Following the lead of the German Navy in WWI, several countries, including Britain, France, the United States, Italy and the Soviet Union all pursued development of aircraft capable of submarine transport, as well as the submarines capable of carrying them. But no country more so than Japan carried the development of these aircraft and naval vessels to the logical conclusion. During the 1920s, Japan purchased aircraft technology from Germany and submarines from France and Great Britain, and using them as a starting point, developed the most successful submarine launched aircraft and aircraft carrying submarines of any navy before and during WWII.

This kit was a ‘Limited Edition’ kit, released at the 2025 IPMS/USA National Convention in Hampton Roads, Virginia. It was quickly sold out on both Eduard ‘s online store and at the 2025 Convention. The instruction booklet contains 23 pages, including some color guides for the weapons, masks and overall aircraft decal markings.

Ever feel your hobby start to feel like homework? We hit episode 150 with a full tank of mojo and a guest who knows how to keep it running. Dr. Paul Budzik joins us on the eve of his retirement after 51 years in dentistry to share a refreshingly honest blueprint for building with joy: protect inspiration, shed obligation, and stop treating your stash like a to‑do list. If finishing every kit has become a guilt trip, this conversation offers the reset you need.

We dig into how small workflow choices can unlock big momentum. Paul explains why returning to simple, durable siphon‑feed airbrushes lets him paint in fast, focused sprints, and how linear building—one solved problem at a time—keeps him in the zone. He talks candidly about giving away kits and tools, the surprising relief that followed, and the fun of re‑engineering gear to fit the way he actually works. The theme is practical and personal: optimize for flow, and the bench becomes a place you can’t wait to sit.

Looking forward, Paul outlines his shift toward 1/350 ship modeling. Rather than chasing every aftermarket add‑on, he focuses on form, history, and design evolution—comparing cruisers, exploring treaty constraints, and building on keel blocks for clean presentation. Along the way, he draws an important line between knowledge and skill: a video can teach a CAD commands, but blade control, masking finesse, and problem‑solving are earned at the bench. His goal on his channel is to teach thinking—how to define the objective, work backward, simplify, and make smarter choices with less effort.

We also share highlights from the Cincinnati show, a stacked listener mailbag (from club table innovations to mirrored vs blurred bases), and quick hits from the release radar with a few buyer caveats to save you time and cash. If your bench feels crowded or your to‑finish list feels heavy, this one will help you reclaim the part of modeling that made you start in the first place.

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow, share with a modeling friend, and leave a rating to help others find the show. Then tell us: what obligation are you dropping this week to build happier?

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FeR Miniatures’ Navajo, (circa 1923) is complete. I had looked at this kit several times over the years but was intimidated by the box art blanket pattern. I finally decided to get it and looked for a simpler pattern. Pendleton has one with more of a sunset theme and I used that as inspiration, choosing orange palette as a complementary color to the shirt. I did not relish doing a beaded pattern on the hat bad so decided to give him a hairpipe hat band. I made this using four strips of .5mm Evergreen rod glued side by side. This was cut to 3mm sections in a jig I made of sheet stock. The separators were additional piece of the same rod added in long sections to make it easier.

Trumpeter's second two kits of November – the mighty Scharnhorst battleship & an upgraded hip (what every old helicopter owner needs.) Colours, decals & built-up kits in our preview...Read on... »

Episode 224 and the boys are joined by Stan Spooner who talking about his exciting new venture, the opening of a bricks and mortar hobby shop called “The Model Box, and the driving concept behind it.

Check out this link for more info:- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076992317227

We also have the usual mailbag and of course the exciting Patreon wheel of fortune!

Don’t forget to support the sponsors of our show Scott from the Scale Modellers Supply

https://www.scalemodeller.com.au/

Leave us a message, comment or even ask a question, we would love to hear from you! Write to Onthebench64@gmail.com.

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Happy Friday all, Figured I'd dive back into another WWII wingy thing and I decided on Hasegawa’s P-39N. The end goal is, that this all NMF Cobra will represent a training ship based out of Ephrata, Washington's training field. This field saw a alot of aircraft from heavies to fighters and sadly, just my luck, this unit is unknown . The following aftermarket goodies will be used.. Combat Series(formerly BlackBox) interior, Eduard Brassin wheel set and CMKs exterior set(exhaust and hor stabs only). This is where I'm at.. Happy Modeling, Mike

We have art, features, CADs + photos of the two aircraft featured in this new boxing of MiniArt's 1/48th scale P-47D-115/16 PTO Thunderbolt "Basic Kit". Check them out in our preview...Read on... »

On this episode Brian, Pabz and Julio look internally and see what the current status is with the relationships with their hobbies, how has it changed since they started? Where do they think its going? And where would they like it to be? Lots questions, all the answers within!

