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I had a bit of a bad time with this one - I made many mistakes during the build. Overall I think I saved it reasonably well, but believe me I have done my best to hide the faults in the pictures. But that's reasonable - I always try to show off my models in the best way I can. In any case, here you go. Airfix 1/48 F3, with Model Alliance decals. Cockpit set by true details, which I did a horrible job on, so I closed the canopy.

This one had sat unfinished for months. It is a sod of a kit, and it was "finish it or bin it". The masking film had not aged well and the glazing is not great. I filled in the fuselage windows with gloss blue as the transparencies had clouded. It is OK, but not one of my best. Needs a new mould from Airfix...

Hello after a long time,Friends - Finally,with the more than appreciated help from 'Plastix', I'm delighted to be able to post my photos again on the Forum.My photos are now on Flickr after the Photobucket Debacle and able to use my iPad!! Now I need to get my current build completed and posted! 😉👍 All the very best,Paul.

"Hey, Ridley!" "Yeah?" "You got any Beeman's?" "I might have Mystic." "Well loan me some, would ya? I'll pay ya back later." "Fair enough!" "I think I see a plane over there with my name on it!" The film was "The Right Stuff" back in 1983 and this was the cue for Chuck Yeagar's flight in the F-104 Starfighter which. for me, is still one of the most thrilling aviation sequences ever filmed. I started this kit three years ago and it depicts 63-13269, one of the two Lockheed F-104G Starfighters used in the film. It is unusual in being mainly covered in silver foil to try to give an accurate metallic effect. She measures 22 inches in length. The kit is the old 1980 vintage Revell 1/32nd scale F-104G Starfighter, I think I got it on eBay for about £8! It is a very straightforward build, not too detailed, goes together fairly well. It does have raised panel lines which is perfect for 'foiling' and as you can see here I have been able to add different shaded panels especially at the 'hot' end of the plane. Overall the foil went on well, I also used Humbrol 27001 metallic paint in a couple of areas, also a rattle can of Halfords Aluminium spray. The white wings upper surfaces were sprayed Halfords Appliance White. The decals were a mix from the original kit, the spares box, and a few from a Victory decals set. She first flew on 2nd March 1962 and became the 69th TFTS Commander's aircraft at Luke AFB in Arizona in 1980 wearing "Fighting 69th" tail art. She starred in the film "The Right Stuff" in 1982; the pilots were Lt Col Robert Patterson (USAF) and Oberstleutnant Heinrich Thueringer (GAF); she was flown until end of operation at Luke AFB on March 16, 1983. She was struck off charge order July 19, 1983 and transferred to Taiwan (ROCAF) in 1983 coded "4383" under project "Ali Shan No.8" to 2 Wing. She was withdrawn from use August 6, 1996 and written off in 1st Depot at Pingtung AB, then scrapped. And this is her in the sun. Have to say I am really pleased with this build and I want to dedicate it to Major Mike Vivian (USAF Retd) who helped train German pilots as an Instructor Pilot with the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing at Luke AFB in the early 80's. As always all inaccuracies and mistakes are purely mine! Michael

RAF BE2c, the newish 1/72 Airfix release. Nice kit, I had strut problems but I think that was me. The checks are all decals, some of them don't quite match up if you look closely but again, me I think. Not fully rigged. I might add some tailplane rigging later but I'm sick of rigging right now...

My latest completed build which was done as part of the 'From Russia With Love' GB. An enjoyable build and despite my initial reservations, a nice kit! I added the HAD Models shock cone, Model Maker Decals and I had to use a set of pylons from the KP kit for under the fuselage as the kit doesn't supply enough to go round. Finished with Mr Hobby Colour Aquious paints. Comments welcome.

Just a fantasy aircraft

It's done. Took me about 3 years to pull it off. Only the second 1/32 I've built. I have mixed feelings on 1/32. They are fun, but also are easy to mess up for me. This build had several "its going in the trash moments" but it survived to see the end. Revell 109G-6 with Barracuda Wheels, prop, scoops, exhausts, decals, cowling bulges, and intake. I also used Ex Line and RB fabric seat belts. The top colors are Mr. Paint late war colors and the lower paint is tamiya mix. The RLM 76 tail is also Mr. paint. Big Thanks to Jason Brewer for once again taking pics for me! Pics: Thanks for looking!

Hello there! This is my latest build that I wanted to share with you. I hope you like it. KIT: 1/48 Hasegawa Spitfire Mk.IX After market items: Eduard RAF Seat Harness. Decals: Hasegawa/Italeri Paints: Tamiya acrylics. Weathering: AK Interactive washes.

He everyone! This is my next model. From Ukraine's "A-model" firm. Who are familiar with the products of this company - he knows that it's actually not a model, and the workpiece. Model is still necessary to release the excess plastic and work a bit like a sculptor)).

