First Looks For the Month of October 2003

Kit:   This 1/50 scale model comes in booklet form which is A4 in size which contains 16 sheets of paper or card stock. Six of these pages are a set of detailed diagrams with instructions. Instructions are written in both English and German as are all notes and the history of the model. The kit contains a detailed cockpit, movable control surfaces, rotating propellers and a cradle with movable wheels. A card stock canopy is provided if you do not want to do all the detailing. Coloring is mainly silver with yellow on the wings. As with the real aircraft you can build it so that the rear engines lift up and this causes the wing floats to extend.

Construction:   The model contains a very impressive set of internal formers and the first thing that you should do is to cut all these formers out and glue them to a heavier card stock. The fuselage is built using the former connecting strip method. Build each fuselage section with a connecting strip on one end and a former in the same end. When all fuselage sections are finished you glue them together using the connecting strips. Before starting you need to decide if you are going to detail the cockpit. If so build the cockpit in the proper fuselage section. Slide the main wing frames through the top of the fuselage and then glue the ribs between the main spars. Cut, roll and glue the wing skins over the frames then build the wing floats and install in the wings. You have three choices, you can have the floats extend and retract as the rear engine moves, you can leave the floats extended or leave them up in the wings. Build the engine nacelles, again you have several choices. You can have the engines in the flying condition, the takeoff and landing condition or you can install them so that they move thorough both positions and extend and retract the wing floats. Build the four propellers and attach to the front and back of the nacelles. Build the cradle and wheels and when finished you can mount the model on the cradle.

First Impressions:   A very impressive model from a company I have not seen before. The amount of detailing and movable parts on this model are impressive. Even though you can build the model in different levels of detailing it is not a model for the beginner.

Kit:   A 1/200 scale model of a WWII Escort Aircraft Carrier that comes in booklet form. The booklet contains 34 pages; seven of these pages are of detailed diagrams printed on both sides of the page. The model can be made as either a waterline or full hull model. Included are four pages of aircraft, two of TBM's and two of F4F's. The inside of both the front and back covers contains a history of the ship along with instructions. Both of these are in Polish but with the detailed diagrams you should have no problems in building the ship no matter what language you read. Four pages of the card stock are printed on both sides so that the undersides that are exposed can be seen. The hangar deck for storage can be built and the elevators can be made to move up and down. If you decide to build the full hull model propellers, shafts and the rudder is supplied.

Construction:   Decide if you want to build the full hull or waterline model and then cut out and glue the formers to heavier card stock. Using these formers build the frame for the hull making sure that you keep everything in line. Warping of the frame will throw the entire model out of shape and you may want to pin or spot glue the frame to something solid as you build it, After the frame is built glue the deck pieces to the top of the frame. Cut out and glue the sides of the hull to the formers and the deck. Build the flight deck, deciding if you want the elevators to move, and glue it to the formers that extend above the deck. Build the superstructure and extensions out from the sides of the flight deck. Now build the gun tubs and guns and glue along the extension. Build the aircraft and display then on the flight deck or in the hangar deck. Finish detailing the model by building the rafts, lifeboats, radars and other details.

First Impressions:   A very detailed model ship and this includes the aircraft that go onboard. This is not a model for the beginner but will make a great display model that you will be proud to show off.

Kit:   This model of the Church comes in a booklet that contains 20 pages A4 in size. Eight pages of card stock, nine pages that are on regular paper which are to be reinforced with a heavier card stock and three pages of diagrams. The inside front cover has a history and the instructions for the model in Polish. The model comes with a base that represents the ground the church is built on. Coloring and printing is very good on this model.

Construction:   Remove all the paper pages from the booklet and glue them to a heavier card stock. These will be used for internal support and to give the Church the proper shape. Lay the base out and start building on this. The Church has three basic parts and should be built starting with the main part of the building and then the sections on each end. Construction on all three sections will be the same. Start by cutting out the windows and arches in the main walls and gluing the wall to the base. Build the windows and arches and glue onto the walls. Cut and glue the roof on to the main walls. Each of the sections has columns on the outside of the wall that need to be built. The main section has two extensions that protrude out. Build the spire on one of the sections and the facade on the other. The section with the spire also has a facade near the top that needs to be built also.

