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My last Airfix Mustang in the stash. I found some goodies too. Although the red-tail markings are attractive, I once fell for the luxorious design of these Exito decals, and I somehow need to motivate that expense, so this will be the choice this time: It’s a P51D-25-NA operating as long-range escort out of Iwo Jima towards the end of the war, and since I have 5-, 10 and 15-NA since before it complements the collection. Some tweaks will be needed, regarding radio equipment (I distinctly remember they had a different set of boxes, not to mention the different set of antennas) and tail-warning radar. I now have one week to find that vac form canopy and Quickboost exhaust stacks I remember buying but cannot find. I now understand how squirrels feel.

I'm not the first to offer up a Blenheim for this GB and I think this particular Airfix 1/72 boxing has already had an airing as well! But I fancy doing a Fighter variant of the Blenheim, this one was sitting near the top of the stash and so out it has come. I plan on building this one pretty much out of the box. This boxing has decals for BQ-O (L8679), a 600 Squadron aircraft based at RAF Manston in August 1940, but I'm planning on doing this one as a different aircraft on the squadron during that month so I'll be digging out some extra decals. Haven't worked out which exact aircraft I want to do yet; some reading through the Squadron ORBs (AIR-27-2059) and my two main reference works (Gentlemen in Blue by Hans Onderwater and The Bristol Blenheim: A complete history by Graham Warner) is ongoing. I think (hope?) I've got a masking set somewhere...

Hi all, With the hope of getting a more simple and swifter build under my belt before tackling a SH F-84F I have embarked on another Tamiya Mustang! Many of you have built them and so I wont labour it with repetitive posts but I will post things that are particular to this build. My subject is a post-WW2 machine that served with the Nevada ANG while detached to Iceland in 1952-53. It is the second in this row - '474482' seemingly called "Nancy". So far the build has been pretty much standard fare for a Tamiya Mustang kit, particularly the flaps. This time around, though, I am using a set of Armycast resin items. Other aftermarket will be the canopy (Falcon), although if it ends up looking wrong, as I am no good at vac form stuff, I will revert to the kit parts. Also I will use resin exhausts, PE seat belts and a Yahu IP. The cockpit needs a bit of modification to accomodate what I believe to be an ARC-3 radio set up behind the cockpit. However, while my drawings show these as fitted horizontally these seem to be vertical. My efforts are a bit of guesswork but I think it will look okay 🤞. You can see this a little better in the following image: Today I am at the fuselage half mating stage. The following are some build shots: The internal parts painted Dry fitting I'm feeling better already! Martin

This will be my entry in the GB: A look at the sprues: Looks and feels very much like Sword kit. Decals and Master brass pitots: I will be doing the second option with the red diamonds: I wont be starting straight away as I’ve still got builds underway in the Frog Squad and WWII Twins GBs. AW

With a Japanese nightfighter finished, I thought I’d try an allied machine as well. The Blenheim isn’t as popular I thought it would be, so I’ll add a Mk IVF. Maybe I’ll go with the one on the box cover, unless I can scrounge some serials and codes for a plane in navy colours. Or maybe not. Will do some research, found seceral titles on Scribed. The box: I built the old Airfix as a kid and remember struggling - I expect this to be a bit different. The box contains pieces to do a regular Mk. IV as well, so that is another possibility. Assembled the office - will try to paint it all in one piece. I’m masking the lower window to paint it on the inside as well. The rest of the glass house I’ll paint only from the outside. It’s very thick anyway. This is the first Airfix model I’ve seen where the flaps can be left lowered, with moulded structure inside. Thickness of braces is of course widely overscale. Will see what to do. Some internal structure in the wheel houses too: Fit seems good, but the soft plastic has quite rounded edges, which results in trenches where the pieces mate. I expect some filling.

