So, these two new kits showed up today at Schloss von Linden Hill. If you've already built the RBT variant, you'll be familiar with parts breakdown of both new releases. I have not yet had the chance to inspect the PD fighter variant in depth but have noted that some of the minor details we feared might have been forgotten (based on the artwork on the box) have indeed been included. 

The RBF box includes a new two-part nose section. I've already built an RBF variant after converting ICM's RBT nose section but am keen to build another one out of the box. Here's the new nose section.

Although the RBF nose has an accurate shape to it, I am disappointed to see that one of the five radio transparent sensor panels (the underside one) has been omitted. You can clearly see it at the bottom center of the photo below (photo: Popsuevich archive via Linden Hill Ltd.)

Clearly this omission is not the end of the world and can be fixed with some judicious scribing and masking. Nevertheless I  have to ask myself why ICM would go to the trouble of molding a new RBF nose and then overlook something like this.

Finally, if you're looking for some interesting new markings for the MiG-25RBF, Linden Hill Decals will be offering you a very rare Azeri bird later this year. Stay tuned for more details soon.

In Aleksandr's latest vlog post, he discusses an unidentified color shade discovered on the wreckage of a Luftwaffe Bf-110 shot down near Rzhev (Tver' Region) in 1942.

We just received a large restock from Begemot, including the new 1/72 scale Yak-130 set for the Zvezda kit. New listings can be found in 'New Arrivals'.

These should be popular...

Today we're listing a lot of new acrylic and lacquer six-packs in the AKAN range. The new lacquer sets cover everything from Soviet Naval Aviation since 1945 to the latest VKS camouflage scheme for the Su-35S, Su-30SM, Su-27SM and Yak-130. As ever with AKAN, all colors were researched at the source, either in state archives or, for the modern aircraft, based on official Russian MoD color swatches. No other paint manufacturer undertakes this level of research of Russian aircraft schemes!

​We're also listing a number of new sets for Russian aircraft in Iranian service and VVS Su-17s.

The entire order processing and mail department (me) is headed out on a business trip to California on Wednesday (4/25), returning on Saturday (4/28). This means that no orders will be packed or dispatched until the coming weekend. Sorry for this brief interruption in our service.

Some of you may have seen our MiG-23 article in the February issue of Airfix Model World in which we drew on the research already undertaken for our various MiG-23 decal sheets . If you found the article of interest, The first draft of the text was actually much longer before I edited it down for publication. The earlier draft offered a more extensive synopsis of our friend Tom's experiences as an 'Auswerter' with NVA LSK/LV MiG-23 regiment JG-9. Here's the full version of the text. You're welcome...

It's now a week since the new site went live and thus far I'm  very happy with the feedback on its functionality. We are still working on a number of elements of the platform. As a priority we've made some major changes to the AKAN pages.

The old site, creaky and archaic as it was, provided a better overview of which paint was appropriate for which subject, especially within the USSR/Russia section where post-war colors do not follow a standardized nomenclature system. With this in mind we've now made the AKAN section searchable by country, with subsections for both lacquers and acrylics. By the way, the standard rule of thumb with the product codes (SKUs) is that all aqueous acrylic colors begin with a 7 and lacquers begin with a 6. Six-pack codes all begin with a 4, with acrylic six-packs starting with 47 and lacquers 46.

If after this reorganization you still can't find what you're seeking, hit the E-mail button top right and send me a message. I've now been working with AKAN's colors for over 8 years and use them myself. I like to think I've picked up a few snippets of information along the way.