First Impressions:   This is a complex model and I would not recommend this to a beginner. It is a beautiful looking model that will take some time to build but one that you will be extremely proud to display.

Kit:   The latest release by Maly Modelarz in their 1/33 scale aircraft kits. The model comes in booklet form and contains six A4 pages. Four of the pages are card stock and contain all the parts to build the model. The other two sheets are detailed diagrams on how to build the model, these sheets are printed on both sides. The inside of the front cover, about half of one of the diagrams sheets and half of the inside of the back cover contain the history of the aircraft and instructions. These instructions are in Polish but the diagrams show enough information so that non-Polish readers should have no problem in building the model. Kit contains a detailed cockpit, landing gear and wheel wells. A card canopy is provided for those that do not want to go into so much detail.

Construction:   Fuselage construction is of the "butt and glue" method. In this method you build each fuselage section with a former in each end and when all the sections are completed you butt glue the sections together. If you intend to build the detailed cockpit and make a transparent canopy, make sure that you build the cockpit inside of part seven before skinning it. The main wheel wells are in the fuselage and should be built before skinning part number one. When you have finished the fuselage build the frames for the wings and tail section. Attach the completed frames to their proper place on the aircraft and then glue the wing skins over the frame. If you are going to build the landing gear do so now. The main landing gear is quite complicated but there are good diagrams on the inside of the front cover that will show you the correct shape. Build the wheels and you can now build the center line fuel tank if you want to display it on your model. Glue these to the proper place and then finish up by building the propeller and gluing it to the front of the engine.

First Impressions:   Good printing and accurate coloring make this a very nice looking model. Maly always gives you choices on how much detail that you can put on the model. Even with this I would recommend some card modeling experience before you attempt this model.

Kit:  Here are two fantasy kits that I got from Poland. They are pretty simple little kits but look like they would be a lot of fun to build. Since these are numbers five and six, I assume that this is part of a collection this company is releasing. The model comes on two pages of A4 card stock. The model is one and a half sheets and the the other half sheet some history in Polish.In between the two sheets of card stock is a sheet of paper that contains a diagram on how to build the model. Parts to be reinforced are marked in red on the card stock sheets.

Construction:  Construction of these models is very simple . The Orzel has 23 parts and Gryzly has 19 parts. On both models glue the parts that are circled with red inside the circle to a heavier card stock. Then build the body of the model using these reinforced parts as the internal formers. Once this is done then build the engines, wings and tail for the model and glue to the fuselage. 

First Impressions:  Very colorfully little models that look like they will be fun to build. Should be particularly attractive to the younger age and would make a great family project that will be fun for all. The models are simple enough so that any beginner can easily build the model.

Kit:   Four German Ferries named the Lichtwark, Brinkmann, Hasse and Mahler all in one A4 booklet. The booklet contains six pages, four of which are of card stock and contain all the parts to build the four ferries. The other two pages contain the instructions and detailed diagrams. Instructions, parts list and history are all in German. The back page shows a photo etched detailed set that is available for the four models.

Construction:   All four of the models use the same construction techniques. Start by cutting out all the formers and the deck and gluing them to a heavier card stock. You might also want to spot glue or pin the base to a piece of wood so that the model does not warp as you build the frame. Glue the horizontal and vertical formers to the base and then the deck to the top of the formers. Now cut the hull sides and glue between the base and the deck. Glue the sides of the ferry deck to the main deck and then the upper deck to these sides. Build the upper section of the ferry which includes an observation room, control cabin and funnel. Add the rest of the details to the decks and you are finished with one of the ferries. Now use the same techniques on the other three.

First Impressions:   Detail and printing of the model is of the high quality we have come to expect from HMV.The small parts will require some finger dexterity but other than that the model should be buildable by a beginner to card modeling.

Kit:   An HO model that comes in a booklet that contains four pages. Three of the pages are card stock which contain all the parts to make the locomotive. One page contains pictures of three of the locomotives that GPM has released. The inside front cover contains a history of the locomotive and instructions. The Instructions and history are in Polish but the inside back cover contains a detailed diagram which will allow non-Polish readers to successfully build the model. Parts to be reinforced with a heavier card stock are marked with an "*" and those to be double reinforced with a "**". They have also marked in red where pieces to be glued go and with scissors parts to be cut out. All of these will help people, no matter what language they read, build the model.

