24 HOBBY MERCHANDISER AUGUST 2019

Hasegawa 1/24 Toyota Celica GT-Four RCHasegawa has released its 1/24 Toyota Celica GT-Four RC kit. Produced by Toyota from 1970 to 2006, the Celica enjoyed great sales success and earned several rally car championships. The Celica GT-Four was a special high-performance model featuring a hatchback body style, turbocharged engine and full-time all-wheel-drive. As the top of the line Celica performance model for 1992, the GT-Four RC was a “homologation special” manufactured during the regular production run. It had features that met requirements for competition in the World Rally Championship (WRC). These special features included a water-to-air intercooler unit better suited for competition use than a stock unit, a dif-ferent hood that ducted hot air out of the engine bay for better induction cooling, a lighter bumper, high-performance shifter and clutch, and a

special numbered plaque on the center console.The limited-edition kit contains 71 parts molded in black, dark gray,

and light gray plastic with chrome-plated wheels and black vinyl tires, a mask for painting the window borders, and a rectangle of plastic mesh for the intake areas. A set of polycaps is included for attaching the wheels. As a curbside model, the kit does not include a full engine, but drivetrain detail represents the bottom of the engine and exhaust system and separate chassis and suspension parts. The kit includes illustrated instructions, with painting and decal placement guides, as well as a template for cutting the plastic mesh. The color waterslide de-cals include crisp graphics for the instrument panel, seat pattern, body emblems, and borders for both the headlights and taillights.

Minicraft 1/144 A6M2 ZeroMinicraft has released its 1/144 A6M2 Zero kit. Probably the best-known Japanese fighter of World War II, the Zero began combat operations against China in 1940. The lightweight aircraft was extremely fast and highly maneuverable, but at the cost of armor protection for the pilot and self-sealing fuel tanks. Consequently, if an Allied pilot managed to get one of these aircraft in his gunsights, it was easily shot down. The A6M2a was the initial production variant, armed with two 7.62mm

Keith’s Picks for AugustAirfix 1/72 Vickers Wellington Mk. 1A/CAirfix has released its 1/72 Vickers Wellington Mk. 1A/C kit. Designed for the British Royal Air Force during the mid-1930s, the Vickers Wellington featured a unique geodetic airframe structure designed by Barnes Wallis, the developer of the bouncing bomb. The design was a lattice framework of crisscrossing aluminum beams and strips of wood. Doped linen fabric was applied over the wood to form the outer skin. Used for the construction of the entire airframe, the design

resulted in a lightweight yet very strong aircraft that could absorb a lot of battle damage. As a twin-engine, long-range medium bomber with a crew of five, the aircraft was equipped with defensive armament in the form of nose and tail turrets and a retractable revolving ventral turret. Wellingtons participated in the first RAF bombing raid of World War II and went on to serve in several theaters throughout the war. They served as day and night medium bombers, anti-submarine aircraft, and an airborne early warning and control aircraft.

The kit features a dramatic scene in the box art, depicting the heroic actions of Sergeant Pilot James Ward as he sits on the wing attempting to extinguish an engine fire. The kit contains over 140 parts molded in gray and transparent plastic on seven sprues. The surface detail features the linen-covered fuselage and geodetic structure in the wings and tail surfaces. The nicely detailed interior features components that would be difficult to see on the finished model, and the instructions indicate that some of them can be omitted if desired. Options include open or closed bomb bay doors with a full bomb load for the open version, raised or lowered landing gear, posable control surfaces, as well as open or closed cockpit windows. For ease of assembly and painting, the clear parts can be attached from the outside after the fuselage is closed. The gun turrets are well detailed but are not movable. The kit comes with illustrated instructions and complete color paint and decal placement guides, as well as decals containing markings for either a Wellington Mk.1A or a Mk.1C in similar camouflage schemes of Dark Green and Dark Earth over Flat Black.

The Airfix 1/71 Vickers Wellington honors one of the early Brit-ish bombers of World War II that served with distinction. It’s a great addition to a modeler’s display case.

Prices are rising on full-size Japanese collector cars like this Toyota Celica GT-Four RC. This kit reflects the rising popularity of these 90s supercars, so if you can’t have a real one this is the next best thing.