Back in 2011 I saw that Airfix had announced a Valiant and so I put in a pre-order and waited - probably for around 6 months. Eventually it arrived but has been gathering dust in storage ever since. It was issued too late to be eligible for the Airfix Classic GB but is I believe eligible for this one and also the NATO one later this year, so if I have time I will have a shot at building it. Airfix describe it as a BK Mk 1 though I am uncertain if that is correct as initially the Valiants were pure bomber B Mk 1 I believe. Some were later converted to a PR version, and others to a tanker and in 2012 Airfix released a conversion pack for both of these versions, and in 2021 I understand that they released a re-boxing of the kit complete with at least part of the conversion set. Perhaps the nomenclature was changed to recognise the fact that the bomber could be relatively easily converted to a tanker and back again, but I will be building it in the bomber configuration, perhaps in the all over "Anti Flash White" scheme as I remember seeing them flying high overhead once or twice on my way home from school in the early 1960's. The Valiant entered RAF service in October 1952, and was phased out in 1965 shortly after the switch from high level to low level as the wing spars were found to be suffering from metal fatigue. The Valiant was considered something of a stop-gap design and so as the "more advanced" Victor and Vulcan had entered service by then it was apparently decided not to bother repairing the Valiants, and the B2 low level version was not ordered into production. The kit comes with markings for 4 aircraft - the second prototype WB215 in NMF, XD823 used in Operation Grapple to drop what was claimed to be the first UK hydrogen bomb in 1957 (there is some doubt about whether or not it was a fusion event rather than a fission one I believe), XD857 in 1963, and WZ404 in 1964, and has the option of either a single nuclear weapon or 21 x 1000lb iron bombs, though I will probably model it with the undercarriage down and the bomb doors closed. I suspect this was one of the first of the "new style" Airfix kits, following their Bf 110 of 2010 so it will be interesting to see how it goes together compared with some of the more recent ones. Pete

Having been lurking on this forum for quite a few months now, and occasionally adding my own ramblings to other people's topics, I have finally worked up the courage to start a WiP of my own. My main interest is the RAF in WW2, at the moment particularly the aircraft of Bomber Command. So having had a short break from model making, of almost half a century , earlier this year I acquired these: This first post is a bit of a test run to see if my 20th century brain can cope with the 21st century technology of photo-sharing. If it all works I have a back catalogue of photos taken over the last six months or so and I'll be sorting and posting from that, which might give the illusion of amazingly rapid progress. Once I've caught up I'm sure it will become apparent that we should be using the geological time scale to measure my work rate! No proper sprue shots in this thread. I think we all know what they look like and by the time I got myself organised a lot of mine looked like this: That's enough of my waffle, let's hit Submit Topic and see what happens!

I’m just starting this from the stash. 2 queries. 1. The overall colour will be Gunship Gray. It’s as close a match as I can see from various photos on the net and seems oft recommended on here for modern French a/c tho not, so far as I can see, the Alpha Jet. (I had assumed Mirage blue was correct until I saw the photos). Does anyone have any strong evidence against Gunship Gray? 2. I assume the -E was unarmed for most of its service life. It’s even hard to find pictures of it with fuel tanks. Further,the gun pod in the kit seems to be the Mauser rather than the DEFRA . Again, have I got this wrong or were they often carrying ordnance? TIA

This Tamiya 109 is my latest build, and I have to say one of the nicest kits I have ever built; the fit is perfect and no modifications or putty were needed. This was also my first time doing mottling, I had to redo it at least 3 times but, I am pleased with the result. I used Ak real colors acrylics. The only aftermarket items used were Eduard Photo-etched in the cockpit, a master pitot tube and cannons, and Decals from Aeromaster, Eduard and Italeri. The sand filter, which wasn't included in the kit was taken from an Eduard 109. I used Abteilung 502 oils to wash the model and Tamiya weathering powders for the exhausts. Happy modelling! Anna

My latest effort - am quite happy how it turned out. I decided to do a little ekstra in the cockpit area and to dress up the turret a bit. The build was quite uneventfull, allthough the decals was a bit 'challenging'! Thick and demanded a lot of decalsoftener, but it looks alright now - as you would say - a good 3-footer! A couple of things: My reference (B-25 Mitchell in Action and Google) Didn't show any ventral turret on this one. I couldn't find any pictures of the top turret, and Google provided a lot of different types of B-25 turrets, so I went with the - to me - most interesting one, which wasn't painted. I hope you will like it anyway! Cheers Hans J

visited my (not so) local model shop and got this. I think I’ll stick with one thunderbirds scheme, as I quite like it and even better the kit was only €8.50. I did hedge over a rather nice 1/48 Tamiya kit but it was a whopping €49 and by that I’d already decided to buy a hobby boss VK4502 ( a steal at €35 😀) Work will commence tomorrow!!!