Construction:   First thing to do is to cut out all the parts marked with "*" and "**" and glue these to a heavier card stock. The model is built in several sub assemblies and then these sub assemblies are glued together to complete the model. Build the frame of the model first then build the control cabin and glue that on to the frame. Build the two sets of suspension and wheels and the section that goes between the two wheel sections. Glue these three sub assemblies to the bottom of the frame. Cut the skin of the car out and glue to the frame. If you want to see inside the different part then cut out the card stock windows and glue some transparent material where they were. Build the electrical connectors on the top of the car along with the other details that go up there. Finish your model by adding the lights and connectors along with the rest of the details.

First Impressions:   Another great little HO locomotive from GPM. They now have quite a few models in this scale and you can build a nice collection out of these. The model does not appear to difficult too build but there are some small parts to be cut out that will require a steady hand.

Kit:   This 1/50 scale kit is now available by electronic download from Spishop. Previously P-Models were only available from Japan and the company does not take checks or credit cards, Since Spishop does, this now makes it easier to get these kits. The models are provided in PDF format so you will need Adobe reader and a color ink jet printer to print the model out. The PDF files are in A4 format, 11.69 by 8.28 inches so you will need legal size paper and card stock to maintain the 1/50 scale. You can print to fit the page in Adobe but if you do that the model will no longer be in scale. The instructions are in Japanese but there are three pages of detailed step by step diagrams provided with the kit. The model comes on five pages of card stock and contains a stand if you want to display the completed model in flight mode. The model contains no cockpit and the canopy is of colored card stock. Detailed wheel wells and landing gear are provided. Three external fuel tanks are in the kit if you want to put them on your model.

Construction:   P-Models uses a different method of construction than any other card model I have built. I call this the "integrated method". In this method you do not build the fuselage and then the wings and then the tail. You start from the front of the model and build towards the rear. Starting with the fuselage you build until you reach the area where the wings attach to the fuselage and you attach the wings at this point. Then you continue building the fuselage until you reach the area where the tail section goes and build the tail as an integral part of the model. You MUST follow the step by step diagrams provided. These models use very few internal formers, normally one or two and some times none. The strength and shape of the model is determined by how the parts go together. If you don't follow Mr. Gondou's diagrams the model will not work.You can build the model with the gear extended or leave the gear off, watch the diagrams on which parts to remove from the skin if you intend to have the gear down. A very nice stand is provided in the kit which will work great if you decide to leave the gear up.

First Impressions:   I have not built this model but have built four other P-Models. I am very impressed by the way the models go together and how they look when finished. The only warning I will give is to study the diagrams very carefully as you build. Since the instructions are in Japanese and the integrated method is used, the model must be built as the diagrams show.

Kit:   This 1/33 scale kit is sold electronically and is sent across the Internet in PDF format. This means you will need Adobe Reader and a color printer to print the model out. The model comes on five sheets of A4 paper, 11.69 by 8.28 inches. This means the model will not print out on standard card stock unless you check the fit to page selection. Remember that if you do this the model will not be to scale. I recommend that you purchase legal size card stock, 14 by 8.5 inch, so that you can print the model out in scale. Parts for the model are on two and a quarter of the sheets and you have one sheet of detailed diagrams and another sheet that shows a three view with all parts marked. There is about three quarters of a page of history and specifications included. All parts to be reinforced are marked in red. A detailed cockpit is provided as is a card stock canopy if you do not want to detail the cockpit.

Construction:   Construction of the fuselage is of the former connecting strip method. In this method one end of each fuselage section has a former and connecting strip in it and the connecting strip is used to connect the sections together, In this model connecting strips are on each end of the cockpit part which goes inside part 5. Start by building the cockpit and glue it into section number seven. The connecting strips on the cockpit will then be used to connect parts four and eight to section seven. Glue formers and connecting strips into the remaning fuselage sections and glue them to the forward part of the fuselage. Glue the internal formers inside both the upper and lower wings and glue the lower wing to the fuselage. Build the struts and attach them to the bottom wing and then glue the upper wing to the struts. Glue the internal formers into the fin and elevator and then finish building the tail section. Finish your model by building the landing gear and wheels paying particular attention to the pants that cover the wheels.

