The Modelling News: Hobbyboss' November new kits - A Brewer, Canadian MBT & German big hitter in our preview...

Three new kits from Hobbyboss this month for November release. A lovely three-tone - Yak, A Canadian Leopard and a much-used German gun are the three to see in our new item preview...

Hobbyboss' November new releases - Guns on tracks & wheels & a nice little Brewer

Leopard C1A1 (Canadian MBT)

Model no #84502

1:35th scale

Product Link on the Hobbyboss website

The Leopard 1 is the main battle tank designed and produced in West Germany that first entered service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought to make conventional heavy armour of limited value, the Leopard focused on firepower in the form of the German-built version of the British L7 105-mm gun, and improved cross-country performance that was unmatched by other designs of the era.

The design started as a collaborative project during the 1950s between West Germany and France, and later joined by Italy, but the partnership ended shortly after and the final design was ordered by the Bundeswehr, with full-scale production starting in 1965. In total, 6,485 Leopard tanks have been built, of which 4,744 were battle tanks and 1,741 were utility and anti-aircraft variants, not including 80 prototypes and pre-series vehicles.

Model Length: 273.3mm Width: 106.1mm

Total 14 sprues, upper hull, lower hull and turret

Copper cable & Photo Etched Parts

- The kit consists of over 630 parts

- Two-directional slide moulded lower hull & turret

- 160 individual tracks links

- photo-etched parts included

Russian Yak-28PP Brewer-E

Model no #81768

1:48th scale

Product Link on the Hobbyboss Website

The Yak-28P became the dedicated long-range, missile-armed interceptor which could be called upon, in relatively short order, to take on marauding Western bombers or spy planes. The type was born in 1960 and entered service as soon as 1964. These versions lacked the internal bomb bay of their tactical bomber brethren which allowed for more onboard fuel stores to be exercised.

The Yak-28P was powered by 2 x Tumansky R-11 series afterburning turbojet engines delivering 10,140lbs on dry thrust and 13,670lbs with afterburning engaged. Maximum speed was 1,140 miles per hour with a range out to 1,550 miles and a service ceiling of 55,000 feet. No internal cannon was fitted. The variant Yak-28PP (Izeliye 28PP) (NATO reporting name – "Brewer-E") was deployed in 1970, it is notable as the first Soviet electronic countermeasures (ECM) aircraft. It was unarmed, with an extensive electronic warfare (EW) suite in the bomb bay and various aerials and dielectric panels for transmitting the jamming signals. Excess heat generated by the jamming equipment was dissipated by heat exchangers under the centre fuselage; it did not include a radome in the nose.

Model Length: 396mm Wingspan: 285mm

Total of 11 sprues and nose cone

- The kit consists of over 150 parts

-Detailed fuselage&wing w/accurate design

-Detailed cockpit

German 12.8cm FLAK 40

Model no #84545

1:35th scale

Product Link on the Hobbyboss Website

The 12.8 cm FlaK 40 was a German World War II anti-aircraft gun. Although it was not produced in great numbers, it was one of the most effective heavy AA guns of its era. Development of the gun began in 1936, with the contract being awarded to Rheinmetall Borsig. The first prototype gun was delivered for testing in late 1937 and completed testing successfully. The gun weighed nearly 12 tonnes in its firing position, with the result that its barrel had to be removed for transport. Limited service testing showed this was impractical, so in 1938 other solutions were considered.

The eventual solution was to simplify the firing platform, based on the assumption it would always be securely bolted into concrete. The total weight of the Flakzwilling twin-gun mount system reached 26.5 tonnes, making it practically impossible to tow cross-country. In the end, this mattered little since, by the time the gun entered production in 1942, it was used in primarily static, defensive applications. There were four twin mounts on the fortified anti-aircraft Zoo Tower, and they were also on other flak towers protecting Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna. It is claimed that during the Battle of Berlin the guns on the Zoo Tower were used successfully to support ground forces, "where the heavy 128 mm shells obliterated Soviet armour, especially when hit from the side"[citation needed]. The rush to capture the Reichstag led to dozens of tanks being destroyed. Approximately 200 were mounted on railcars, providing limited mobility.

The gun fired a 27.9 kg (57.2-pound) shell at 880 m/s (2,890 ft/s) to a maximum ceiling of 14,800 m (48,556 ft). Compared with the 88 mm FlaK 18 & 36, the FlaK 40 used a powder charge four times as great.