AIRFIX rna

IN New Airacobra and Buffalo amphibian kits

THIS
ISSUE Converting the Airfix Sherman to a Priest
 The 66.000- lon " France" is the longeslliner in the
world. ca,riM 2.000 passengers aod a crew 01 1,000.
~UST LIKE Launched in 1962, I1 cost almost [30,000,000 to build.
This superb 1/ 600 scale model will make a wonderful

THE companion to the AlrfiK "Queen Elizabe th " and

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M .:SSERSCII Mrrr
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_ ItOO!' earriH. 109 PII.t ~,, _71 6
AIRFIX MAGAZINE. I /6d Monthly
From model end hobby shops, toy shops and F. W. Woolworth CATALOGUE 9d
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 .
AlllFIX
Volume 6, Number 9
magazine
FOR PLASTIC MODELLERS

May, 1965
CONTENTS
NEWS FROM AIRFIX
New 1;72 sQ.le Bell p·39Q Airacobn and OO/ HO seal. LVT(~) Buffalo amphibian klu 2600
IN THE AIR
How Royal NIV)' helicopter pilou Ire tn.ined. by Al an W . H all 26'
BASIC RAILWAY MODELLING
Problems of point control and how [0 overcome them. by N orman Simmons lH
SHIPPING NOTES
Giant tankers, a ship with an unconventional si lhouette, alld a new clU$ for the Clan
LIne are fe:uured In A . J . Day's nautical news 266
SMALLEST SCALE YeT
Mike Brrant dl$Cusses N GaUlt. a new development In railway modellin, '68
WHEELSPIN
How to build a four-wheel drive Airfix Auto-Union. by Bert Lamkin 270
MILITARY MODELLING
c . O . Ellls describes how to convert the A i m. Shermll'l Into l Priest 272
LAYOUT REALISM
Ale:.: Bowle discussH proa;ress on his 'Cowbell' line ,7<
PROFILE
The hlnory or the Bell Airacobrl, a fighter ahead of Its time, by M . J . F. Bo wyer 276
NEW BOOKS
Some recent titles, rev iewed with modellers In mind '79
NEW K ITS AND MODELS
Latest reluses of Interest to modellerl ,eo
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The pile where you have the chance to tell 1.1$ what you think_nd earn Yol.lrlel( a
rree Airli" plutlc kit •.. 284

COVER PICTURE
Tile onl, British a ircra(t desifned (ram the OIIllel Of an all-carfo carrier. the Hawker Siddele, Arfosy has simple and unobSlructed doIlble·end
loadl nf (ocilily 01 truck·bed heifht . The IlI"ro(lIllUSlrllled here, Il kries 220, provides 0 villll link belween inlernlllionol rOilles Ilnd ref ionol
networh. r,picllI poyload Is one o( 31,000 Ib over Il dlstllnce o( 500 miles III IlfOUnd 275 mph.
(m...trdf"'" b,. """re., of 'r", 748 /ou.""".. )
Editorial Director ....... .... . JOHN BlUNSDEN EDITORIAL OFFICES
Editor ... . ... ........................ DARRYL REACH Bra nd s H atch C lrc ... lt. F;aw k h;am, D;artlo rd, Ke nt
Telephone: W est Ash 411
Assistant Editor . ............. ....... DOUGLAS NYE
Advertisement Director ... PATRICK STEPHE NS ADVERTISEMENT DEPARTMENT
l-4 St And rew' . Hit!, Lo ndon, EC4
AIRFlX malczin. Is published on th. (OI.lrth Wednesdcry Te lep ho ne : C IT y 4188
of "ch month. Annual subscr iption rote 24s.
fS.c~ A. .. ,..1"WOO ,..;".1 H.... ,_. " ... otrIc •• Hr.,
CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
NEXT PUBLICATION DATE : Surridge, D;awlon (Productio ns) Ltd,
136/ 142 Ne w Kent Ro;ad, Lo ndon, SEI
May 26, 1965 Te lep hone : RODney 5480
Ma y, 1965
'"
 L ATEST rcc:ruil3 to Airfi!{'s model armed forces are a fine
OO/ HO scale replica of an LVT(4) Buffalo amprubian and
a 1:72 scale Ikll P-39Q Airacobra fighter 'plane, Undoubtedly
this month's star release, as far as the military modelling
fraternity is concerned, is the new two-part Buffalo kit, For
only ]s, the kit includes the Buffa lo LVT itself, full painting and
assembly instructions, a nine-item transfer sheet and an excel-
lently detailed. 32-part Willys Jeep. The 105 dark green and
transparent plastic partS of the v.-hole kit feature plenty of fine
detail and go together really well to form two handsome
The world'. I recll t en value In co nstructi o n klu miniatures.
Moving parIS on the LVT include the 22 tiny idler wheels and
four mai n sprockets of the runni", gear, the flexible tracks, an

New Buffalo
eie''3ling canr'K)n, IWO sw;'-elling machine guns and an opening
stern rolmp. T wo thin clips hold the ramp in position when closed,
and it can be easily snapped open when requ ired, Two forward
hatch co"ers may be cemented in either the open or closed
positions, and etched dctail includes armour panelling, rivets,
sprocket teeth, ramp treads and locker top hi nga;,

LVT and T he Jeep is built up arou nd a highly detailed chassis and

includes moulded four·wheel drive transmission, leaf springs,
revolvi ng wheels, jerrycan, spare whc:cl, seats, dei"er and
steering wheel. A rea lis tic feature is the trn nsparent windscreen
which hinges forward over the bonnet.
The La ndi ng Vehic le. T racked ( Mk 4), used by British forces

Airacobra in the laller stagell of the last war, WllS one of the man y amphi-
bious vehicles designed for the American Army. BeUer known
as the Buffalo, it fint 53W service in the Pacific Islands, and
la ter in Ita ly and nort h-wcstern Europe. The particular LVT

A 1:72 sCQ/e "pli(Q olthe Bell P-]9Q A;racobro has jqi~ the t M'O-shi/lill8 Airjix oircrqft rQlI8~. CO/llpr;s;tIg )7 ports, ond trQlIS/~rs
gM", o/t~rnQti..e SOI'itt or US Air Fora /IIarkings, it has a ",";,.,span 015. inches.
 -_..... _. ,
• ". •
Ntll'ts/ 001110 sooll" Airfix fighting "elrie/t' modd is 'his I,,'o-pa" L ~(4) Buffalo amphibian, ...Jr;(h COIllt'S complele "'ilh a Jup and
sells for 31. The Airfix Buffalo is 4 inches long, 'he JI'l'P I t inches long.
modelled by Airfix depicts one used by the British Army in the ingly ou t of the spinner of the three·bladed, revolving propeller,
crossing of the Rhine. Propelled on both land and water by its while twin underwing gu n·packs and a thin pitot tube grace the
cleated tracks, the Buffalo was powered by a s;,:ven-cylinder air- accurately shaped wings, with their upturned tips. A large drop-
cooled Continental engine giving it a land speed of 25 mph. or tank is sl ung in a two-part cradle beneath the fuselage.
SA knots afloat. Up \0 6,500 Ib of cargo could be carried, and The com plex, tricycle undercarriage may be fitted either
usual loads ~re anti-lank guns, carriers or, as in this case, a retracted OT lowered, and some weight is nceded in the nose to
Jeep. British BulTalocs wele usually armed, and typical weapons make the completed model stand correctly on atlthree wheels if
used were onc 20 mm cannon and two .5 inch machine guns. the display stand is not used. Other fcatures include the stub
One or the best known of all American \"chicles, the Jeep was exhaust pipes protruding from either side of the fuselage mid-
employed by all the Allied nations in the Second World War. section, a wireless aerial and a variety of etched detail depicting
Almost half a million V>'ere built and it won fame as the tfllck intakes, vents, pancl and rivel liroes.
that could do anything and go anywhere. It was powered by a First concei\'ed in J une, 1936, this aircraft W'JS unorthodox in
54 hp engine, had a top speed of 65 mph and could carry a having the engine mounted behind the piloi. This seemed 10 offer
payload of 800 lb. Jeeps could tow such loads as the 6 pdr several advantages; a heavier Dose armament could be carried,
anti-tank gun, a model of which is already available in the better visibility was possible and a tricycle undercarriage could
Airfix range to the same scale. TheAirfix Buffalo is 4 inches and be used. The prototype, XP-39, ficw in April, 1939, and the first
the Jeep I i inches long. Airacobras joined the USAAC in 1941. The RAF found the
P-39 unsuitable for its requirements and the machines it had on
BELL P-39Q AIRACOBRA order were diverted to the Soviet Union. There they were a gTeat
HE new 1:72 scale Airfix model of the Bell P-39Q Airacobra success in the ground·attack role, but the Airaeobra had failed
T joins the popular, packeted range of Airfix model aircraft, as an in terceptor. It was powered by a 1,325 hp AJlison engine
and had a maximum speed of 385 mph. Armament consisted of
priced at 2s. This exciting kit of an unusual aircraft includes
comprehensive painting and assembly instructions and a two- one 37 mm ean non and four .5 inch machine guns. The P-39Q
part display stand. A 17·item colour transfer sheet, giving also carried a further two.5 inch machine guns in pods beneath
alternative Soviet or US Air Force markings, is also provided. the wings, replacing the.3 inch wing·mounted guns of the earlier
Moulded in pale grey plastic, the 37·part kit has several va riant. Span of the Airfix model is Si inches and length 5.
interesting features. The cock pit canopy is in two pieces, with inches.
separate transparencies forming the door windows on either A Profile article on the history of the Airacobra, by M. J. F.
side of the fuselage. A mi nia ture 37 mm cannon pokes threaten· Bowyer, appears in this issue on page 276.
May. 1965
'"
 learn the basis of helicopter operations, and then a funher
41 hours arc spent n ~'ing the more advanced Whirlwinds.
Courses last a total of 18 \lcd,s and there are usually
nine studentJ on each course. The squadron is commanded
b)' LI Commander A. Casdaa:li, a pilot with considerable
experience in hehcopter operations, .... ho has 11 helicopter
instructors, three cre..... men, for teaching winching and
rescue operations, t .... o technical officen and 120 ratings
10 hclp him. The helicopter fleet of the squadron ooruists
of 10 \Vhirl ..... inds and nine HilIers.

ASW OR COMMANDO
Once the student pilot has qua lified for his ..... mgs on the
Whirlwind he thcn specialises. Thcre arc two courses open
to him, both of which are completed at Culdrose. One is
on Wessc" antI-submarine helicopters and the other is on
the \Yes!e" Mk , commando unit.
S) the IImc the student reaches this stage, he will be able
to handle his aircraft wi th reasonable skill, o r 10 he thinks!
When speaking to the staff of No 706 Squadron, the ASW
unit, 1 found Ihat this was only just the beginning. An ti-
submarine operations demand fl ying skill of a \'1,'1)' high
order. Operational pilots arc required to fly their aircraft
in the \ery worst conditions, al night, wi thout any reference
points and at a constant height of 30 feet over the wave
tops, so that their sonar equipment, .... hlch is lo .....ered (rom
under the fuselage into the sea, can operate efficienlly.
After con\'ening to the Wcssex, student anti-s ubmarine
pilots go on to get a white card inst rument ratmg. They then
learn 10 use the M 10:; 3 flight control system, ..... hich is a
semi·automatic 'black box' that assists flying anti-submarine
helicopters to the exlct limits required, They also practise
load lifting, dccl Ilndings It 5ea and landing.s in rough
countf). Annament also features prominently in their
curriculum. After successfully passing the 16-II;eel course,
pilou then go on to the operational anti-submarine sehool
at Ponland before being posted to a squadron.
No 707 Squadron, the Commando training unit at Cul-
drose, is staffed a lmost entirely by members of the squadron
which 50 ably demOOftnllcd the use o f the Wcssex in
Borneo. When J visited their headquaners they showed me,
by means of some excellent slides, the conditions under
.... hieh they worled in the Borneo jungles, Marine Com-
mando patrols were sent out (rom small clearings in the
solid mass of foliage once I repon had come in about Indo-
nesian activi ties. The helicopters mo\ed both men and
supplies around the ir vast area wit h the greatest of ease--

Wesse.~
T HEhelicofactpters,
that only
Oflt squadron of Roral Navy
toget her with Royal Marine Commandos,
Abo,'e, lert : . Down 0 Mr'- Tht dtck landi/IS o/fiur on HMS
Lofoten dirtctlng a stutitnt pilot in IVtsst'x I, XN 842. on 10 Iht
spot. IJelow: Slurt up! One of 'he sllltkllf pi/ols of 70S Sqllodron
patrolled an area the sizt of Wales wIt h considerable suc-
cess duri ng the recent skirmlshC5 In lJomeo gave me the malus reml" for a solo sortie.
idea of findmg out more about Ihe lnin;ng for this worl,
and to get a first-hand Im pression I visited the Roya l Naval
Helicopter School al HMS Sea llawl.:, CUldrose, Corn wa ll,
las! month.
The work of the school is divided into four fairly equal
parts. Student pilou, having completed their basic naval
trainin, at Danmouth, go to RAF unton-on..()usc, in
Yorlshirc, for an 18· .... eel.. coune imolv;ng 75 flying hours
on the Ch,pmunk. Thc~ then come 10 CUId~ to start
helicopter lrainmg and are first introduced 10 No 70S
Squadron, Ihe Navy's initial flying training unit for heli-
copter .... orl...
Some 50 11)'1"1 hours arc spent 00 the Hiller UH-12E 10

'"
or so it appeared. The skill of the pilota and crewmen on
the WeSS/:'\: was unsurpassed in the ....'IIy they were able to
do this unenl iable ;Ob in the heat and primitive conditions
of that rather remote part of the globe.
The student commando unit pilOlS go through a series of
e.'\:ereises in co-operallon with troops. They have 10 be
highl) sk illed In map reading, annamenl, load lihing and
landi ng their allcrafl both at sea and in rough or mountain-
ous countr). No 707 Squadron staff insisted that once a
",lot has become operational on the Wessex and has had
about two years expenence he can ranl as onc of the best
qualified helicopter pilots in the .... orld. From what I could
sce from m)' brief stay at Culdrose they .....ere most certainly
tight.
GROUND SCHOOL
No pilot can be efficient at hiS ;Ob .... i\hout a great deal
of lime being spent in the classroom. Ground subjects for
all pilots, ... hateler their stage of training, lire cOlered at
Culdrose in the Ground Training School. They are taught
all the rudIments of amnanship, nal igalion and meteorology
b) instruclon, many of .... hom arc cililians fonner ly in the
Royal Navy.
A pilot has to thoroughly understand his aircraft and is
taught the meaning and function of all Ihe systems and the
engine, It IS not nonnal for aircrcw to do their own main-
tenance elen in the rcmotest of posting5, but they hale 10
lnow suffiCient about the subject to be: able 10 tell the likely
ca use when anything goes wrong both in the air :md on
the ground.
AIt(:raft. ship and lank recognillOll feature high on the
s)lJabus. A total of 23 hours are spent on this 5ubjca during
the course, and the aircraft recognition alone covers more
than 100 aircraft. I was ClCtremely impressed by the stan-
dard required for a subject ... hich can all too easil) become
of second-rate Importance in peacetime.
I was able to npericnce the high standard of IIyi",
needed by the Navys helicopter pilots ... hcn I flew in one
of 70Ts Wessex 55 out O,'er the Channel 10 do ded land-
ings on the conl'ened tanl landing craft I·IMS LoIOfcrI. This
vC:5scl is used for practice landi",S and refuelling at sea.
She: has a small landing area Similar 10 that now seen on
the sterns of many destro)'ers and conetles.
My pilot saw the Loloun ages before I did. Her low
Silhouette ..... a5 pmcticall), indistinguishable from the ....ne
tops to my unact"L.If,lomoo e)'cs until we ... ere almost over-
head. There follo ... ed a most complicated manoeuvre. The
helicopter had 10 dmw level with the landing area. IIy
back .... ards at the &lime,peed as the ship, then sideways unlil
It had lined up with the exact landing spot ,ome 15 feet
above the deck . Only then did the deck. landing officer indi-
cate that we could descend. This precise flying look.ed Tht C.~/drost collection (top 10 bollom): IIil/er UII-I2E, ant of
difficult enough in fine wcather, but I Icarned that the tht nine aircrQjr "std b)' 705 Squadron for ab-inilio ht'ficopltr
Lolo/tn's ere ... thoullht that this was a 'piece of cake' for Iraining. AnOlht'rof 705's aircm/t, Whiril<'ind XN 297. Rort bird
the time-' You should see ... hat it is like ... hen it gels really 1IO,,'Ooo),s is /his DragOnftf. IISed by 706 Sqllodran far pilat
rough I' they said. cum'erswn courses. Ont Of fOllr Wusps Sten at ell/drost. this
o{rrroft, XS 531, is "st'll for training purpost's and cum·trring
pilots on /0 I)'/W.
IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE
Although my stay I1 RNAS Culdrose ... as necessarily ne,-er 1O'W·e-red. Onee I man has volunteered for helicopter
brief I was able to aain at first hind an idea of how inten- operations he becomes a specialist. a specialist privileged
si"e the lraininl for helicopter pilots can be. A)in, tak.es 10 gai n some of the most advanced lno ... ledge of 11)'1", that
place both during the day and al night and exercises are can be made available. When one realises that the COlt of
going on continuousl),. one aire .... ft today can exceed the COSI of a Pfe-war destroyer
The Navy'S need for helicopter pilots to replace those il is nOl surprising that the Navy spclxh so muth time and
.. ho leave after their short service commissions is quite care in training the loun, officen into whose cue these
con5iderable_ Althoulh tbe need is great the standard il airemCI arc entruSled.
May, 1'165 163
 InslUl/it~ wire allti plll!itir: tubing poin,
BASIC RAILWA Y MODELLING-by Nolf1ltln Simmons contral. GrrKHtS art cut in 'hI.' bas~
board. InlO .. hid. lire tubes are laid.

