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Well this is my latest build completed, another commission and a very challenging one at that. This is the Stargazer Models 1/144 scale Discovery 1 from 2001/2010, the kit has a total length of 30"+. One of the biggest challenges was making the modifications for the bespoke lighting rig as there are no resin spares so I could not afford to make any mistakes. I was not going to light the engine bells as I thought it was too risky but I gave it a great deal of thought and took the chance. Back to year one apprentice bench fitting and my trusty Tamiya razor saw. The lighting in the Command Module was a challenge too as there is not much space to work with and you need to light the Pod Bay and CM Flight Deck independently. Lastly was the application of the JBOT Decals to the flight deck, this did make my head spin a bit as there is no real useful guidance so I spent a great deal of time looking at on line images. I finally managed to get some additional guidance from a JBOT decals pdf I found for it on line. The finish was done as usual with Tamiya Acrylic as always, XF-01 Mat White with a small amount of XF-19 Sky Grey mixed in to take the edge of the white as a very light grey finish was required. Variation of panels was done with a various mixes of light grey, these were still too dark so I applied a base colour filter over the top to lighten and blend. The model really came to life with the application of a much diluted grey wash, especially on the spine and Reactor Unit. Power is supplied via a 12v DC Outlet that i fitted into the base to keep things nice and neat. Overall I am very happy with the result, this is one I would like to keep myself Danny

Another quick build was the new Atlantic Models HMS Leeds castle, I've made a few detail changes to backdate the shiip to her 1982 South Atlantic fit. Whilst not having an embarked helicopter, the ships have a large helicopter deck and were used as fuel stops by helicopters transfering stores between larger ships at South Georgia. This is the new Atlantic models kit and is one of the easiest ship kits I've built - the hull was ready to paint after about 3 hours work, and the superstructure wasn't much longer. Andrew

A rather quick build, I always wanted to build a Danish Starfighter, they have at wonderful, weathered look! This is mostly a painting Project, so building will be almost OOB. This is of course Hasegawa´s great Starfighter, so even a OOB build will be rather detailed. Building was trouble-free, almost no filler was required. A few cockpit shots: The only addition is seatbelts. And so the fun begins! More pics will follow soon...I hope! My aim is to finish it to the C4 Open show in Malmö, Sweden, in two weeks...

After spending the best part of 5 months building this I am quite pleased with how it's finally turned out. During my time on the 'Junglie Circuit' I cut my engineering teeth on this airframe: ZF121 from 772 Squadron then I met her up again on 846 Squadron. Where I worked with it in Northern Ireland I hope you like her There are more images but didn't want to swamp all the bandwidth hehe

I've been taking a break from the Hermes build with a few simpler ships from the stash. This the the WEM HMS Ledbury with a few updates to represent a more current fit for the class. It's a really nice little kit but for a small ship, there's a lot of detail packed in, mostly around the working deck and boat deck. Andrew

Hello everyone I've been away for sometime and I just wanted to try and upload some pictures to see I could still remember how to do it? I hope you don't mind.

Finally completed with the undercarriage, doors, hook and bombs on. I have to say it's not been an easy build - it's a true short-run kit but it's an unusual subject and I'm pleased with how she turned out! I therefore present BuNo 104595, White 109, VF-41 "Firebirds" Thanks for looking and on with Number Two - the FR-1!

Well I could not sleep so I started on some more details. The Nav instrumentation and various boxes and stick are all moulded as 3 simple pieces but it quite 2D in nature. I started by cutting and separating the 2d representation of the Nav stick. Apologies for the crappy photographs. Then whilst I was at it I cut the rest of the panel up - no going back! I then moved on and rebuilt that area and glued into behind the front of the rear panel as it should be. This is were I have gotten to. Some wiring to add etc and needs painting and glueing together. I also added some very prominent cabling that you can see in photo and pilot notes. And I added the rudder pedal straps that were missing.