First Impressions:   An unusual model that is very well done. The model should be buildable by anyone with a minimum of card modeling experience. The only difficulty will be the strutting that must be done between the wings and for the landing gear.

Kit:   This is the largest aircraft model that FG has ever released. To correctly complete the model you will need to print out 14 sheets of card stock. Also provided are additional sheets to put different markings on the aircraft. The model can be delivered electronicaly over the Internet or ordered from FG. They also offer the model printed out on silver paper. There is one sheet that contains a history and a diagram showing the placement of parts provided. Instruction tips are provided on the card stock sheets. The scale of the kit is 81% of WASM which is 1/60 and by my figures that comes out to 1/48.6 which means the model will fit in with a 1/50 scale collection. There is no cockpit, interior or wheel wells provided but there is landing gear.

Construction:   FG fuselage construction does not use any formers. Each fuselage section has tabs that are part of the section which are used to connect the section to the other sections, Cut all fuselage sections out and glue them together to complete the basic fuselage. Cut and form the forward upper fuselage section and glue to the top of the fuselage. Cut and form the upper, belly and chin turrets and glue to their appropriate positions on the aircraft. Cut the wing spars out, I recommend gluing these to a heavier card stock for strength, and glue to the fuselage. The wings are in two parts, cut form and glue the part that will contain the engines and glue to the fuselage over the spars. Now cut out and form the wing tips and glue to the section that you just attached. Before adding the engine nacelles to the wing, glue the fairings between the fuselage and wing. Build the engines and nacelles, install the engines into the nacelle and then glue the nacelle to the wing. Build the landing gear and propellers, gluing the landing gear under the wings and tail and the propellers to the front of the engine.

First Impressions:   Fiddlers Green models are an excellent way to be introduced to card modeling. This model while being very large should be buildable by someone with no card modeling experience at all. Just make sure you have the room to display the model.

Kit:  A fictional model of a space shuttle that is a copy of the NASA shuttle. The model comes in a booklet A4 in size that contains 10 pages of card stock. Both the front and back covers have detailed construction diagrams on the inside. The card stock sheets have detailed diagrams on them for parts that are contained on the sheet. The cargo bay doors can be left open and there are parts included to detail the cargo bay. It appears that the designers attempted to show the tiles that cover the space shuttle. The tiles on the top are marked out in blue and the tiles themselves are black on the bottom.

Construction:   The fuselage, wings and tail section of the model is built much the same as ship models in that it uses the "egg crate" frame. Cut out all the formers and glue them to a heavier card stock, this will give your model the proper strength and shape. Decide if you want to leave the cargo bay open. If so than you need to cut out and glue the parts that are inside the bay. Cut the skin of the model out and glue these parts over the frame. If you want to display the cargo bay then glue the cargo doors in the open position. Build the rocket engines and glue these to the rear of the model.

First Impressions:   This series of models was designed so that they could be assembled by children. The parts are very large to make cutting and assembly easy. This model appears to be the most difficult to build of the entire series. The building of the frame is as difficult as any ship model I have seen, because of this I would not give this model to a person who has never built a card model.

Kit:   A series of three Formula one racers from the Spinler company . The racers come in booklet form that contains seven pages of A4 card stock. There is a page with instructions for all three racers printed on both sides in Czech. There are also three sets of diagrams located on the back on the front cover and both sides of the cover which are detailed enough to help anyone build the models. These are very detailed little models that contain the engines, suspensions and cockpits for each racer. The models can be built so that the wheels rotate. Colors and printing are sharp and very colorful on each of the three models.

Construction:   Since the construction of all three models is the same I will just cover this area in general terms. Start construction by building the frame of the car. Then determine if you want the wheels to rotate or not, if so install the axles so they rotate , if not just glue the axles to the frame. Build the wheels and glue to the axles. If the car you are building has an engine build it at this time and glue it to the frame. Build the body of the car and glue it to the frame and then build the cockpit inside the body. Add the spoilers, mirrors and other details at this point.