It seems that I can’t build Mustangs one at a time. I have previously built four 352nd FG Mustangs at the same time (they’re in the inspiration gallery) and I built two in the last Mustang STGB. The production line will be reopened this time for three aircraft from the 4th FG. Using this decal sheet: I will build Nicholas Megura’s “Ill Wind?” and Ralph Hofer’s “Salem Representative” to join Gentile’s “Shangri La” in the cabinet, while the third build will be a P-51D as Pierce McKinnon’s “Ridge Runner”. These three will give three different finishes, OD over NG, OD over NMF and all NMF. Place holder for now until I’ve completed some other current builds. AW

My first 262 was the original Airfix one released in 1960. I never thought it looked quite right but it has taken them until 2017 to replace it. After that I built the Frog kit released in the early 1970's, perhaps a scaled down version of the Hasegawa 1/32 kit Frog imported back then. Now I will have a shot at the 1997 Revell version- Looks like it comes with rocket tubes! Pete

Here's my first entry. Something I've wanted to do for many years, is build a half decent kit of one of the Shepherds Grove Thunderstreaks. A base which is quite close geographically to me & the nearest base that had Thunderstreaks so it has to be this historically popular subject, 52-6675 of the 78th FBS 81st FBW. So this is it, the Microscale sheet which I really hope has survived & doesn't disintigrate into a million specs when I get to apply it. I've got a collection of Sword kits but will be starting off with the fantastic new Special Hobby kit.

I would like to enter with this please; As well as the Eighth Air Force, I have a very big interest in USAFE, especially those aircraft based in the UK, and in particular the 81st FBW/TFW at Bentwaters/Woodbridge. Must have had something to do with all those A-10s we saw flying over our campsite in Suffolk in the 80s and early 90s! Between diecast and plastic kits, I'd like to get a model of each of the main types operated from the twin bases. Regarding the Thunderstreak, they weren't actually flown by the 81st for that long, from 1954 to 1958, but their introduction brought a change of role to the 81st from air defence to tactical nuclear strike. They were replaced by F-101 Voodoos. My kit was bought, appropriately enough, from Bentwaters Cold War Museum in 2017, on their 10th anniversary open day. A couple of years ago, I finally managed to get a set of Microscale decals for Bentwaters Thunderstreaks, which came from France and cost more than the kit! So, here are the sprues. Some pieces have become detached, but they are all there; Instructions; And here is the Microscale decal sheet. They look very eye catching, although that is a lot of stencils too! I think I will be going for the red markings from the 78th Fighter-Bomber Squadron "Bushmasters". The decal instructions aren't great; So, I had a look on Scalemates, and downloaded the instructions for the Hobby Boss 1/48 version which has the same markings; I quite fancy picking up a cheap Airfix F-84F, which would enable me to do a double build, and compare it directly to the Italeri kit, and it would also let me use the 91st FBS markings too! I'll see what I can find, but I'd like to get some progress on this one first!

I am a little late to the party, but here I am! I know I'm not alone building one of these 1/72 Eduard Bf 110 kits for this GB, and it looks great! I won't bother with sprue shots. I'll be building it OOB as one of these Bf 110 that the Luftwaffe sent to Iraq. I think I attempted to build a Bf 110 (must have been Airfix) in the 1990s as a kid, but pretty sure it never made it to the finish line, so let's hope this goes differently!

