Category: WW2 Era (1939-45)

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FineMolds Releases “Meticulous” New A6M Zero Prototype Model Kit

FineMolds has released their new Mitsubishi A6M Zero prototype model kit in 1/72 scale.

The Zero prototype, designated A6M1, was the first version of the Japanese Navy’s famous carrier‑based fighter, built in 1939 as a lightweight, single‑seat monoplane with retractable gear and an enclosed cockpit to meet strict demands for speed, range, and extreme maneuverability. It used a 780 hp Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 radial engine and a very light airframe of aluminum alloy with fabric‑covered control surfaces, giving it low wing loading and excellent low‑speed handling even in its underpowered prototype form; after Navy trials, the design was refined into the A6M2 by switching to the more powerful Nakajima Sakae engine, launching the Zero’s long‑production run.

The new kit (FR03) “meticulously reproduces the details of the Type 12 Carrier Fighter ‘Unit 2.'” It offers molding in different colors (fuselage, wings, engine, and propeller are in gray, landing gear in black, and interior of the aircraft in yellow-green). PE parts also appear to be included.

Click below to check out the product link and additional images.

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MiniArt Releases New Fw 190D-9 (Mimetall) Advanced Model Kit

MiniArt has released their new Fw 190D-9 (Mimetall) Advanced Kit in 1/48 scale.

The offering (48048) is described as highly detailed with accurate Mimetall production configuration, PE parts, detailed cockpit and surface features and decals with multiple marking options.

The company also recently released a basic version (48040) that includes an accurate exterior with finely reproduced panel lines and rivets, detailed cockpit with instrument panel and seat, optional open or closed canopy and marking options for two aircraft of Jagdgeschwader 301.

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Arma Releases New Tool Me 262 A-1a Based on “Highly Accurate” 3D Model

Arma Hobby has released their new tool Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a “Schwalbe” model kit in 1/72 scale.

The project focuses on faithful reproduction of the aircraft’s shape, correct geometry, and a high level of detail, while maintaining a logical and modeller-friendly assembly design. The model reproduces characteristic features of the Me 262, including deployed leading-edge slats, richly detailed landing gear bays, R4M air-to-air rockets, and 250 kg bombs.

The kit (70083) is based on a highly accurate 3D airframe model by Arthur Bentley, who is touted as one of the most respected aviation researchers and draughtsmen. It includes an Arma Jig assembly stand to assist with correct alignment of components, a metal nose weight to ensure proper balance of the finished model, painting masks for the canopy, and Cartograf decals with marking options for three aircraft (wartime and postwar). Also included is a code to download a file for 3D printing accessories for the kit.

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First Look: Airscale’s 1/32 Dornier Do 17 Renderings, Test Prints

Airscale has released a series of images showing renderings and test prints for their 1/32 Dornier Do 17, stating that the final design for the injection molded parts have been approved with mold cutting starting next week.

The CAD images are the design with rough panel lines and rivets for the box art coming later, the moulded parts will be more finessed, while the test prints are low res fit tests so the design will evolve from here – for example I am not happy with the floor sections, there are some weak spots so back to the drawing board for that.

The Do 17 was a German twin‑engine light bomber, nicknamed the “Flying Pencil” for its slim, streamlined fuselage, which was originally designed in the early 1930s as a fast mail and passenger aircraft before being adapted into a military bomber for the Luftwaffe. It served extensively in the early years of World War II, taking part in campaigns over Poland, the Low Countries, France, the Battle of Britain, and the invasion of the Soviet Union, where it proved fast and maneuverable but gradually became obsolete due to limited bomb load and range.

It is hoped that the test shots will be complete by September and perhaps full release by the time the Telford model show rolls around in November. Click below to check out a selection of the newly released images.

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Eduard Releases New “Weekend Edition” P-40N Model Kit

Another new release from Eduard for April is a Weekend Edition P-40N Warhawk model kit in 1/48 scale.

The Curtiss P‑40N was the final major production variant of the P‑40 fighter‑bomber, optimized for lighter weight, higher speed, and improved durability. Derivative of the earlier P‑36 and first flown in 1938, the all‑metal P‑40N typically carried six 0.50‑inch machine guns and could also carry light bombs, serving as both an air‑superiority fighter and ground‑attack aircraft. Though often outclassed by newer Axis fighters at higher altitudes, the P‑40N proved rugged and reliable in low‑ to medium‑altitude operations across multiple theaters, including North Africa, the Pacific, China, and the Soviet Union, and over 5,000 N‑models were built, making it the fastest and most numerous late‑Warhawk sub‑type.

