Little Wings

Inbetween some very boring SEO work on Anglia Models, this week I've been beavering away adding some of my own favourite model kit manufacturers to the store. I personally love building aircraft kits above anything else, so some of these will definitely make their way to my modelling table!

Dora Wings

These guys are from the Ukraine and have been making some superb unremembered aircraft model kits for a few years now. Dora Wings kits are absolutely beautiful to make and look very professional indeed! A personal highlight are the Vultees and the Curtisses, they just look great, and I've personally nabbed a Vultee Vanguard to build (in RAF colours, of course).

Their model kits come in three different scales - 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 and 1/144 - and while the 1/32 and 1/144 ranges are small right now, their 1/48 and 1/72 ranges are growing and getting very interesting indeed. From civil aircraft between the wars to early World War II fighters to the ridiculous flying boats of the Italian Navy, Dora Wings really should make it to your table.

Valom

I've had my eye on Valom for a long while now, and I've finally managed to source them. While their kits may look basic from the outside, trust me - they are brilliant!

They have a great deal of British aircraft from between the wars, too, which is an absolute bonus for me; and while their 1/48 range is pretty small, their 1/72 range is amazing and the 1/144 range is... well, daft! Valom have effectively gone all-in on World War One in 1/144 scale, and those doubled-up fighters are great for a quick, fun build in one day.

Eduard

Everyone seems to love Eduard from Czechia, and I can see why. Their kits are second to none in terms of quality, they're almost always cheaper than the big names and while they're usually a little more complicated than most if you get your hobby bone in gear they're pretty straightforward to be honest.

They do cater for those who want a no-nonsense kit, too, in the shape of the Weekend Editions (which, funnily enough, should take you a weekend to build rather than a week or two). The ProfiPACK Editions are rather more complicated, and include masks, photo-etched parts and what not, with lots of different paint schemes, and will take you a bit longer to build; but for your money, either one is a fantastic choice.

On my modelling table is the Weekend Edition of the 1/48 F6F-3 Hellcat (above), which has a great Fleet Air Arm marking scheme that I'll be using.

Their scales? Well, their 1/48 range is superb and growing rapidly, and while their 1/72 range is a little smaller they're paying more attention to it as time goes by. They have a solitary 1/32 aircraft (at least, the only one we can get), but hopefully they'll expand that soon enough.

Arma Hobby

Now these guys from Poland really do have what it takes in the beauty department: their kits look wonderful and while their range is relatively small and isn't as diverse (in terms of subject) as Dora Wings what they do produce is of a very, very high quality indeed. Only producing aircraft in 1/48 and 1/72 scales, Arma Hobby's Hurricanes and Airacobras and Mustangs really have to be seen to be believed, and they make some excellent World War I kits.

I've got my eye on one of those 1/48 Hawkers, that's for sure...

More to Come...

I'm currently in the process of adding Airfix to the webstore - you should see their kits decorate the store over the next few days - and next week I'll be adding Hobby 2000, Border Model, Das Werk, Thunder Model and all sorts of other ranges. More armoured vehicles, I know, but you all love 'em...

After that, I'm very excited to get Special Hobby (and Special Armor [sic], etc.), Takom, Hasegawa, plus Vallejo, AK Interactive, Gunze Sangyo paints and plenty more. I'll be busy adding stuff until Christmas, I reckon... and that's not counting all the new releases from all the other big guns.

It's a thankless task, but someone's got to do it!