Point control
Seventh of a regular bi-monthly series catering
you use electrical or manual remote
control depends largely on personal
choice and the sil!e of your pocket.
EJoclric point motors cost a few shimI\&'
each but, on the other hand, if the
majority of your points arc con-
veniently grouped near the operating
specially for newcomers to model railways panel. the cmt of manual control need
nOI be \'cry e.~pensi\c. A point worth

I Nissue)
my last article in this series (March
I dISCUssed standards and
used in full·size practice and is the
system I prefer to follow in similar
remembering when you are allocating
the freehold of your baseboard is to
methods to be used v.hen building situations, especially ..... hen a point can ensure Ihat you leave yourself a good
platfonns for the passenger 5lation. be reached easily and is not obscured by position for you r control panel.
Having decided on the length, position other objects. Graham Farish poinl The most common form of manual
and number of platforms, it is almost le\'ers are panicularly neat, work ver)' control is the wire and tube method.
certain- if the station is to be of any well and are reasonabl y priced at 2s The point blades are connected to a
importance al all- that the track in the each. I prefer to fix them to the point le\er frame by a stainless steel wire,
vicinity of the station is going 10 blade tic bar with a small piece of running in brass or copper tubi ng.
incorporate a crossover, loop line, bay 20 gauge wire before the point is laid . More recently, a form of plastic tubing
platform or siding. My own double It is casier to dip the wire in place at has become available which quite
track station will ha,,~ two points and this stage and it avoids damaging the consideT1lbly CulS the cost of this
a single slip at one end and another pair delicate tic bars. When you are sure method of operation. Metallubing costs
of points al the other- a total of silt where the point is to be laid. cover the approximately 9d per foot, whereas the
pairs of switch or point blades, for track bed with a liberal coating of glue, plastic tubing now available is only 9d
which wme form of control i5 required. taking care to avoid putting glue where per ya rd. I am indebted to Cornard
I1 is 35 well to consider this aspect before the point blade tie bar is 10 be. You'll Model Co, Roscbank Eslate. Greal
proceeding further with the station and really gum up the works if you don't! Cornard, Sudbury, SulTolk, who sent
before too much of the bascboard is When all is ready, pin the point in me a sample of their plastic tubing
obscured by track, platforms, buildings position, sprinkle ballast on to the glue which I ha\'e used for pan of my
and scenic effects. which now appears bet ....'CC'n the layout.
Points can be direct or remote sleepers, and finally pin the point Its pos5ible disadvantage is that it is,
controlled, manual or eJocuical, and \en:r 10 the baseboard. of course, much more Ilexible thaD the
each. method h.as its ad\"3nla&eS and Remote control has its advantago; on brass or copper tubing and needs
uses. Direet manual control through a the main line where, of course, it holdin, down more frequently. Special

.
point lever is usually resoned to for resembks the full -size control of a 'Twinpin' stapks are available from the
sidings. It is the method invariably siena1man iD his signal cabin. Whether same firm, price 6d per dozen, and they
, Airflx Mo,orine

-
 do their job \'ery well. I find in practice and forth. The H & M point molor can
that they should be: placed at roughly be operated by the H & M FS2{LC
9 inch inten'als on straight ruI15 and passing contact switch or. because it
3 to 4 inches apart on cur\cs. AnOlher incorporatcs ils own passing contact
ITlCthod of holding thc tubing finnly in mechanism in the motor, it can be
place is to cut a groovc or trcnch in thc wired ofT a single pole double throw
baseboard surface. into which the switch. Playcraft Railways sell a bank of
tubing can be laid and suitably covered press bunon switches "" hich are ideal
o\cr. Whatc\cr form of tubing you for operating electric point molOrs. and
use and hoYl"C\er you fix 11. )ou'lJ be are .ery reasonably priced, Eac:h bank
,lad you haven't fi'(ed all your track of $",itches operates four points and
and platforms in place "" hen you come costs only 75 6d. There are twO press
to do the job. buttons for each point- onc mo,cs the
For manual control you need a point point bladcs in one direction and Ihe
le\er frame. A model lever frame .... ith other relu rns the blades to their former
six or more !e\'ers can look \ery im- position.
pressi\e and just like the real thing on To wire up an H &. M point motor
a full-size SIgnal cabin. Hamblings to a l'laycraft switch you n«d 10 take
'Addale\er' frame IS deser-edly popular one lead off a 14 \oh AC transformer to
and ""orb 'cry well. I ha\c had one in termInal) on the H &. M point motor.
use for nearly 20 years! Thc 'Addalever' The other lead should be plugged into
frame has just been brought up to date the socket alone end of Playcraft switch
and now features black plastic segments 1>890. Terminal 6 of the point motor
in place of the cast "" hite-metaf ones should then be connected to terminal 4,
used pre\'iously. A four-fe"er frame costs and likewise termi nal 7 should be
7$ and olher sizes. such as six or eight joined to tenni nal 5 (all terminals are
le.-ers, cost 9s and III 3d. The point clearly numbered on lhe I-I &. M motor).
control wire is simply soldered (0 strips Finally, tenninals I and 2 should be
of brass ""hich are pi\oted at the base connected to each of the two tenninals
of each Ie"er. opposite each pair of press bU\lons on
When installing your rernote control ,\I)(I>e, top to bonom : The {aleJl plaSlic the controller.
wIre and tubing, or any form of point 'At/dall'l'('r' frume: H & ,If point mo/Or H &. 1\1 point motors are designed to
control come to that, great care should ami s~'ilclr and a sj'IK{t'-polt', dOllblt'- operate either abo\e or below the base-
t"rm.' S~'ilclt: anti tlrt' P/u)'crufl point board and. with the ansle crank
be taken 10 ensure thatlhe throw of the conlrcl s~·ilrlt p890.
lever and consequent rno\ernent of the supplied, offer IWO directIons of mo,e-
""Ire does not greatly exceed the throw men!. Unfortun.ate!y, with sprung point
of the point blades. otherwise the com- blades, as in Graham Farish Formoway,
paratl,ely weak tie bars can be damaged. blades must both mo\'c In the same they are not powerful enough to operate
One method of takins up excess dimtion more than one paIr of POint blades at a
mo.ernent is to incorporate smalJ U- Five or si)!: feet is about the ma"imum time, and a crosso\'er or single slip
shaped bends in thc wiring where the comfortable distance o.er .... hich to each need two point motors for success-
.... tre is connecled to Ihe le"er frame, o~rate points manually. Ilcyond this ful operation. The second arm of the
Wire and tubing can be cur-'ed you should consider electric point angle crank can. howe\'er. be used to
through 9O-degree angles if required motors. There are sewral types on the oper.lte a semaphore signal. ""here there
""ithout selling up too much friction. market, and one of the most popular is IS little resistance to O\'CrcOITlC.
O'er short distances. radii as short as the H & M S\13. ""hich COSts 9s 6d. You'll be glad you left the deck of
1-2 inches can sometimes be used, Each motor incorporntcs two cJcctro ) our baseboard clear before you
but 81\\'3)'$ aim at curving your tubing m.1gnctS or solenoids whIch. ""hen tadled all this. Pcrhaps "'e WIlt be able
through as gentle an arc as possible. energised. mo.e the point bladcs back 10 mo.e on from here in the ne)!:t article
and ensure that the tube starls and
finisht..'S in a straight line with the
movement of lhe lie bar and lever. The
wire should be inserled 10 the tubing
before )OU start bending it 10 shape.
Where space will not allow you to use a
WIde sweeping cur-e, changes in
dlre<:uon can best be d~lt wilh by
means of angle cranks. These are also
useful 10 connect two pairs of point
blades to one lever, eg in a crossover,
when it is always necessary for a pair
of points 10 ch.1ngc dire<:lion at Ihc
5aRlC time. With a Cf05S0H'r, the cranks
should be arranged so that the point
blades mo,'e in opposite directioI15,
whercas with a single slip the 'wo point
Ma y, 1965 us
 -. . . . .. • ..... t:a"t

TI/t' Cu~ R \MSAY, /irsl of a liP'" class of rtfrigtralet/ cargo 1I/OIOrsJrips for Iltt Clan Lint, bllill by 'lit GrttfWCk Dock)'ard Co I.Id.

Queen Elizabelh are: length, 1,031 ft;

beam, 118 ft; and draught, 39 ft 6! in.
These tankers are due for delivery in
the last quarter of 1967 and will be used

orES
10 carry crude oil from the Middle East
to Europoon ( Rotterdam) and Le
Hane via the Cape, retuming in ballast
by A. J. Doy \·ia the Suez. Canal. The ships will be
propelled by 2S,000 hp steam turbines
Ihal will give them a loaded service speed
of some IS! knolS.
TI-IERE hasn't been much doobl
about the main topic of interest in
128 ft broad, 66 ft deep, has a IIross
tonnage of about 63,000, a draugh t of
The 'TexaeD Maraeaibo'
the shipbuilding world du ring the past 49 rt and is 10 be propelled by single-
few \\ccks. Giant tankers have been screw, double-reduction-gear steam tur-
making news. The first 100,000 Ion dw
tanker to be built in Eu rope wasJaunchcd
bines of l>arnctrada design. manufac-
tured by Vickers-Armstronp (Engir"lCen)
THIhe:E largest tanker yet completed in
Unill'd Kingdom is the Trxaco
Maracaibo, built for Texaco Panama
at Barrow in March; during the ,'ery Ltd, and capable of de\cloping 25,000 Inc, New Yort.:, by Harland and Wolff
same week Shell Intemational Marme shp at 10S propeller rpm. Her service Ltd, Belfast. She is of 91,000 tons d\4
announcx:d 1hal they had placed orders speed will be 15 koo15. and is being used in world-wide crude
for four crude carriers of about 165,000 The maiden \oyage of the Bri/ish oil trades based o n Middle: East loading
tons dw each- three to be built in Japan Admjral will be 10 Banias and she will pons. The Tuaco Maracaioo is of the
aDd a founh in Germany; and, a few relum either to Milford Ha\·en or threc..island type with a curved raked
weeks earlier, the biggest tanker e,'er 10 Finnart, L()f;h Lon,. She will continue stem and a cruiKr stern. She has a
have been completed in the United on this run but may also be used for the lenglh oa of 854 ft 6 in, a moulded
Kingdom Io.11S delh·eted by Harland and Persian Gulf ( Kuwait), sailing 30,000 breadth of 125 n, and a moulded deplh
WolIT Ltd, to Texaco Panama lne, New tons light through the Suez Ol/UI and of 63 't 3 in. The hull is divided by
York. topping up at Banias. The ship ma y also longitudinal a nd transverse bulkheads
go through Ihe Persian Gulf to a new imo 17 tanks; two of these are for water
Our first 100,000 tanner rennery which BP are buildi", near ballast. while the remainder have a
first 100,OOO-ton tanker to be Melbourne, Australia. A sister-ship to liquid cargo capacity of more Ihan
T HE
built in Europe was named by HM the British Admiral is expected to be
launched from the yard of Slo.l1n.
710,500 barrels, and are arranged so
the Quoen and launched from lhe Barrow that four grades of oil may be carried
yard of Vick~Annstrongs (Ship.. Hunter and Wigham Richardwn Ltd, at anyone time.
next October.
builders) Ltd, a ceremony which alw
commemoraled lhe 50th an niversary of
the British Petroleum Co Ltd. The tanker
is for the BP Tanker Co Ltd. ~Icr mai n
Four largest .hi,. on order
HE Shell International Marine
An unusua l feature of the ship is an
underdcl;;k tunnel, built in lieu of the
con\·entional fore and aft walkway,
which affords protected passage be-
engines were installed and much of the T 16S,OOO-Ionoers are, of course, the tween the midship and arter houses. A
filling-oul completed on the slipway, four larpt ships on order anywhere in great deal of piping which is ordinarily
so that by the end of this month (May) the world. Their dimensions will be of exposed has been placed in this tunnel.
the British Admiral, as she was named, the following nature : length, about The propelling machinery of the Ttxaeo
should be ready for service. 1,050 ft; beam, IS5 ft; draught, 54 ft. Moracaloo is of Pametrada standard
She is 917 fl 6 in long oa, 875 rt bp, The comparnth'e dimensions of the frame type PSF/D/ MJO and has a
'66 Alrfl x Ma,azine
muimum of 27,500 shp living an
aYCn.&e speed of J6! knots. The
turbiDCS ea.n be operated from the
bridae by moving the telegraph JaCT
the requimi posi tioD on a graduated
to T
scale showing normal ahead and astern
mo\cmenlS and percentages of pro--
pelleT revolut ioDS.
Clan LIne's new class
F I RST of a series or fou r \"cssc!s
which will constitute a new class of
Clan Line ships ....'as handed o\er in
March and wcnl on her maiden \oyage
from the Clyde to the Cape. She is the
Clall RanlSfl), (11,500 tons dw). built for
lhe Briush and Common\\l'ahh Shippina
Co Lld, London, by the Greenock
Dockyard Co Ltd, Greenock. She: is a
refrigerated cargo molorship of the
closed sheher-deck type .... ith a length 00
of 529 fI 4 in, a moulded breadth of
68 (I 6 in and a moulded depth to upper
deck of 43 fl I! in. All the cargo spaces,
C'xcepl for the forecastle ""ccn dock,
are insulated and refrigerated. The)' are
suitable ror the carriage of pacl.:cd
Citrus aod deciduous fruits at a minimum
tempenuure of 28 deg Fahr and, m
addition. in sulMiivided spaces in
nos four and fh-e 'tween dtcks the
Icmperature can be reduced 10 mmus 10 Top: A ship ..·ilh an ullcom·en/ional silllO~tle ~U$#! 0/ h" t)(unsit·e corgo handling
de, Fahr 10 make these spaces capable gMr; lilt Slrick LiM'S JQ/tsl acqUisition SIIAlnUSTAN (12,070 Ions dw). Abo~c: The
of carryinS meal. lorgtJl lanker yet compltltd in E»ropc-the TUCAco MARACAlIlO (91,000 tons dw)
Propelling machinery in the Clan built by liar/and ami Wolff Ltd, /kllost,lor Texaca Panama Inc. Ntw York.
Ran/Say consiSIS of a 5Cven-cylinder, capable of 14 knots with a range of assistance in the event of earthquakes.
poppet val\'c, Band W engine, type 12,000 miles. floods and othcr civil dis,1Sten.
7.74-Vt2BF·16O. supplied by John O. The four coaslal mineswccpers and
KiDCaid and Co Ltd, Greenock, which t .....o seaward defence vessels of the Unconventional design
has a bore of 740 mm and a stroke of Royal avy brousht OUI of rescn·e 10 SHIP ofuousual silhouette because
1,600 mm, It develops 10,350 bhp at
115 rpm on maximum continuous
strenglhen defensive palrols around A of her uncon\'entional design is the
Malaya have been commissioned at new Slrick Line vessel Shal!rislilll
service and ,hC$ the ship a speed of SinS3pore. They fonn the new I hh (12,070 IOns dw), built by John Read-
17; knots. Mines.....ocping Squadron and ha\e head and Sons, Lld. South Shields, for
begun operations by assisling other the Lioc's sefVfce from Li\erpool to the
Secon_ ocean survey shi, Malaysian, Australian and British Persian Gulf. The Slwhrisliln is a closed
H MS lIualt, second 10 be launched
of the Ihree deep ocean survcy
patrols in combating Indonesian in·
filtration in West Malaysia. The ships
sheltcr-deck \csscl with a raised poop
and forecastle, raked Item and cruiser
ships under construction for the Royal lire HM S Picron, HMS IIII·emlOriston. stem. She has her machinery three.
Navy. lOllS put into the water at the HMS Thallk~rlon, HMS Lu/lingroll, quarters aft and her principal dimen·
Scotstoun, Glassow, yard of Yarrow HMS Grtollord and HM S Til/ord. They sions arc: le ngth ca, 503 fl 3 in; moulded
and Co Ltd, on lhe lasl day of March. are manned by ratings flown out to the breadth, 67 ft 6 in; and moulded depth
The ceremony was carried out by Lady Far East from the United Kingdom. 10 upper deck, 39 fl . The ship has large
"arrow. The ships, which are intended HMS A/bion sailed from Portsmooth dear holds and a most comprehensive
for a combined oceanographical and in March for her second foreian outfil of cargo-handling gear, corn·
hydrographica.1 role. were ordered from .§en-ice commission as a Commando prisillj: one Stuld.en heavy·lift derrick
Yarrow and Co Lld, in February Itut Ship, and is expected to join HMS of 180 IOns capacity, four IO-Ion
)car. The first ship, H MS Hrc/a, was BIII","(lrk on the Far East Station. HMS derricks, and two seven·ton and thrc:c:
launched in December by the Blyths- Albion's lask will be to cmbark: a three-ton Oarkc Chapman eleclric
wood Shipbuilding Co Lld, 5oo15toun. Royal Marioc Commando, or infantry cranes. The main cngine, which is
.... ho are collaborating in work on two ballalion, whene\er required and to arranged for remole control from the
of thc hulls. The IIteOle and her sister· transport it to any trouble spot. The bridge, was supplied by Wm Doltford
ships have an ovcrall length of 260 fl, ship's helicopters could be used to and Sons (Engineers) Ltd, Sunderland .
a beam measuremen t of 49 ft and a launch an assault, wit h all lhe advantages On the fastest run ovcr the measured
drausht of 15 fl . They will have a of specrl, mobility and surprise. HMS mile in b.1l1asl condition, the Shahrisrall
displacemenl of 2,800 tons and be Albion can also provide much-needed achieved a speed of 191 knols.
Mll r , J96S 267
This 2 mm sCill~ la)'QUt ltI~asuus on!y 5/t across, and gi.·~s an itka o/ ...hal con ~ daM in a sltIafJ space. Track u PtcO Stuomline
000 gallKe, rofli'lg stock mainl,. by ",nold ()/G~rmQl/)'.

