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Here's the last of my four builds in the excellent Airfix group build - the Bristol 192 Belvedere. Not one of those classic Airfix kits that stands the test of time - a pretty crude kit, doesn't fit together well, covered in rivets, has an annoying seam down the middle of the glazed nose and represents a prototype rather than the production version. I'd love a new Belvedere kit! I've made most of the modifications needed to turn it into a production Belvedere HC.1 but won't pretend it's accurate - looks more like a production Belvedere than the kit does though! All the mods are in my build thread here I've finished it in 72 Sqn markings - 72 Sqn used Belvederes very briefly in the early 60s, replacing them pretty quickly with the Wessex. Decals are a mix of Modeldecal and Xtradecal. thanks for looking Z

About 15 years ago I won an ebay auction for two Airfix Lunar modules. The first one I built as part of a project for my stepson (he's 25 now !). With the 50th anniversary of the moon landings fast approaching & no sign of a new-tool version I thought it was about time I dragged the second kit out of my stash. Well it was 15 years ago... the second kit was in a bag: problem 1: no decals - no problem, I have a couple of decent printers problem 2: one of the legs isn't complete The problems above didn't put me off starting. I've spent literally hours looking at pictures of the real thing & even made a trip to the Science museum where I got a few more pictures. So now it's time to get going. My main gripe about the Airfix kit is the deflectors - they should be mounted on the descent stage, but in this kit they are moulded to the downward thrusters on the ascent stage. So one mod will be to mount the deflectors on the descent stage, this will require some bits to be knocked up to support the things. I've also ordered some gold-foil sweet wrappers So here's the incomplete leg I used a piece of styrene to replace the missing section. This shouldn't be noticeable once it's covered in foil. I've made a start on the big piece of the descent stage: And I've started covering the legs with foil: since taking these pictures, I've turned my attention to check out the rest of the kit & it doesn't look good. The thrusters with the deflectors attached are missing. The ladder is missing. The cradle that supports the dish above the door is missing. Who knows what else is missing - having started the kit & having done all the hunting for info on the web I'm not stopping now, so I've returned to ebay & managed to get hold of a 40th anniversary edition, which will be arriving soon. Thanks for watching

Here's my Airfix 1/144 737-200, built for the Airfix group build. Pretty straightforward build, I used the cockpit part from the Daco kit to improve the shape of the forward fuselage, and decals from 26. This one really brings back memories of spotting at Manchester in the 80s, and a trip to Naples in a Britannia 737 in 1984 when we were hit by lightning on the way back (as you might expect, there was a loud bang and a flash!). And a shot of the two 737s I've built this year to compare old and new - 737-200 and 737-800:

Just finished this in the excellent Airfix group build. It's the ancient Airfix 1/144 Caravelle III, with F-RSIN engines and SAS decals from 26.

Well last orders come at 11:59 on Sunday night, so that should give me enough time to get this little one in to the gallery.... Theres only six assembly stages.... And one camo scheme, any colour as long as its green!!!! The bag full of bits.... This should be like a Saturday afternoon in days of yore. After a trip to Woolies during the Saturday morning shop with Mum and Dad i'd scurry off with a freshly purchased series 1 Airfix kit. I have a free day today (barring lunch and a couple of dog walks) so lets see if i can build it in a day.... Thnanks for looking, Cheers Greg

Just finished up an old Airfix Kamov Ka-25B Hormone in 1/72. A few bits added inside the cockpit and cabin that no-one will likely ever see In flight And landed on the dining room table Ands as a bonus (because I've been remiss in my RFI posting duties) a few others that may have slipped though the net recently without getting their own RFI Revell's 1/144 SCA and shuttle (here rather than in Real Space as the 747 must be 3/4 of the overall model) Sword's 1/72 Fairey Gannet EAW3 1/72 Airfix P-51D from the recent Jadlam Single Kit Group Build 1/72 Dakota and Horsa (Italeri if I remember rightly) Apollo old 66 Seaking derived from the Airfix RAF version 1/72 starter set from the BM 10th Anniversary GB

Hi all - like many here, I’m recently returned to the hobby after about 30 years away - bought a model for my kids and rediscovered how much I enjoy fiddling and painting plastic. This is my 7th build all up and the first one I’m reasonably happy with. First one painted with my new airbrush which I’m very happy with. Airfix kit - quite recent I think, painted with Tamiya acrylics. Used oils for the weathering. Nothing on the work that’s posted here but a step in the right direction for me I hope! Thanks for any feedback and apologies for the smart phone photography.