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Hosts:

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• Kyle: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Clueless_Gunpla_Builder⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Z:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @The_Old_Ronin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Greetings all, I can finally say that my aggressor Super Fox scooter is finally done and boy, am I glad! This airframe represents a jet from VF-126 "Bandits" cica 1991. Here's what I put into this build: Aires cockpit (PITA), Eduards Brassin wheels, Phase Hanger Super Fox intakes and an A-4M burnercan donated by a fellow modeling bud!(Thank you). This scheme is a mix of hardline and soft edge camo which is seen on the real A-4. Overall pleased but there are a few things I'd do differently next time then this was an off and on again build over 3 1/2 years lol so. Thank you for letting me share and as always, comments are welcomed! Happy Modeling, Mike

This handheld tool is designed to get into tight spaces like wing roots, intakes, or other tight or hard to reach spaces. It has four resin-like tips which are to be superglued to the tip of the tool, and sandpaper is to be attached to the tip with double-sided tape. I have to admit that at first this seemed like a pain to set up, but it is really very quick and easy. I tested the tip change out by removing the attached tip and prying it off with a hobby knife, and it came off cleanly and in one piece. I then glued on another tip, the one with the triangular point. I attached a small piece of sandpaper with double-sided tape, and then trimmed the sandpaper to match the tip with my hobby knife, and the sander was ready to use. As advertised, it works well in awkward spots like wing roots, as shown in the accompanying photos.

This handheld tool is designed to get into tight spaces like wing roots, intakes, or other tight or hard to reach spaces. It has four resin-like tips which are to be superglued to the tip of the tool, and sandpaper is to be attached to the tip with double-sided tape. I have to admit that at first this seemed like a pain to set up, but it is really very quick and easy. I tested the tip change out by removing the attached tip and prying it off with a hobby knife, and it came off cleanly and in one piece. I then glued on another tip, the one with the triangular point. I attached a small piece of sandpaper with double-sided tape, and then trimmed the sandpaper to match the tip with my hobby knife, and the sander was ready to use. As advertised, it works well in awkward spots like wing roots, as shown in the accompanying photos.

These FOD covers are a straightforward and simple addition to Eduard’s nice Mirage III. They come without instructions, but none are really needed beyond the one picture provided. Nicely cast in pinhole-free gray resin, they just need to be removed from the mold base, washed and painted. Detail is nice and pops out with a dark wash. Based on my references and internet photos I’ve found, these covers were usually painted yellow, although I did find a few in red. I painted one in each color to see how they would look. I used Tamiya white spray-can primer, followed by Vallejo medium yellow and red RLM 23 Model Air paints. After the paint dried, MiG Dark Wash was applied. (The wash is a bit heavy to make the detail more visible in the photos.) I dry-fitted the two FOD covers in place on my Mirage III CJ in Israeli markings to show how they look in place.

A brand new book has just been launched on Indiegogo from Plastic Invasion. The book features the machines & gear from the Battle of Britain, 85 years ago. We look at the book's contents, plus the tiers & a short video in our preview...Read on... »

MiniArt's 35th-scale U.S. 101st Airborne Division (Normandy 1944) Special Edition kit adds to the out-of-print favourite with extra sprues of weapons & equipment. We look at the contents in our preview...Read on... »

ICM’s “Vehicles of the D.A.K.” kit includes three 1/35th scale German truck kits:

• S.E.Pkw. Kfz.70 with Zwillingssockel 36 (anti-aircraft truck)
• Le.gl.Einheits-Pkw (Kfz.2) (radio car)
• Typ L3000S (cargo truck)

All three kits have been issued previously in various boxings. The Kfz.70 was first released in 2015 and a version including the AA guns was released in 2023. The Kfz.2 was first issued in 2018, a version with the radio parts was released in 2019. The cargo truck was first issued in 2017.

I have to admit that I don’t have a copy of two earlier monographs on the Saab 105: Saab 105 by Sven Stridsberg and Emil Lindberg (2013), and Team 60 by the Swedish Aviation Historical Society. Both of these are fantastic books, but both are in Swedish. This is the first English language monograph on the Saab 105 that I am aware of. This full-size square back soft cover book [A4: 11.5” by 8.3] comes in at 296 pages. The front cover features a color photograph of an Austrian Saab 105OE in Tiger Meet livery. This is s/n 105426 [c/n 2025] coded RF-26 and was the third Austrian 105OE painted to celebrate 40-years of service with the Austrian Air Force from 1970 to 2010. She was delivered to the Austrian Air Force on January 21, 1972, and last flew on August 16, 2018.

With an undoubted quality, a snap-fit, decals & various accessories, what's not to like about Bandai's forthcoming new 1/48th Scale Mandalorian N-1 Starfighter? See details in our preview...Read on... »

This is not an easy to digest book and doesn’t offer a modeler a lot of references, resources, or inspiration for modeling. Having said that, author Michael Fredholm von Essen, did an admirable job of defining a nebulous threat that is hard to recognize, much less counter. From his introduction,

This book describes hybrid threats to national security, and how to deploy them as weapons against an adversary. Designed to be difficult to detect or attribute, hybrid threats constitute a twenty-first-century concept which enables, often with the help of advanced technology, the use of military and non-military means under conditions of plausible deniability.