SMALLEST SCALE YET

Mike Bryant discusses N Gauge, a new development in railway modelling
'r HAVEN'T room for a model rallway'-how often I have
heard this remark! Sometimes it is used merely as an excuse
2 mm models work is, of course, the provision of moth"e pov.-er,
and Lone Star sot-ed this problem by the somewhat revolution-
to stay in the armc:hair (where some people plan the most ary method of mounting the motor centrally and driving all
wonderful railways!), but very orten it is an expression of a wheels with rubber bands from an ~tended armature shaft.
quite acnuine fcclm,. How much room do you need before a ThislimilS the choice of prototype to the oblong, bo'i.-like bodies
worthwhile railway is possible in model form? of diesels or electrics, and the massive outlines of some trans-
De\"elopmenlS in the last few years. however, ha ve gone far atlantic tenders.
to remove the excuse: of lack of space. For very many years there Other disadvantages of this method of propulsion are some
has been an intense, if somewhat limited. interest in the really loss of power on cuno'es and a tendency to have o nly two
small scalc of2 mm to the foot-that is, only half thc sinl of the spocds-full stop or flat oul. Its main advantage is. of course,
ubiquitous OO-bUl until a few years alO lack of any form of cheapness, and Lone Star locos sell at a very reasonable price.
commercial support meant that to model in this scale wall very The whole range is aimed at the toy rather than the model
much a 'do-it-all-yourself' affair. which was a pretty dauntinl market, and it is therefore not really fair to judge them by the
prospect if you weren't a competent modeller, or if you couldn', highest technical standards. They have to be robust. they ha\"e
aWord to buy professionally-made 'one-off' jobs. to work, even in unfavourable conditions. and they ha\'e to be
My cousin, R. W. G . Dryant. was one of the post-war cheap. and on all these counts they score hea\ily.
pioneers in this tiny scale. and many of you will remember the About two years ago, the name of the Continental firm of
appearance of his [n\'ef$oockye layout at the Model Railway Arnold bepn to be heard in this country and increasingly large
Oub's Easter Exhibition in the early post-war years. This line supplies of their Rapido range are making their appearance
was his answer to tbecries of lack of space and lack of opportun- here. These models are to a scale of 1:160 and run on 9 mm
ity; at the time he buil! the line he was livinl in 'dip', and he aauge track-a scale which is now known both on the Continent
solved both the space and the portability problems by putting and here as N Gauge. These models are, of course, of Conti-
his model railway in a banjo case:! Some of you who have never nental prototypes and are really beautifully detailed little jobs
seen this gem of scenic modelling may doubt this fact, but it which are engineered to precision standards. Quite natundly
dramatically demonstrated the possibilities of this scale. this high standard putS them out of the mass-produced toy
So far I have emphasised the aspect of space-saving with price bracket. but they work faultlessly and are. if anything,
this new scale, but this is only one way of looking at the more powerful than their Continental HO counterparts, which
situation-and probably the least important one at that. What is saying quite something. It would seem as though, for the first
the introduction of 2 mm scale commercially can also mean is time in any scale, r...a::y long, true-to-life trains are possible.
more realistic layouts in the same space, that is, a greater aif of To illustrate the standard of these tiny Amold locos. let's
SpaciOU§ne5S, nearer-to-prototype cuno'es and track geometry, look a little more closely at the diminuti\e 0-6-{) TanJ.. v.hich
longer trains and the abandonment of the idea that a mainline is shown in the photograph cradled in what looks hl;e a gigantic
c'!(prc5S consists of a Pacific and three coaches, and a freight hand! This liltle gem measures just over H inches o\er ilS
train of a loco and si~ wagons! buffers and will haul between 20 and 30 four-whccl trucks quite
The commercial break-through in this scale came about happily-a train of something over four feel in lenglh. It costs,
1960 when Lone Star, who had marketed a range of2 mm scale at the moment with the import surcharle. £4 185 and is powered
die-cast push-along toys, decided to take the plunge and by a delightfully controllable motor which fit s on 10 two pegs
produce working electric versions of their range at really in the chassis and is held in place by a sprinl inside the body.
competitive prices. The diflkuh part of the exercise: in making The drive is taken through nylon and brass spur gears to a lay-
Alrf"c McI,azifN
'"~
 sl\aft and thence through worm and worm wheel to the (ront
aDd back axks. The centre axle is unpov.. ered a nd f1«l to 'Boat',
""hilst current collection is from the four outer wheels. There is
e\'en room for a TV suppressor! The body IS a one-piece metal
casting which giVes good weight for adhesion and a remarkable:
amount of detail. E\(~n the buffers are correct, l\aving one flat
and one com'O head as per Conlinental practice. The vah'e
gear 15 simplified, but is effectin~ and eminently practical in this
tiny size.
The Arnold rolling stock is equally finely detailed; indeed,
I belie\e the bodies are the finest examples of plastic moulding
that I ha\e e\er secn. They are screv.ed to die-cast underframes
IOohlCh feature pinpoint axle bearings and sprung automatic
coupli"". The weight is therefore ""here it is needed, low down,
and a single true!.. will start rollin, by itself on a gradient of
between I per cent and 2 per cent. This excepliooal free·running
contributes in no small measure to the remarkable hauling
power of the locos.
There is a good range of Continental and American motive Top: Only 4t in<:h~1 long. thil 2-6-4 Pero Fairburn Tank can pull
power available already and fresh items ha\e been added each 30 ",·tJgOlll. Abcl\~~ Di",inutil"t bl<! tietailtd, th~ Arnold ()...6..{)
year. Steam IIXos indude the ()..6-{) Tank and a 2·6-4 Tank, with Tunl.. il only just OI'~r 2 inchullJrlg.
a 2·6-2 tender engine due this year, and there is also a selection
of diesel and electric locos already in the rnnge. Passc: ngl;r and Tank. This Will fit on the Arnold 2·6-4 Tan!.. chassis. The
goods stock is already quite diverse. and further items this year kit is simplicity itself to assemble; it merely needs a dozen
will make the range almost lavish. parts gluinS togc:thcr. I ha\e erijoyed making up a pro-release
There are numerous lineside buildings and accessories avail- sample and cannot imagine anyone finding it diffkult. Peco wiU
able in this scale from Amold and other Continental manu- also be catering later for scenic backgrounds in this scale.
facturen. Many of the buildinas are a\lIilable in kit as well as There is no doubt at all in my mind that N Gauge in this
made-up form. These kits are expenshe, but fiT5l~, requiring country is not only here to stay but also to flourish. I already
DO painting 11 all and yet producing realJy realistic and authentic know of se\eral British manufacturen ""ho are preparing
structures. Since I wrote Ihis article, there have arrh'ed cata- further Items and yet more Continental firms are adding their
logues Ihowina very wide de\elopments In N Gauge. This scale share. Pro\ided everybody is sensible and sticks to the same
has undoubtedly 'caught on' on the Continent and we can ",heel and track standards., and some compromise is worked
expect supplJes to improve phenomenally over the next year. out o~'er the coupling question, the future in this smallest-ever
So much for the Continental supplies. What is the future of scale should be rosy indeed.
British N Gauge? Perhaps the most signifICant and useful
contribution to the scene on this side of the Channel is the ON GLUES AND CEMENT
mtroouction by Peco of a first-class N Gauge track which will A rather compressed remark of mine in a rootnt article about
accept both Arnold and Lone Star stock. This is a scaled-down balsa cement could be misconstrued. Obviously, balsa cement
\ersio n of their already famous 00 Streamline track. that is, has been de\elopcd to glue balsa. and very effocth'ely it does
It is nickel sil\'er rail on a plastic base and is fully flexible. Also the job, too. How(:\·er. be\o.-are of any temptation to strengthen
a\lIilable from the same manufacturer is a matching foam a structure by addi ng a fillet of cement down the inside of a
ballast Inlay strip. into which the track fits snu&ly. disguising joint, Of the quick-drying action of the cement may pull the
lIS nooessarily O\l;r-thick slcepen. joint out of true. The layer of cement on the two surfaces to be
There is no doubt that these two items ha\e remo\'ed nearly joined will be quile strong enough. The aeromodellen among
all the terrors of track laying in this tiny size. The last us will know ""hat I mean- the quickest way to ;et a camber
diflkulty Peco should Temo\e later this )Car when they bring on a balsa wing is to run tWO lines of balsa cement across ilS
OUt matching points. I understand these will be to the generous underside! HOlOoe\er. the interesting correspondence which
radius of three feet, ",hich means they are following out their arose from my earlier article make!; me rea lise how little the
convictions that N Gauge is for greater realism and the closer- average person knows about all the different types of adhesive
to-prototype look, and not merely as a space-saving scale. that are now on the market, and so I shall do some personal
Coming soon, too, will be kits for rail·built buffer stops, and a researeh and include my findings in a (uture aniele.
superstructure kit in die-cast metal for a BR Fairburn 2-6-4 Copyright, M ike Br)"ont, 1965
LDt~r this )"I'or, PtrO ""iII IN producing f'~ first 8R-()"Pt body kits to fit Arnold ""agon thassis. Ont kit mabs t"'v v~rsions_ith".,
Jwp~r "'a60n or a groin "'YIIon, thl! otMr Is for th~ BR-t)"Pl! ,wndurd "'okl! l"On.

Me y. / NS u.
 c All dralol ing'i are b,-ed and referred 10
In Itsl.

scar back into ils original position.

