SCALEWORLD

By Richard Marmo

As I write this, the opening shots of Operation Iraqi Freedom (or the Second Gulf War if you prefer) have just been fired. By the time you read this, may the campaign be successfully concluded with an absolute minimum of casualties.

Science fiction enthusiasts cover a wide range. Some have no interest in anything but Star Trek, others are devoted to Star Wars, fantasy such as Tolkien, movies based on books like 2001: A Space Odyssy or Starship Troopers and so on. Then there are those who claim to have been abducted by aliens, contacted by aliens, been the subject of medical experiments, etc. There are also tens of thousands (even hundreds of thousands) who have seen (or have claimed to have seen) UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). Reported shapes have run the gamut from the classic saucer shape to pyramids, cigars, squares, cubes, you name it. Some of these reports (maybe most of them) have been nothing more than the figment of overactive imaginations and others have been flat out hoaxes. But there's always been a percentage that could not be either explained away or explained…period. One such was the purported crash of a UFO near Roswell, New Mexico in July of 1947.

Whether you believe the Roswell crash was an extraterrestrial ship or not, it has resulted in all kinds of claims, counterclaims, alleged coverups, etc.…and that's actually an oversimplification. I could spend two or three columns discussing all the factions and beliefs that have sprung from that one event. But that's not the purpose of this column.

However, that event has resulted in some very interesting models from time to time. In fact, TESTORS (https://www.testors.com) currently has three kits in their line based on that crash. A styrene kit of the ship only, a complete resin diorama of the ship after it impacted the side of an arroyo and a standing figure of one of the gray alien crew members.

If you're beginning to wonder exactly where I'm going, it's this: ProWeb Fort Worth (https://www.prowebfortworth.com) has recently released a superb art poster of the Roswell ship by renowned aviation artist Tony Weddel. As you can see from the image in this column, it shows the ship in the midst of a desert electrical storm. Already mortally wounded by a lightning upstroke, the poster depicts the ship only seconds away from it's initial impact. After gouging a furrow in the earth, it would careen another 40 miles to a final resting place in that arroyo.

Produced as a 22" x 28" poster on 80-pound stock, it carries an extremely reasonable price of $23.95 plus $5.00 p&p ($9.00 foreign) and is shipped rolled in a mailing tube. Full ordering information can be found at (https://www.prowebfortworth/Art/). If you're a UFO believer, this one is a must. It also deserves your consideration if you just happen to like quality art posters of any subject.

Most modelers build up collections comprised of one or two of each aircraft type. For example, a single seater and two seater. Others build a slew of the same aircraft with the only variation being camouflage and/or markings. Still others like to concentrate on every single variant ever built or conceived for a particular aircraft type. The FW-190 and Bf-109 are prime examples of this, but certain American aircraft get the same treatment. The P-51 and P-47 are obvious choices, of course, but quite a few of us are attracted to aircraft that you might not normally think of. One of those is the Curtiss P-40. With a design genealogy going all the way back to the P-36, Curtiss stretched that basic design to a point that was almost unbelievable. The latest kit from AMtech (https://www.amtechmodels.com) takes advantage of that practice to benefit we modelers.

That kit is a 1/48th scale P-40F/L long tail Warhawk/Kittyhawk II with a Merlin engine. Now don't get the idea that this a normal styrene kit. It is and isn't. In another agreement with AMT/Ertl, AMtech has made available to modelers the P-40F/L long tail kit that AMT/Ertl created but never released. Built straight out of the box, it makes for a very creditable P-40F/L. However, there was a feeling that the engine area wasn't as accurate as it should be. Result? Collaboration with HiTech to create what is believed to be the most accurate Merlin-engined nose seen yet.

O.K., you know how the kit came to be. Now for the important question…what's it like? In a nutshell, everything I said about their earlier P-40E in the November 2002 installment of Scaleworld. On the off chance that you haven't read that issue (And why not?) and don't want to go to the trouble of looking up an archived copy of Internet Modeler (Again, why not?), I'll repeat some of my comments here.

Basic dimensions are dead on and the gear struts appear (without building the kit) that they will give the correct 'sit' to the finished model. Parts are molded in a light gray styrene. Surface detail is delicate and lightly recessed. If there are any ejector pin marks on an exterior surface, I couldn't find'em. About the only flash I could find was on the edges of one prop blade.

Speaking of trailing edges, the trailing edge of the assembled wing winds up being properly thin. No need to worry about having to thin them down for realism. They're already realistic. On the other hand, there are no flatted/bulged tires in this kit, but that's easily taken care of by visiting some of the aftermarket companies. Two other things about this kit are particularly noteworthy.

