Dear business friends,

   The March newsletter brings you four new plastic models. Our offer includes three aircraft kits and one ground combat equipment kit. Although this is also related to the air, it is a model of the first combat-used tactical surface-to-surface missile, the German Rheinbote. We prepared this including the launcher. It was based on the V2 Meilerwaggen missile launcher. Other new items are the 1/72 scale SMB-2 jet fighter in IAF colours and the twin-engine and twin-fuselage F-82 Twin Mustang and the 1/48 Romeo Ro.43 observation and reconnaissance aircraft in the colours of the Italian and Spanish navies.

   Seven other new items made of resin or printed by 3D printing. Their offer is very diverse. From cast wheels for 1/72 Beaufighter and E-2 Hawkeye, through 1/48 cast armament set for OV-10 Bronco and 3D printed engine set for Heinkel He 115B to even the GAL 48B Twin Hotspur biplane. But that's not all, you can find the complete offer below.

   For the April newsletter we are preparing a 1/72 KFK ship. The Kriegsfischkutter was the largest naval project of Hitler's Germany. The SN72007 Kriegsfischkutter 'WWII German Patrol and Minesweeper Ship' kit is a very large and demanding project for us too. But everything indicates that we will offer it to you in April. Although, probably the only thing we can rely on in today's turbulent world is the functioning of Murphy's Law. So keep your fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong not only with the upcoming KFK, but also with other upcoming kits, such as 1/72 Mosquitoes, being prepared for May. And of course, send your orders, we look forward to them.

A Riedel

SPECIAL HOBBY PLASTIC MODEL KITS

Rheinbote German WWII tactical ground to ground V4 Rocket    1/72

   During World War II, many remarkable weapons were developed in Germany. One of them was a four-stage tactical surface-to-surface missile with solid-fuel engines, called the Rheinbote. It was developed at Rheinmetall-Borsig by a team led by technical director Klein and Dr. Vüllers. Development took place from 1941 to 1944. For the Wehrmacht, the work was coordinated by Oberstleutnant Alfred Tröller.
The rocket was made of sheet steel, the diameter of the individual stages decreased from the first to the fourth stage. It carried an explosive warhead weighing 40 kg. However, there was only 20 kg of explosives itself. Originally, the rocket was to be launched from a modified 88 mm Flak gun mount, but in the end a modified Meilerwagen carrier was used. The rocket's range was up to 200 km. Serial production, approved by Gen. Kammler, began production in the autumn of 1944. 300 were ordered. Only about 220 were produced by the end of the war. The rockets were tested by the Versuchkommando Tröller test unit. This was transformed into a single combat unit, Artillerie Abteilung 709. It was still led by Oberstleutnant Alfred Tröller. The Abteilung consisted of a staff, a supply platoon, a measuring and computing platoon, and two rocket batteries. Each battery consisted of four Meilerwagen launchers and Sd.Kfz 8 tractors. It entered combat on December 24, 1944, near Nuspeet, Netherlands, when it fired 24 rockets at Antwerp. It continued to fight and fired more than 200 missiles by the end of the war. Since Oberstleutnant Alfred Tröller and his men did not know the exact impact locations, most of the missiles missed their target. Gen. Kammler stopped the development of the Rheinbot in February 1944, as it was clear that it was no longer useful with the end of the war. Some historians state that, alongside the V-1 aircraft missile, the V-2 rocket and the V-3 long-range cannon with reactive shells, the Rheibote ranks among the Vergeltungswaffe, designated V-4.

-    1/72 Rheinbote has never been kitted before
-    V-4 part of the so-called V-weapons - retaliatory weapons
-    subject with both interesting concept and history 

SMB-2 Super Mystere ‘Sambad’    1/72

The French SMB-2 Super Mystere jet fighter became the first Western European fighter to break the speed of sound in level flight. Until the advent of the Mirage III, the SMB-2 was the most powerful French fighter. After the introduction of the Mirage III, the Super Mysteres were transferred to fighter-bomber units, where they served for a very long time. The SMB-2 was also exported to Israel. In the battles against Arab superiority, the SMB-2 proved its worth, but, like in France, they were used as fighter-bombers after the delivery of the Mirage III fighters. In Israel, the SMB-2 was modified by installing an American engine. After being decommissioned from the IAF, the remaining Israeli SMB-2s were delivered to Honduras. The kit contains mouldings with both engine variants. The decal sheet, originally used in kit SH72417, offers two Israeli machines with the original Atar 9B engine and one Israeli machine with the American Pratt & Whitney J52 engine.