Small spaeers about n inch wide are
pl3ced o,'er the projecting ends of the
axle before the wheels are refilled. When
eelspin fina.lJy assembled, the aear will be
located to register \Oo·ith the front pinion.
You must ensure that the axle is square
in the bracket so Ih3t one wheel is nOI
BY BERT LAMKIN placed slightly ahead of the other.
The front axle assembly mounling is
made from small pieces of plastic scrJp
and card. The plastic is t x t. x Tt
inch. The card measures i t ioch.
Building a compact cleanly. While using the lnife. Cut off the
rear steering unit support. They arc cemented together to begin
wtlh and then the completed mounling
Stage two entails filling the front drhe
shaft. This is a I' inch length of is cemented to \00 h.at \Oo'3S origina.lI}
hill-climb layout A inch thick steel rod. It has a standard
mOlOr pinion (from a discarded motor)
the front steering unit support lug.
Skelch C illustrates the general layoul.
filled at one end, while a short length A spot of cement at the lower corners
in mind the experiments will add rigidity.
BEARING
being carried out with four-wheel
of polythene Illbe. to IICt as a coupling,
is filled at the other. The shaft is
drive on present-day Grand Prix and carried by an aluminium bracket as
sports-racing cars., I thought it might
proHI interesting 10 con, cri an Aim)!;
shown in sketch A. This bracket is filled Clearance for drive
centrally within the C"Jr body, it5 front
slot car 10 this form of transmission. registering with the projection that While the cement is hardening, deal
The particular model chosen for this located the drher's sea\. It is secured with the upper body half. Cut away the
con\'crsion was the Auto-Union, the with a 10 BA bolt. You should at this three small pillars behind the radiator
larger-tha n-usual body and higher- point make sure that the dri\'e shaft is srille and trim the two in front of the
sealed drher providin& most space for diroctly in line with the motor shafe stcering wheel. This will give the
the 'works". As I belie,c that a large necessary clearance for the new dr"·e.
number of my readers are table-lOp When the fabricated mount ins for the
mechanics. without comprehenshe Front axle layout axle bracket is quile secure, drill a lO BA
en,ineering facilities. I ha\'c tried to size hole through to register with the
make: the com"ersion as simple as Next mo\'e is to fillhe front axle. This centre line of the drive shaft. Be as
pos.sible. Because of this, the steering is carried by a U·shaped bracket. again accurate as possible with this, as the
unit has been discarded, and a new front CuI from aluminium sheet. Details are object is to allow the axle 10 pholslightly
axle, identical 10 the re.1f, filled in ils given in sketch 8 . To mount the axle you wi thout interfering with the gear mesh.
place. La rger wheels are filled on the ha\e 10 remo,e the wheels. bearing Ikforc the axle uni t is att3ched, a certain
front, giving grc31cr ground clearance. blocks and the contrate gear. Care is amount of filing wilt be nceded to gi\'e
The first stage is 10 rcmo\'c the motor, needed to ensure Ihal the wheels arc a clearance for the COnlrJIe-do not
axle assemblies and drh'cr from the lower finn fit when replaced on the axle. Now forget Ihat this will be on the opposite
half of the body. A modelling knife is thread the axle throuch one side of the side to the rear·mounted contrate.
used to detaeh the dri\'er and seat. With bracket and refit the contrate aear. Light Also al this stage we can consider the
a little care, they ""ill come away quite taps with a small hammer will get the fro'\t body fixing. There are Iwo ways of
210 AlrfI. MOl0z/".
 D
.- braids to the motor were thcn re-
soldered to each length of flex (the flex
being soldcred in turn to the braids
headgcar and goggles were definitely the
thinl- the Airfill drh'er is quite au then-
tic in his dress so a few minutes with
paint and brush will add lifc to him.
tnemsel\'es).
Now tne car can be reassembled ror a When the paint is dry, the driver and
trial run, If this pro\es satisfaclOry, a his cut-dO\\ n seat ma y be replaced in the
certain amount of 'deo;:oration' can be cat.
done and the driver refilled. Thc )cllow
of the plastic is not quite the Auto-
Union's racing colour. sihcr or "'hite
Two-motor design
bemg more appropriatc, with mall A \"3riation on this comersion is 10
black ror the intcrior, Various details use a second motor dri\'ing the front
such as the stcxring .... betl nm, tops of the .... beels, The front lUte assembly is the
cl( haust stubs and so on can also be same, the eJltra molar occup)ing the
painted mall black, ... hile the windscrttn drher's position and held in place by an
frame and ",heel rimsarcsihcr. The new aluminiu m strip as shm.. n in pre\'ious
chromed ... heels .... ould impro\e appear- articles, The two mOlars are electrically
.. s/ ' ance cnormously. connected tn parallel. Do not forget that
J.. / 115 they will be ru nning in opposite direc-
E 1'1 /.· Driver equipment tions. The driver will need quite a bil of
, /4 modification and will be mOUnted on a
The dd, er can now be dea lt with. The piece of plastic ellrd cemented inlO the
"""?('-'" front of the seat will need filing down to cockpIt.
~~
.- .--
- -. ·""""
··1 clcar the transmission. In the days of Both versions should prove interest·
these hairy monsters, the drivers ing, depending on the circuit used, As I
F in\'ariably wore white o\'emlls and a
linen or leather he lmet, the 'crJsh hat'
ha\c mentioned previously, miniature
curs respond 10 tuning as much as full·
as ""e know it tooay was a rarity. Some scale ones, alt hough in the cas.e of
of thc aces sported bright yellow or red models 11 is a much simpler oper.llion,

THE GROOVE
J1
!;_ .. _ - j

a!;hicHng this. You can drill a hole

through the grille for the ph'ot bolt to
rroject through and use an additional
nllt, or another way is to use a small
aluminium angle, ....ith a 10 BA nul
soldered on 10 its upper face. This nngle
is secured by the (lltle bolt and another
10 BA bolt replaces the radialOr caP.
screwing through into the soldered-on
nut. See sketch 0 for details.
With the front axle now in position
(see sketch F), check that both spindles
arc running free; friction here will cause
a considerable loss of performance.
The new guide pin can now be fitled.
This may be made from either plastic
rod, or an odd 10 BA boil. It is mou nted
on a small plate cemented to the under-
-
side of the DOOY, and located by the
small projections on chher side of the Srn'ral IradilVf racilVf dril'rrs /akr a krrn inlrrl'JI in Ih" Spri'llffirlti Boys' Club, in
pic~·up slots. see sketch E. This p lait London, E5, and il has berolllf' koo •.." as 'A fOlor RadlVf'J OlO'n Bo),J' Club'. Rt>r:rmly thl!
also strenilhcll5 the front cnd, Club installrd a nt"IO' four·lallt' slot rocing cirCIIII, Jupplietl by Airji:r Prot/UCIJ Lld, Built
The original pick-up braids will not by thr oo),J Ih"nlSt'/)'f'J, umlt'r 11r" supefl'iJiOIl of Ikn um,kin--.. ho "'rill'S rt'gulorly on
be long enough with this new front end, 1101 rocillg in AtlUlx MAOAZt"l-1/1f' circuit M'as forlllally Opl'nt'd by Gra/wIII l/ill jllJI
and will n«d ex tcndi ng with some Hex, brfort" Etulrr. Gra/IQm lIill Mid Ihat h" jindJ Jl01 ror{ng IltmandJ t")'"ry bil IU IIIl1ch skill
IU racing in rrallf/", Ihr /PIOJI imfl'O"alll faClor bring conCf'ntralion. IlIinwlllrt" rocing
In my prototypt:. the braids wcre is, hI' laid Ihl' boYJ, l'alllobll' training for IhoJr .. I/Olt' Olll/)ilion is 10 bream" racing
threaded throu&h the two slots, bent dril'l'rJ, To t'\'rr)'OIIf'·s amuJr""f'nl, Grallo/PI Ihl'n JPun olj'on hiJ opl'ni", lap in (1 Porseh,,!
ovcr to the front of the axle mounti ng Tlrr piClurr mOM'S four racillg dri''f'r_I,,/t /0 righ" C/wrlrJ LII«lS, Grolwm lIill, Petrr
and cut, The small clips that conneclthe Gl'thin and UJ UJlon-laking part in aiit' of 'hI' opening rl'rnu on ,lrr nt" .., circuil.
Ma." 19'.5 17I
 Let"! : Full-size Priest. Note small shlefds (G in dra ....ill8s) each
silk of the howitztr. (Photo: Imperial War Muscum.)
in place between the plastic strips. Trace the side pieces (A),
or prick the shape through the page, on to card, and cement
them in place, ensuring that the side with a squared-off top is
on the right.
STAGE 3
Build up the front in the three separate parts (G, D, and E),
fonowing the angles of the side, ( I have outlined these for
clari ty, but E should be slightly lower than the edges of D and
C, a point not read ily apparent from the picture). Inside faces
are also required, and these can be traced off the side tem plate
(A), making allowance for the thickllCSS of the front faces. Any
small gap which may appear between the built-up front and the
lower hull is filled in with cement or a strip of card.
STAGE 4
The gun is converted from the25 pdr, oreisemade up from scrap
plastic. Diagram F gives all the ne<:essary details, the binding

BUILDING A PRIEST
Military modelling
by C. 0 , ELLlS

Howitzer from the Airlix Shennlln kit

' B LOODED' at Alamein with the 8th Arm y, the M7 105 mm
howitzer motor carriage (known in Britain as the Priest)
was tbe standard mobi le field artillery weapon of the Allied
armies for the laller half of World War 2, givi ng useful service
with the British until 1944 and with the US Army until post·war
days. It makes an attractive model, and is an equally useful
item of equipment for mi niature armies.

STAGE 1
Two versions of the Priest were produced , first on the M3
(Ontnt) chassis and, later, on the M4 (Sherman) chassis. There
was actuaJly a difference of a few inches in overall length
between these two, but th is is so small in this scale that it can Top, alxn'e: A miniature ,\1 7 goes into actiOIl amoll8$1 a swirl of
be virtually disregarded. We cannot overlook the difference dust and smoke. Crew are easily adapted from Airfix figures.
in appearance, however, so if you favour Ihe Grant-based M7 Ab.ne: TIre Pril!JI Kangaroo in model form . Note Ihe plated-in
(essential for Alamei n), it is necessary to build the Sherman gun embrasure ...i,h the tap flap al differ,,"t angle to its neighbour.
chassis with the return rollers mounted immediately above the
suspension bracket, as seen in the picture. This mea ns CUlling
away the mou lded bracket from the rollers, and then plugging
all the un used locating holes in the chassis sides. For the M4-
based Priest, of course, you can disregard this modificati on.
Only the ends of the hull are required, so the centre sect ion
is sawn away before assem bl y. Stri ps are then cut from the
discarded h ull section and cemented along the exposed side
edges above the track.
STAGE 2
Cut a rear bulk head (33 mm x 9 mm) from card or slyre ne
sbeet. A fioor (42 mrn x 31 mm) is also required and iscementcd

Right : All templates fu ll-siu. Ref erences in text. Drll'er's visor is

shown on part D, together ....ith the spare track brackets. Dattl'd
lint 011 part A shows the differi"8 oulline of the right-hwul silk.
272
being a I mm strip of paper and the top recoil cylinder a piece
of discarded tank: cun. Cl.It the 25 pdr cr.ldles right back almost
to the ph'ot holes 50 that the cun fits clO5c: up to the aperture.
It is also fMlCC:55ary to build up a mounting for the cradle, using
layers of small card squart'S until it is high enough for the top
of the recoil cylinder to be exactly in line with the top edge of
the superstructure front face. The gun will elevate, but if you
wanl it 10 tr.werse as well this must be accomplished by cement-
ing a pin beneath the cr.ldle and drillin, a hok in the floor.
Make up storage boxes (B) and use 'Bambi' staples for hand
rungs on the sides. The machlne-aun 'pulpit' (X)-from which
tbe Priest earned lIS name-is the Sherman ct.IpoJa with a ] mm 1
atrip of paper round its base. Parallel with tbe rear half of the
sides and 5 mm im,"lIrds aoes another strip of card of equal
hei&ht to form an ammunition locker. This requires a front end,
lC\'el with the 'step' in each side. Pieces of 'stretched' sprue or
dowlina can be CIlmented inside the lockers to represent can-
ridge cases. Full load for the M7 ...."as 69 rounds of 105 mm
ammunition. Co ...ers .....ere provided for the ammunition locl..ers,
bringi", the sides flush. But these were usually remo\'ed in
combat,50 I have omitted them completely.
Small detai ls include the dri"'er's vision port, small shields (G)
each side of the gun apenure, the mudguards (6 mm x S mm)
and optional headlii/l ts. Finally. add the brackets on the front 2
for the spare track shoes. These can actually hold track: if you
ha\e any to spare from a 'cannibalised' I.;il.

STAGE 5
After cleanma up. the model is ready for pamtlng. The
standard US Anny finish was olive dl1lb-obtained by mL'(iDg
a little Humbrol olh'e green into dark earth- with the familiar
IOohite stan prominentlY displayed. These can be obtained quite
easily in various sizes by cuUlne the stars from spare US aircraft
transfers. One M7 carried the name 'Champagne' in nine inch
white ktten with a ,mall star abo\'C it. Others had larger stars.
For the serial number, I found that tbe 'Hindustan' tl1lnsfer
from the Carrict kit would usefully yield the 'USA' lettering.
British Priesu in the desert in late 1942 ..... ere painted in the 3
usual ' sand' and very dark areY (almost black), this laller colour
being applied usually in an irngular wavy patch horizontally
alon, the lower sides, with odd patches elsewhere. A Priest of
the 11th (HAq Regl, RA- the first unit 50 equipped- .....as
nwnbered S 169299 and had the letter E on each side inside a
blue trianaJe. On the lower hull front (left) it had the 1st
Armoured Division si,n-a while rhino OD a black oval-with
the blue/ red RA flash to the right.

KANGAROOS
I>r iesu were among the first vehicles to land at Normandy.
equipping field regiments supporti ng the assault di ... isions. In
fact, they actually commenced firi", fronl the LCTs during the 4
run-in and thereafter all\e valuable assistance to the infanlI)'
on the beaches. Shortly after D·Day, ho.....e ...er, all Priesu were
withdl1lwn from British !'C,iments in order to rationalise
ammunition supply, while 25 pdrs or Sexton sp 25 pdrs took
their plaCll.
The withdrawn vehicles had a completely new lease of life
as troop carriers with the APC regimen" of 79th Armoured
Division, in which role they were. known as Priest Kangaroos.
With the gu n remo\"ed and the position plated in, they carried a
section of infantry with rdath'C immunity from smali-arms fire..
ID model form a piece of card shaped to dose the front can be
cemented ICl,," the gun aperture. A Brownina .5 AA machine 5
lUll was usually mounted OD the 'pulpit' and this can be
provided from the new Airfix Buffalo kit.
Metr. IffS m
 The ·Co .. lNlr line /olloM-s roughly the lorou1 sho .. " i" Ihe ",oill

LAYOUT
sketchrs, bill Ihere ore boulld 10 be sli6hl chonges 0/ mind os
'..-ork progresses.
For this reason, I I'l!COmmend that other people, forced by a
tyrannical household to do a bit of plumbing, cementing, or
homework, '" ill find that a few spare hours spent on research of

REALISM
some sort or another will keep the interest in modelli ng ali,e,
The occasional model on the table·top will clinch the matter.
There is time, incidentally, to assemble the two-bob Airfi;<
wagons with extra care, for that real photogrJphic accuracy.
But back to the 'Co",beJl' line, which SCC'tnS to ha\'e caughl
- - - by Alex Bowie the imaginations of some modellers. It is, frankly, a hybrid, for
the simple Il'ason that I do not look forward to years of modell-
109 an exact copy of East Anglia's old Great Eastern Railway.
Picturesque planning Thus, by modelling those things I ha\'e time for. and mixing
them with various mass·produced components, the result will
UITE a number of readers are aware that I am modelling
Q a so<allcd 'Cowbelr line, and are wondering how is it
prolressing. Frankly, until recently, it wasn', progressing very
gi\e me some of the dynamic Victorian atmosphere, without
irre\ocably committing me to a life's work. I' ll explain how
Ihis will be possible-though the name 'CowbeU' might gi\'c
much, because, in common with many other modellers, I can', the clue,
always ignore necessary domestic chores. As these consisted of
practically pulling our house apart and pulling it together PAINLESS PRESERVATION
aa-lin, I have been limited 10 table·top modelling. The 'Cow bell', like the true·life 'Bluebell', could be \ isuaJised
But 1I,0rk on the house is now finished. with a few parts Icft as a presened line. Thus, though I am busy building \'image
o\er, and a few weeks agoexlcnsi\c work began on theCo .... bell. Great Eastern locos, I am also assembling Quantities of Airtix
The buildinp illustrated in the October issue are some which I wagons. The former are painted the correct deep blue and are
I\Int been able 10 make during odd moments. Some people may lettered \~dth the correct initials, and the latter are slate grey
ha\'e noticed that they an:: based on familiar East Anglian and lettered with a Co .... bell symbol. A supply of teak roaches is
landmarkS, both of which are featured on calendars and post- coming up, mostly antique four-wheelers. bUl thtre will be a
cards. Normally I prefer to devise my own structures bUI, few old·type Gll'at Northern roaches thrown in, i:Io;:ause I
having decided on East Anglia as a protot)'pe, thought that I happen to like the domed ends of the roofs.
would be able to get the fed of the locality by copying one or Now all this information has been ,h'en in response 10
two of its most typical buildings. requests about a parti!;:ular line but, as with most layouts, some
Most people at some time or other are compelled to slow up of the lessons learned may be of use to others. I have stated
on their modelli ng activities, and this is the danger period. that after a slack period of layout building it is a good thing to
Fortunately my researeh into East Anglia kept the railway keep modelling the smaller items, This is weU·tried advice,
modelling bug ",ell alive. even though production had slowed. common enough even years ago, but there is a StCond problem

