier

M1026 basic armament carrier w/winch

M1035 Ambulance with Soft Top

M1037 Shelter Carrier

M1038 basic troop carrier vehicle w/winch

M1043 armament carrier with supplemental armor

M1044 armament carrier with supplemental armor w/winch

M1045 TOW carrier with supplemental armor

M1046 TOW carrier with supplemental armor w/winch

M1069 Light Artillery Prime Mover (for the M119 105mm Lightweight Howitzer)

M1097 Heavy Hummer Variant

M1113 Shelter Carrier

M1114 Uparmored HMMWV

"Avenger" Light Air Defense System (8 x STINGER missiles and 1 x .50 caliber M2HB)

 

Other variants are also offered, but these are the main ones. It should be noted that with the A2 models the TOW and armament carrier Humvees were combined into one series, the M1025A2/M1026A2. A "who's who" of variants is supplied with the kit.

 

The main visible changes to most of the models are with the hood louvers; these became all-metal on the A1 series and are the so-called "large" louvers. The small ones were fiberglass or in some models Kevlar, and have since been replaced.

 

Thus far the Humvee has not been well treated as a model kit. In 1/35 scale, the first kit to be released was from Italeri, and it was based on a pre-production prototype; all of their subsequent kits have been based on those molds, which have a number of items that need to be changed. Second was one from ESCI, and while it represented a production M998 chassis, the mold designer must be a fan of dogs like the pug or boxer, as the entire front end was squished and totally wrong. Next came a very nice kit of the M997 from Academy, followed by an M1025 variant and then an M998 troop carrier. All three were the best available Humvee kits until the release of this model.

 

Tamiya has proven in recent years that when it wants to get serious about modeling, there is still no one in the world who can touch their engineering and model kit design group. This is a good example of that, and is an amazing piece of mold-maker's art. The entire body (less hood, which permits the later installation of an after-market engine kit) is one piece, and very nicely done with only a few easily removed ejection pin marks on the bottom of the pan. Chassis details are also done up very nicely, with all of the parts not fully molded being completely hidden when the model is finished (Italeri should pay attention to this; their M939 series 5-ton trucks are an example of how NOT to partially mold details).

 

The body comes with all constituent parts separate, so that the kit will obviously be changed at a later date to provide different variants. It comes with the correct "slant back" body for the M1025 series, but the two radiator grilles provided are only for the original M998 body variants. (Tamiya did call its kit an M1025, so that is correct.) The windshield and mirror brackets for the so-called "California" mirrors are one single part. (Early model mirrors are also included, as well as one of the three original grille guards.) All windows and lights are provided as separate clear parts, including the "highway" turn signal lenses. The main headlights are clear, but the depressions in the grille for the lights seem to be perfectly suited for MV Lenses, which have become pretty much standard among most intermediate and advanced modelers these days.

 

Two figures are provided, a driver and a gunner/observer in the turret. Tamiya provides a nice replica of the turret with a single-piece hatch, scored on the back so that it may be shown either closed or open. The only part missing from the turret is the strap seat used by the gunner for taking weight off his feet and making it easier for him to swing the turret around. Both of the figures are wearing body armor, but this appears to be the older "flak jacket" derived from the Korean War issue types and not the newer "Interceptor" vest.

 

The vehicle comes with a choice of either the .50 caliber M2HB "Ma Deuce" or the Mark 19 30mm automatic grenade launcher for mounting on the turret. This is correct, as most of the vehicles I have received info on carry both, and swap them to meet mission requirements. (M2s are better for dealing with light vehicles or helicopters, and the Mark 19 works better against personnel.)

 

The tires are another part of the kit that is amazing, for they are vinyl but have nearly zero mold seam on them. This by itself is a great piece of mold-maker's art.

 

 Four sets of decals are provided, with one Desert Storm vehicle, one IFOR, one KFOR US Army and one KFOR USMC being the choices.

 

The reason I included the Modern Equipment set with this review is that it is designed specifically to compliment the Humvee kit, but also has more possibilities. This kit includes the A1 series hood louver for the Humvee kit, so it can be changed to replicate the later models.

 

It also includes the new Combat Identification Panels – the "gizmos" that look like Venetian blinds – for combat "friend or foe" identification to combat vehicles or helicopters equipped with thermal sights. These can be used to upgrade the Humvee for use in Operations Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) or Iraqi Freedom (Iraq).

