Category: WW2 Era (1939-45)

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ICM Announces Development of New Tool Lockheed Hudson Kit

ICM has announced the development of a new tool Lockheed Hudson model kit in 1/48 scale.

The Hudson was an American-built twin-engine light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft adapted from the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra airliner. It entered service just before World War II, became widely used by the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth forces, and proved especially valuable for patrol, anti-submarine, transport, and training duties.

As of this writing, details on the upcoming kit (48330) are nonexistent, although a series of renderings have been released, additional examples of which can be seen below.

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W.A.R. Fw 190 Project For Sale: “Comes With Continental 200-A Engine”

A project with paperwork identifying it as a War Aircraft Replicas Fw 190 has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

Vintage Aircraft —in its build stage. I believe this is a Focke-Wulf FW-190 replica but that is my best guess and I know very little about this plane overall. Comes with Continental 200-A engine.

The W.A.R. Fw 190 is a half-scale homebuilt replica of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter. The project is located in Seattle, Washington and is currently available for US $12,000 although offers are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.

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First Look: DBMK’s Supermarine Seafire F/FR Mk 47 Renders

DBMK has released a new series of renderings for their upcoming Supermarine Seafire F/FR Mk 47 in 1/32 scale.

The F/FR Mk 47 was the final and most advanced Seafire variant, a Royal Navy carrier fighter derived from the Spitfire Mk 24. It used a powerful Griffon engine with contra-rotating propellers, folding wings, and could carry bombs, rockets, or a reconnaissance fit, making it a fast but short-range fleet-defense and strike aircraft that entered service just after World War II.

Details are currently limited, although DBMK states that the upcoming kit will include many 3D printed features, including the cockpit and one piece intake. Click below to check out additional renders.

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Air Battles Over the Baltic 1941: Second in Four Volume Series Coming Soon

Coming soon from Helion and Company and author Mikhail Timin is the second volume in a major four-part study that examines the Soviet Air Forces stationed in the Baltic region in the months before the German invasion of June 1941.

Air Battles over the Baltic 1941 Volume 2: The Eve of War, Early 1941 examines the crucial months leading up to the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Drawing on Soviet and German archival sources, Timin reconstructs the condition of the Soviet Air Forces in the Baltic region during early 1941, and compares them directly with the Luftwaffe units preparing to strike across the border.

The book explores the Red Air Force’s continued efforts to expand and modernise. While some units received new fighters and bombers, many still relied on outdated types, and shortages of fuel, spares and ammunition undermined readiness. Training remained inconsistent, with thousands of inexperienced pilots entering frontline regiments, often with minimal flying hours. Timin demonstrates how Soviet commanders struggled to balance the urgent need for combat preparation with the administrative demands of constant reorganisations… Richly illustrated with colour profiles, photographs, maps and tables, this volume offers a balanced assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of both the Soviet and German alignments in the Baltic. It demonstrates how structural weaknesses, training shortfalls and misplaced assumptions left the Red Air Force dangerously exposed on the eve of war, setting the stage for the catastrophic battles of 22 June 1941.

The 108 page paperback book is currently available for pre-order with release set for May 31. This is also the set release date for Volume 1.

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ICM Releases New Late-Production HP.52 Hampden “Churchill’s Flying Suitcase” Kit

ICM has released their new, late-production HP.52 Hampden (Churchill’s “Flying Suitcase) model kit in 1/48 scale.

The HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine RAF medium bomber whose unusually narrow, deep fuselage gave it the famous nickname “Churchill’s flying suitcase” or simply the “Flying Suitcase.” It entered service in 1938, saw early World War II bombing and maritime strike duties, and was remembered for being fast and effective but extremely cramped for its four-man crew.

As previously reported, the release (48354) continues ICM’s recent line of Hampden kits and faithfully preserves the geometry and proportions of the original aircraft. It includes rivet detail on the fuselage, wings and tail surfaces, marking options for four aircraft and multiple bomb types that can be positioned in the bomb bay or under the wings.

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Special Hobby Releases Images Detailing Progress on “Family” of Hawker Tempest Kits

Special Hobby has released a new series of images detailing the 3D modeling progress on their upcoming Hawker Tempest kits.

The Tempest is one of the legendary British WWII fighter aircraft. It was developed as an evolution of the Hawker Typhoon with a refined laminar-flow wing, powerful Napier Sabre engine, and four 20mm cannons for superior speed and firepower. Introduced in 1944, it shone in low-level intercepts, destroying over 600 V-1 flying bombs and engaging Luftwaffe jets like the Me 262 while supporting ground operations.

The company states that they are working on a family of Tempest kits in 1/72 scale, reportedly including the Tempest Mk.II, Tempest Mk.V and Tempest Mk.VI. As of this writing, no timeframe for launch has been announced.