'" AJrfht Mor.n /ne

invoh'ed, The longer one is away from layout building, the more is arranged so that the railway is not dominated by the rest of
opportunity there is for thanging the mmd, Thus, if a chap first Ihe scenery. I fCgard the main slation buildmg as being the
begms to plan a period line, he may cnd up with plans for a focal point, the part .... hich should attract most attention, Thus,
'modern image', This would be no hardship, for I sce a lot in it is not jumbled up with other bUild mp, but is grouped
common with the dynamic era of the diesel and the equally separately, I place the other railway buildings at strategic
virile limes of the Victorians, But it means that \Oohen the time points so that they take charge of the rest of the la)out, aoo on
comes to begin or resume work on the layout, the builder no lIocount would I allow street buildings to o\·ershadow Ihose
starts \Ooith a confused mind, and may dit her continuously of the rai lway-except righ t at the cnd, which is ....ell clear of
bet"''een one and the other, This is no exagger,uion, I ha\'e secn the station yard. There ;s the suggestion that the rai lway is
it happen freq uently, and think that the cure is 10 dcc;:ide on a beginning to tnnel into the ope n country, and a couple of
r.. ilway, then sort out all the facts and figures possible about that picturesque buildings partly hidc it as it disappears in to a
one only, The research will keep the mind pinned firmly on the disguised hole in the wa ll,
one target,
The third problem is in keeping to a ,iH'n plan once it has A SIMPlER LAYOUT
been decided, I'd say that it would be impossible to keep
exactly to plan, but you could Leep to the same theme, This IS my personal layout, but in plan D I have shown how
a smaller, simpler line I;3n follow a similar theme, Where space
is tight, half,rehef buildings \00 ill supply realistic street scel1CS.
THREE VERSIONS My own turntllblc will be a mere eight .nches IIcross, but in
This month I have sketthed thn:e layout plans of the 'Cow- order 10 tllke the a.erage proprietary locos I ha\e cut the Airfi.~
bell' trne, Frequently I go into the pros and cons of \'arious table in plan D only slightly, The shed and \Oo-ater tower will
layout plans, on the basis that onc ma n's meat is another's partly hide the cun'e, being positioned inside it, and thus will
poison, Ilut this being my personal layout. it will obviously serve prelly much the same pu rpose as the two buildi ngs on
reflec t lIlY own personal tastes, It is a Sl;:enic layout, but I regard my own la)'ou\.
the r.. ilwa.y as JUSt as much part or-The Sl;:enery as anything else, 1>lan E is for comparison, This is not 10 scale, blll shows a
Th us, buildings, railway, lineside, lInd back-scene should fairly typical small IOwn or country prototype on the Great
meree together as a single scene, If they don't, then in my Eastern. I OO,'c put this in for a reason, My own line, though
opinion they do not follow the protOtype, purely a fanciful affair which does not exist in prototype, must
Thus, I had a pretty fixed idea of the general o\erall effect I have some source of inspiration, You will be puzrled, perhaps,
wanted, and for the gh-en size of baseboard, no maller ho ... for there 5eC1115 to be little similarity between the 'Cowbell' and
many alterations I thought I had made, the layout always ended thIS Great Eastern plan. I build mainly to please mye)·e. Dut
up looking much the same scenil;3l1y, there must be a regard for the prototype, and the little plan
You will sce that the three plans, A, 8, and C all ha\'e that I ha\e studied for months helps 10 keep one from becoming
differences, )'Ct each follows the tilted theme decided on, Note 100 fanciful, c\en though the final layout bears little resemblance
th.1tthe rai l....-ay nestles agai nst ils bacL¥,"ound, is part of it, yet \0 the prototype plan which supplies the germ of the idea.

P{(II/S A 8 alli{ C sJrow some oflhe fikdy a{It,rrali"es but nOlllre ,,,,eral similarity, D alld £ are desrrlbed in Iht leXl,

115
 IIH576, a Btfl P400 lIiracohra 1 of No 601 Squadron, at Dlu/ord in tht autumn of 1941,

I Taftis now customary to situate the engine in tighte r aircraft

of the cockpit, leaving the nose free for armament,
was fitted to the port side of the fuselage. As there was
~pace in the nose it was decided 10 fit a long traverse nose-
or associated equipment and nosewheel housing. One ne\'er .... heel leg. a feature eased by the large centrally placed load.
hears the suggestion that this is a diflicult or dangerous A protot}pe 38-326 .... as ordered in October, 1937. powered
layout, and the idea that a nosewheel undercarriage is by a 1.150 hp Al1ison VI710-17, and designed XP-39.
revolutionary would be ludicrous. Yet, almost to the cnd of Tests began in April, 1939. but engine overheating led
World War 2, these features were practically unknown- to larger intakes being installed. It was later diSCO\'ered that
except in their application to the large number of the trouble lay with internal piping, On test flights the
Airacobras then flying, machine reached 390 mph,
A chequered career attended Radiator intakes were reposi-
the Bell P-39 Airacobra. Its tioned in the wing roots follow·
origin reaJly lay in the large ing flight trials, leaving only the
fighter Bell produced in the carburettor intake aft of the
mid-193Os. which was filled canopy. It was deci ded to fit a
with twin engines driving less po\\erful AlIison engine in
pusher propellers. Ahead of production ai rcraft. to hasten
each engine in a huge nacelle their de livery. Thirteen prc-
was placed a gunner and a production YP-39s. 40-27 to 39,
37mm cannon. The FM-I, as had been ordered in April.
it was known. never entered 1939. The outbreak of the
production. As an olf-shoot,
Bell designed a single-seat
single-engined fighter around
the hefty 37mm Madsen cannon.
The Airacobra, European war prompted an
order for 80 production P-45s
on Septembe r 13. 1939,
(40-297 1-3050) their designation
Projected in the summer of being changed becau$C so many
1937, it was intended to elimi-
nate performance a nd arma-
ment weakness in American
fighter designs, By using the
fighter ahead modifications were to bc incor-
porated. Before delivery they
.... ere to rcvert to P-39 designa-
tions.
large cannon, the considerable
recoil called for compensatory
factors, also the weight of the
gun and ammuni tion posed
problems of balance.
of its time Development o f the YP-39s
proceeded. Their engines gave
less power, and greater weig ht
- in part due to two extra
machine gu ns being installcd-
Clearl y, fitment of the gun along the centre line of the redul:ed the top speed to 368 mph. Their performance was
fuselage was desirable and, because it wo uld be hazardous fu rther red uced by the absence of the originall}' intl:nded
for the gun to be synchronised to fi re through the propeller turbo-superchargers. Onc machine was modified into the
disc, installation allowed it to fire through the airscrew YP-39A high-altitude fighter wi th an AlIiso n V-1710-31,
hub. It was therefore decided to position the gun centrally and had a to p speed of 380 mph. A rejuvenation o f the pro-
in the nose, this necessitating the placing of the engine aft totype as the XP-398 occurred in 1940, when it emerged with
of the cock pit, and driving the propeller by an extension a lower-powe red engine, smaller canopy and armament as
shaft some ten fect long. Since it was impossible to situate titled to the Y P-39s. l is 35 foot wing span at birth had becn
the shaft centra ll y, because of the cockpit and the gun. it reduced to 34 ft and length increased by 13 in to 29 ft 9 in.
Alrfl x Ma,a:r:lne
 Eul)' designations ha\'i ng been allocated, the first produc·
tio n machines \lcrc P·39Cs. Onl), 20 \lere completed before
prodOClion "liS switched to the P- 390 . Similar to the
YP-39, the P-39C had a 1.150 hp V·1710-35 engine, bullet-
proof glass and modified fud lanks. Its 37 mm cannon bad
15 rounds and .....a s supplemented b)' t .. o .30 in machme
guns in the fuselage and synchronised. P-39Ds "hich
followed were similar but for their armament of four .300
in guns. two .50 in guns, the 37 mm cannon and belly
bomb racks. Loaded \lcight rose to 8.100 Ib and pi.!rformance
"as further reduced. Addit ion o f a bomb load was a pointer
to the future , for it was as a ground attack aeroplane that
the 1'·39 was e\entually to find ilS marl. In place of a bomb
load, a 75 US gallons drop lank could be fitted . Of the
P-390-1- BE, 863 eumples .. ere ordered as 41-6722 to 7052,
41·7057 to 7058. 41·7080-71 Il. 41-28257 to 28406. and
41-38220 to 38563. these differing in ha\lnl self·scaling fuel RouNkIs .. en Cilrrinl 1Nnt'tllh lilt' .."ing$ 011 Iht' Airacobra. At
tanls. fi"t a fe".' aircraft had imli..id,lOlleller$ ofl of Ihe rountkl' lalt'/"
An order for nearl}' 700 P-39s ghen b}' France was Ihe)' appeured olteud of Iht' UF cOlling oml 0 hypht'n,
switched to Brilain in 1940 and these, named Caribou. were
known as P-400s to the Americans. By the tinle they "ere the 'UF' being immediately forward of thc roundc1 on both
ready for deliver), the)' almost resembled the 1'-390 and sides of the fuselage and the individual letter forward of this
"ere amloo with a 20mm " ispano Mk I cannon. had two alld the door. AH577:UF· M was one of the first. others
.30 in machine guns in the nose and four more .30 in CoilS being J :AlU79, 0 :" 11585 and L:A1I589,
in the winls. The first to reach Britain. I)SI73· 175, arrived A revealing fcature of some of the aircraft was a small
In Jul y, 1941. OSI73 went to Boscombe Down for trials and replica of 601 Squadron's motif stencilled in black on the
OS174 to Dudord, where she was seen to ha ve green and ",hite strip on the fin. On October 9, the Airacobras made
bro"'n camounage "' ith sky undcr~urfaces, spinner and their first operational sortie, ... hcn a small number shot up
band around her rear fuselage, Examples from the first targets on the French C03st. Their poor performance and
batch, AH570·739, began to arrive in Jul)" at a time when low altitude ratings of their engines, coupled .. ith poor
home.based fighters were having the brown in their paint serviceability generally, made them unacceptable to the
scheme replaced by dark sea grey. Before issue to No 601 RAF. On January 4, still equipped .. ith them, No 601
Squadron, the Airacobras-as they "'ere no'" called- were Squadron Icft DU.~ford and in March c.~chang~'(] them for
therefore repainted. Spitfir~'J, by .... hich time the SQuadron was at Acaster Malbis.
Only about 80 P-400s reached the RAF, the remainder A ~1 651. .. earing green-brown /sky finish , was, however, seen

of the 336 built being transferred to the US Army for long after this date at various East Anglian airficlds, and
training. or forwarded sometimes after RAF use to the is believed to have been used for army co-operation trials.
Russians, "'ho found the machine ideal for ground support An unusual slX-'Cimcn was " 1-1 574 ..... hich was filled with an
duties and e\'entua lly used on~r 5.000 P-395, No 601 arrester hook for df.'Ck landing trials with the RAE, and
Squadron at Matlask, in Norfolk, recehed ilS first Airacobra could still be seen at Farnborough intact in 1948. ilS green-
early in AuguJl, 1941 , but, equipped nlalnl), with Il urricancs, brown sky finish much faded.
mO\'ed to Dudord in the middle of the month. Throughout P-39s fint reached the Army Air Corps in Februa ry, 1941 ,
early aUlUmn the squadron \lorled up slo'" I) . receiving and "'ere 500n after assigned 10 the 31st Fighter Group.
more AiT1lcobT1l$ and applying its sky codes to the aircraft, COII/imlNl 0/1 nl'XI page

One aftltt' Md)' RAF Airocobros IIsedfor unl« triols ot ~ Dolt'n ,

 further engine change led to the P·39K, dclhered in 1942
.... ith I V-I7J0-61 engine of 1.325 hp, all·up weight of
8.400 Ib and I top speed of l68 mph: 2 10 .....ere built as
42-4244 to 4453. With a Curtiss propeller and provision for
rodet proj«ti[cs. the P-19L appea red in AUlust, 1942, 250
being de lh'ered as 42-4454 to 4703.
Fastest \'ersion of the Airacobra was the P_39M ""'hich,
v.ith a [,lOO hp V-I1 ID-83 engine and gear ratio changcs
reached 368 mph. Its engine gave 1.125 hp at 15,500 feet
and deli\ery o f the 240 bui lt , 42·4740--4943, began in
Octobo:r, 1942. It was at this time that a resurgence of
Airacobra activity began in Britain, th ree squadrons of the
150th FG, Nos 345. 346 and 347. fonning here and equip·
ping "jlh P--400s al Duxford and Snail\\ell in Cambridge-
shire. \ Ian) .... ere from the British 8XI 35--434 range, othen
from the AP264-384 and 8Wl00-181 .serlcs. After training
All Mrfy An~riclllI P·39 in Jukmd. Ollr~ drub (lIII/ Irq uNk,.. the um\5 toot.: their aircraft to North West Africa. While
sur/flUs ~~r~ lh~ uSUllI w/~rs 0/ US nlllChin~s. In North A/dcll in Britain. these aircraft v.ore green and brown camouflage
II ralher darJ.. dwde 0/ brm4'n rtplllud '''~ Irnn. Fin s~rials 1O'~r~ and had s~y undcrSlIrfaccs. They retained blaet.: RAF
yellow or ora/Wt, ond IInit Itll~rJ grty, .... hilt: or )~1I0 ..... fuselage serials and had yellov. outlines to the US insignia
abo\e the \\ing tips and on the fuselage sides. BX-288 was
PRORLE- Conlinued onc c\ample, others \\ere BX-209 and 8X-365.
When America entered the war, about 600 had reached the During November, 1942. the first P-39Ns reached the
Army. Shorlly before, the type had been cleared for senice US Army. Basically, this version had less fue l and was
outside the USA, some being despatched 10 Australia early therefore lighter. Its engine was changed to the V_I1IO-85
in 1942. P·39Ds in their da rk green and light grey finish of 1,200 hp and it a lso had a diITerent propeller, changes
.... ere no match for the faster Japanese fighten, ..... hich Oul· brought about by the availabilit} of equipment and engines.
climbed and out·manoeuvfed them. Some in Ihe hands of 2.095 P-39Ns "ere dcli\ercd as 42--4944-5043. 42-8227-9726,
the 8th FG, based 5uccesshely at Brisbane, To"nsville, and and 42·18246-19240. Most numerous of all the Airacobras
later in CON Guinea, v.ere P--400s lacking pilot's o\"}"gen "as the final \enion. the P-l9Q. delivery of "hieh corn·
gear, "hich further reduced combat v.orthincss. ThC5C "ere meneed In March, 1943. Man) of the 4.905 bUilt v.e~
also operated by the 35th FG from Brisbane in Australia . dch\<ered to Russia. hs V-J11D-85 engine gaH~ it a top speed
Delhi. India , and New Guinea in 1942 and '43. Whereas of 3S5 mph. This was the first \'enion of the Airacobra to
the prolOt)pc weighed about 6,200 Ib, the P·39D tipped the feature an armament change since the P·39D, having a
scales at 8.200 lb. and had Icss engine power. 37mm cannon and four .50 in machine guns. One machine
Many attempts to improve the design were now made. gun was carried in a blister beneath each "ing. Fuel load
Four Ihousand P·39Es were ordered in October, 1942. with was increased and a 250-gallon tanl.. could be filled for
a 1.325 hp Allison V·]110-41, a 31nlm cannon and six .50 ferrying. P.19Os were used by Ihe 332nd FG in Italy at
in guns. These were cancelled in fa\our of the P·39F·]-BE, Monlccorvino and later Capodichino in 1944, but the
of which 229, 4]·1116-1344, wefe built. De!i\'ery began in cannon constantly gave trouble and, after a few wee",
December, 194], and the P-39F resembled the earlier 39D Thunderbolts replaced the Airaoobras, which had been used
except for ilt Aero Produelt airscrew fitted in place of the for convoy escorts, harbour protection and armed
Curtiss type. Twenly-Ih'e P-39Js wilh an all-up weight of rcconnaiS53nee duties. T .....o "Mions, the P-39O-21 and
8,250 Ib "ere delivered in 1942, these featuring an engine 25-BE, each had four-bladed propcllen. When production
change to the 1,100 hp V.J71D-59 and auto boost control, was terminated in Ju]y, 1944, o\er half of the P-l9s built
seria l numben being 41-705110 56, and 41-1059 to 7079. A had been despatched to Russia. M. J . F. 8 0 wyu
A mixN Ii"e-up 0/ P·39Q variant, //Iull'r tklivery to Russia.

