Category: WW2 Era (1939-45)

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Arma Hobby Announces “Next Generation, Highly Accurate” P-51D VLR Kit

Arma Hobby has announced the upcoming release of a new P-51D Mustang “Very Long Range” model kit in 1/72 scale.

The VLR – Very Long Range standard included additional fuel tanks as well as revised radio and navigation equipment, making long over-water missions possible. The typical escort configuration used 110-gallon underwing tanks, giving sufficient range for flights from Iwo Jima to Tokyo and back. These tanks were characteristic of Pacific operations and differed from the more common European configurations.

Described as a “modern next-generation Arma Hobby kit” and a “highly accurate” representation, the offering (70073) includes an additional VLR sprue with Pacific-specific equipment: 110-gallon underwing drop tanks, 150-gallon streamlined drop tanks from the P-38 Lightning, and rockets for strike missions. Additional features include a detailed cockpit, canopy masks and high-quality Cartograf decals with marking options for two aircraft: “Snortin’ Phyllie” (1st Lt. Herb Straughn, 531st Fighter Squadron, 21st Fighter Group) and “Little One” (1st Lt. Francis J. Pilecki, 458th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group). The kit also features a free 3D file with seat with harness, exhaust pipes, and gun barrels.

Release is currently set for some time in May. Click below to check out livery profiles and box contents.

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Complete Guide to the Bristol Beaufighter: A Fully Upgraded and Expanded Edition

New from Valiant Wings Publishing and author Richard A. Franks is The Bristol Beaufighter: A Complete Guide To Bristol’s Hard-hitting Twin: 26, a fully updated and expanded edition with 86 more pages plus plans.

The book focuses on the legendary Bristol Beaufighter, a British twin-engine World War II combat aircraft originally developed from the Beaufort bomber and best known as a powerful night fighter. Its heavy cannon armament, radar-equipped versions, and later use in strike and anti-shipping roles made it one of the RAF’s most versatile warplanes.

This twenty-sixth book in our much-acclaimed series contains 264 pages (plus scale plans) packed with vital information that no active modeller and RAF enthusiast should be without.

Contents include: walk-around images and technical diagrams; camouflage and markings; modelling information; historical photographs; colour profiles by Richard J. Caruana; lineart and 3D isometric views by Chris Sandham-Bailey & Wojciech Sankowski; kit builds by Steve A. Evans and Libor Jekl; scale plans.

Click below to check out the product page and sample pages.

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New Book Reveals How Far Gen. B.L. Montgomery Went to Get a B‑17

Coming soon from Pen and Sword and author Zita Ballinger Fletcher is Monty’s Flying Fortress, the full story documenting the lengths General Bernard Law Montgomery was willing to go to win a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber aircraft for his travel security.

In 1943, Monty made a daring wager with American leadership to win a Fortress as a prize in exchange for victories in North Africa. Monty’s quest for the Fortress would see him defy official channels and fight a series of bloody battles across Tunisia with ruthless precision. A motley assortment of young American aviators from diverse walks of life were destined to join Monty in his B-17 as his crew. Most had never traveled outside the United States. All had already distinguished themselves for heroism in combat. None expected to be assigned this unusual duty. An unlikely bond formed between Montgomery and his US crewmen. American aviators who served with Monty would recall their adventures with him as among their most memorable wartime experiences. After the war, the true story of the Fortress and the transatlantic friendship it brought about was forgotten amid political backbiting and jealousy from other Allied commanders.

Now published for the first time in one volume is the full story of Montgomery and the American airmen who protected him during the war, previously lost to history, with details about the furious conquest Montgomery staked on winning the Fortress and biographical details about the intrepid US aviators who accompanied him.

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

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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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