BUILDING A TAMIYA 1:48 SCALE CRUSADER TANK

AIRPLANE-SCALE TANKS are go in this well-crafted video. The British Crusader cruiser tank featured is made to 1:48 scale, resulting in a model that is just over five inches (131 mm) long. Nice!

INCOMING 2017: NEW-TOOL 1:48 SCALE AIRFIX P-51D MUSTANG

MORE MOUTHWATERING STUFF FROM AIRFIX with a pre-announcement of a 1:48 scale P-51D Mustang kit, due for release in July 2017.

INCOMING: NEW-TOOL AIRFIX SUPERMARINE WALRUS DUE TO LAND MID-2017

HERE’S ANOTHER TASTER FROM Airfix for new kits due in 2017. This time it’s a biplane, the ugly-but-useful Supermarine Walrus, designed by RJ Mitchell, the mastermind responsible for the famed Spitfire.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FIGHTING FALCON - THE F-16 FIRST FLEW 37 YEARS AGO

The General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) F-16 Fighting Falcon first flew on February 2, 1974, and since its active entry in August four years later, has been in continuous service ever since.

From lightweight fighter to heavyweight attacker

The F-16 was developed originally as a lightweight day fighter, but has evolved into a much bigger, heavier, and more powerful beast since then - it’s now a highly successful all-weather multirole machine  that is flown by the air arms of some 26 different countries. For a jet fighter, production numbers are eyebrow-raising at 4450 manufactured so far, with more orders to come. However, to put that production number into perspective, Russia’s MiG-15 tops the charts with a likely total of some 18,000-plus, though a precise figure doesn’t seem to be available.

1:48 scale F-16 kits to buy

There are more F-16 kits than you can shake a stick at, so we’re just going to pick three of our faves - they come from Hasegawa, and are in big scales. The 1:48 scale F-16E Limited Edition has 146 components, including the conformal fuel tanks that give the aircraft much added range. Aesthetically, they don’t add the the F-16’s dainty looks, but to our eyes, the bumps, blisters, sensors, and other military extras give the aircraft a tough appeal of its own.

F-16 at Red Flag

The Hasegawa F-16i is an Israeli version, also in 1:48 scale. Like the original it has those conformal fuel tanks, very noticeable in the pic above, where you can see a pair of these jets, flying at the 2009 Red Flag combat-training exercise in the skies of the US Nevada Test and Training Range.

REGGIANE Re 2002 FIGHTER-BOMBER FROM TAMIYA OUT OF ITALERI

Tamiya’s version of the Italeri Reggiane 1:48 scale Re 2002 Ariete (Italian for ‘battering ram’) is a neat addition to the Japanese company’s World War II collection. Tamiya has incorporated a neat diorama mini-display, in the form of a group of fuel drums and jerry cans, plus other small items. There’s also an extremely good seated figure, so the cockpit now has a realistic occupant, ready for action.

Tamiya has included Italeri’s neat 48-page reference manual, which is a good one: a decent read in its own right, and full of useful information on this comparatively undocumented aircraft. The four-gun Re 2002 had a fairly short combat history with Italian forces, as the aircraft - a development of the earlier Re 2000 Falco fighter - only started to see action in March 1942. It was used against the Allies for about 18 months, until the Italian Armistice was signed in September 1943. The German Luftwaffe rated the Italian machine however, and pressed 60 or so Re 2002s into service. Tamiya has provided several sets of decals, including markings for a Luftwaffe machine, as well as for Italian-flown aircraft.

All in all, a useful addition to the ranks of 1:48 scale kits, and one that complements rather than replaces the Italeri version. It’s interesting to see linkups between manufacturers across the globe, and ones where basic kits are improved and added to, rather than being simple reboxed clones. As a diorama fan club, the SMN crew really likes a simple but attractive item like the fuel drum set. Next up, let’s have a group of Italian aviators enjoying a pre-flight bowl of pasta.

The Tamiya Re 2002 is 170 mm (6.7 in) long, with a wingspan of 229 mm (9 in). Flaps can be assembled up or down, and the canopy can be displayed open or closed. Six sets of decals are included.

The Tamiya Re 2002 will be available shortly. Meantime, the Italeri version is available already here.