Hello everybody, This year's theme for my local club display will be the Lockheed Shooting Star in its many incarnations, so my carefully planned Group Builds for 2024 were totally upset by the new priority. I set to work immediately and only later thought that my first choice would nicely fit in the rules of this GB, so let's start with the kit box: This is the very first issue of the Heller kit going back to the early '80s. I got it new to build the Thunderbirds scheme, though the decals were a disappointment and it remained in the stash for some time (40+ years!). Now it was finally time to build it! I have an Xtradecal sheet for multiple countries and will use the Luftwaffe part, this was the starting shot: Thanks for looking!

Hi all, Here is my Tamiya 1/72 Thunderbolt Razorback, a kit that requires little introduction I guess: great fit, with lovely detail all around. I just added a few details (PE seat belts in the cockpit, brake lines on the main landing gear, vacform canopy, brass gun barrels and DF loop antenna on the spine). The drop tank is from a Pavla armament set. The model represents an aircraft from the 1st ACG, that provided close air support and resupply operations to British troops (the so-called "Chindits") that were dropped behind Japanese front lines in Burma. For this "Operation Thursday" aircraft, I used the DP Casper decal sheet. The sheet provides fuselage stripes and theater bands in both dark blue and black. Reading through Squadron's "Thunderbolt in the Pacific Theater", the fuselage stripes are described as dark blue and the bands on wings and tail surfaces in black, so I settled for this combination. First time I used DP Casper's decals: these are very thin and break easily, so care is needed in handling them but they give a nice result. For the NMF I used a few Alclad shades, other paints are mostly Tamiya acrylics. Weathering was done with oils and pigments. Here is a Wikemedia picture of the real thing: United States Army Air Forces, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Credits background picture: freepik, https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/beautiful-scenery-green-tree-forest-cloudy-sky_9185373.htm Hope you enjoy the pictures, thanks for looking! Best regards, Patrick

I generally build WW2 Allied aircraft, but I do have a bit of a thing for early British jets. So, I am going to go with an aircraft that amazed me in late 70’s at Duxford (I think) going pretty much straight up off the end of the runway. My dear old Dad used to drive me to quite a few airshows, so it might have been somewhere else. On reading up on the EE Lightning I discovered it was nicknamed the “Frightening”. I presumed this was to do with the rate of climb, the ceiling or more likely the speed. Some pilots said it was like being saddled to a skyrocket, but no…….. The Lightning was nicknamed “Frightening” because of its challenging crosswind landing characteristics. I would never have guessed that one! This is the 2013 tooling from Airfix. All the bits look pretty good. A little bit of flash here and there, but nothing bad. I did notice when I got the plastic out of the box how heavy it seems for 4 smallish sprues. I am planning on doing the green/aluminium scheme as I served in the Army in West Germany in the 80’s not long after these beasts! I've seen that @Enzo the Magnificent has beaten me to it on this one, so will keep a beady eye on his build for some tips 🙂 George