evening chaps & thank you having made the elevators and it now being time to add the rib tapes etc, I was troubled when I looked back at the rudder.. I always felt the tamiya tape was too heavy and the picture is quite flattering, in the light it looked overdone - the real thing looks like this - the tapes are subtle, and if anything the ties and rods underneath the tape is what needed to be captured.. ..rather than make the elevators bad like the rudder, i stripped it all off and recovered the rudder to do the whole lot in a new way.. ..after experimenting with fuse wire, cotton and sprue for the rods under the tape, I settled on some ultra fine wire from a laptop lead, I also experimented with using solartex and decal strips for the tape, but found the best material to be some foil tape I have that is what heating engineers use (I think) it is like bare metal foil on a roll.. I tried running a rivet wheel along it and cutting along that line with a scalpel to attempt to replicate the 'pinked' edges - the real thing has zig-zag edges to prevent fraying (I think again).. ..after carefully adding wire on each rib, I added spots of CA gel to act as the fixings on each row and covered them in the home made rib tape... # ..compared to the original, I think the effect is about as close as I can get... ..same for the elevators.. ..these were wire wooled and primed with mr metal etch primer - I had a sudden nightmare it would react with the solartex, but turned out fine... then primed with mr surfacer 500.. ..and now i have the full set ready for paint.. ..speaking of which, I guess it's aluminium dope, it looks quite blueish in this photo - will have to try & mix something up.. ..then it's on to all the trim tab fittings and getting the registration right on the rudder.. TTFN Peter

Thanks Tony. I want to get stuck in to working out the overall internal layouts later and decide what I'm doing about the various bulkeads and ribs. You need to get yourself a job writing a newspaper column Tony - your mind is far too active! There is so much in German art and philosophy that I admire, however I'm less sure about David Hasselhoff having been so popular there as a singer post-Baywatch... The guards encourage me to, so that I won't provoke any more trouble. Well, that old Patek Philippe has seen better days... TBH though, those crenellated radii are a bit of a poser structurally. I want to keep pushing my building/salvaging skills further rather than buying AM stuff so am letting this problem float around the brain for a few days in order to see what it collides with. On a not unrelated note, that Ayoue soldering iron you recommended was waiting when I got home last evening. I had a quick little tinker/test with it before bedtime and most pleased. Nice one! They do seem to operate on a common dial-like principle don't they Keith? Thanks for those links btw! There's a .pdf floating around the web for the gun fittings on the 'G' variant. It's in my files somewhere but not unfortunately much use in this instance. Cheers Jaime. Thanks for that Simon. What goes on at Baron Towers stays at Baron Towers.... No-one's ever said that to me before. Welling up! Great image TT! I've had the Mini-World' stuff bookmarked for several months and occasionally go back to goggle at the sheer quality of the things; it astonishes me every time when you remember the almost molecular scale that the detailing is produced at. Like a weaponized version of Renaissance silversmithing... That said, I've already got the CMK resin sets for the MG 15s on order and they should be here soon: Udo was kind enough to include the field manual for the MG 15 in the documentation for the aircraft, so I've no excuse for not getting the features on the firepower correct doled-up for the scale. You're a terrible man! In fact there are several terrible men in this thread attempting to bankrupt me I see! Budget = 0 from now-on I'm afraid. That's most kind Keith. Just out of curiosity, the openings on the kit are 12mm in diameter - how does that match what you have? (Nice to see little T back and roaring btw!) Welcome along Dermo! Those gauges are a dead handy investment when it comes to interiors... Appreciate that distinction Benedikt - thank-you. I'm conscious that even apparently neutral technical terminology can have historical and emotional resonances, so maybe I'll stick to pilotensitz for that particular feature. You're very kind for saying so phoenix - I appreciate that. Looking forwards to seeing your own Dornier unfurl it's wings! Steve: I think Martin overshot his approach and his aircraft ended up mating with the Dornier like two randy pigeons. Just guessing, as I've no idea what comic that frame comes from. Welcome aboard btw! Right. That's me lunch hour gone - catch you tonight when I hope to have a little more progress and ruminations to add. Tony

Hey Guys, So while I was building the Water Radiators I realized that I can't install these without installing the Fuel Tanks...at the same time. I have fuel lines that run between the radiators and the engine block that need to be installed before I close up the engine bay to the radiators. Fuel Tanks first then. I have already built the Fuel Tanks, So on with the paint and some grunge. Rusted fuel tanks with Russian Green over... Rusted Fuel Tanks with Russian Green under, Banner Red over... fit into place to check clearance... I now have the engine installed and secured, along with the radiator cage. I can now install the fuel tanks, after a bit of scrubbing to get the salt off, and get the fuel lines run into place. I also have a few more tanks to install between the radiators and the main frame. I'll be back shortly with info on the fuel lines and the other tanks to install. Bye-Bye...

