1/144 Gloster Gladiator 'Mediterranean & Middle East' - Mark I (LIMITED EDITION)

 

1/144  Gloster Gladiator 'Mediterranean & Middle East' - Mark I (LIMITED EDITION)

This injection-moulded kit contains 37 parts and one clear part (cockpit canopy). A comprehensive instruction leaflet and a decal sheet are included.

The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter developed from the Gauntlet and its prototype, designated the SS.37, flew in September 1934. The first production model was the Mk.I, which became operational in January 1937. An improved Mk.II version followed in 1938 and eventually 270 aircraft of this Mark were built.

The Gladiator was a single-seat biplane of metal construction with mixed metal and fabric covering. It was fitted with a fixed undercarriage and powered by a Mercury radial engine turning two-blade wooden or three-blade metal propeller. Its armament consisted of four guns, of which two were mounted in the fuselage and two under the lower wings.

The Gladiator was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and the first with an enclosed cockpit. Although rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs, it proved good in initial combats and saw action in almost all theatres during the WWII.

Gladiators (both the Mk.I and Mk.II versions) were successfully exported to many countries and saw service with more than 15 air arms, including those of Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, Free France, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway. They also equipped RAAF and SAAF squadrons in the Middle East and North Africa and flew in secondary roles such as Meteorological Flights.

RAF's No.80 Sq. Gladiators saw action during Italian Campaign in Greece in 1940/41, while the very first two Hellenic Air Force aircraft were donated by the Greek expatriate Stylianos Sarpakis in 1938. The Royal Iraqi Air Force took delivery of 30 Gladiators between 1937 and 1944, plus eight supplied as spares.

Colour schemes included in the kit:

1) Gloster Gladiator Mk.I, K7903, No.80 Sq., RAF, Ismailia airfield, Egypt, late 1938

2) Gloster Gladiator Mk.II, N5832, No.80 Sq., RAF, Larissa airfield, Greece, December 1940

3) Gloster Gladiator Mk.I, s/n DS1 'Stylianos Sarpakis? and DS2 'Santorini Thira?,

Royal Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Vasiliki Aeroporia), Eleusis airfield, Greece, 1938-39

4) Gloster Gladiator Mk.I, s/n 202, Royal Iraqi Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Iraqiya), Rashid airfield, Iraq, late 1942

Ref. No.: MKM144176L

360,- KČ (14,17 €)

https://www.eshop.miniwing.cz/category/mark-i-models/mark-i-models-1-144/gloster-gladiator-mediterranean-middle-east/

https://www.4pluspublications.com/produkt/mkm144176l-gloster-gladiator-mediterranean-middle-east/

Build Instructions: http://www.4pluspublications.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MKM144176L-Gladiator-Mediterranean-Middle-East_instr-web.pdf

Rigging Instructions: http://www.4pluspublications.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/MKM144-Gladiator-Mediterranean-Middle-East_rigging-diagram.pdf

1/144 Westland Wessex HAS.1 'Early' - Mark I

  

1/144 Westland Wessex HAS.1 'Early' - Mark I  (LIMITED EDITION)

This injection-moulded kit contains 36 parts and 6 clear parts (the cockpit canopy and the fuselage windows). A comprehensive instruction leaflet and a decal sheet are included.

Wessex Wessex HAS.1 'Early' re-release, new decals. The Westland Wessex was a general purpose duties helicopter produced by Westland Aircraft Ltd. and represented a British licence development of the Sikorsky S-58. The initial production version, the Wessex HAS.1, first flew in June 1958 and the type began to be operated by the Royal Navy three years later.

The Wessex was designed for ASW, search and strike and air/sea rescue roles, with crew of one to three according to role and up to 16 passengers in main cabin. It was powered by a Napier Gazelle turboshaft engine. The fuselage was a light-alloy semi-monocoque structure, with steel tube support structure for the main rotor gearbox. The main and tail rotor each had four blades made of light-alloy. The landing gear was of a non-retractable tailwheel type. The HAS.1 was capable of carrying two torpedoes or depth charges on fuselage external stores pylons and it was equipped with a dipping sonar. In an assault role the aircraft could carry rocket pods and two missiles mounted on fuselage sponsons above the undercarriage wheels. Auxiliary drop fuel tanks could also be carried on aft fuselage pylons.

Deliveries of HAS.1s began in April 1960 to No.700H Sq. IFTU. Ultimately, HAS.1 equipped seven front-line ASW units in Fleet carriers and Ship's Flights in County Class destroyers and four training squadrons. In 1967 the HAS.1s were replaced in the ASW role by the more sophisticated HAS.3 version. The last HAS.1 was retired from RN service in August 1979. In total, 140 Wessex HAS.1 were produced.