17.
 They range wide, mainly o\'cr the railways of Britain, oot also
include expcrienoes pined in the Isle of Man. IrelaDd. and
several Continental countries. There are reproductions of some
really superb paintings, two fa\ourites being a quaint liltle
2-4-0 tank locomoti\'(: of the Gennan Mosclbahn, and an
impression of a Paris Orlean Railway 2-4·2 of the J880s, with
NEW the entire ooikr and boiler mountings finished in polished brass.
ThiS book ean be recommended as a feast of pleasure for all
admirers of the steam locomOli\e,

Suspended services
PASS[:>;Q[RS No MOIl.E, by G. Danirl, and L. ~nell. Publishrd
by lan Allan Ltd, Tuminal Housr, SlrrpfNrlOn, Middx.
Pria 2b.
T HIS book details the many stations and lines that have lost
their regular advertised passenger services within the period
]919·1963. Not e\cry station is listed. For insta~, inter.
mediate stations which lost their service when a stretch of line
was elosed arc DOt mentioned, only the terminal and junction
stations at each end of the line. Even so, more than half the
96 pages are needed to list in taoolar form the hundreds of
stations and branch lines where 5enices ha\e been suspended.
There are over 60 illustrations, most of whieh arc of great
interest. They range in period from the ]920s, when growing
With modellers in mind road competition brought about the first closures, to as n:c.:ent
PROFlU: PuBUC\TIOSS. A series 0/ aircraft mOMlrapJu, as NO\'enlber, 1963, when the Hayling Island branch closed.
pllbfWrtd at 'he ralt ollour IWr moll/h, by Profile Pl<bficalWtu Most of the early photoaraphs are by H. C. Casserley, and come
Ltd, PO Box 26, la North Strn', Lftllht,hfild, Surrq. as a reminder of the debt we owe him for his record work in
Price 2J tileh. railway photography in the 'twenties and 'thirties,
Map references quoted refer to lan Allan's 'Pre Grouping
T HESE book.lets, alth01.lgh of geDel11i useforlhe aerophile, are
obviousJy aimed at the model maker. For the purpose of Gazetteer' and in conjunction with this earlier published work
' Passe ngers No More' is a yal uable source of rderence.
obtainins accurate itlustr:llions of camouflage schemes and
details- in colour- they are magnificent. The standards set in
the fint three months of publication leave vcry little to be Learning by building
desired, and for 'hose I.dshing to converl existing plastic air- A[ROMOD£UlNO, by Vie Smerd. Published by IV, and G, Foy/e
craft Ici's into a varietyo( different colour schemes there can be Lld, ChlUUrg Cron Road, London, WC2. Prfa 4s.
no better. HIS new book on the subject of Hying model aeroplane
Four aircrafl are dealt with under separa.ccovers each month.
Caterina for all tastes, a selection is made from World War I,
T C005truction is a pl1lCtical introduction offering four or
five models of various basic types that can be built simply from
1919-1939, World War 2 and post-war aircrart types. The the dl"J.wings and instructions in the book, All existing types of
OOoklcts can be bought separately or by subscription and they model arc described, but the detailed construction is con·
contain, apart from n lengthy history of the type under review, centrated on these basic simple types, so that the beainner
a full page of 6ve views ptus another page of as many side views knows what the hobby has to offer and can start ofT on a sound
as can be squoettd in-aJJ in colour. footing. 1be price is also right for the kind of market at wh.ich
Intcrspersed in the text are useful aDd sometimes rare photo- the book is aimed and, though small, it gives an admirable
If1lphs of the aircraft type and its ~-arious marks, genenUy in introduction to the hobby,
squadron or unit markinp. There can be nOlhing oot praise for
the oriJinatol'$ of these booklets. Their enterprise has afforded
the model maker with yet another first-class source of reference Flying-Gt first hand
a nd the new series of publications will do much to supplement WIIAT WEkE THEY LtKE TO FLY? by Squadron uader D, H.
and enlarge on existing knowledge. Clarke, DFC, AFe. PublisJred by lan Allall Ltd, Termilla/
flalUr, S/rt'PfNrIOlf, Middx. Prlu 3O.r.
URELY many readers will recall the series of interesting
Guaranteed to appeal S articles written by S/Ldr (Nobby) Oarke in RAF Flying
by C. HamiflOlf ElII,. Pllblishtd by
TIIR SPLL>oIOQUIl Of' STEAM, Rt'~kw some two years ago? His style and brcet)' attitude to the
Gtor6e Alien and Unwin, &akin Houu, 40 AllUeum SUeet, Hying of RAF aircraft has brought him certain fame as a
London, WCI. Price 63s. chronicler of the pilot's opi nion of some of the more famous
HERE are few .... ho can match Hamilton Ellis's enthusiasm war·time aircraft, and his sometimes bitter criticism of their
T ror railways and steam locomotiYes, and even fewer who handling qualities has been the cause of a few raised eyebrows
nnd many a lengthy discussion on his statements.
have his gift for literary llnd artistic expression. Couple this with
an expert knowJedae of the subject, and a fund of memories Whether you agree: with the author's views or not, his writing
reaching back throulh the really great years of railways, and style, if unorthodox, is interesting and we went lhrough the
you have a fonnula for a railway book guaranteed to appeal to pages of this book with delight, Out or the 50 aircraft types in
all enthusiasts. Ouke'slog book, 36 arc discussed in this book, which also has
In 'SpleDdour of Steam', Hamilton Ellis has painted and a number of the author's own photographs to illustrate the
described in 34 separate essays, subjects of his own choosing. stories.
MO'y. 1965 279
 New kits and models
MORE MILITARY ACCESSORIES onc. "'hile th e Saladm tool more than I",iee as long. In
each casc. hoy,e\er, the body consists of onl) two main
L ATEST military scenic accessories released this month in
the prolific Bellon . range are a set of four 'canhworls'
parIS. a chassis pan and uppe r hull. y,ith all the other com-
ponents totalling about $0 pieces. A good, full) illustrated,
for 00 H O size model soldiers. Two foxholes . a slit trench Instruction sheet is pro\ lded which, although \\Tillen in
and a machine-gun nest make up the set, .... hich costs 2s 6<1, Japanese, is perfectl) easy 10 follow, A pralscy,orthy feature
postage 9d. All four pieces a re supplied on a single wcb, is a sprue chan which males location of the parts \et)'
from 'Ahich they can be CUI with scisson. Given a rough Simple, \\hile the sprues and other parts are packed in indi·
'eanh' te... ture, they only require painting wit h water vidual pol)lhene bags inside the box, so that no pieces are
colours 10 be able to take their pJace,s on a miniature lost before they are nwded.
battlefield. Both models have steerable front \\heels, opening hatehe.s
Oc$igned to be free-standing, the foxholes and the trench and opening engine cmers, bUI the figures provided arc in
actually use the table-lop or baseboard as the 'bottom',
.... ith 'earth ' built up round them to gi"c the correct depth.
Though Ihis method is somewhat artificial. it .seen:u 10 be
the only real answer 10 the ph)' ica! impowbilit)' of digging
small fO'l"holcs in the carpel or on the dining room table!
On a sand table or permanenl military la)'out they could,
o f course, be bedded into the scenery. The foxholes take
a single kneeling Airlix soldier and the slit trench lakes up
10 four, though wc found thal in some eases a slh·er of
plastic had to be cut from a figure's base to make it fit The
machine·gu n nest IS a small emplattment which will take
\jnual!) any sort o f infantry support \\'Capon, besides a
machine gun.
8ellona ha\·e also introduced several improved replace-
ments for earlier models. Chief of these is a haystack with
one end cut away to provide a hide for a sniper or
obscn·ation officer. !'rice is 35 6d. Others are shown in the
illustration. All are a\·ailable by post from Merberlen Ltd.
Uay,lhorn Hill , Braclnell, Berl!. C.O.E.

AFVs FROM JAPAN

BMW Models of Wimbledon, already \\eU lnown as im-
porters of Japanese aircraft lits, now introd ucing
!Ut
thei r first two military kits from th e same source.
Made by Tamiya Mokei, the kits are of two British
armoured cars. Saladin and the less·familiar Cm·entry MI;: 2.
\\hich nevct say, full operational service. 8 0th arc to 1:3$
scale and both are supplied witb Mabuchi 3 \oh electric ~
motors, plus all the necessary \\ires. ballCT) holders, con·

r
tacts and gears necessal'} for motorisation. Very clear wiring
IflStructions and an ingenious auembly met hod make this
part of the construction literally a matte r of minutes.
The Coventry proved to be the simplest of the 1\\0 and
also the quickest to build. I took only an evening on this

Top to bottom : Nt ... Japanrsr I :35 s("a/t armOIlrf'd rar kits:

5o/(I(li" (lop) alld Cor,.",,)' Mk 2 (botlr from BM IV Moods).
lkllaoo ',,.pfattmtnl' motkls: SlO"" Clf/r,.", ha),stQ("k ...·i,h y"i/Wr
POSII;O" road s«Iio" alld brit/gt. Sfit 1rf'll('h ( ItR ),foxhof, and
maclrint gu" 1Its( from Ikflona .

'"
Japanese-type uniforms and are bc5t discarded altogether.
A design fault in the Saladin - not apparent from the
instruction sheet-means that a section of the right-hand
chassis side bas to be sawn out to allow thc rear axle unit
to be fitted . But this is a rclativcly minor task, not berond
the an:ragc modeller,
The batteries - Ever Ready 014 type. not supplied -
gi~'e useful adhesion .... eight low do .... n. and the COlent!)
has a Ih'ely performance both for.....ard and re\'ersc. taLing
minor obstacles in its stride. Unfortunately 1 .....as unable
to test the Saladin. as the gear unit became accidentally
seized up ""hen I inadvertently dropped iL With six wheels.
ho.....e\·er. it should go even better than the Coventry,
Minor criticism must include the ralher namboyant and
non-authentic transfcrs - also best di!lClrded - and some
small distortion in the dimensions. But these do not detract
from the true 'character' which Ihe completed models
capture. and on the credit side are most realistic rubber
tyrcs and some \er)' nice de!.ailing, including evcn the fire
e.'ttinguishcrs and rear-\iew mirl'Otl in the Saladin.
At a mere 13, 6d each (UK price) these two kits repre-
$Cnt e.'tcellent value for money and make an amusing and
interesting di\'ersion from the more $eriolU business of
assembling sma ll scale A.FV models. It is also worth
mentionini that they &0 perrectly with Brilains' large-size
model soldiers. C.O.E.

A MERICAN RANGE
A LTE RNATIVE import and distribution arrangements
arc being made in this country for the American range
of Aurora kiU, and one futurc source of supply- from
earl} May - ....-ill be B. J. Ward Ltd, 130 Westminster
Bridge Road, Londo n, SE!. They e.'tpc<:1 to have available
a full ranie of Aurora kits. ineludina 1 : 32 scale sports cars
and hot rods, IOJether with customising kiIJ, famous ..... ar-
ships, historic shiJll, plus I : 25 scale aircraft and tanks. We
hope to give more and ruller news in future iSSues. D.R.

SAINTS AND SELLERS

R ECENr Corai die-casIJ to be re leased are three interest-
ing models of unusual prototypes, They are a mobile
canteen, a Wall's ice cream \ an, and a replica of 'The
Saint's' Volvo PI 800 car,
The mobile canteen hll been built on 10 a Smith's Karrier
chassis and is fitted with a new Corxi feature , 'Trans·O-
Ute' glow lighting, which illuminates the neon 'Snack Bar'
sign over the cab and also provides the strip lighting in
the van ilSelf. A hinged counter can be lowered from the
offside, revealing hot plates, a tea urn, cash register, sink.
grill, butter dish and so on in the inlerior. The figure of
the chef himself, inside the van, can be moved by a knob
set into the roor. Finished in blue and emblazoncd with
'J oc', Diner' and 'Snack Bar' sigllS, Ihis Corxi also

a steering wheel. It is J'

reatures G lidamatic spring suspension, ....indows, sealS and
inches long and casu 65 3d.
The Wall', ice cream Ford ThamQl 5 CWI van has been
released in a prC!tntation pad:. including a uniformed J
figure of the drh'cr handing an ice cream 10 a small bor.

T(19 10 bottom: Corgi r~p/ie(U 0/ 'Th~ Sai,,,'s' vofyo PI800. ond

ntobil~ cantun. Matchbox Xi", Si;:~ Hatra Ir~t(}f" mo"1 and
GMC tr~IO' tmd hoppn train. Dinky Austin 1800 tmd Victor 101
soloons. Matchbox C/w'rold Inrpolo taxi and Dodg~ "'rrek
truck.
May. 1'65
New kits and .Ddels-Contin~ superbly detailed and accurale in outline. They cost £j 195 6d
The \an Itself features a $pctially built 'pagoda' body eacb.
housing the freeur and fitted \Ooilh sliding, clear \Ooiooow$. The first tram set in the new 9 mm puge Minitrix range
The .",hole thing is finished in authen tic Wall's H\I: r) - should al50 now be available. The set includes a Continental
pale blue and cream - with a ppropflatc insignia and a ou tline ()'6-0 lank locomotive, three four-wl'lccl carriages and
striped canOP) roof. This 3t inch long model also has all· j ft 6 in of track. It costs £6 1756<1, and the euned track radius
round suspension, detailed ca b interior and plated bumpers is 7 inches. N.S.
and grille. It sells at 6s lid.
Third member of this latest Corgi trio 15 'The Sain!"s' SLOT RACING NEWS
Volvo PI 800. The Saint himself is sealed al Ihe wheel and
a Saint emblem on the bonnet eonfinn s his iden tity. The
Vo h o is finished in white, .",jth sil\'er flash and red interior
ONE of the most exciting developmcnt since the incep-
tion of slol motor racing is the new four.wheel-drive
chaS5is which has been developed by Model Road Racing
It is 3.
trim, and boasts jewelled headlights and 'pring suspension.
inches long a nd costs 4. 6d. D.C.N. Cars Ltd. of 1J0urnemouth (now a member o f the Airfix.
Group of compames). It must be stressed that this new item
will not be available in the shops unti l around mid-Ma y.
TWO NEW LOCOS Production IS due to start shortly, and \Ooe hope to gi\'e more
ofttle new additions to lhe Trix range for 196j are
SEVERAL
now reaching lhe shops. Foremosl are the two new loco-
news o f this latest item in a forthcoming is!iue.
The MRRC range of slot racing equipment pro\ides a
moti\es for l6.j mm gauge; lhe E3000 Class electric, as built com preDenJihe choice for the more .serious and enthusias\lc
foe the LM R Euston·Li\-erpool electrification, and the Western model moto r racer. An extensive &election of gears, wheels,
Region DJOOOWestem Class diesel.hydraulic. Both locomotives t)TeS (in both hard and soft rubber), vacuu m formed body
feature five-pole mOlors, working hc.1dlights both ends and, shells, eleetric motors (including a new t) PC that em ploys
from the photographs supplied, Ihey would appea r 10 be ball·races), steering units, track sections, va riable speed
eontrollers, and a host of other useful equipment is (eat ured
in th e range. M RRC items a rc now becoming far more
generally available, \Oojth many Airfix ret ailers beginning to
hold 510d., . I) R.

MORE SALOON MODELS

L ATEST to join Dinky To)'s' die-cast model cars range
are a mlnialUre Vauxhall Victor 101 and an Austin
I!!OO. The Victor 101 is finished in brighl carmine red and
boasts $C\'eral com pletely new fea tures. These include inset
'chrome' window frames a nd a new Iype of ren ceting head-
light, lnown as the Dinky ' Hi-Lite: 1J0th the bonnet and
boot lids open, and a si1~e red 'dummy' engine is fitted. in-
terior trim is moulded in oIT·white plastic wit h a black steer·
ing \\ heel, and other equipment includes "restomatic steering,
four-wheel suspension, number plates, windscreen wipers
and unde r-chassis detail. The Victor IS 4 inches long and
COSIS 7, lid.
Dml..y·, model of BM C'. lalest big saloon, the Austin
1800, is finished in metallic blue wit h red interior trim, and
includes the new-typc wi ndow Cram and headligh ts
featured on the Vaux hall, plus opcnina bonnet and boot
hds, detailed 'dummy' engine, luggage, "restomatic sleer-
ing. all-round suspenSion, number plates and chassis delail.
11lis H inch 10rli miniature also scUs at 75 lid. D.C.N.