Airfix's Waterloo Farmhouse. A restoration project

Oh Benedikt. I weep for the nation of Bach, Goethe and Hegel.... Ahh! I knew I'd think of something once you told me what it was I was to think of! Off to read up on that technique later hendie - my thanks! Thanks for troubling to check that out Keith - appreciate it. Trouble is with that Mini World stuff is it's just too gorgeous to stick on a kit - it always looks as if it should be on a plinth of it's own! Ok. Tonight's lucubration: Over the last 24hrs or so I've gained a better sense of the aircraft interior from reading and looking through the documentation. Being blessed with accurate plans I can use these as a temporary map to construct the interior in such a way as to be fairly confident that I've understood where the various elements are positioned in relation to each other throughout the airframe, like so: My intention is to base the level of detailing on the varying level of visibility for various regions in the final assembly, so areas such as cockpit and gunner positions, exposed tankraum etc. will receive more attention than those other spaces heavily concealed inside, like the laderaum. In terms of keeping things straight in my head, it makes sense I think to start at the front and work my way back along - basically treating the interior sequentially as the sechs Räume (thank-you Benedikt!) of which the aircraft is composed, varying the levels of detail as we go. To start up the front with buklhead three: And the reverse side: I mentioned previously that contrary to my initial perception, the floor of the interior varies from space to space, stepping up and down to follow the curve of the keel. Rather than a single unified run of plastic then, the floor has now been divided to follow this scheme: As you can see, the main central area comprising funkraum, tankraum and laderaum (radio,fuel and cargo spaces respectively) is a single run: the bits on either end step up in order to follow the upward keel-profile front and back. Even so this still required tapering the thickness of the plastic for the last crew space at the back, the heckraum: Over the next few days I want to move on to the next space back - the cockpit. This requires some investigation and deciphering of the manual particularly with regard to the construction and operation of the sliding seat behind the pilot. One thing I'm hoping will make life easier on this build is a modest investment in a proper set of collets for my Archimedes drill and some more robust jeweller's drill-bits: I say 'modest' as the whole lot only came to €7. Here's the links if you're ogling anything similar. The drill-bit have a nice 'bite' when drilling plastic. http://www.ebay.ie/itm/10pcs-0-3-1-2mm-Carbide-Steel-PCB-CNC-Dremel-Jewelry-Micro-Engraving-Drill-Bits/322065823039?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 http://www.ebay.ie/itm/10x-0-5-3-2mm-Micro-Drill-Chuck-Collet-Bit-Brass-Shank-f-Dremel-Rotary-Tool/301991842838?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 That's all from tonight's episode of: Tsk tsk Nicholas. You're an animal. Tony

After the white had dried overnight, I airbrushed pretty much the whole thing with Vallejo Aluminum Air--right from the bottle at about 15 psi. That worked great! I let that dry overnight as well and then tackled the cockpit area. The wooden control panels were painted Vallejo Sand, then Wood Brown and the dial faces dotted in with Gloss Black. The seats were the same wood technique except for the cushion areas. For these, I cut out some small pieces of black gaffer's tape and used those for the seats and seat backs. I painted them Vallejo Sky Green, then washed with a black oil wash to bring out some texture. The safety belts are masking tape, painted buff with aluminum buckles. The control stick that came with the kit is kind of...meh...so I used a bit of sprue and a piece of melted, stretched ear-bud plastic for the handle. I am not sure if you can see it, but it's there! The interior of the fuselage has been sprayed aluminum and the detail bright out with black oil wash. I had to use a spare throttle lever since one of them didn't come off the sprue too well. The plastic on this kit is kind of soft and brittle so I will have to be careful with the more visible pieces... I'll close up the fuselage tonight and let that dry. When I get back from Athens I'll continue...

Thanks Hendie I think this time, given time I am closer Sonobuoy is up its pipe, the transfers are on mostly, just a few to glean from other sheets Pylon needs adapting and tank painting and bunging on and the winch and wipers (and the OAT unit) rotary bits fore and aft and maybe get her into RFI for a tear down session isnt postimage.org great took these about five minutes ago laters guys

Sincere thanks to everybody who's had such nice things to say, some really interesting memories to share and some useful hints, tips and leads to chase! There's been some truly lovely compliments sent to my son, I'm very proud of him, so I thought it worth sharing another quick anecdote. I fully appreciate that religion isn't everybody's thing and I don't want to risk any offence by dwelling too long on it, but I once explained the significance of the War Memorial in our local city square to Leo. Ever since then, for the past year or so, every single time we walk past it he always pulls on my hand and insists we go over to say some prayers to say thank you to the servicemen who lost their lives and are named on the memorial. As I said, I don't want to cause any offence to those who aren't of a religious disposition, but I hope this sign of respect and appreciation by Leo will be seen by all here in the community in a positive way. Anyhow, he's now finished the base coat on the model and has assembled most of the propeller. We've had some chats about my input, which Leo feels could be more! I've explained that I don't want to ruin his fun by stepping in and painting his model for him and that he will only get better with practise. He explained that there are bits he is too nervous to attempt and he'd like a bit more help with them, so I've painted the tail wheel, neatened up some smudges and painted the lines which separate the sky underside and brown/green camouflage. Thoroughly enthused by the Hurricane, he's now picked Paul Richey's 'Fighter Pilot' off my shelf and insists on that as his bedtime story. I'm very, very careful and selective in the parts I read to him as I still want him to have a proper childhood without the full impact of the Battle of France thrust upon him! Fortunately as it was written during the war and is therefore heavily controlled in its content, it does read quite a lot like Biggles for the most part.

As some light relief from cutting and sanding the Perth, I thought I would have a go at a parallel build of the Beriev BE-4. This kit kit is a typical, brittle plastic kit from the old eastern block, with lots of flash and no doubt a dubious fit. However given the number of parts I hope to get this kit finished this week while I an working away from home. "Famous last works of many a modeller" Right more later, time to stop posting and start building cheers Pat

Many, many years ago I built the Bloodhound so I was excited when a batch arrived as part of a re-import. Like others I snapped one up. Usually I only build Aircraft and I'm a Bristol fan so I hope this counts as Aircraft Modelling... anyway, here it is: Bristol Bloodhound Mk I by Ced Bufton, on Flickr I've made some attempt to replicate the Ramjet intakes and starter rocket exhausts but the old kit soft plastic didn't make it easy. Of course I had to build the accompanying non-aircraft bits too and a base: More pictures in the WiP thread here.

Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's my 1/72 Eduard Spitfire IXc built from the 'Profi Pack'. I chose markings for UF-Q, No. 601 Squadron, Royal Air Force, Fano, Italy, November 1944, as I wanted a change in color to my armada of green/grey Spitfires. I painted with Alclad 'High Speed Silver', which does not resemble the quality of Alclad's Aluminium lacquers; it left a rather grainy looking surface, and is reluctant to masking, as it easliy pulls off with Tamiya Tape (something that's never ever happened with Alclad lacquers before). So, while it may not be my best model, I'm happy to have it finished! Thanks for your interest. All photographs: Wolfgang Rabel, IGM Cars & Bikes. With best wishes from rainy Vienna! Roman

This is mostly because David Hasselhoff claimed the fall of the Berlin wall as his sucess with "I've been looking for freedom". So he sung down the wall That must be thought in a very drunken hour and sounds so silly that everybody loves him now for that.

Thanks Giorgio - sorry, no, it'll be too much of a rush. Thanks BW They do look like similar designs don't they? Thanks Keith There will be a short intermission! Out with the Potters Wheel. Thanks TT Off to Brittany so looking forward to some nice food and wine. Thanks for looking after it while we're away... just watch out for the Leopards. Thanks Bill Only a short break so normal service will be resumed... Thanks Benedikt - she is pretty eh? Thanks Keith Oh no, not the Puffin... Thanks Jaime, very kind Thanks Rob Thanks Pat Might take me a bit longer... I'd have to shop for full sized tools first!

I think I've got Vacforms on the brain, even this injection kit is starting to look like a Vacform. Perhaps I had better call it a night !

What, no French Flying boat or float plane in this GB yet! The French built so many wonderful and weird water bound aircraft, so surely this GB deserves at least one of them So here I am with a Latécoère 28-5. And after all. isn't Latécoère for the French what Shorts is for the British when it comes to flying boats. The Latécoère 28 was mainly used for postal services between France, Africa and South America. About 50 were built and the type established 9 world records for speed, endurance and distance. The -5 "la Frégate" model set 16 records between 1930-31 and one flew later with the French Navy. First it flew in a red colour scheme inherited from its civil days, but was later apparently re-painted navy grey. Does someone know of a picture in the grey colours? as I think all the pictures below show the aircraft in the red colours. The -5 was equipped with a 650 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Nbr engine. The SBS Model is one of the first resin kit from this manufacturer and is therefore not as refined as the newer offerings, but still looking very nice. I didn't intend to participate in another GB this year as my completion rate is miserable to say the least. But I started this kit a while ago, but made little progress. The fuselage has an enormous casting block to be removed. Done. And cleaned up with a scraper. That is were I am currently with this build. Will I finish it within the duration of this GB? Most likely not, but it should be at least closer to the finishing line. Cheers, Peter

Yak-3 White 6 Lieutenant Marcel Albert, 1st FAR “Normandie Niemen”, 303rd FAD, Autumn 1944/Spring 1945 It’s been a few months since I have built an aircraft model but, for the ‘From Russia with Love’ GB, I decided I’d do something similar to my MTO GB build where I made a diorama with three German tanks and one aircraft. My original intention was to have the aircraft flying over the three Russian tanks (similar to my MTO GB project) but when I saw Zvezda had included a rather nicely detailed engine I changed my plans and decided to have it on the ground with the covers off. It was a lovely kit to build and apart from when I had a bit of an issue with how I had painted the camo colours it was one of my most pleasurable builds to date. The Yak-3 is a great looking aircraft which was developed from a Yak-1M airframe and had a strong resemblance to its forerunners. The Yak-3 was superior to the Yak-1 – it was lighter and with smaller wings, powered by a Klimov VK-105PF engine - it was much faster and more agile. It was also better than most of its German opponents – especially at low altitudes where most aerial combat in the east took place – and during the last ten months of the war Yak-3s played a key role in defeating the Luftwaffe. Just under 5,000 Yak-3s were produced between late 1943 and early 1946. “White 6” (as I have built this model as) was flown by Lieutenant Marcel Albert, 1st FAR “Normandie Niemen”, 303rd FAD between Autumn 1944 and Spring 1945. Yak-3, “White 6” carried a white arrow/lightning bolt on either side of the fuselage and had a tri-colour spinner. Kit: 1/48 Zvezda Yak-3 Extras: Tamiya seat belts and EZline aerial wire Paints: Humbrol, Revell, Citadel and Railmatch Acrylics - all applied by brush WIP: Here Tank RFI: Here Diorama photos: Here As I mentioned above - this Yak-3 was made for a diorama - so here are a few pictures of it in place - more photos of the scene can be found here Finally - a big thank you must go to Peter (Basilisk), the hard working GB host, who supported us all throughout - and everyone who took the time to comment or offer advice in my GB thread. Kind regards, Stix

Hi all, over the last few months I've built the Airfix P-51D and the Revell B-17G in 1/72. These are the first models I've made since I was at school and feel like I've learned some new things along the way both through my own experimentation and from what I've seen on here. I've used airbrushed Tamiya and Alclad paints, an Alclad varnish and thinned oil paints as a wash and for exhaust stains. I'm pretty happy with the results though feel like I could have done a better job with the "basics" on both models, i.e. filling, sanding, the cockpits, etc - I completely stuffed up the B-17 transparencies with a last of coat of varnish after I'd unmasked everything (won't do that again)... I really enjoyed doing the interior on the B-17 and added some more detail like cables, a desk lamp, map, fire extinguishers, oxygen tanks, etc. In the end I couldn't bear to shut her up so have used little neodynium magnets to allow the fuselage to split and go back together, you can see one above the bomb bay. Finally, I also have no idea how to take photos either with my phone or my fiance's camera (which I took these with) - it'd be great if someone could point me in the direction of some tips on taking better snaps. Next up is an Airfix 1/72 Spitfire which is where I started with my dad when I was about 6! Thanks for looking!