some 1/72 AFVs are escaped from its box, and running on my desk.😆 May-2022 from left to right: GMC CCKW (Academy), Stug III Ausf.B (Trumpeter), STURMTIGER Early Prod. (Trumpeter), KV-85 (Trumpeter), FV4030-4 Challenger I (Trumpeter) A34 Comet Mk.1B (Vespid), T-55AM -w KMT-6 (Revell), T-10 Object 730 (Trumpeter), Merkava Mk.IIID (HobbyBoss), Flakpanzer VIII MAUS (Vespid) M4 Hi-speed Tractor(HobbyBoss), SA-6 Gainful (Trumpeter), Churchill Mk.III (Italeri), Sd.Kfz.184 Ferdinand (Trumpeter), Land-Wasser-Schlepper Early Prod. (HobbyBoss) Sd.Kfz.251_10 AAusf.D -w 37mm PaK (Red Dragon), M992A1 AFFSV (Riich), Pz.Kpfw.V Panther Ausf.G -w FG1250 (Vespid), Sd.Kfz.181 Pz.KpfwVI Ausf.E TIGER I -w zimmerit (Red Draogn), Panzerfahre (Red Dragon) Jun-2022 Sd.Kf.223 Leichte Panzerspahwagen x2 (Red Dragon), Neubau-Fagrzeug Nr.2 (Red Dragan), PLA ZTL-11 (Red Dragon) Soviet SS-23 Spider (HobbyBoss), Chieftain Mk. 5 (Takom), M1A1 -w Mine Blade (Trumpeter), PLA ZTZ-99A (Trumpeter), FV432 Mk.2_1 (Takom) Aug-2022 Scimitar Mk.2 (Ford), JGSDF 106SP x2 (Aoshima), PLA ZTQ15 (Meng), M103A2 (Red Dragon), MK-I Female (Master Box) Renault FT-17 x2 (Flyhawk), PLA ZTZ96B (Transform Colors), JGSDF Type 10 (Aoshima), Type 4 Ka-Tsu (Riich) D9R ARMORED BULLDOZER (Sabre model) Middle East 2DR -w ZPU-2 x2 (transform colors) M1114 HMMWV -w GPK (T-model) M1240A1 MRAP (Galaxy Hobby) Sd.Kfz.231 8-Rad -w 20mm KwK & MG34 (Red Dragon), JGSDF Type74 x2 (Fujimi), Pz.Kpfw II Ausf J VK.16.01 (Flyhawk), Sd.Kfz.7_2 37mm AA-Gun Flak36 (Orange Hobby) Sep-2022 20mm Flakvierling auf Fahrgestell (Vespid), T-54B (Takom), Pz.Kpfw.IV Aust.F Munitionsschlepper (HobbyBoss), LEOPARD 2A7 (Takom), T-14 Armata (Trumpeter), T-Stoff Tanker, Schwimmwagen & Bomb Cart (Academy) Oct-2022 Cute Tiger-I (YuFan Model) 1/16 Type 94 Tankette (Takom) Nov-2022 T-35 x2 (S-Model), Jadgpazner IV (Trumpeter), SU-152 x2 (S-Model) Pz.Kpfw.I Ausf.B x2 (S-Model), Vanatorul de Care R35 (S-Model), BMP-2 x2 (S-Model) Pz.Kpfw.II Ausf.C x2 (S-Model), Somua S35 x2 (S-Model), Crusader Mk.I, III x2 (S-Model) M551 Sheridan (Early Prod) x2 (S-Model), BMD-1 x2 (S-Model), BRDM-2, BMP-1 (S-Model) SU-85 x2 (S-Model), Matilda II x2 (S-Model), BPR-60PB x2 (S-Model) Dec-2022 T-90MC (Zvezda), BMPT Terminator (Zvezda), 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV (Zvezda), Bumerang (Zvezda), TBMP T-15 Armata (Zvezda) Jan-2023 T-28(Zvezda), RAAC Centurion Mk.5/1 (Vespid), BM-21 Grad Multiple Rocket Launcher (HobbyEasy), 2S19 MCTA-C (Zvezda), IDF Merkava Mk.IV (HobbyEasy) A-222 Bereg (HobbyBoss), 9P117 SS-1C Scud-B (R17 Elbrus) (HobbyBoss), 4K51 Rubezh Coastal ASM with P-15 (HobbyBoss), S-400 Triumf SA-21 Groeler (Zvezda) 1/16 Wiesel A1 Tow (Takom) Rheintochter 1 w/ E-100 Body (ModelCollect), 128mm Flak 40 Gun w/ E-75 Body (ModelCollect), E-50 SPG with 105/L62 (ModelCollect), 1/43 UAZ-3909 (Zvezda), Wiesel x2 (S-model) Mar-2023 