Click below to check out additional images.

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Arma Hobby Releases New Curtiss P-36C With 3D Printed Parts, Masks, 3 Liveries

Arma Hobby recently released their new Curtiss P-36C Hawk model kit in 1/72 scale.

The P-36C was an improved 1938–39 American fighter that refined the earlier P-36 with a stronger airframe, a 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-17 engine, and better armament, though it was still quickly overshadowed by more advanced wartime fighters. It was a sleek, all-metal monoplane with retractable landing gear and good handling, and only about 30 were built.

As previously reported, the offering (70082) includes 3D-printed spent-cartridge containers for the wing-mounted machine guns, painting masks for the cockpit and wheels, a 3D file for self-printing additional details (pilot’s seat with harness, fuselage bulkhead, instrument panel, exhaust pipes), and three marking options (27th Pursuit Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, National Air Races, Cleveland, Ohio, September 1939; 27th Pursuit Squadron, USAAC, Selfridge Field, Michigan, 1939; 27th Pursuit Squadron, USAAC, Selfridge Field, Michigan, 1939).

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Italeri Releases CANT Z.1007 Alcione Kit With Six New Liveries

Italeri has released a new boxing of their CANT Z.1007bis Alcione model kit in 1/72 scale.

The CANT Z.1007 Alcione medium bomber, designed by Filippo Zappata, entered service in the late 1930s and was extensively used by the Regia Aeronautica during the Second World War. Characterized by a wooden structure, it featured the typical Italian three-engine configuration. More specifically, its three 1,000 hp Piaggio P.XI radial engines allowed the CANT Z.1007 to reach a maximum speed of 450 km/h. The aircraft could carry 1,200 kg of offensive payload housed in an internal bomb bay. The crew typically consisted of five men, which could increase to six with the addition of a photographic operator for reconnaissance and maritime patrol missions. It was mainly employed in the Mediterranean, Balkan, and North African theaters of operation and is often considered the best medium bomber of the Regia Aeronautica.

The kit (1479) includes new decals with marking options for six aircraft. Click below to check out the Buy on eBay, livery profiles and sprues.

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Polish Military Aircraft and Pilots 1918-1939 Detailed in New Illustrated History

Coming soon from Air World and author Peter Sikora is Polish Military Aircraft 1918-1939: From Regaining Independence to Hitler’s Blitzkrieg, an illustrated history of Polish military aviation from 1917 to 1939, highlighting innovation, development, and wartime resilience.

The Polish Military Aviation can trace its origins to the second half of 1917, and was officially established when Poland regained her independence on 11 November 1918. The country was then able to build its own air force with men being proud to call themselves Poles again. Despite its difficult rebirth, in the 1930s Poland developed a wide range of its own aircraft. These included the PZL P.6 fighter which gained fame for being the most advanced of its day and the first fighter aircraft made of metal in the world, or PZL P.24 fighter considered by the RAF as a purchase option. Towards the end of the decade, however, foreign aircraft design had overtaken them…

As well as telling the story of the valiant Polish flyers, Polish Military Aircraft 1918-1939 includes a wonderful collection of photographs, the majority of which have never been seen in the West. Together, these take the reader on a journey throughout the early years of Polish military aviation, showing amazing pictures of German, Austro-Hungarian or Russian aeroplanes, in many cases scavenged by the Poles. Also included is selection of British aircraft which were used in Poland, as well as a host of photographs of Polish-designed and built machines, including these that had to face Luftwaffe in September of 1939.

The 272 page hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for May 30.

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Italeri Releases Fw 190 A-7/A8 Focused on Luftwaffe Aces

Italeri has released a new boxing of their 1/72 Fw 190 A-7/A8 model kit focusing on Luftwaffe aces.

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was one of the best aircraft designed during the Second World War. Produced in more than 20,000 units starting in 1941, it was, together with the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the most famous fighter of the Luftwaffe. The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8 was equipped with a BMW 801 D-2 twin-row, 14-cylinder radial engine delivering 1,700 hp, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of 653 km/h. It was heavily armed with two MG 131 machine guns and four 20 mm MG 151 cannons. In the first months of 1944, the A-8 version entered production, featuring an injection system capable of increasing engine power to over 1,900 hp for short periods. The Luftwaffe’s best pilots flew the famous fighter during the Second World War.

The kit (1490) includes markings for aircraft flown by Major. Maj. Heinz “Pritzl” Bär, Obstlt. Otto Kittel, Major Josef “Pips” Priller, Leutnant Anton Rudolf Piffer and Leutnant Gerhard Vogt. Click below to check out the Buy on eBay and box contents.

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