Bandai's tiny 1/350 Falcon from the Vehicle Model range, painted up as the Stellar Envoy, one of the past lives of the Millennium Falcon. Apart from a slight re-working of the scanner dish base, it's all OOB. It's a great little kit, and very slightly cheaper than the new 1/72 version wip (painting only) here Thanks for looking Andy

Just finished this 1/72 Tamiya P-47D. Really a great kit to assemble and built OOB except for decals. Used MRP paints which are fantastic! Thanks for looking!

I was building this in last year's STGB which ended in February, unfortunately I was also extending myself with my Westland Wasp HAS1 and the timetable for this slipped and so, it came to pass that it found a space on a shelf Yes, that shelf As another of the stalled Wessex build models has resurfaced here and I have been doing a bit here bit there on this one I think I can allow her to resurface too The STGB is here I can pop a few of the old pictures in here to set the tone if you like Where it all started Bits rescued from a second version Matchbox Wessex added to bits from a first version Wessex which came with the noses for the early single engined one that I didnt use on my HC2 and Modeldecals sheet 99 Lots of innards made up from pictures And because I didnt want to buy any more after market stuff than the transfers I made up the missing bits from plasticene to cast them from This gave me the hump and the sonar bay position for under the floor Soon tidied that up I built the sonar gear on a false floor that was slid in place when I was ready for it, no way could I do the 'shipinnabottle' thingymajig The winch was rescued from the front of a Minicraft US Army deuce and a half and popped into a custom made frame Electronics racks built up seats made The walls were wired and piped up/down prior to closure And the hump fitted on The parrot beak was moulded and added And the driver and looker's seats made up from plasticard I started to make them both with the seat pans flat for sitting on then changed my mind Flat here Here seen with the one seat up to allow passage from back behind to up top at the front A pull moulded canopy came next with roof console and rotor brake fitted later The home brew sonar well was popped on and the underside plumbing added thanks in the main to photos from Mike/Bootneck and the 4+ magazine drawings after adding surface detailing including the refuelling in flight filler a coat of RAFBG was applied, this was a jar of thirty five year old Compucolor2 paint which was in perfect condition, amazing stuff yellow paint to come which stymied me, horrid evil colour Whatever was the Andrew thinking of bunging it on aeroplanes? This awful mess was where I stalled, time crept quietly by and the STGB Westland Wessex event ended with this unfinished Many very nice Wessii emerged from the STGB so it wasn't all wasted time, only my own wasted endeavour Here is where I'll drop this but rejoice, I have been beavering away at it and there will be better prospects to see later Thanks for looking bill

I have just completed this for the Made in Britain II GB and thought that I would also share the images here. I used the 1/72 Airfix Kit Starter boxing and sanded the raised detail away then re-scribed the main panel line detail. Because the kits fin and rudder are too small I removed them - replacement items were made by laminating some sheet plastic cut and sanded to shape. The instrument panel was improved using my dwindling supply of Reheat dials and a basic centre console was added. Anyway here is the end result and as always thanks for looking. BEAGLE Basset 206R

Hello Here is the first of my couple of Northrop Delta. This one is the Delta 1C, c/n 7, EC-AGC from the Spanish Postal Airline (LAPE - Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas ) in 1938. The work in progress is here : The TWA Delta 1A will follow soon. Patrick

Hi All, WIP of yy first ever jet..Normally I build cars, F1, and bikes. It always nice do start something else, and to learn new stuff. Tips and tricks are most welcome. Hope you like it...

Thanks everyone. So while the windows are tiny on this thing and not much will be seen, I'm going to put in some very basic floors/bulkheads so there's something in there to fill the space. Revell_4380_Grumman_Albatross_fuselage_1 Just some very average plastic-bodging to follow - please don't look too closely! Cheers, Dermot

Hi again, Haven't really started yet but have taken pictures of the sprues and put them in a bath of water and dishwasher. So, here's the box, prior to taking the sprues off the bag: IMAG4929 The sprues of the fuselage, showing it to be a big bird (at least 30 cm long): IMAG4922 The wing parts are equally massive: IMAG4923 There's another sprue with smaller bits and cockpit parts: IMAG4924 and a sprue with transparent parts: IMAG4927 A few bit were loose in the bag but nothing is lost, fortunately: IMAG4926 The kit comes also with a PE fret with cockpit and exterior detailing bits: IMAG4928 The decal sheet is equally large and looks very good. No swastikas, though: IMAG4929 The instructions come in a large fold-out piece of paper: IMAG4930 IMAG4931 The detail in the kit looks good. I still have to check if the machine gun parts are good or not. I can replace the MG 15 by Eduards resin versions if needed but I don't have and don't know of any resin replacements for the dorsal turret MG 151. I also checked the paints I could use for the RLM 72/73 camouflage. As seen in previous posts, and considering the paints I already have, RLM72 can be replaced by Tamiya XF-26 and RLM73 by Gunze H302: IMAG4919 IMAG4920 Look good enough to me: RLM72/XF-26 is a brighter green while RLM73/H302 is duller and slightly darker. Cheers Jaime

Next updates are about seat belts and interior green... I used Extratech PE seat belts EX48026 dedicated to late WWII version. I noted on the instruction sheet the corresponding letter of each as memo... Starting interior painting now: I used Testors Chrome Green #1734E as base for all, like my previous O-2A with lovely result... Alex

However you slice it you made a great looking model. @giemme @Spookytooth @jrlx Thanks for the washing tips. I've never had to do it before. Fingers crossed I'll get more coverage. john.