First Impressions:   Just looking at the kits, it looks as if these three cars will make up into impressive models. Do not appear too be to difficult to build but I would recommend that you have some card modeling experience before attempting these models.

Kit:   This 1/45 scale kit comes in a booklet that contains eight pages A4 in size. Six of the pages are card stock and contain the parts to make the locomotive. Two pages, printed on both sides contain detailed diagrams that will show you how to build the model. There is a page that contains a history of locomotive and building constructions, it is in Polish. The kit contains a detailed cab as well as detailed drivers and wheels. Parts to be reinforced are marked with "*" or double reinforced with "**". There are parts so that you can make one of two different engines.

Construction:   First reinforce all parts marked with the *'s. Build the frame adding all the parts that go on the bottom. Build the cab and mount it on the frame. Add the hand holds and ladder to the cab. Build the boiler and glue the completed assembly to the frame in front of the cab. Add the stacks and other parts to the top of the boiler Build the front of the locomotive adding the lights and connectors. Build the suspension and the drivers then build the wheels. When finished glue all these together and attach to the bottom of the frame. Glue the numbers on the engine designating which engine you have built. Using the diagrams cut the different size wires that go on the engine and glue to the proper position.

First Impressions:   A neat looking engine that looks as if it will make up into an attractive display model. Does not appear to be too difficult to build but I would recommend some card modeling experience before attempting the model.

Kit:   This 1/200 scale model is published in a booklet that contains 10 pages of A4 paper and card stock. There is a page that contains the history of the ship and instructions for building it. The inside back cover has drawings of the ship with parts marked. There are also some detailed diagrams on this page as well as another page in the booklet. The picture on the front of the booklet is incorrect, it shows gun turretts on the side of the ship. The Fletchers guns are inline fore and aft. The model is correct and all guns are in the correct place. The model is to be built full hull, if you want to build it waterline, you will have to modify the formers.

Construction:   Take the formers that are on the paper sheet and glue them to a heavier card stock. Do the same thing to the decks. Cut all the formers out and glue them together to make the frame of the ship. Glue the reinforced decks to the top of the formers. Now cut all the red parts out and glue them to the bottom of the frames to make the below the waterline section of the hull. Cut out the hull sides and glue them between the red parts on the bottom and the deck. Build the superstructure and glue to the deck. Build the 5" gun turrets and glue to the deck and superstructure. Build the 40mm and 20mm gun tubs and blue to the deck and then build the guns and glue into the tubs. Build the torpedo mounts and depth charge racks and glue to their proper places. Build the funnels, life boats and life rafts and glue to the ship. Finish up by building and attaching the rudder and propellers to the bottom of the hull.

First Impressions:   A very nice looking model of one of the most important ships of WWII. Not a model for the beginner, you should have some card modeling experience in building ships.

Kit:   This 1/35 kit comes in a booklet that contains two sheets of A4 card stock. There is a half page of history and instructions on the inside front cover in Polish. There is a half page of detailed diagrams on the inside cover and a three view on the inside back cover with parts marked. The car has a detailed undercarriage that contains the suspension and transmission. There is no interior provided and it is to be built with all hatches closed. Parts to be reinforced are marked with an "*" and those to be double reinforced with "**".

Construction:   Start by reinforcing all parts that are marked with "*" or "**". Build the frame for the car and then build and attach the suspension to the frame. Build the axles and the wheels, glue the axles to the suspension and the wheels to the axils. Build the engine compartment and cab and glue to the frame. Build the turret and glue to the cab, then build the gun and glue into the turret. Cut the fenders out and glue over the wheels. Build the spare tire and glue it to the side of the car.

First Impressions:   A nice looking little vehicle that I think would be great for those who want to learn how to build card vehicles. Also a model that you usually do not see and would be a great addition to a 1/35 vehicle collection.