Good afternoon everybody. Hope we are all having a pleasant weekend This is my build of Combrigs Indefatigable class battlecruiser HMAS Australia in 1/700 I think the history of the ship is fairly well known but a brief overview. She joined the newly formed Royal Australian Navy in 1913 as Flagship. Started WW1 in Australian waters conducting operations against German assets in the Pacific before being moved to the UK as part of the Grand Fleets Battlecruiser Squadron. Managed to miss all the fleet actions of the war which with the fates of some of the other battlecruisers, was probably a good thing. Returned to Australia after the war and was decommissioned and scuttled off Sydney Heads as a result of the Washington Naval treaty. Heres a link to to report done on the wreck recently for a bit of interest http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/heritagebranch/heritage/media/hmasaustraliawreckinspectionrpt.pdf The kit itself is good starting point and I've run a work in progress on it here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234944212-1700-hmas-australia/ But on with the pics Bit pic heavy sorry, I got a bit carried away. She's not perfect but I have learned a lot building her. Thanks once again for everyones help with the build and I hope you like the finished product. Cheers Callum

Well I've been making the most of being stuck inside because of the rain... This is the obsolete Airfix Spitfire Mk.I (old tool ofc) and I had a bash at converting it. I admit, it is some what crude, however, it looks the part Modifications; Sanded all the raised panel lines and filled the panel trenches around the engine, The curved front canopy came from Airfix's XIX, the "un-blown" slidey bit and the rear bit (very technical) were thermoformed, The two blade prop was built from scratch, The rudder was altered, Undercarriage legs from the Heller XVI and the wheels had the spokes filled in, Scratch built tail skid, Cockpit interior had a control column and belts added, Pitot tubes came from bit of metal. Paint; Overall Hu90 after which I blended in various shades of greens and yellows to give the dirty zinc chromate look, Control surfaces painted with Hu11 for aluminium dope, The airscrew was painted with Citadel Snakebite Leather and given and oil wash, The cowl was painted with Citadel Chainmail Decals all came from spares other than the exhausts which were printed by myself (My thanks to Rick Brown for the jpeg). I think thats enough talking... Cheers, Ben.

Built OOB, Testors MM paints. Build thread: http://www.zone-five.net/showthread.php?t=24706

So your plan is to wait until you have proved that aircraft is outdated, then fob off the Navy with it? You weren't part of the Air Ministry in the mid-30s, were you? Joking aside, the FAA already had their own dog of a turret fighter (the Blackburn Roc), which made the Defiant look like an F-16. I doubt they'd have been too interested in another go!

Sprayed the boot topping and masked off, then got into building the bridge and funnel. Painted the funnel stripe and cap then masked them off. I've got some more etch to add before the grey can be sprayed, then it's a lot of careful cutting off of the flightdeck netting in prep for the etched parts. Just had to do a quick dry fit to see how big this thing is going to be, Oh yeah, I've also built up the 8" turrets in prep for the fitting of the Master gun barrels.

update on Belfast,still tons to do

Here she is, my second build completed. Despite the often frustrating fit and the amount of fettling that needed doing it looks pretty good to me. There were mistakes made along the way, some were fixed, some weren't. At times I wished I hadn't started it but in the end it was a very positive experience. Would I make another one? Definately, but not yet, I have to get started on the Mig 15 to go with it. Thanks to all who watched and commented.

You're getting the hang of this Seafire lark Col. She's another good'un mate. Hey Beard,a Griffon VI with a Mk.V rudder at the other end of it?,that would be a real handful. I doubt that it'd have anywhere near enough authority for yaw control,the "pointy" was only just enough.

Finished the Revell P-26a - build thread here - http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234946388-172-revell-boeing-p-26a-peashooter/page-1

AFAIK, all the XIIs had pointy rudders, the V based airframes had fixed tail wheels, the VIII based ones had retractable tail wheels. Nice job on the XV Col, theres a lot to like about this, I need to get off my backside & get one of these as I already have the Almark decals & I like that scheme, especially now I've seen it on yours. Steve.

My old man gave me one crucial piece of advice..."Never ask, boy. The xxxxxxxx always tell you no". That's been my mantra all my 61 years! Martin

Yes please.The Spitfire is for conversion to a Seafire 1b.