Colour schemes included in the kit:

1) Westland Wessex HAS.1, XL727 (c/n WA1), Westland Aircraft trials a/c, Yeovil airfield, Somerset, and SBAC Air Show, Farnborough Air Base, Hampshire, U.K., August 1958

2) Westland Wessex HAS.1, XM330 (c/n WA11), trials a/c, Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), Ministry of Defence (MoD), Farnborough Air Base, Hampshire, U.K., mod-1970s

3) Westland Wessex HAS.1, XM330 (c/n WA11), 'Raspberry Ripple', trials a/c, Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), Ministry of Defence (MoD), SBAC Air Show, Farnborough Air Base, Hampshire, U.K., September 1976

4) Westland Wessex HAS.1, XM832/506 (c/n WA13), No.700H NAS, Intensive Flying Trials Unit (IFTU), Royal Navy, RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk), Cornwall, U.K., April 1960-July 1961

Ref. No.: MKM144174L

360,- KČ (14,17 €)

https://www.eshop.miniwing.cz/category/mark-i-models/mark-i-models-1-144/wessex-wessex-has-1-early/

1/144 "Art of Tactics" Releases by Zvezda.

 

1/144 "Art of Tactics" Releases by Zvezda.

The "Art of Tactics" is the basic series of plastic injection kits aimed at War Games (Like the Zvezda Fairey Battle) https://kampfgruppe144.blogspot.com/search?q=art+of+tactics

Kamov Ka-52  Alligator, "Hokum B" 

Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum"

 Sukhoi Su-25 Grach, "Frogfoot"

There is also a regular series Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear".

I suspect due to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine and the associated sanctions, these may be difficult to obtain for some time?

1/144 Avro Shackleton MR.3 'The Growler' by CMR

 

1/144 Avro Shackleton MR.3 'The Growler' by CMR

Ref. No.: CMR144-001
999,- KČ 899,99 KČ  (35,41 €)

Avro Shackleton MR.3 'The Growler'. 

This full resin kit contains 56 parts, 10 hardened black resin parts (undercarriage), 9 clear resin parts (canopy and fuselage windows) and a comprehensive decal sheet (see below)

The model will be available in two weeks, it is currently available with a 10% Pre-Order discount Pre-Order at: www.eshop.miniwing.cz

https://www.eshop.miniwing.cz/category/mark-i-models/cmr-1-144/avro-shackleton-mr-3-the-growler/

The Avro Shackleton was a British long-range aircraft developed during the late 1940s from the Lincoln bomber. It was primarily used in the ASW and MPA roles, but later it was also deployed as a SAR and AEW platform. The first prototype flew in March 1949 and ensuing production aircraft were designated the MR.1. The MR.2 was an improved version, featuring numerous refinements.

The Type 716 Shackleton MR.3, first flying in September 1955, was another redesign of the airframe, with a tricycle undercarriage replacing the original tailwheel configuration and featuring increased fuselage and new wings with tip tanks. It was a mid-wing monoplane of an all-metal stressed-skin construction, powered by four R-R Griffons with contra-rotating propellers. The aircraft underwent several phased modifications which included the internal changes, ECM equipment and later the addition of two turbojets for assisted take-off. The weapons capability was upgraded, which included bombs, torpedoes, mines or depth-charges up to 10,000 lb/4,536 kg; the aircraft was fitted with two cannons in the nose and another two 20 mm guns in the dorsal turret.

The MR.3 entered service with the RAF in August 1957. The RAF ordered 52 aircraft but following the 1956 Defence Review the number was reduced to 34 aircraft. The last RAF Shackletons were retired in 1991. This type was also operated by the South African Air Force, which received eight aircraft and used them between 1957 and 1984.

https://www.4pluspublications.com/en/produkt/cmr144-001-avro-shackleton-mr-3-the-growler/

Mark I Decals included:

1) Avro Shackleton MR.3, WR975/203-F, No.203 Sq., RAF, Ballykelly Air Base, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, U.K., 1960

2) Avro Shackleton MR.3, WR987/201-R, No.201 Sq., RAF, St. Mawgan Air Base, Cornwall, U.K., 1958

3) Avro Shackleton MR.3 (Phase II), XF730/120-B, No.120 Sq., RAF, Kinloss Air Base, Moray, Scotland, U.K., 1965

4) Avro Shackleton MR.3, 1716/J, No.35 Sq., SAAF, Air Force Base Ysterplaat, Cape Town, South Africa, 1957

5) Avro Shackleton MR.3 (Phase II), 1722/P, No.35 Sq., SAAF, Air Force Base Ysterplaat, Cape Town, South Africa, the 1960s

6) Avro Shackleton MR.3 (Phase II), 1717/O, No.35 Sq., SAAF, Air Force Base Ysterplaat, Cape Town, South Africa, the 1960s

Instructions: http://www.4pluspublications.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CMR144-001-Avro-Shackleton-MR.3-The-Growler_instr-web.pdf

This is a reissue of the 2005 kit: https://www.kampfgruppe144.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=3574

1/144 BK-2 river gun boat by Brengun.cz

 1/144 BK-2 river gun boat by Brengun.cz

Catalog number: BRS144068

Resin kit of soviet armoured river gun boat

Price: 24.54 EUR (incl. VAT)

https://www.hauler.cz/e-shop/1-144-construction-kits-18/bk-2-river-gun-boat-2001