LATEST LINE-UP
news in the die-cast li ne comcs trom lesney.
M ORE
Their lalest Matchbox releases arc a 1 :8j scale Dodge
wrecl.. truel.. and a I : 72 scale (aircraft modellers lake note)
Chenolet Impala taxi.
The Dodae is fi nished in bri&ht lree n and )'ello\\ , and
features authe ntic BP transfers, tinted cab windows, imita-
lion red roof ligbt, unbreakable plastic towing hook, cast
jib and ~ indin g gear, and l1umber plates. Th is 3 inch long
Matehbo.t miniature costs 2s.
A nother American vehicle, the ChevroJef Impala taxi,

New Irom Trlx (top to bottom): Wtstern Class dit!StI·hydraulic

and EJOOO CltlSs ti«tric locos, and 9 mm ,augt M initrix Sd.
AirflJf Ma,a r./ne
form5 a handwme model in Ihi5 sma ll scale. It is finished
in yellow and has spring suspension, windoW$, interior
trim, dri\er, unbreakable plas tic lo\\in& hool and an
authentic 'Taxf transfe r on the bonnet. Plated bumpers
and grille complete this 2i inch long. 2s replica.
Other Matehboll models are the Major Pack GMC traclor
and hopper train and a King Siu Hatra tractor sho\el. The
American Fruchauf hopper train whh hs GMC tractor.'cab
unit is finished in maroon and siher and features authentic
Fruchauf transfers, eab windows and suspension, towing hooks
and rin~ :and rully working hoppers. Packed in a full colour
aiant 'Matchbox'. the I I lRch long, 1 :67 scale model ~s Now open to aU enthusiasts
9s lid.
The Hatra is the King SIU \'ersion of the popular Matchbox The Old Motor showroom is now
mini-model and, finished In the same: orange shade, it features open to all interested in Iransport of
cab windows, balloon tyres, authentic Halra transfers and an every kind . It is Londo n's newest
operating sho\'C:1, ThIS sho\'cl is worked by minialure 'hydraulic' establishment fo r the enthusiast, where
rams and will tip, swivel and elC'\atc to any position. Length is all that is best on the market can be
.s, inches in I :61 scale and the price is 7s l id. D.C.N.
seen; from magazines, books, etc., to
prints and postcards; information is
always ava ilable there on all that is
NEWS FROM IPMS going on or inleresl, such as rallies,
elthibitions and co nrerences. The Old
A sofmenlioned last momh. Ihe SC'COnd annual general meeting
the Inlernational ]'Iast ic Modellers' Society was held on Motor showroom is run by enthusiasts
ror enthusiasts.
Friday, March 26. at the Colour Film Ser\-iccs Lld cinema in
Portman Close. Duri ng lhe business pari of the meeti ng, the Ir you are in the Piccadilly a rea, pop
retiring ElIQClltive Committee was relurned inlacl. together in. we are always at your service.
wi th the addition of Iwo new elected members. The Committee
now consists of the followi ng olflccrs:- W. R. Matthev"s. OLD MOTOR SHOWROOM
President; W. L. Ba>.:ter, Vice- President; R. R. Wainwright,
Uon Secretary: D. R. M. O"ford. I-I on Treasurer: R. C. Jones,
17 Am STREET, LONDON, W. I
Editor; J. R. Chisman, Membership Secretary, (also London
Area Socretary); C. O. Ellis; F. J. Henderson; J . P. L. King
Spooner; and R. J. HoeHina. C"'-. Wa hu. ma.. , I...... I.om rud ............ i ... b&~k
<o, i.. of Alllfl)( I1AGAZIN l co..... i ..i.... ~o .. v . . .io..
The second issuc of the ne ....·style IP MS Magazine, for Feb- ,.". ...i d ... . .d , co"l.. of m ..., I............Ill ... il.
ruary. has at Iona lasl bttn Circulated.. The March issue is very .... a"I. fo••ha to...efI. of ....d ......ho ma, ","va m i..ed
0 ' mi.I.ld ....11•• -.li . ...... FG •••• m,I., h.... . ..
nearly ready. and will ha\'e been CIrculated. by the time this •
....
• •
. . ..... of .ha " . .c. iul ...Icl•• which haw •• ,pea • ..t
appears m print. The delay with the February issue was due
entirely to teething troubles with prinllna. and lhese ha\'C: now I;C: I·__'_"__ ' K__
."_ '__
" _••_-_ '________ ~~--~~~~--~
bttn cured. It is pemap$ worth mentioning, though, for the L&I
=-
1964 : July- Morris truck.$ from Airlix 'Quads'.
benefit of those who wonder why we are still dea ling with Au,ust--Convertlnl Alrlix Hunter and HMS
March .... hen commercial maprines have already issued. April
o r May numbers, that our release date is the last week of the
month cODC('rncd, not the last week of the precedi ng month.
z: Hatspur klu. Septem ber-Hot orisll'll t he Alrfix
Saddle Ta nk. O ct ober-Convert inl t he Airfix
Ju 88. N ovember--Converslons wit h t he Alrlix
From the beginninlil of Apri l subscriptions for new members Q Cent urlon. Dec:ember--Carrler conv ersions an d
wi ll be red uced by onc quarter to cove r the period to the end of
U Du.llna Profile. 1965 : Janua ry- Armoured ca rs
for t he Afri ka Korps and motodsln, t he Alrfix
the year. Th is follows the practice int roduced last yea r, and E~enmr Scar. Fe bruilfy-More German ellh'.
means that from now unl ilt he end of J une senior mem bers will wh eele rs from the Alrfi x ar moured ear an d p. 6A
pa y 225 6d and junior mem be rs li s 3d . Overseas members. conve rsion with t he Alrflx Klttyh awk. March-
regardless of age. will pay 315 6<1. A furt hC'r reduction will take More co nvers io ns wIt h t he Alrfi x Centurion u.nk.
effect from J uly l. April- Makl n, Japanese Infantry equipment an d
T he next London meeting of IPM S at the Porcu pine will be convert; n, the Alrfix Boston IV Into an A·20G.
o n Friday, Apri l 30. :md il is hoped that this will be the last WOIJld rcalk rs please nole thell the (al/owlni
prior to a change of \enue. The Welsh branch of the Society Issues ore now out 0( print: 0/1 1960 editions; 011 I ~6 1
is hoping to orga nise a meeti ng in CardIff during the early ..... edrtlons; jonuory. February, Mo rel'l, April, May. June.
summcr-detai ls will be given a li ttle nearer the time, The .... July, NrUSl, September and Octobe r, 1~62 ; NfUSI,
Merseyside branch is very actl\'e In U \erpool and meetings are Q September. Octobe r, NO¥ember and December. 1963 ;
held regu larlY. Two outings are planned. by this group, one to
a n aiTCT'llft dump near Manchester and the othC'r 10 Speke
>- • __F_"_'_~_"__' _""__,<10_ , "'_'_il_,""_ ,_"_'''i_'_M_,_'_''''_'___
A irport. While il is not apparent (rom the planned. outings, the Suk co"i.. con h U •• ch (I_h.dl... ''0".'.'
fo • •1I i ........ p.o a.. d t ..d .. di ... A........ ItU. F......
mai n interest of Ihis branch is in mili tary modelling. A braoch S.p•• m...., IKJ, _ .....'". ,h. con I. 10 ..... I......
subscription of .ssa year for seniors and 2s 6d a year (Of j uniors _. paid. ,,1_ add __ .11 .......... for b&ck
<o,i_ '0••'''- wi.h ,OW" .....I.......c., '0 _.
is charj'ed, toaether wi th a nominal ld a week. Anyone requiri ng I.......
c!re .. d.'.~
( "~ODUCTIONS)
.......
LTO .
t . , SU II.IIIDGE. DAWSON
1"/ t41 NEW KENT
further details should conlact the Area Secretary, J. Nelson
11011.0, LO ND O N SEI .
Ewen, 4 Corona Road, Waterloo, Li\erpool. 22. R.R.W.
May, /96.5
'"
 Lft....... th. Edt ... r cx" 0 ..1, b .... _ ...... I.. th •

Letters to .....ul .... "oad ... whoM I•• t . . . . . . . . p .. Wl,h'"

ouh ......... f . . . 4Irfl. ,t .. tlc conotnH:tlo .. kit
ofth.l. cholc.. W . . . . alwoys P....... to ...... y.
,_. CCNnm..,ca -...cl "etu.... w/ok h wLlI b.
co ... ld.r'" ro. publiutio ... S .. bmitt<o<l m ..... i.1

the Editor
..... pic..... can Oft l, ..... ... r" ... IT auomp ..... <o<I
b, •• ump'" a6d • .....r ..,yMop<o, ..... do .. EdilO'
cannot &CCOP' .... ponllbili.., for ......... pi ... or
... , ... d, con.rlbution...... th •• do .. h ... __ oaril,
. , ' " wi.h comm ... U _p.-.cI b, co.r_pond ... U
i .. th. I.u .... colum ...

Polythene 'water' ting or bending. 'Welding' these pin, heated red hot, can be 'welded'
figures is not at all difficult with a into a man's hand to form a sword.
I WOULD like to offer a useful
suggestion to readers who enjoy
liUlc practice. and requires no mo re
in the way of equipment than an old
There are a few conversion jobs for
which neither of these methods are
laking photographs of their models. It
knife and a gas-ring. ideal, such as the attachment of small
is 'CTY difficult, if not impossible, \0
For cerlain jobs, such as attaching and fiddling pans to men or horses.
photograph model ships on water as
heads, where welding te nds to result For these I have found Uhu univers31
they arc constantly at the mercy of wind
in a figure with no neck, I find pin- glue fairly effective, especially .... hen
and tide. I have o,'ercome this problem
ning parts together a very effective supplemented by an overall coat of
by large sheets of polyt hene. The
substitule (it is best to make the holes enamel, but I must admit tbat the
polythene, prefembly two or more
thicknesses, is crumpled up \0 gi\'e the first wit h a complete pin, and then joint made is much weaker than by the
effect of wavcs and then flallened out on use a short cut-off piece to make the other methods mentioned, and break:-
the ground. The battleships, etc, are final joim ; forcing it well down makes age can occur if the figure is, for
laid on i1 in appropriate positions. It an 'invisible' pin). instance, dropped on a wooden floor.
wou ld be advisable, however, to make Pins can also be used for weapons, Examples of things attached in this
sure that there is no strong sunlight panicularly the softer types which. way on my figures are blanket rolls,
shining on the polythene as i1 may cause after removal of the head, can have sword-scabbards and rifles to cavalry
glare in the camera lens. the blunt end slightly bent and horses, plumes to hussar busbys (my
The photographs are usually in- hammered 10 make a rifle bUlt (the hussars are convened cowboys, with
distinguishable from actual water! Ajrfix cowboy running, for instance, 'carved-up' guardsman head and pin
BaIT)' Wildsmith, Badey, Yorks.
can be convened in to a splendid swords) and pennants for lancers.
chargillg Zouave by this means); with As 10 paiming, I have not found
Converting ligures Scotchtape, o r similar, short lengths any real problem. M y 2,000 or so
of pin can also be made inlO other figu res arc used regularly in war-
I NKereply to
lle r in
the letter from reader
the March issue of weapons ( I have produced lmgs for
the Gem13n combat group in th is
gamcs, and I have not found that
handling removcs the normal plastic
A IRFI X MAGAZINE, complaining about
the difficulty of converting and paint- way, using a lying rifleman witb his enamel paints, such as Airfix or
ing Airfix 20 mm soldie ~, I would arms bent by heal into a suitable Humbrol, e.\ cepl from "ery narrow
position, and a bipod mounting made and fle~ible projections such as
like to mention some methods which
out of fuse wi re), The point end of a bayonclS and swords (the latter can,
I have found effective in dealing with
these figures.
Initial 'su rgery' for conve~ions is.
of course, simpler with the soft
plastic used than it would be with a
ha rd p>lystyrene, and a razo r'blade
is a perfectly adequate tool for this.
loining parts together can be a great
problem, but the answer certainly
lies in abandoning glue and using a
welding technique. melting the plastic
with a hot knife or similar tool.
This method has solved all my
problems in this direction; a rms can
be transplanted, half-figures joined
at the waist, stands fixed to hoJ$CS
and horses to ride~. What is more,
such joints are permanent and appear
to be practicall y as slrong as the
original parts of the figure. In addi-
Remler L. M. BUllgcy, of TrUllmerc, SOUII! Auslra/ia, selll /IS 'his piClure, showing the
tion, a milder de gree of heat allows nm·ef "'ay in which he displays his model aircraft co/lec/ion. He moUIllS the models on
arms and legs to be bent pennanently bicycle spokes of l'arious lengths and this mttlrod has enabled Irim to accommodnre over
in to new pos;uons without any cut- 100 models in an area of ollly to square fut.
,.. Airf" M"I"zille
of course, be replaced by pins as
mentioned aOO\e). It is truc, howc\er,
that children can remQ\e the paint
pretty quicl.:ly, and Jt IS advisable not
to dump figures in heaps in their
boxes. Most of mme lwe o n balsa
tn.~"S carr}ing four mcn each, attached
by double·sided $ellotape, This reduce!
handling of the figures as well as
maling them easier to mo\e in
' baltle',
I am sure all these methods are
lnown to experienced modellers, but 77,ru ''''0 LifxrafOr piC:/llrrs II'rre submi"td by rroder K. O. Phiflips, o/ lIeolhMld.
I ha\'e nO( seen them mentioned and Susu:c:. Tll#'ysho .... (abol'e) a M A: So/ P3S4 Sqn (lnd(below) (I Mk 6 o/Z3S4 Sqn. &Ih
hope they may be o f some help to "'rre I4Yd by RAF SE Asia CommaItd. baSt" (1/ Cull~k, Or,issu./rom 1943-4S. TlItY
others as weU as M r Keller. "'rre "std for shippitlg slrikts (llId AIS pll/rofs in tire & y a/Br'lgal (lmi on tht 8/1rma
CtxlJt.
Finally, as a fai rl y reCi:nt addition
to readers of At RI'tX l\\ ,\O,\ZI'oII;, may
1 congn.tulaTC ~ou on an e)(cellcnt
publica lion, and add my voice to the
horde of advisers on fu ture models-
how aboul Napoleonic figu res in the
00 range? Perhaps a ' Wate rloo' sel
with infantry, cava lry and artillery of
both sides?
G . R. P. Gush,
Tunllridge Wells. Kent,