Type94 Tankette (IBG), Bedford-QL Refueller (IBG), 3Ro 90/53 -w 90mm AA (IBG), Diamond-T 969 Wrecker -w M2 (IBG), Scammell Pioneer (IBG, actually count as trailer in below) Topol SS-25 Sickle (Zvezda) May-2023 152mm ShkH DANA vz.77 (Hobbyboss) M109A7 Paladin (Fore) Sd.Kfz.173 SchweiBhund X-66 (Blackdog) M11XR7 Stryker Snow Beaver (Blackdog) Aug-2023 M1117 Guardian (Trumpeter), JS-7 (Trumpeter), E-75 Flakpanzer (Trumpeter), E-100 Salamander (Trumpeter), M1070 Gun Truck (Takom) 9k58 Smerch MRLS (Hobbyboss), 9K52 Luna-M, Frog-7 (Trumpeter), 2K11A TEL, SA-4 Ganef (Trumpeter), M1132 -w LWMR (Trumpeter), AS-90 (Trumpeter) Sep-2023 M1A2 SEP TUSK II (Meng), M60A1 -w ERA & M60A3 (Takom), French Char B1 (Trumpeter), Sd.Kfz 138_2 Hetzer Late Prod (Vespid) Oct-2023 Waffentrager Auf E100 -w V1 (ModelCollect), Sd.kfz.186, Jagdtiger (Henschel Prod) (Trumpeter), Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.E, Sd.Kfz.181, Tiger I (HobbyBoss), SU-122 (Zvezda), BTR-80 (Trumpeter) Feb-2024 P.500 Gunguir (Modelcollect) Mar-2024 1/35 Sandland Tank 104 (Bandai) Does your favorite AFV in here? you built similar AFV before? have cool camo / classic color scheme could suggest? you plan to build / buy same AFV too? Since I'm not a diehard fans of AFV / military stuffs, I just enjoy the mechanical aesthetic & camouflage of it, accuracy of the model kit is less important for me. 😅 So, if you have interesting story, history, hint / tip for any of them, please share your experience / builds with me, maybe, just maybe, I would shift the schedule and paint that one first. Also, i have a question. Which brand of 1/72 do you like? For those I have assembled, I prefer (Dec-2022 ver.) Group 1, which are good QC, some may expensive: Zvezda > FlyHawk > Takom = Vespid ; Group 2, which are standard QC, low price, wide range of choices: Trumpeter = HobbyBoss > Meng > Transform Color > S-Model ; Group 3, which are good QC but little choices: Orange Hobby > Airfix > Academy ; Group 4, which are low QC: Revell > Riich > Aoshima = Fujimi > Red Dragon > IBG > Master Box > Hasegawa > Italeri > T-model . The rest of "monsters, i.e. trailer series" are locked firmly under my bed, can't get out. 🤭 Sep-2022 began to let those "long" AFV out 😋 Dampflokomotive BR86 (HobbyBoss) Rail Transporter fur Karl-Gerat (HobbyBoss) Morser Karl-Gerat 040 (HobbyBoss) K5(E) Leopold (HobbyBoss) 1/150 SOYUZ (GoodSmile) JASDF 7t tractor & MIN-104F Patriot PAC-3 (Aoshima), MAZ-537G -w CHMZAP-5247G (Takom), FAUN SLT56 (Takom) M1070 + M1000 cum D9R (Takom) Scammell Pioneer -w TRMU30 (IBG) M25+M15 Dragon Wagon (Academy) Armoured Locomotive Panzerlok BR57 (HobbyBoss), Kommandowagen BP42 (HobbyBoss), Kanonen und Flakwagen BP42 (HobbyBoss), Geschutzwagen BP42 (HobbyBoss), Panzerjager Triebwagen 51 (HobbyBoss) Schwere Plattformwagen Type SSyms 80 (HobbyBoss) Panzerjagerwagen BP-44 Gun Carriage