I'll do my best to honor both your gift of decals and their gift of resin! I have a lot of Arma Hobby stuff (if you build Polish aircraft, they're pretty indispensable; I have bits from them for Polish F-16s, MiG-29s, Spitfires, their PZL P.7 kit, which looks very cool...) so I'm really pleased that they liked something I did. For the kit, I'm using some of the photoetch set put out for it by PART, (in)famous Polish photoetch maker of incredibly intricate sets for WWI 1/72 kits. I'm not using all of it, because some of it looks really hard. But the seats were easy to make, so here we are. They're a bit bigger than the kit parts, so I may not be able to use them in the end. I also got the resin cowl together: The resin looks a bit different from the kit part: Which is kind of the point of resin, I think. Especially as in this case, the resin's larger upper intake seems more correct. As you can also see, the cowling is flush with the fuselage on the real deal, which is not the case with the cowling in the kit. As for the interior, I've used a dark enamel wash to set off the internal framing. I'm not sure weather I want to do more in the painting line with it before I close it up. Your thoughts, gentlebeasts? Today Mrs P spent two hours packing to drive to the beach near our house, which is a special rich people's beach, so we had to swap cars with my parents so we could use their sticker to gain access. Only when we got to the beach did she realize that she hadn't brought swimsuits for herself or Winston. Amazing. I hate the beach, by the way.

Nice seat Tony (ahem). Are you really going to try to model that cog thingey? Do you have a cog tool? Those MiniWorld guns look nice eh? What's your budget for this build??

OK folks, I was going to do the port holes tonight but did not have enough time , so. I selected the tail planes and rudder assemblies to do. With a quick clean up and dry fit, they were glued together. Leave alone for the night to set. Then a little light polishing to wings and bits tomorrow, probably. Right, I am off to bed soon. All comments welcome. Simon.

I never got to visit Brawdy or Culdrose in the Gannet days so I think the most I saw on the visiting aircraft dispersal at Lossie was 6. I had left Lossie by the time 849 moved there. I did see XP226 delete its radome and underwing tanks seconds after this was taken in July 1963. Even as a 10 year old I knew it wasn't planned! I reckon I was 20 yards to the left of this,directly opposite the impact.

Just an interesting picture with absolutely no hidden motive or suggestions for a diarama

Sundowners last stages before final assembly! Some weathering with oil brushers. Looks a bit intense due to harsh lighting. Its a bit more subdued under normal viewing conditions 👍🏿 Dark mud used for type of streaks seen on engine lowers, then removed from areas of 'fresh' paint. Uppers had these three colours used: Some dark brown stippled for crew dirt near walkway. Thinned white dotted on to get a salt stained look. General overview. Note wing glove panel line decal. Did a dark grey this time. Better look than the black one I made for the Tophatter. Dark brown ones was stippled on random panels to dirty them up too. Also visible are the 'starship filth' grime streaks. The dried salt staining/bleaching. Faded and made the tail logos patchy with some white. More bleaching and streaking on panels. All thats left is the nav lights/clear colours really now before pouring some glue over all the parts and giving it a good shake in a box. Thanks for looking!

Thanks! I`ve started painting the wood grain bits of the nacelle. I`ve used XF55 as a base and artistic oils varnished with Clear Orange. I think I`ll try to work some more on these parts to get a more refined result. I`ve also glued the Le Rhône 9C engines. I`ve just added the push-rods and the wires. After seeing the pics I think they require some touch ups. I`ve tested the Chrome Silver for the first time