Kit club
T HEhas price of kiu in New Zealand
set me thinkin,. How about create international liaison betwccn
modellers. quite apa n from reducing SLOT RAONG PRIZES
some enlerprising people fomling a
planic kit club to operate in the prices. Whoe,'er start5 this, please
let me know. I want 10 become a
AT MODEL SHOW
same way as some book and record RITA IN'S largest miniature motor
clubs? Here in New Zealand a
record club sells LPs al one·third
foundation member from 'do wn
unde r'. (An CJltra special c! fo r B raci ng circuit will be one of the 51ar
foundation members - from New features at the National Model Show, to
the shop price and evidently mikes be held at the New Horticultural Hall,
a profit. Would il wo rk with kiu? Zealand-eh 7)
James Cecil, Chrislcbutth 1, NZ. W~ m inster, London, from August
What do readers thin k? 24-28, I96S. Visitors to the Show will be
This kit club, which should be
international. and must include New Double convers ion able 10 compete against experts on the
giant circuit frce-of-charge. and prizes
are a couple of points for
Zealand (1) \\ould operate something
like this : For an inilial payment, H ERE
readers who a re keen on tips and
will be presented each day for tbe best
time5 put up.
members would receive 'any th ree con\'ersions. While reading the Feb· Tile British Hot Rod Association will
(four, fh'e, etc) ki u free, fronl this ruary issue of your much·enjoycd also be ex hibiting- for the first time in
list'. Here follows an impressi\l: list magazine, I was interesTed 10 see !\I r public-II model drag strip. complete
o f utilina choices. The obligation Coc's conl"ersion ti p on the Hcinkel with li nling aear. Enthusiasts can bring
would be to promise to pu rchase a III and its cupola. What J dJ d whcn I II10nl their own caT! and compete
certain number-say si..--during the convertcd my Hcinkel was to ta ke thc against those of Hot Rod Association
nex t 12 months, f rom the club', lin cnd otT one of the stand bases supplied members.
at manufacture r's prices. There a re with the kit, and aftcr filing was able In addition to scverJI other model
sel'eral variations on this theme. o f 10 obtain the right shape. The size motorways, there will lllso be a number
cou rse. All tastes would have to be of the base to be used is, of course. of model railway lay-ouu. in va rious
catcn.'<i for : military, caTS. plants. gOl"erned by the size of cupola nceded. gauges, and a wide range of modclling
etc. with ma}be a few no\eJty Items The second conversion i5 nOt quite kils will also be shown by the various
or bonuses thrown in now and then. $0 easy as the fomler. but done cor· exhibitors. Many well·known rating
I had first thought of Ai rfi)( launch- rectly and carefully is more rewarding car dri~rs and crnck rai lway engine
ing Ihis club as a sales advance (in· It is a corrversion fonn the Airfix dril-ers, plus screen, stage and television
dicati\'e o f the high regard I have Ila r. ard to a Commonwealth Wirra· personalities v.ho are model fans, wm
for AirfiJl) bu! perhaps this wouldn'! way. Firstly construe! the kit I ! usual. attend the show.
be practicable with the lower.priced but omit the engme co\\ ling and The National Model Show will be
kits. So maybe an independent body cock pit a nd dispense with the VIe open rrom 10.30 am to 9 pm from
handling all brands o f dearer kits housing covers altogether. Now comes Monday, Au,ust 24 to Friday, August
would be best? the tricky part: add -l inch thicl ba lsa 27, and from 10.30 am to 6 pm on the
This could be s reat fun . It would Ulur.l t:ontillUtd on ~:c:t f1tI8c last day. Saturday. AugUSt 28.
Mor. 19'5
 Letters to
the Editor
Conlinu~

block 10 fire wall, between bulkhead

and '" here the engine COI'I hng should
be added, and sand to shape of fuse-
lage. Now add the enline cowlln,.
dispensin& with the liven air intake
and add I longer \'CrSlon, together
'" llh a different I) pe of exhaust out)el.
Fill in recess and add plasti c stem cut
1:32 SCALE SCAHHElL IOO-TONNER IN PLASTIC
10 shape.
The IWO fOI'''''ard guns are added
protruding from IWO emplacementJ
SCAMlI,IEl..L'S 1000tonner, the
world's first road "ehicle with this
brake Ie"er, dnshboard, hand petrol
pump. door handles and hinges. It took
load capacity, and originally built in 250 hours to build and is finished in Ihe
directly in fronl of the cock pi t on the 1929, is often the subject of model lin:ry of Edward 8 0'( & Co. Mr
lOp of the fuseiase, made from plastic makers' work. The latest mi niature Thomton·Jones has also modelled a
wood fitle r. The guns af': made from ,'ersion of this machine has been built Vu lcan XA type locomoti,~ for the
stems melted \0 determined shape. by Mr Clive Thomton·Jones, of Cl1ester. Scammellto carf)'.
Now add the aeria l as usual, a nd A particularly interestin g feature of his Scammell Lorries Ltd are always
also a pilot tube J t inch from pori model is that it is made almost entirely willina to supply copies of enaineerina
wing root and fuselage side. Cho p from touil\encd polystyrene sheet. and GA druwings of their "ehic!e:s for
i inch ofT the rear cockpit and place To I :32 scale, it is approxima tely 23 model makers, although in one or two
a gun in position. The last part is inches Iona o~rall and incl udes a host cases, particularly earlier vehicles, they
fi li ng the tail to the correct shape. The of detail features, such as telephone, cannot be supplied.
best way of adding clarity to Ihis djs-
criplion is 10 wort from an accurate
photograph as well; this will help on co\ered the opening at the back. In the top of a TV set. At the same time I
cock pit detail and ma rkingJ and a lso this case I used strips cut from the have commenced the Cif)' of rruro, and
on identification lettering, plastic Ihat bolds Ihe pariS tOiether, the Dcnni. Fire Enaine is a ....-aiting my
While readina the conversion on which look like logs, but I Ihould attention. Thuefore, not too fast picase,
the JuS8 last October, I noticed that thlOl that plaslic calli would be .... bile il ry to catch up.
)oU would possibly be doing onc on sUccn5ful. Havi na been a model maker and
the lu!88 . I hope this may appear in I also made a canteen, cuning the model railway enthusiasl since 1932, I
the \er)' near ruture, pieces from the shed hont, though I can I\onc:stly state that in my opinion
.., Jary, Cludon Vlllagt, should say that plastic card would be Airfix lcads the fidd with all the \-anous
Nr SundC'rlllod, just as good. A front, back and roof models, produced al a \ery reasonable
mu!1 be cut. the front havins a panel price. May I also praise the excellence of
Use/ul spores cut out of it. These pieces are glued AU\fIX M AOAZll'1(, which could o nly be
tOlether in U shape, onc cnd being enhanced by enlarai ng the reviews of
AM ,'ery pleastd to hear of one
I of the newest Airfix reltaSdl,
filled in with strips oC plastic. A
counter and shelf are cut from plastic.
new kits and models.
1'. H. J . Pillam, Leeds, Yorks.
the luS2. I am a lso \er)' pleased to
'fl1e counter is glued under the panel
hear oC the new Dog FiSht Doubles
series, cut out of the front, and the shelf to Alex the archivist
the opposite wall. Tins to go on to
I thousht readers would be
inte rested to know how I use the spare
pans from my models. I often find
the shelf can be made Qut o f stri ps QC
plastic. I UAVE no wish to start one of the
endless araumen ts regarding old
Two suggestio ns for models arc an "ersus new which appear from ti me to
that I have coup ling hooks from roil- time in the rai lway modelling magazines,
ing stock left over, as I use Homby American Hoeing StratofortreSll and
an Avro Vulcan. but Alex Bowie'S remarks in the March
DubIo couplings. I have found tha t issue need some comment in case they
they look very like machine guns and R ichard Brids", Bric:rley Hill, 8 Ian·s. are the thin end of the wedge into his
ha\'e proved quite sucoess.ful as such own articles. These are exoeUent witbin
.... hen I converted my Walrus into a Too many moclels their unavoidable limitations and the
monoplane.
As readers will I..now, to lensthen
the Airfix engine shed you ha,'c to buy
CONTRARY 10 usual cry for
t he
new Airfix kits, may I make a plea
sketches provide the son of data which
....~ can no longer see around us-he is
to you to slow down? You ha"e brought in fact one of the archivislS he seems
anothe r kit. When I had completed out so many fine kits of late that himself to distrust.
this conversion J found that I had interest me. that I just can't keep pace. Without putting the pros aDd cons,
one front, one back and lOffle othtT To illustrate; at the moment I ha\'e for the reason slated above, may I just
pans left o\'er. I assembled the hut- just completed the Mauufoflitl and the say that many mature schoolboys buy
like addition that normally Slues on EreninK Star. and am now rebuildin& Airfix kits of vin tage cars. piston-driven
to the end, but in this case I did nOI from a second kit the 8 type bus that aeroplanes, obsolete tanks, historical
alue it to the back of the abed, I then sustained major damaae on falling from ships. .....arships which they wiU oever sce
'16 Airfl x MClIClzine
since they were sunk years before they custom Zodiac, MG 1100, Volkswagen lion can be alternated according to
were oorn, etc, through the Airfix range:. and Rapier kits, and a dragging Renaull which type of swastika you requ ire.
Airfix have re·issued the Cily of Truro Dauph.ine, complete wit h a ' hot' engi ne. Incidentally, I echo the pleadings of
before the Deltic, which seems to show Perhaps a 'Customising Cars Cub' other correspondents for some scale
what lhey think. could be started up in my area ? Would maintenance personnel, as my Airfix
So, Mr Editor, keep an eye on Ale.'!. any readers who are interested please aircraft a re slowly going u / s. I am
in case he gelS rail bus·il is or diesel· contact ITIC. Finally, may I cnd this short also sure that man y OO/ HO scale
tremens. note by congratulati ng Airfix on their figu re enthusiasts would welcome a
My request to Airfi..:? Re-issue the excellent magazine, and outstanding box o f Airfi x Royal Welsh Fusi lieR
Deltic, please. ra nge of kits. and a box of Zulu warriors to combat
O. A, l\Iitchell, London, [9. 8. D. Garret!, 19 Manst~d Gdns, them.
Af~x &wi~ comments: 'Ther~ isn'l a Chad'l"ctl Heath, Romfotd, Essex. Ma y you enioy every future sue·
dog's chanu of All'x Ihe Archivist cess with your excellen t product and
st'tling lip somt'lhing suspicivlI.Jly Iik~ a Simple swastikas magazine.
pr~$$urt' group, t' 1·t'n for Mr M itchell,
. ."0 puts things so niuly. TIlt' boys I I THOUGHT some of you r readers
might prefer to pain t tbeir own
Robert E. DIm ")"
Chicago, UI 60646, USA,
quolt'd hal·t' a right 10 be heard, and $0 swastikas on models of Gennan air·
har~ /h~ Bri/ish Rail Organist'rs. My craft , rather tban purchase an addi·
pl'rsonaf ttuft'S and opinions don't decitk tiona l sheet of trans fers 10 obtain Pen-Iriends wanted
this maltu. them. I have had reasonable SUCCCS5
E followina ruden h. , ·c 10 the
wrin~n
'Too right abou/lhe arguments. Ont' of using the following method : T HEditor l'OCIuetti". !)eO.friends. lan K ~rr \ 1.),
I"~ rt'asons ..·hy Iht' IIl(l8a:int's art' 110'" I. Paint a small , white square 01 9 Tom-N.·I'..:kdir, Daaan, Fort Wilhanl,
belwt't'1I the dicst'1 and (ht' deep blue sea (comen vertical) on the fin of your l a~l~t wall" a ""n.friend.aed '( wbo
I, intereoted In military ""hic leJ .nd modool
is th(J/ ·so/1I(' ha,·t' t'ncouragt'd too many model. lOIdien and ....110 ptd"..... bly lives in London.
argumenfs ond too /I/(lny cr(lnks. A D. Phillips, 0112 Inp Lane. O riHJey, Nr Loed.,
2. Using a fine brush. paint a black Yorl<J" _Id like to p . In touch with an
policy of Ii'·e and ft't Ii,·t' "·Qllfd ha'·t' bun Greek cross on th e white a rea, its Amcric:an or Canadian ~Uc,. ahd about 1&
~it'f fO handlt'.'- Ed. .. ho i, inte ... ted ill modem and World War 2
anns parallel to the square's sides. aircrafl., and llIoo am>OU~ ""hic\c$. John
3. Add amlS 10 the cross to form T.ylor ( to), 01 t8 Bobt"" Road, Worocstcr.
Customising club the swastika.
Wora, YOUId like to correspond .. i.h _
India or Japan, aa:e<l bc:twecn to and 12, who i.
In
intera.'" in modeU ..... Oun ..... Linda. rom, of
M Arecent
Y I congratulale Airfix on the
kit of the Lotus·Cortina.
4. Separate the anns of the swas·
tika with a fine line of the background VIlI"ta.....,. 23, Hapnlcn, Slockholm, Sweden,
wItoox hobbies are plaUic kit buildina and 010.
I have customised many Airfix models, colour. motor ....,~ ....""'d tike a pen-pal in EnalaDd.
Intc...ted 1"'CI\l<k,.., .... inyited.o eltabtlsh COlltact
including a futuristic Jaguar E·type, Coloufll used in the above opera· dinlct, at the addreueo , ;""n.

MORE SUCCESSES WITH

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PhOIOlrclph shows 8, ADAMS with !he cups ond troph ies he
recently won in ctJmpetitlons ot the Swol/ale trock

YOU TOO CAN WIN WITH MRRC

Send stamped addressed envelope for lists to :
MODEL ROAD RACING CARS LTD.
2, ASHLEY ROAD, BOSCOMBE, HANTS. Tel. Bourn e mouth l8O'IS

NEW SIZE AIRFIX MAGAZINE BINDERS

are ready now-send lor yours TODAY
w....e ....,..".ed lor Eulblnd Ltd . 10 .... PPb" Mlf-b\JIdlna _ _ to IlII ..... d... .-110
...11 l u ..-aIn tllelr C>OPI_ lor IUtu.. rtt~.
The BASIBINDBR .. "-1ItIM 10 111114 .....1. of AIJU'IX MAGA%lNB . . 70U ....:el•• Ill...,
monU:c: J an":"':;" -;,-'~~u:.:dl~ II::'.-=~~ I:' !0:i.~~~':U"'d /'::":t::":,·
I~ed I.,.-etbw 11...11, 11' a ....... d«IH . IbM alIG... tII. IIln_ to open .,.,..,.,1- , .
::1'
hI for ..., ...aln, . stronal, .... dot wltII oWl eo ..... Ind IttracU_J ""und In red
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ORDER I'OIUoI
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Plea$e St'1II1 AJIIAx Jl,bC,\ZINE to me each mo/JIh IQr
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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENT
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ORDER FORM RATES :- 5d per word. Minimum cb.fle for each insen ion 3,.
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FOR SA I,E: Airfi)[ Magazines: From No. I onwards. S.a.e.
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SHU'S; For details o f World Ship Society. send 4i, stamp
to: T . Creswel1, 10 Brockhampton Road, Hawnt. Hants.
N EW!- for modellers and historians- Paul R. Matt's His·
to rical A viation Alb um, volume onc of a collector's ser ies.
Four-page profiles of ten American aircraft, each illustrated
v.itll photos and a do uble·pagc 3-vicw scale drawing. In
this volume: am iss F. Boat. Wrigh ...\t artin V, Packa rd-
Le Pere Lusac 11 . Waterman Racer. Ma rtin HM - I & 2.
Curtiss-Wright T -32. Bel1 P·39Q, Curti 5.'l sel. Cessna
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'" Alrflx MOlaz/ne

 MINIATURE
CATALOGUE
FREE! AUTOWORLD
(Formerly MOlld Roam and Racing)
" Harle yfo rd " proudly anllounce their 1965
llJ..palt! fully lIIuurated c<1I t a lolu e , $j ~e S! · The montbly magazine for everyone
wide X I f " deep. which ducribes the ir eleven with an interest in model cars,
c urre nt titl es (also their twelfth title to be moto r-racing, miniature car collecting.
publis hed on 1st O ct o be .. "ext). raccway and roadway building.
All r !!:ad en o f thi s mllln:ine who send us scenic modelling. etc.
their names and add ruses on a postca rd will
All your favourite features
r eeel ... ", " fo r free" o ur catalogue, d escrib ing
fully thi s se ri es of malnlficent aviation hi storical
and many new ones too. A n o ld friend
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Pro prietors of model aircraft s ho ps and book· Bigger, Brighter and Bctter-than-ever!
iellers a r e aho Invited t o write for a copy.
W rite no w to address below_Dept. AFt6S April all slIle
HARlEYFORD PUBLICATIONS LTO. March 25th 2/6 monthly
LETCHWORTH . HERTS, ENGLAND
PECO PUBLICATIONS SEATON DEVON

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 AIRFIX
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~~~==::::.:r~:::I~::~~~.
THE AIRFIX MOTOR RACING MR . 7 SET INCLuoes,
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