Kit:   I am not sure but I think that this is a model of one of the Russian school ships used to train midshipmen. The history is in Polish but I think it says that it is a sister ship to the Towarisczcz which If I remember correctly is a school ship. This a large model in 1/100 scale and comes in A3 format. It includes 17 pages on regular paper, four sheets, printed on both sides, of which are diagrams, two to be rolled into masts, five pages of sails and six pages of formers to be glued to heavier card stock. There are 14 pages of card stock which contain the rest of the parts to build the model. The ship can be built as a full hull or waterline model as the parts for both are in the kit. There are shafts and propellers if you decide to build the waterline model. Rigging diagrams are provided with all ratline and other line positions shown. The sails are there so you can build your ship with the sails furled or open,

Construction:   Cut out all the formers and decks and glue to a heavier card stock. This is necessary to give your ship the strength it will need. Failure to do this will result in a warped hull with many sinks in it. Decide if you want your ship to be full hulled or waterline and build the frame for the one you decide on. Glue the reinforced decks to the top of the frame you just built. If you decide to build the waterline version, glue the red parts that make the below the water line section of the hull to the frame. Cut out the sides of the hull and glue them between the waterline and the decks. Cut all parts necessary to build the superstructure, build it and glue to the deck, Build all the life rafts, lifeboats, winches, hatch covers and the funnel and glue to their proper places on the deck. Now make the masts and yards, card parts are provided for these or you can make these out of small dowel available from your locate hardware store. If you want to display your ship with full sails, cut the sails out and glue to the masts and yards. Whether you show the sails or not it is now time to start rigging the ship. I use black sewing thread to simulate the rope of the rigging, Make all your ratlines from the thread and glue to the masts. Finish your model by using the black thread to make the rigging on all the masts and yards.

First Impressions:   I think all sailing ships make great models but they can be the most tedious to build. Building the ship is the same as any other card model ship you have ever built but the time it takes to make the ratlines and rigging will take patience. This is not a model for a beginner not is it one for anyone who does not have the patience and steady hands to do the necessary rigging.

Kit:   Kancho Iliev fans are in for a treat– Kancho has designed an armor model! This 1:24 scale model is of the Csaba scout car that was used by the Royal Hungarian Army from 1939 to 1945. This vehicle makes for an interesting model subject as it was not built in large numbers, nor was it a piece from any of the major Axis or Allied inventory. As would be expected from a Kancho Iliev model, this looks to be an excellent model. There are 8 pages of well-designed and colored parts and 9 pages of instructions that include text, diagrams, and photos. Both instructions and parts sheets arrive as print-it-yourself pdf files.

Construction:  Assembly follows a straight forward and familiar process: chassis and wheels first, followed by body and turret, and finish the model off with some nice details. The turret looks like a good candidate for a little improvising if one wanted to build a "hatch open" version. With some research and a little design work an interior could be put in place here; it appears as if there are no formers or bulkheads to work around here.

First Impressions: Quite simply, another Kancho masterpiece. It is appealing on many levels– interesting shape, relatively obscure subject, and, at less than 250 parts, it's not going to take months and months to complete. Looks easy enough for an advanced novice, but would also be a terrific addition to any modeler's armor collection.

This column does not cover all the new card model aircraft and ships that have been released this month. It contains only those models that have been sent to me by dealers and designers for review or that I have purchased for review. Due to space restrictions, some models sent in for review may be held over until next month.

Thanks to the following for providing kits for inspection and review:

• Models by Marek (DeWayne Barnett) at http://www.teuton.org/~dbarnett (USA)
   ***These dealers sell Models by Marek Kits***
               Spishop
• Fiddler's Green (Chip Fyn) at http://www.fiddlersgreen.net (USA)
   ***These dealers sell Fiddlers Green Kits***
              Paper Models International
• Paper Models International (Lou Dausse) at http://www.papermodels.net (USA)
• HMV (Liane Str�ver) at http://www.moduni.de (Germany)
• H&B Precision Card Models (Peter Heesch)H&B; Precision Card Models(USA)
• Spishop at Spishop (Czech Republic)
• The Card Modelers Online Magazine at Sale Page (USA))
• Modelik at http://www.modelik.pl/ (Poland)
   ***These dealers sell ModelikKits***
               Paper Models International
               Spishop
• Gomix (Fly Model) at http://www.gomixmodel.pl/ (Poland)
   ***These dealers sell Fly Model Kits***
               Paper Models International
               H&B; Precision Card Models
               Spishop

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