The new release (84210) includes Eduard plastic parts and decals with marking options for four aircraft: P-40N-5, Lt. David R. Winternitz, 8th FS, 49th FG; P-40N-5, Lt. Col. Julian E. Thomas, CO of 45th FS, 15th FG; P-40N-20, Lt. Charles G. Whitley, 89th FS, 80th FG and P-40N-20, Lt. J. A. Thomas, 110th TRS, 71st TRG.

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Eduard Releases Limited Edition “Mighty Eight” P-51D Kit With 13 Liveries

Eduard has released a new, limited edition “MIGHTY EIGHT: 65th Fighter Wing” P-51D Mustang kit in 1/48 scale.

The new release (11196) includes Eduard plastic parts, pre-painted PE parts, painting masks, resin parts (wheels, two types of exhausts) and Eduard decals with marking options for a whopping 13 aircraft from the 4th FG, 355th FG, 361st FG and 479th FG.

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1945 Piper J-3C Cub For Sale: “Annual to September 2026”

A 1945 Piper J-3C Cub has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

J3C Cub Hangared Muskoka YQA; Engine A65 235 SMOH 5/30/84; McCauley 1B90 7443 TSN 4300; Fuselage Recovered Polyfiber 1988; Wings Recovered Polyfiber 1998; Sealed Struts, Grove Disc Brakes 406 ELT, Shoulder Harness, GARMIN GPS, ICOM Radio; 2 Headsets; Maintenance Records From 1965 By AME Owner. Annual to September 2026.

The aircraft is located in Ontario, Canada and is currently available for C $45,000, although offers are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes a number of additional photos.

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MikroMir Releases New Junkers Ju-388 L-1 Model Kit

MikroMir has released a new Junkers Ju-388 L-1 model kit in 1/72 scale.

The Ju‑388 L‑1 was a late‑WW2 German high‑altitude reconnaissance variant of the Ju‑388 “Störtebeker.” Optimized for long‑range photo‑reconnaissance at high altitudes, the L‑1 featured a pressurized cockpit, a streamlined glazed nose for cameras, and powerful Jumo 213 engines that gave it speeds around 600–650 km/h (380–400 mph) and a service ceiling well above 12,000 m (40,000 ft). Like the rest of the Ju‑388 series, it entered service only in small numbers during the final phases of the war and saw limited combat, but one captured Ju‑388 L‑1 was later acquired by the United States and is now preserved in the National Air and Space Museum.

The kit includes masks, photoetching and decals. Click below to check out sprue images and the product link.

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Vulcan to Spitfire and Back: Flying in an RAF Squadron During the Cold War

Coming soon from Fonthill Media and author Bill Perrins is From Vulcan to Spitfire and Back: A Life in Aviation, described as “a humorous, unguarded, and often self-deprecating account of what it was like to be part of an RAF squadron during the Cold War.”

Growing up in Belfast during the Troubles, Bill Perrins was a young man hell-bent on a career as a pilot. He made it through RAF pilot training—thanks more, perhaps, to sheer determination than aptitude—and finally graduated to the role of Vulcan pilot in time to take part in the 1982 Falklands War. After the RAF, Bill entered the world of commercial aviation, flying Boeing 747s and Dreamliners on long-haul, though he still found time to pilot the world’s only privately owned nuclear bomber, the mighty Vulcan XH558, at air shows, along with P51 Mustangs, Yaks and the legendary Spitfire. Way back in his boyhood, the fantasy of one day flying the Spitfire was where it had all begun—and it did not disappoint.

From Vulcan to Spitfire and Back: A Life in Aviation is… about the simple joys of flying, whether in the cockpit of the enormous delta-winged Vulcan or behind the sprightly controls of the inimitable Spitfire, and the camaraderie that comes with it, both in military and civil aviation.

The 224 page hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for June 30.

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MiniArt Releases New Tool Fw 190D-9 (Mimetall) Basic Model Kit

MiniArt has released their new tool Focke-Wulf 190D-9 (Mimetall) basic model kit in 1/48 scale.

The Focke-Wulf FW 190D-9 was developed as a high-performance fighter to improve high-altitude capability. Aircraft produced by Mimetall were delivered in late-war conditions and often featured simplified finishes. Machines of Jagdgeschwader 301 were among those flown during the final phase of WWII.

As previously reported, the kit (48040) includes an accurate exterior with finely reproduced panel lines and rivets, detailed cockpit with instrument panel and seat, optional open or closed canopy and marking options for two aircraft of Jagdgeschwader 301.

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