 

The rest of the kit provides the British meaning of "kit" – the items necessary for troop survival and quality of life – for filling bustle racks or the outside of most combat vehicles. This includes: four standard folding cots, eight ground sleeping mats (sleeping bag underlays), four mountain type sleeping bags in carriers, two of what the kit calls  tents but are actually camouflage net sets (part V12), two sets of camouflage net poles (V9), four duffel bags with twin shoulder straps, two "butt" packs, and six ALCE ("Alice"_ backpacks. While they call them "large" and "small" they are not; they are all the standard "small" Alice packs but four are stuffed full and two are not (the "large" Alice pack comes with a hard frame).

 

The kit also includes two 5-gallon fuel cans and two 5-gallon

plastic water cans, four .50 caliber ammo boxes, and four

large and four small 40mm grenade boxes (used for stowing

anything troops can think of beside ammo!) Two small puppies are thrown in for good measure.

 

A sheet of brown paper is included with a total of 24 MRE case jackets on it. They are nicely done and with a magnifying glass even include the bar codes (!)  but the sheet is quite flimsy and will make things difficult during assembly. Typical German-style road signs are also included on the side of the box.

 

The reason I downgrade items like this is that one would think that a sprue of them would be included in the basic kit they are to compliment, and also that Tamiya would get away from hollow back molding the items, thus limiting their flexibility and use. It's hard to hide some of the open backs in a bustle rack, and thus the modeler either has to spend the time tediously filling each one with putty or use resin parts instead.

 

Overall, while this kit is not a "cheap date" – cost being about 33 to 40% more than the reasonably good Academy kits – it is a tour-de-force of the mold-makers and a nice project for a couple of evenings. With the use of the later model hood grille, it can also be used for all recent combat experiences by the US. With other decal sets, it can be used for most of the wars fought by the US since 1986, to include Panama, Somalia, the former Republic of Yugoslavia, and now the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Kit Review: Trumpeter 1/35 Scale Kit No. 00206; SA-2 Guideline Missile on Launcher.

159 parts (118 in olive drab styrene, 40 in grey styrene, 1 section of copper wire); price $21.95.

 

Advantages: first styrene kit of this missile in this scale; elegant details with the kit; launcher able to be posed.

 

Disadvantages: no wheel assemblies provided for the launcher base; no radar!

 

Rating: Highly Recommended.

 

Recommendation: for all missile and "Duck Hunter" fans.

 

F I R S T L O O K

 

"Ban Roi Tai Cho! Bat Xong Giac Lai!" In 1972, that was the motto of the Vietnamese Peoples' Air Force Air Defense: – shoot down the airplanes on the spot! Capture the pirate pilot alive! And the weapon that gave that to many VPAF units was the S-75 air defense missile system firing the V-750 surface-to-air missile – the SA-2 GUIDELINE to NATO, the "Flying Telephone Pole" to US pilots.

The S-75 was created by the USSR in the mid 1950s in response to a requirement to create a B-52 killing mobile missile system in which a battery could be set up (radar, fire control van, and six launchers) in less than 4 hours and ready to engage the enemy in no more than 9. The first system, the SA-75 "Dvina", was a fixed system accepted for service in December 1957. Later, first the mobile S-75 "Desna," was accepted for service in May 1959, and an improved version, the S-75M "Volkhov," followed in April 1961. All of them used first the SM-63 and later the SM-90 launcher mount, developed by TsKB-34, and based upon an antiaircraft artillery platform.

 

There were a number of different versions of the missile produced: V-750 (1D), V-750V (11D), V-750VN (13D); V-755 (20D/20DP), and 5Ya23. All were approximately the same size with different warhead sizes and ranges; the 5Ya23 was reportedly a bomber formation killer with a nuclear warhead. The S-75M had a range of engagement from 7 to 43 kilometers and an altitude of engagement of 100 to 30,000 meters. Targets were engaged by the radar (FAN SONG to NATO) and 1 to 3 missiles could be fired at a single target.

 

The missiles had to be guided to the target by the radar, and hence when the USAF developed the "Wild Weasel" that shot back with the Shrike or Standard ARM missile it became a game of "Guts" as to who would win. The Shrike had to have an active target, so the trick was to see who figured his missile would hit the other guy first; if the radar shut down the Shrike would usually miss, but if the radar shut off the missiles would never hit their intended aerial target.

 

Most SA-2s are out of the inventory except in many third-world nations, and the Chinese have worked to continually improve their CSA-1 versions of the missile. But during the 1960s and 1970s, the SA-2 was the most widely exported – and used – surface-to-air missile in the world.

 

Trumpeter has now released a gorgeous pair of kits – the SA-2 missile on its launcher, and an SA-2 on a reloader/transporter trailer towed by either a Chinese truck or a Soviet era ZIL-157L. The ground kit appears to represent the basic model of the V-755 "Volkhov" version of the system and the SM-90 launcher mount. Both are very nicely done and an impressive amount of parts is provided to build both the launcher and the missile.