First, the cockpit interior is built up as a separate assembly and then installed from underneath, after the fuselage is assembled and before adding the wings. Secondly, you get two sets of engine access panels and exhaust so that you can replicate either an American Warhawk or British Kittyhawk. There really isn't a lot of difference in the final appearance, but it is visible. I said in November that if this is an example of the attention to detail we will find in their kits, then AMtech can expect a devoted following of modelers. The attention is still there and I can only assume their following is growing. If it isn't, then we've got blinders on!

The main instruction booklet is comprised of large and clear drawings. Every part is identified by both number and name. You also find specific color information given for every part.

Then there's camouflage and markings. Instructions provide four different sets of four-views, 3 American and 1 British. One of the American birds is particularly interesting due to it's checkerboard tail (both vertical and horizontal) and red triangle on each side of the cowl. The stock decals provide all the appropriate markings and very well done with everything in register. But you'll also find a secondary sheet that are intended to replace certain markings on the original sheet. This is due to the fact that the red used on the first markings is too dark. Rather than leave you with the problem of correcting it yourself, they did it for you. You know, if AMtech keeps this up, they're gonna spoil me!

As I said earlier, built straight from the box, you'd have a very nice P-40F/L. Wrong but nice. And close enough that, unless you have more than a passing familiarity with the Merlin-engined bird, you'd never know it was wrong. But AMtech knows and you would know, so you have the option of chopping off the nose and replacing it with the provided cast resin Merlin nose.

The resin casting is beautifully done. Clean, crisp, smooth, no pinholes, all you have to do is cut the casting stub off the back and plug it into the P-40 fuselage. Done carefully, there will be an absolute minimum of cleanup or puttying to do. Besides, AMtech gives you a photo-illustrated, step-by-step supplemental instruction sheet that'll keep you out of trouble. Probably the trickiest part of the conversion (and that's what it really is) is the installation of the exhaust stubs. Since the casting is solid, you have to cut the stubs off their backing plate and install them one at a time. Your problem lies in not losing the little beasts while cutting them off the backing plate or having them snap out of your tweezers during installation. Oh, in case you thought I overlooked it or not, all parts are properly bagged. In fact, the canopy and Merlin casting each get their own bags.

The P-40 series was obsolete, underpowered, outgunned and inferior to practically any enemy aircraft in the sky at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. But she was available and tough, capable of absorbing punishment that would have destroyed many other aircraft types. Without her, we'd have had a much harder time in the early days of WW-II, so building an entire series of P-40s can be easily justified. With this AMtech offering of a P-40F/L long tail at the most reasonable price of $24.98, you'll be that much closer to completing your P-40 collection.

Before you get around to building your P-40F/L, there's a special offer that you'll find in the box for a special sheet of decals. Five totally different markings, including one P-40F that operated from Guadalcanal and one operating from Algeria in French markings. You get the whole sheet for a paltry $7.98.

And as long as we're talking about P-40s, AMtech has also announced the first release in their new X-kits by AMtech line. What is it? Would you believe a P-40Q? Basically a conversion based on either one of their earlier P-40 kits, you get a complete stock kit plus all of the appropriate styrene parts, which with minor surgery will get you a P-40Q. Markings will be included for the natural metal, o.d./neutral gray (including Sharkmouth decals) or a postwar racer version.

How hard is this thing gonna be to get? That depends strictly on you. At the present time a run of 3000 is planned. If it holds to that, I'd suggest camping out at your hobby shop so that you'll be one of the first in line. Either that or lose your chance. Want them to produce more? Then drop'em a line and let'em know.

Shifting gears to something more fanciful, Batman and Robin fans need to listen up. One of the latest releases from Polar Lights (https://www.polarlights.com) is a repop of that long gone Aurora kit of the Batcycle. If you're looking for something to have fun with (something we used to do before real life got us down), this kit's a neat way to do it.

Though the scale's pretty small (somewhere around 1/12th scale or thereabouts), there's more than enough parts to keep you busy for awhile. In fact, you get some 42 black styrene, 21 chrome plated styrene, 3 clear styrene and 7 black vinyl parts, along with a small decal sheet. Incidentally, every 12th kit is molded in white for those of you who have a penchant for collecting unbuilt kits. There's a little oval window on the bottom of the box that'll allow you to see what the mold color is.

But back to the Batcycle. The name is somewhat misleading…until you look at the boxtop and also read a little further. Not only do you get the bike, you'll also wind up with an attached sidecar, a detachable go kart and figures of both Batman and Robin. Batman's driving the cycle while Robin's crouched in his driver's pose on the go kart. With their capes streaming behind them, it's obvious that they're moving at speed, in hot pursuit of another dastardly villain that has dared to challenge the defenders of justice and freedom! At any moment, the go kart will separate from the cycle allowing Batman and Robin to each pursue a different villain. It won't be long before Gotham City will be safe once again!

Where else can you find a couple of caped crusaders, ready to defend your city from the crime lords for the most reasonable price of $17.99? Even Mike Hammer charges more than that!

That's about it for this month. See y'all.