I spent an absolutely wonderful day at Old Warden yesterday for their last Flying Day of the season. The weather was perfect and the flying was fantastic and varied (notwithstanding a couple of aircraft "going tech"). I had to leave before the Edwardian flying machines took to the skies, which was a shame. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

New tool Airfix kit Got her finished today [/url] [/url] [/url]

This one has been on and off the bench over the last year or so and I finally got time and the energy to finish it. Its the excellent Hasegawa MaK Falke Anti Gravity Fighter and I just love the mix of what looks like a 1950's hotrod and the big cannon up front. It also gave me a chance to try out the AK Interactive Chipping fluid, which takes some getting used to but I like very much. I love MaK as you can mess it up and go to town on weathering. Paint is a mix of Vallejo, Hasegawa and some AK Interactive and Mig Weathering powders, oils and fluids. The base is a bit of wood I found in the shed and it has a length of acrylic rod on the underside to set at an angle so that it looks like its in a right turn so you can see the dirty underside too. Altogether Im pretty happy with it. As usual any constructive criticism is alwayw welcomed J.

Thank you gents. The Sword kit is a nice one to work with so can recommend it. Seafire number 3 of many I hope to build in the near future.

Good progress so far Nigel....given the size of the parts, personally I'd abandon the airbrush and use Halfords acrylic rattle cans instead. The finish is excellent and you can build up a dense colour finish relatively quickly. I use them exclusively now on anything that requires a solid primary colour.

Thanks for the comments guys. Duncan, I typically use a pre-shade of NATO black before applying the topcoat, but I also used an intermediate shading of the base colour lightened by about 20% with a lighter shade of the same colour. I don't use white for this as it gives too much of a washed out appearance for me. Karl

Guys I've founds this on the Stirling site ( http://sas.raf38group.org/forum/index.php) David (Kitbasher2009) and I believe it to be the same Heyford and looks to have Yellow undersides. More fuel on the fire! Nick

All I have left on my Hellcat are the landing gear and small bits. It's noon here. I think I might pull it off! Michael

This is my Trumpeter 1/48 Westland Wyvern S.4 built for the FAA GB, but since I rarely build an aircraft I thought I'd post it here too. Nice build with few problems that weren't made by me. WIP HERE

Do you know the real irony of my mistake? I have a copy of Morgan and Shacklady's 'Spitfire - The History' sitting next to me... D'oh! Still, me being a f***wit doesn't detract from how nice a job Col has done.

Really Nice Moskito there,

Very nice OM! This inspires me to finish my conversion using the Hasegawa MK1 with Areoclub prop and Hannants decals (complete with poor registered roundels....). Rick.

Oh yes looks fabulous, congratulations of finishing your build. All the best Chris

Notice no exhasuts? This is one of RJ Mitchell's lesser known Spitfires and it was actually powered by a really big, wound up rubber band Interior detailing. Added belts and decalled the instrument panel, also added a control column. The thin formed canopy is very clear. My thanks to Rick for the exhaust decals which are currently drying... All I have left to do is wait for the enamel to sit of the printed exhaust decals, put them on the a/c then give it varnish. I don't know what varnish to go for (I'm thinking matt with satin doped control surfaces and high gloss cowl and spinner). Soon to be ready for inspection, Ben.

Stencils on. Haven't used them all though, just the major ones. Now for varnish and wheels.

PM sent! I changed the colour YET AGAIN to Hu90.. But i also mixed in various shades of Hu90 mixed with green and yellow, so the colour isnt uniform as per the real thing. Its a little crude, however I think it looks the part Decaling is done (other than exhausts) All I have to do know is scratch build the pitot tubes before painting the radiator and wheel wells. Ben.

It certainly has Phil, it certainly has!! Shame I couldn't finish this Bucc off for the GB, its been a great GB...well done!!! The S2's just about ready for a coat of EDSG (well, maybe another application of primer THEN EDSG) but I'll post pic's of the build in the 'In-Progress ' section, when I've finished the Harrier's. Still here she is as we speak.....