My second place marker is this Unlimited racer "Roto Finish" using the VERY limited run High Planes kit in 1/72. The box, no colour here. The plastic, some white metal and a vacform canopy. A quick inspection reveals some very rough plastic and I feel that I may be raiding a donor mustang for better options. Instructions . Stuart

A two-for-one with this post. I was given two of the same Heller kits (from 1993) and told I could have them for free if I returned one in its completed state. As with any Heller kit I've made, there was no issue in part fitting and the only (minor) issue was that the decals had to soak for a little longer than usual. The Polish version is painted in Vallejo's Model Air line (a brand of paints I've had almost exclusively bad results with) in German Braunviolet, and the Romanian in AK's Real Colors' Grau (1941). I haven't been able to find any colour photos of the olive drab that Poland painted their planes in, but I've read that it was very similar to the Luftwaffe's Braunviolet (which on its own is hard to track down a match for). This is also my first attempt at making a staging setup for my photos. At the time of this photo, it was a work-in-progress, and it remains so. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Polish PZL.23 Karaś, (translated as the Crucian Carp) was a light bomber and reconnaissance plane. Another two-for-one post, this time one is done in the Polish paint scheme and decals (drab) and the other in those of the Royal Romanian Air Force (olive and yellow). The Karaś was produced after the Polish-Soviet war of 1919-21 after the importance of aerial reconnaissance became evident. A new light bomber was also required, so PZL combined the two roles into the Karaś. At the time of its production, it was quite advanced, but the 1930s saw rapid improvements in aviation, so it was nearly considered obsolete by 1939 and the outbreak of the Second World War. At the time of Germany's invasion of Poland, the Karaś was Poland's primary light bomber and recon craft. It was a single Karaś that conducted the first bombing raid on a German factory on September 2nd, and columns of Karaś bombers were responsible for taking out nearly 30% of invading land vehicles. Unfortunately, they had minimal fighter support and their light armour ensured that they suffered heavy losses. After Poland's capitulation, many of the remaining Karaś craft were shipped to Romania to use against the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa.

Here all. Here is my recently completed build of a Savoia-Marchetti S.55 Torpedo Bomber of the Regia Aeronautica Italiana using the Dora Wings kit in 1/72 and was built as part of the World War 2 Twins GB. Built out of the box with only a figure and rigging added and mounted on a sea base. Build log here: This thing is big for me, taking the space of 4-6 of my 'normal' sized subjects... Stuart

Although the Wallace was fine, after the trouble I had with the Shark both in terms of the wing struts and also the poor location points, I am a bit hesitant to try another biplane but as this is the last viable Frog kit I have I will give it a try - I have a Sea Fury and Master that I have been using for spares and a Gloster Whittle that is so inaccurate that I can't be bothered making it until I am desperate for something to build. It is a Donetsk Toy Factory offering which I bought many years ago, but fortunately in this instance they seem to have been rather better at moulding the plastic than they were with the blurry box art! There is not a lot of flash for once, likewise ejector pin marks, and all the bits are there and intact except for the "axle" pins on the landing gear legs which have broken off. That is not a problem anyway as I have decided that I will build it as a pre-war floatplane. This will be the 4th Swordfish I have built starting with the ancient and not very good original Airfix offering from about 1958, followed by a Matchbox one and another of the Frog kits, all with wheels. As you can see Frog went for the "frame" type strut arrangement this time which should be a lot easier, although that can cause a slight problem in terms of appearance with the non prototypical horizontal troughs and frames, but a bit of work with a file should minimise the visual impact. Also, there is not as much rigging as I expected as, other than one wire from the cabane struts to the inner wing struts, only the outer bay and the floats will need a full set of wires. Another reason why I decided to risk it is that I have found 2 sets of original Frog decs for the floatplane version. This will be OOB except for the cockpit interior and the forward firing gun which Frog missed, and an Aeroclub Lewis for the rear seater - it seems that both the Lewis and Vickers K were used and I am not entirely sure what the kit part is meant to represent - probably a Lewis! If I am lucky it may end up looking a bit like this one from the Cocardes Frog site. Though with rather less extra detail added! Pete

The Northrop F-89 Scorpion is an all weather twin-engined interceptor designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Northrop. It was the first jet powered aircraft to be designed for the Interceptor role from the outset to enter service,as well as the first combat aircraft to be armed with air-to-air nuclear weapons in the form of the unguided Genie rocket. First flew in 1948 and entered service in 1950. For this GB, I plan to build Revell’s 1/72 F-89D/J kit. I will be finishing it as the aircraft shown on the boxart, a F-89D from 61st Fighter Interceptor Squadron from Ernest Harmon AFB, New Foundland, 1957. Why this one? I like the look of the aircraft with the large wingtip rocket pods (containing a 104 ‘mighty mouse’ FFAR rockets) and more importantly it has a big smiley face on it.