 

The missile consists of 40 parts, and is built in sub-assemblies of missile and booster. The missile is complete down to the external control actuators for the airfoil controls and main engine gimbals. A very nicely done decal sheet provides all of the Cyrillic stencils used by the Soviets, so it pretty much limits the missile as it comes out of the kit to a Soviet-built version. (Some export models had text in English; this isn't one of them.)

 

The launcher is very well detailed and provides a lot of moving parts to ensure that it faithfully duplicates the original. There are a large number of hydraulic pistons, and this requires care, as the directions are a bit breezy about what they are and where they go. The kit indicates the elevation arm elevates, but as everyone who has ever built a model with working parts and weight at the end of an action arm knows, you need either friction or a lock to hold it in place. There is also a gear assembly (Part P16) as part of the elevation mechanism that is cemented in place, but as I have not assembled the kit yet I do not know if it functions as a

friction snubber or not.

Alas, no bogies are provided for the carriage, so there is no way to show the launcher and a racked-up missile in transit, or to show the launcher during emplacement or being prepared to move. Trumpeter also does not offer the FAN SONG radar van, but that may be just as well: a full fledged SA-2 battery site in 1/35 scale would be about 30' in diameter, not something easily shown to one's friends or taken to competitions!

 

Overall this is a great kit, but I think Trumpeter has a rather ironic sense of humor releasing it at the same time as a 1/32 scale F-105D – one of the SA-2's main targets in Vietnam!

 

Cookie Sewell

AMPS

Upcoming Events

• The ModelFest Plastic Modelers' Flea Market & Contest will take place in Runnemede, New Jersey, on Sunday, December 7th at the Holiday Inn, off of Exit 3 of the NJ Turnpike or Exit 28 I-295. Hours are 10AM - 2PM. Admission $5, Spouses & Juniors $2. Early Bird Admission 9 - 10AM for only $10. For information write to ModelFest, 960 N. Main St Williamstown, NJ 08094, 228-832-5208, or email at malamutant@. They can also be reached on the web at .

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Sine’s 5 & 10

• Has numerous 5 –10 year old model kits.

• Can “special order” all types of model kits, accessories, and general model supplies.

• Can order from the Squadron distributor, (passing along the S&H savings to the customer).

• Open 6 days a week, M-Th 9 – 5:30, Fri 9 – 8, & Sat 9 – 5.

• 20% discount to club members.

• 236-240 West Broad Street, Quakertown, PA 18951

• (215) 536-610

• Has a “Lunch Counter”, serving Breakfast and Lunch.

Herb’s Hobbies and Crafts

1. Has a large selection of models and model supplies.

2. Will “special order” any requested items not in stock.

3. 3 times a year they have a storewide sale of 20%.

4. Open 7 days a week, M – F 9:30 – 9, Sat 9:30 – 6, & Sun 11 – 5.

5. 10% discount to club members.

6. 288 West State Street, Doylestown, PA 18901

7. (215) 345-7123

New Concept III

Has thousands of unbuilt kits dating back to the 1970’s.

Has a local distributor enabling orders to be filled within a day in most cases.

Has numerous modeling supplies (other than books), including paints

Open 7 days a week M – F 11 – 8, Sat 10 – 6, Sun noon - 4.

10% discount to club members.

676 Stokes Road, Medford, NJ 08055.

(609) 953-0404.

Can be reached by E-Mail at: marine24@.

Next Meeting: December 5

Favorite Five Contest

(Bring in a model to enter in the contest and vote on the five models that you like the most).

Holiday Party

(along with a Birthday Celebration??)

Jenkintown Train & Hobby

• Carries trains, models, R/C, rockets, books/magazines, paints, & scratch building supplies.

• Offers a 5% discount to club members; (items are discounted and initial 10%).

• Opened T & Th 11 am to 5 pm, W & F 11 am to 9 pm, Sat 10 am to 5 pm and Sun (up to the end of April) 1 pm to 4 pm.

• Located at Greenwood Avenue & Leedom Street in Jenkintown, PA.

• (215) 884-7555.

M & G Hobbies

• Carries an extensive selection of plastic models, trains and modeling supplies, including Tamiya, Humbrol, Polly, and Model Master enamel and acrylic paints.

• Offers a standard 20% discount on all items (with the exception

of magazines and books).

• Offers an additional 10% discount to club members.

• Will special order any item not in stock.

• Opened from M-F: 10-9 & Sat: 10-5.

• Located approximately 20 minutes north of the Tacony

Palmyra Bridge and 15 minutes south of the Burlington-

Bristol Bridge at 2902 Route 130 North, Tenby Plaza,

Delran, NJ 08075.

• Can be reached by phone at (856) 461-3553 or on the

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