Then out spake brave Horatius, The Captain of the gate: “To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late. And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds For the ashes of his fathers And the temples of his gods[?"] -- Thomas Babington Macaulay, The Lays of Ancient Rome, "Horatius at the Bridge" "Your son is in a burning house. Nobody can hold you back. You may burn up, but what do you think of that? You are ready to bequeath the rags of your body to any man who will take them. You discover that what you set so much store by is trash. You would sell your hand, if need be, to give a hand to a friend. It is in your act that you exist, not in your body. Your act is yourself, and there is no other you. Your body belongs to you: it is not you. Are you about to strike an enemy? No threat of bodily harm can hold you back. You? It is the death of your enemy that is you. You? It is the rescue of your child that is you. In that moment you exchange yourself against something else; and you have no feeling that you lost by the exchange. Your members? Tools. A tool snaps in your hand: how important is that tool? You exchange yourself against the death of your enemy, the rescue of your child, the recovery of your patient, the perfection of your theorem...Your true significance becomes dazzlingly evident. Your true name is duty, hatred, love, child, theorem. There is no other you than this." ―Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Flight to Arras Nie damy miana Polski zgnieść Nie pójdziem żywo w trumnę. [We won't have Poland's name defamed, We won't step alive into a grave.] -- Maria Konopnicka, "Rota" Earlier this year, which seems about a hundred years ago at this point, I built some Polish Spitfires. As you know, I always try to only build aircraft I'm interested in, flown by people I care about. Weird old H P Lovecraft, whose grave I visited earlier this month in Providence, once wrote that "without interest, there is no art." (He probably capitalized art, because ol' HPL raised pretension to an art form in and of itself.) In any case, in some stupid little way that merely exposes how sad and tawdry my own little life is, the builds were acts of love, a way, however imperfect, to express how I feel about those men and women (and children, too), now mostly long-gone, dead of old age or stolen from us by the war. In any case, I guess some people liked the thread, because I got a PM from @GrzeM , who had seen I was interested in building IBG's RWD-8 kit. As it happens, Grzegorz does some work for Arma Hobby, and he had a hand in the resin correction sets they've produced for IBG's kit. He offered to send me the resin sets for free, which was incredibly graciously of him, and, as if that wasn't more than enough, he even dug up a set of custom-printed decals for a WWII-era RWD-8, "White 8", WWII markings for the type being otherwise impossible to find in decal form. The package turned up at my office in May (which gives you an idea of how behindhand I am these days.) 2017-05-23_12-44-36 by Edward IX, on Flickr Needless to say, I'm not only deeply touched by his generosity, but also wholly unworthy of it. But I shall do my best. 20170819_152506 by Edward IX, on Flickr The RWD-8 was a small high-wing monoplane, not unlike the Tiger Moth in terms of both looks and pre-war popularity as a civilian aircraft. Most of the civil RWD-8s were impressed into service by the Polish Air Force at the start of the September Campaign and subsequently lost in action. Today none survive, but they were the last Polish aircraft flown in Poland during the fighting in 1939; a handful of RWD-8s flew during the Battle of Kock in October, the last major battle of the German invasion, in support of the last remnants of the Polish Army in the field. Though the planes themselves were unarmed, their pilots carried grenades and flew at low level to lob them out of the aircraft at enemy troop concentrations. The Germans had not yet fully realized that while they could kill Poles, they could never conquer them. I did the usual thing and washed the kit off, paying especial attention to the resin, which I clumsily extricated from its casting blocks. 20170819_160658 by Edward IX, on Flickr This mostly went well, but the entire leading edge of the wing (the kit wing is slightly the wrong shape, and, get this, too thin) is connected to the casting block, and I'm rather inept, so I took a bit out of one side of the inner starboard (I think) leading edge which is very visible in person. I'll either need to sand down the other side or somehow extend the leading edge on the damaged side. 20170819_152556 by Edward IX, on Flickr The resin cowling isn't exactly a drop-fit (there are no instructions on how it attaches to the kit with it, but let's be real: we all know where the cowling goes), as one needs to remove the kit cowling first. I accomplished this mostly with a Tamiya scribing tool, but this still leaves the raised "lip" that was the rear edge of the cowling attached the fuselage. 20170831_210341 by Edward IX, on Flickr No problem, I'll get out my X-acto knife, and -- FB_IMG_1504231184664 by Edward IX, on Flickr AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Fortunately, I keep isopropyl alcohol around to thin paint, and so I immediately sterilized the wound (after rushing upstairs to take this picture for you all, blood pumping lustily from my finger the whole time) and bandaged it. We think we can save the finger, but if not, I'm left-handed anyway. Then I finished up on the cowl: 20170831_210436 by Edward IX, on Flickr And checked the fit of the resin item: 20170831_212607 by Edward IX, on Flickr Hmmm. This will likely need some filler at some point. I also pulled out some of the Hataka Orange Line paints for the Polish Air Force. I've heard a lot about Hataka lately, little good, but what other choice did I have for Polish colours? None, really. I was pleasantly surprised, however! 20170831_212401 by Edward IX, on Flickr I thinned their Interior Silver (a tricky colour to work with for any paint manufacturer) with Gunze Self-Levelling, and sprayed it right on the cockpit floor and sides. It looks pretty good to me, and came out smoothly. Anyway, more later. Mrs P is days away from giving birth (due 15/9, but the midwife thinks this weekend), so who knows when I'll update again.

This may be of particular interest to the Subjects from Australia and New Zealand This Fokker F.VIIb3m was originally Wilkins Polar plane "Detroiter" that ended up crashing. It was repaired using also parts of the F.VII "Alaskan" -that was the other plane of the polar expedition- and painted with the reg. 1985 as the Southern Cross with some sponsorships (The S.F. Chronicle, Fageol Flyer, Spirit of Los Angeles), flown finally to Australia with the registration 1985 earning much deserved fame -but without the sponsorship letterings-; it was re-registered there as G-AUSU and finally as VH-USU -and as such again in many different decoration schemes that differed from one another to some major or minor extent, as well as in windows and doors location and engine gondola types and other details. Later in its life the plane was restored to a more original configuration, and in that guise it can be represented with the kit as it comes, studying of course that later scheme. However, the kit, as it is, was not duly modified for the configuration necessary to represent the machine on its epic flight to Australia. For that you need to work a bit. And study another bit. Depending on which moment in the plane's life you would like to represent, the details are as subtle as this: for the Fageol Flyer livery, you can see six-point starts, but from then on, only five-point stars depicting the iconic constellation. The kit's decals have seven-point stars, following the inaccurate museum "restoration" -that somehow mixed some features of the plane at different stages of its life. So this is one of the many VH-USU configurations, one less-commonly portrayed in photos and one I have never seen in model form before, that entails a specific decoration on the wings. The kit required some modifications and many additions to fulfill its destiny as presented here, but it is a fair base to work upon, so much so that I bought another one to build perhaps as the Wilkins polar exploration machine, or the Argentine ex-Friendship, or some other arcane livery. Valom's Fokker F.VII -already a bit dated- is not really a refined kit, although the resin and P.E. add-ons surely help. It's a bit heavy-handed and requires work to show its potential. But with some little skill, good references and love, it can be transformed and adapted to depict many Fokker liveries. Parts for those transformations are sometimes included already in the box. It is much better than the Frog/Zvezda release, no doubt, but still needs the modeler's help to shine.