-    highly detailed model
-    interesting colourful schemes
-    together with the kit we also offer the masks M72001, ladders 129-P72026 and 129-P72036, and we are working on other sets as well

F-82H Twin Mustang "Alaskan All Weather Fight 1/72

The twin-engine F-82 fighter aircraft became famous for its participation in the Korean War. But Twin Mustangs also served in the USA. Especially in Alaska, they formed the backbone of the fighter defense of the USA until the arrival of superior all-weather fighter jets. The threat of Soviet bombers with nuclear weapons on board was very topical at that time. For service in the harsh north, the already built F-82F and F-82G aircraft were modified and designated F-82H.
The Twin Mustang model includes four sprues of injection-moulded parts, injection-moulded canopy hoods, detailed PUR parts and etchings. The decals offer four Alaskan aircraft, two of them in black, the remaining two in Alaskan anti-camouflage finish, i.e. aircraft in natural metal with wing tips and tail surfaces in red. Two of the aircraft have underwing fuel tanks decorated with drawings of bald eagle heads.

-    eye-catching colourful schemes
-    interesting concept of the airframe

Romeo Ro 43 ‘Spanish Service’    1/48

   In September 1943 it became clear that Italy was defeated. A group of Italian navy aviators knew it, too, and so they decided to fly eight IMAM / Romeo Ro.43 floatplanes from La Spezia to La Maddalena. They took off the moment the German troops started to take over the local armoury. Two of them were shot down, remaining six managed to reach the Spanish Balearic Islands. The Ro.43s were interned there and later put to service with the Spanish Naval Air Force designated HR.7.
   Our kit contains a sheet of decals covering one machine wearing the original Italian markings and also one machine as flown later in Spanish colours.
-    very interesting colour options
-    remarkable history
-    also contains detail resin parts and photo etches

SPECIAL MASK

Fairey Battle Mk.I Masks 1/72

 Pre-cut mask set for the clear parts and undercarriage wheels of Azur Frrom's 1/72 Fairey Battle as well as the upcoming Special Hobby boxing.

RESIN MODEL KITS & SETS

OV-10 Bronco Fuselage Armament 1/48 / for ICM kit

Open armament compartments with machine guns and ammo boxes. Designed for ICM’s 1/48 Bronco kit.
Resin cast parts also come with a fret of etches.

UH-1B Huey ‘Exhaust’ 1/35 / for Trumpeter kit

   3D-printed exhaust nozzle to fit Trumpeter’s UH-1B Huey model kit. The nozzle is made as a single piece, no need to assembly from several parts as the kit’s nozzle – which also has unsightly ejector pin marks on it.

Beaufighter Mk.VI/X/21 Mainwheels - Late Wheel Disk / Block Tread Pattern  1/72

Finely detailed undercarriage wheels with weighted tyres that features the tread pattern used on airfields with unpaved and rough surface, so mainly in India or the Pacific.

E-2 Hawkeye Wheels 1/72 / for Heller kit

   New and nicely detailed wheels with weighted tyres designed for the new Heller’s E-2 Hawkeye kit.

Fordson WOT2H (15CWT) ‘Tin Cargo Bed’ 1/72

   The WOT2 lightweight lorry was produced by the British Ford factory at Dagenham from 1939 in several varieties. Almost 60,000 of these vehicles were built in total throughout the war, and they remained in service with the Army, RAF and RN well until the end of the 1950s. During the war, these machines supported the British forces in Western Europe, Africa and elsewhere. The WOT2s were also supplied to foreign units such as was the Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade. Some of the lorries were captured by the Wehrmacht and put to an extensive use. Even more armies got their WOTs after the war.
The basis of the model is resin cast, and it also contains a set of etches and 3D-printed parts. The decal sheet offers markings for two CIAB vehicles and one of the Royal Netherlands Brigade.

Heinkel He 115B Engines 1/48 / for Special Hobby kits

3D-printed and highly detailed BMW 132 engines with open cover panels, designed for Special Hobby 1/48 Heinkel He 115B model kit.

GAL 48B Twin Hotspur Mk.I 1/48

All-resin kit of the prototype GAL 48B Twin Hotspur British glider. Due to its limited transport capacity (only 8 troops) the Mk.II Hotspur was used only for training purposes. The GAL company intended to increase the capacity and designed a twin fuselage variety of the original glider, now bearing an obvious name GAL 48B Twin Hotspur. It could carry twice the number of the troops and even though failing to reach the production, it was really distinctive-looking airframe.