AdrianMF

Nice work so far. Looks like quite a challenging kit. I don't know how you would feel about adding a couple of 1mm card slices to the nose - that would make the nose a bit too long but at that slope it would get down to the right diameter? I've built a couple of Letovs from KP kits - one of them had so much flash it felt like a vacform Nice loco too. Regards, Adrian

The Academy kits were often rumoured to be based on FROG or Heller originals so your reminder may be more correct than you might think! Regards, Adrian

The buckles are simply small rectangles of the same metal strip that the belts are made from. The whole buckle is painted dark belt colour, I try to get a strip of highlight colour running across the middle and then I touch a darker colour round the edges. Then I give the edge colour the tiniest highlight arount its edges. I have made buckles out of fuse wire before now, but they end up "scale creeping" and looking far too big for 1/72, so this works for me most of the time. Sorry it's not a more appealing answer! Regards, Adrian

Looking good! I hope you get your roof back soon... Regards, Adrian

That engine is sublime! Marvellous stuff. Love the colour on your VW too. Many years ago I used to work with a chap who drove a Variant (same colour) with a spare engine in the boot on top of the real one. Not sure that was great for weight distribution... Regards, Adrian

Looking fantastic Bill! It's amazing to me how many teeny tiny details and decals there are to take care of, but then I keep forgetting that this single pilot, single engine fighter is almost as long as a B-17. Regards, Adrian

Indeed, so much nicer without the chin! Cosmetically the nose could do with being a tad longer, but they fixed that with LA610. A bit of late night fillering and sanding later: Two part auto filler sands beautifully down to a feathered edge. I think I've got a smooth curve with no ridges or dips but I will only really know after a coat of paint.

That's looking very smart! Regards, Adrian

Looks wonderful Jerzy! A typically off the wall JW build. And your blue plastic sea background works a treat too. Regards, Adrian

Looks terrific, and my compliments to your wife for having a fine eye for camouflage! Grey and green living room next? Regards, Adrian

Terrific job on that one. I love all the fine detail that you've added and painted up too. Regards, Adrian

Smashing job Neil. I particularly like the weathering on the white - so subtle and perfectly judged. Regards, Adrian

Last night I added the end plates and got the top surfaces between them: They have sanded down very nicely to blend in with the wing but there are two problems. Firstly they are 9mm wide , which makes them about 0.5mm too far forward, so I need to do something there. I cant just chop it off because the end plates need to protrude in front to the top lip. Secondly, they seem awfully flat. I am now regretting not using 40 thou/1mm card so that I could have sanded a little aerofoil camber in. I could either add some filler and sand that to a curve or I could add a 20 thou lip under the from and sand the camber into the card. Although I don't want to drop the leading edge slot too low - decisions, decisions! I think a bit of filler and sanding is the way to go, and if it all goes pear-shaped I can cut it all out and go for 40 thou card all over.

I disappeared down a bit of a rabbit hole while researching a Tempest Mk1 conversion in the Frog Squad II GB and as a result I am planning to build the two versions of LA610, one of the prototypes of the second Hawker Fury, cancelled for the RAF in favour of jet types. As first constructed it had a Griffon engine, but it was rebuilt with a Sabre engine and was the fastest piston engined aircraft produced by Hawkers, and also arguably the most beautiful. I now have two PM Model Sea Furies, a Lincoln engine nacelle (thanks @PeterB) and a spare Sabre cowling from the KP or Matchbox Tempest kits, so I'm all set. I think my hat may already in the ring with a Magna Gloster F9/37. I will try for that one too. Regards, Adrian

There's no chance of getting my LeO 451 done in the WWII Twins GB now, so count me in! Regards, Adrian

Terrific! That rotor hub deserves a Saturday morning science fiction serial all of its own - where's Gerry Anderson when you need him? Regards, Adrian

I had a few minutes on this: I've cut down the fin on the starboard half and excised the radiator areas on the wing. 40 thou endplates and 20 thou top and bottom skins should do there, and I need to make some radiator faces.

Very nice! I very much favour the F-23 over the F-22, but I've never seen a 1/72 one at a price I want to pay. I did build a teeny tiny 1/144 Hobbyboss one, which I bought Dayton Hobby Lobby in 2019, after seeing the real thing in the USAF Museum earlier in the day! Regards, Adrian

Thanks Pete. I've had a tidy up in my mailbox and deleted some stuff from the early twenty-teens! Regards, Adrian

Well four results out of six attempts, all clearer than the modified kit part (at front left): Looks like I can trim them all down by 1mm or so - the kit has quite a big step to allow for a Boulton-Paul turret rather than the low profile Martin one. Time for a cuppa then I can start sticking the front transparencies on (after making a bombsight) and knocking up a turret interior. Cutting the slots in the turret canopy will no doubt take care of at least a couple of spares....

I don't believe it! (In a good way): First attempt. It's as thin as blazes but as clear as I could wish for. I will try for another couple because I will have to cut slots in them and accidents happen...

This morning I did some moulding for the Baltimore and while I was about it I thought I would mould a spare spinner to have a prop blur option: The kit propeller, with four separate blades each with a wedge sitting inside the spinner, works really well. And with the spare filler I slathered the fuselage inside and out, then sanded down. I will need more when I join the fuselage halves, but I am happy so far. I'll be sanding off the panel lines and adding some of them back using pencil. Regards, Adrian

This morning I had a leisurely breakfast and decided to try a plunge or vac mould, so out with the Oyumaru and two-part filler: I will try a plunge mould or two first and if (when, I would bet) it doesn't work I will switch to vac form. I think the sides are too steep to get a good plunge. And if I haven't got a decent one by the end of the day I'll use the modified kit one.

Great looking model and really off the wall! I hope your floatplane display goes/went well. If you have pics that you can drop in this thread I'd love to see them. Makes me sad I've only got the boring old landplane one in the stash... Regards, Adrian

Peter, that is perfect! LA610 is like the Lincoln, and very different to the Shackleton. I wasn't aware of the difference between the two cowling designs before this project. The first picture in @Troy Smith's thread here shows it well. PM incoming, thank you! Thanks, Adrian