Hello Dears, I fear to becam e real toecutter, look, The guy in back has a look alike seat but feet are too far , cannot put a seat for the empty front seat ! Since his profile remind me someone. I use to call him Vital, So vital will receive some paints soon ! Chasing the sink mark now ! I also opened the oïl cooler intake and the carb intake, the oïl cooler is a NACA one one the lower part of the cowling . Seem easy but, step by step, found always Something to add or fix ! More to come soon. Sincerely. CC

Good evening all. I had a busy weekend finishing off my other build but I did get some parts cut and well I'll just show you. Not a lot mind as I have been told that I need to limit my cave time to Wednesdays and early weekend mornings. wish me luck. Anyhoo. Let's start at the start for once eh. Wheel wells. and here are the bits. Look at those pin marks. why would they do that? Shouldn't be a problem, I have one metal file left after the many breakages on the HP wings. The plastic is super soft so this happened. A little heavy handed. I used some Mr Surfacer and gave it a first prime But to my amazement. i have never used black plastic before but this looks to me like the phenomenon that is release grease on the kit. I'm not sure if this is the case but I don't want to take any risks with the amount of paint I have planned so, bath time Mrs Cat, I hope that does the trick. I dried them off slightly and left them up in the cave to dry completely. Before I got told off for spending too much time in that bloody ..... etc etc I managed a second prime. that got it. When dried it looked ok. The struts got removed from runners and cleaned up too. they are still a little lumpy but I have ordered some super skinny sanding sticks from Mr Flory. Hopefully they will do the finishing touch just fine. Im really keen to paint the wells like this. I've seen them black, white and green but ever since I painted my Lightning wells grey I've had a hankering for some green love so I think I'm going to throw caution to the wind, bite the bullet, go with the flow etc. well there she sits until Wednesday night. I know it's not a lot but it'll have to do. Hope you're all enjoying the group build. There seems to be some great work being done. At least not being able to get to the cave I get to see what the rest of you guys are up to. Thanks for dropping by for a cuppa. See y'all for a Thursday night post. Happy Modelling folks and fair winds to all in this lovely Float Plane GB. Johnny.

Well here we are just under three months and a whole lot of elasticated wrangling we're done. it's been a funny build but I'm happy with the result. I didn't expect the rigging, no body should expect the rigging. The fit was something else altogether. Hopefully this thread will help folk along with their builds if they decide this is the bird for them. Dedicated to the souls we lost along away. "Doctor Who" the chicken and the rather brilliant director. " George A Romero" the paint job "Last days" means something even more. I'd planned on doing the RFI today but it's a bit so I'll wait until I have better light. I'll finish up then with the last few steps. @John D.C. Masters asked about Flory washes so here they are in action. the props now dry got a Flory wash, I applied this time with a brush. Just blast it on. then let it dry, about 30 mins. then I used my fingers and a cotton bud to remove what I don't want. Basically I want some darkness in the books and crannies. There we are we are, lovely, and on. Here's a few pics before she goes in the case awaiting her RFI. Thankyou so much to everyone for the help and camaraderie along the way, it's been a pleasure and I hope you lot had fun too. I have started work in the Float planes Group Build. maybe you might want to tag along there too? it would be great to have you along. Any road, I'm signing off on this now and I'll post a link to the RFI when done. thank you all once again. It's been a blast. Take care y'all and as always. Happy Modelling. Johnny.

Tackled the exhaust staining today. While it's probably unlikely a high ranking officer and ace would let the plane get that grubby, I want to represent the fairly distinct dark exhaust stains I've seen on photos for a bit of character. All to be airbrushed on. I used a raised mask (about 5-10mm off the surface) to establish the curve and I blanked off the front of the cowl to prevent any overspray. First came the brown. I used Tamiya XF-52 Flat Earth for this, thinned heavily and lightly applied. Once I had some paint on I removed the raised mask and freehanded the edge to mess it up and soften it a bit. For the subsequent colours I just freehanded it (with the front cowl mask only) spraying inside the existing outline. Second layer was some flat black... And finally some grey to represent the lead staining, I normally would use something like deck tan or buff for this but both paints were mysteriously gone... I used RAF medium Sea Grey (Tamiya XF-83) instead (oh the irony...) Oddly enough, despite only using flat colours I had a nice gloss going so I had to flat down again afterwards to get that chalky look. Once it was flatted down I went through with some light dust pigment and added some at the very start of the stain for more streaky lead staining, and I was all done (after another flat to seal the pigments of course ). Potentially way off the mark here but I also added a short stain to the underside, from what I know a few collectors discharged under the cowl so should have stained it a bit. Though I couldn't really find any pictures to confirm this. Oh well what's done is done.... To put the finishing touches on the fuselage I went and hand painted the little red trim tabs and dusted some pigment around the nose guns, and exhaust chutes on the underside. And we just have the little bits to go. Not sure whether I overdid the stain a bit, but I do like the effect. Thoughts?