Keith Pruitt

MODEL KIT REPORT

AUGUST 2019 HOBBY MERCHANDISER 25

machine guns in the cowling and two 20mm cannon in the wingroots. The A6M2b variant added increased fuel capacity and folding wingtips for carrier operations. In early combat operations, the Zero gained a legendary reputation as a dogfighter, achieving an outstanding kill ratio of 12 to 1. By 1942, newly developed combat tactics and technologically advanced aircraft allowed the American pilots to more easily defeat the fast and agile fighter. Eventually, the Zero lost its effectiveness in aerial combat and was adapted for use in Kamikaze attacks on U.S. Navy ships.

The kit contains 18 parts molded in gray plastic and two canopies molded in clear plastic, with one canopy that features pre-painted fram-ing. For this scale, detail is adequate but basic with raised panel lines on the surface. The landing gear can be assembled in a raised position for an in-flight display on the included stand or lowered for a shelf display. The in-flight display also includes a propeller spinner with no blades to represent the engine running at operating speed. The engine face and the cockpit interior are both represented as decals. The kit comes with illustrated instructions, including painting and decal placement guides, as well as Cartograf decals for four different aircraft, two aircraft which participated in the Pearl Harbor attack, a fighter from Hiyo Fighter Group at Bougainville in 1943, and a captured Zero with US Navy markings.

MPC 1/25 Tiger SharkMPC has re-released its 1/25 Tiger Shark kit. In 1961, the staff of Car Craft magazine designed a radical car they named the Dream Rod, with drawings of the car published in the October issue. In 1963 Car Craft commissioned Bill Cushenbery to bring the drawing to life. Cushenbery installed a Ford 289-cubic inch engine on the chassis of a 1952 British Jowett Jupiter fitted with a VW torsion bar suspension, then added the body that included 1960 Pontiac front fenders and doors, 1960 Corvair upper rear quarter tops, the windshield and top from a 1953 Studebaker, and the rear window from a 1957 German Borgward Isabella Sedan installed upside down. The interior featured a 1958 Mercury dashboard with a 1959 Lincoln ashtray. After a few years touring the car show circuit, the vehicle was sold to the International Show Car Association in 1966. The ISCA commissioned a major revision that resulted in the Tiger Shark. Modification included stretching the rear six inches, adding a hood scoop, removing the side roof scoops, eliminating the trunk lid, closing in the front fenders and redesigning the appearance both front and rear. In 2005, custom car collector Mark Moriarity found the long-for-gotten vehicle and restored it to its original configuration for his collection of unique automobiles.

First issued in 1966, the kit features the nostalgic original box art.

Tool CornerIwata Cobra Coil Airbrush HoseEven the best airbrush is useless without an air source to propel the paint through the nozzle for proper atomization. Often hobbyists will consider an air hose as a neces-sary evil, overlooking the capa-bilities of a high-quality product and simply using whatever hose is available. The Iwata Cobra Coil Airbrush Hose is available in lengths of six feet and ten feet. The Cobra Coil hose is light and flexible, while still strong enough to withstand the rigors of long repetitious painting sessions. Made of a polyurethane material, the hose is less than half the weight of the common rubber hose with braided fabric covering. The material also features a higher tensile capability with virtually double the strength of a standard hose. Providing the source for the name, the air hose features a coiled design in the center section, allowing it to stretch for maximum flexibility in use and recoil to its original length when not in use. The hose features the Iwata 1/8-inch airbrush fitting on one end and the 1/4-inch standard compressor fit-ting on the other. The O-rings fit inside both for tight leak-proof seals. When a customer purchases an airbrush, remind them that the air hose is a vital part of their painting system, and the Iwata Cobra Coil Airbrush Hose would be an excellent choice for keeping that system working well. HM

The Zero owned the skies in the Pacific Theater during the early years of World War II. This 1/144 scale kit makes building a fleet of warbirds a less expensive and less space-consuming goal.

The Tiger Shark looks like a car you may have sketched in a notebook. But Car Craft magazine brought this dream to life with a one-of-a-kind concept car that survives to this day.

The kit comes with 100 parts molded in white, chrome-plated, clear and transparent red plastic, with four pad-printed Firestone “Gold Stripe” vinyl tires. As with the original release, plastic parts for a rotating display table are included along with a rubber band and ball bearing. The features include a detailed interior, suspension, engine and engine bay. Chrome-plated details are provided for the engine, wheels and side panels. The radical asymmetrical body includes opening doors and hood and the suspension allows the front wheels to steer. The kit comes with illustrated instructions with painting guide. Decals are not included, as the original vehicle had no markings or body emblems. The MPC Tiger Shark will certainly be an eye-catching model for either the contest table or the display shelf. HM