USS Whidbey Island LSD-41 is due from Orangehobby towards the end of the month in 1:700 scale. No pictures as yet, but I will post them as soon as I get them. Also due soon from Orangehobby are packs of MV-22 Ospreys, CH-46 Sea Knight, M1A1 Abrams, M35 trucks, HMMWV and LCU`s in 1:700. John

Epic build this! It must weigh quite a bit by now? Trevor

You're not alone, Nigel. I've been slapping milliput onto a scratchbuild this morning. And, Due to the time difference, I was up and on site before even you! Good luck with your retroactive mods to AA. Pete

Cheers Col, just done the fuselage after looking at it, was no biggie. Will leave it now until tomorrow when I start preparing the seams etc. Huey fuselage butted up - ready for prep work. by Rainbow 1984, on Flickr

Cheers once again folks! Pete, I could only find Stirlings in the pictures - am I missing something?! More interior progress on the Halifax to report... I've been working on the wireless operator and navigator's areas. All the radios came from the spares box, and items such as the lamp were built from scratch. The map is an actual WWII map of a part of Berlin reduced on the computer, and printed off and added to the navigator's table. The wiring is thin electrical wire that is easily bent to shape. You can also see the plastic card floor I made in position in this shot: Here is the beginning of the pilot's compartment, which I inherited from the previous owner of this model. This will continue to be detailed, and the seat, instrument panel etc. needed to be scratch built and added to it. You can see the engineer's bulkhead in situ here, too: Work has also started on the starboard side of the cockpit, but there's lots more to do here. One step at a time and all that... It won't be the most accurate Halifax interior in the world, but it's good enough for my liking Until the next update, Tom

I too did some filling and sanding with the wing to fuselage fit but that was minimal, barely visible in this picture. It looked better before that than after, anyway I guess my kits are very old and from early production, when the molds were fresh. The later Mk kit indeed has its pilot a mm or two offset to starboard. The interior piece must be a tad narrow and as I have glued it to the starboard fuselage side the slack appears on the port side. Trevor, good luck and just do it! maybe Airfix will give us all a new Beau (and the Do 17 Z) if we get these oldies done. Last night I realized I could, and should, have used the slanted tailplanes with both kits. ****! V-P

Twin HP42 in RAF service as D-Day heavy assault glider tower

So, after a week of no modelling I managed a bit this weekend. I have the fuselage closed up now and awaiting a bit of clean up; and a bit of a scribe if I feel brave. The cockpit interior was done with the photoetch for the MPM kit as I picked it up really cheap at a show. I know there's an etch set for the Airfix kit, but that's no challenge is it?! The wide shelves at the sides of the cockpit were narrowed with a scalpel and thinned with a dremel. The rear bulkhead didn't fit so I cut a couple of small slots with a razor saw at the back of the cockpit for it to slot in to and allow the fuselage sides to close, job done. The interior is painted with Humbrol German Grey and dry brushed a couple of grey shades, and I have lightened the pictures quite a bit so you can see the detail. The coaming has been cut back a bit, but more may be required to take the gun sight when I come to fit that later. The instrument panel was fitted to an offcut of plasticard which was then shaped, the instruments being painted with a fine brush and 'glassed' with Klear. The cockpit floor was scratched from sheet. I have an Aeroclub seat to fit, but that will go in towards the end of the build. Pictures then... There's no way I am going to put the same sort of detail in to the wheel wells. The real aircraft has an incredible mess of wires and hydraulic pipes in the wells, and as the models wheel wells are very shallow I have chickened out of the effort required to improve them. The nose wheel well is just a flat shallow effort anyway. I have put the air-conditioning intake in the nose and I will probably use the etch to fold the wings - maybe. More soon

Have a peep at this...... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6dXkL6CwGY Mind you, not sure what the bottles look like outside the UK. Roy.

Anything Beaufighter-shaped grabs my attention and these two are coming on well.

1:72 CMR Supermarine Scimitar F.1 Build thread here. More photos and textual drivel here. Cheers, Bill

Many thanks for your advice. My photography skills are below the average (as my modeling skills)... I've tried to take some photos to help you guys to understand me.