I'll be assembling the recent Airfix release as, the title says, either a RAAF 21 in overall Foliage Green or a RAF X in TLS over MSG as some Hannants transfers arrived today. I've made a start but haven't uploaded any photographs.

The first finish of my Airfix Therapy Build thread and my tenth this year!. WIP is here . Paints are Mr colour/levelling thinner. Markings were masked and sprayed (with varying degrees of success) except for the shark mouth, eyes and serial. Went for something different in the photos: the John Dibbs look as I like to call it, cropped in, close and personal. Moments of silliness- microscopic ring and bead sight and those cute little position lights done with acrylic resin. Showtime! Adios muchachos, the stash calls to me and I'm a goin' fer 15 builds finished this year , even if they're a bit rough around the edges like this one! Cheers and thanks for lookin' in Anil

Seeing as Airfix have already announced their Spitfire XIV, on the IPMS UK site https://ipmsuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Scale-ModelWorld-2018-Timetable-V1.pdf the timetable of events includes an announcement by Airfix at 11 o'clock on the Saturday. Wonder what it could be.... Robert

My next 'large' build is Airfix's 1:72 Avro Shackleton AEW.2. Having just finished a B-17G and previously a Dornier, I thought it time to embark upon another RAF classic. I have only seen one Shackleton in the flesh as it were, at Long Marsdon airfield. Once part of a museum the aircraft has been left to decay, it is both a sorry yet haunting spectical and I feel a beautiful aircraft. The large box contains a set of detailed instructions, a colour scheme sheet, and seperate decal sheet. There are 6 detailed grey sprues (with little to no flash), and a small clear sprue. With 424 pieces the kit looks pretty complex, and will be pretty big once complete. Airfix offer a choice of 2 aircraft (I would say paint schemes, however they are painted the same), 'Dougal' or 'Ermitrude', I have decided to build 'Dougal,' the aircraft which currently resides at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. I have found several online links to this aircraft, including a virtual tour, which will hopefully mean I can make my build as accurate as possible.

Quick build, just 10 days start to finish. OOB and painted as an aircraft of 204 Kokutai based at Rabaul airbase 1943. Tamiya acrylics paints used. A nice simple kit, mostly together after 2 days and the rest of the time spent was painting. Used as an airbrush exercise in free hand mottling and line painting so no pre or post shading. IMGA0449 by neil Connor, on Flickr IMGA0450 by neil Connor, on Flickr IMGA0452 by neil Connor, on Flickr IMGA0453 by neil Connor, on Flickr IMGA0448 by neil Connor, on Flickr IMGA0447 by neil Connor, on Flickr IMGA0451 by neil Connor, on Flickr Ist model for 2nd display case, 1st case now full! IMGA0454 by neil Connor, on Flickr IMGA0455 by neil Connor, on Flickr

Does anyone know if Airfix will reissue its Valiant any time soon? Prices are far too high for me to get one... :(

Hi all, Well this is a real turn out for the books, I've been commissioned to build another Airfix RN Sea King HU5, by another member on the forum and he has agreed that it should go up as a WIP. So the bits that I was sent for the build. Decals are from the new Xtradecal sheet, they look rather good but it's a shame that they didn't provide some of the stencils. Bits will be liberated from the Revell kit to make up some of the RN specific Fit out, Large radome, Orange crop boxes, etc,etc. I'm not detailing up the interior as my previous build but the cockpit will get a few extras, no crew this time as this will be on the ground. I've got a few things to prep yet before I get started on this and once done I'll get cracking with the build. This one will be Rescue 27 so I'll be on the hunt for more ref pictures, lucky that I saved all the others from my own build. So chaps, stay tuned Regards Dan

Hi all and here's my latest result of sticking plastic bits together, Airfix's ancient A-26 Invader built up as Tanker 59. Along with its sister ship, Tanker 57, these were part of the firebombing fleet owned & flown by Lynch Air Tankers of Billings, Montana for the 1989 Steven Spielberg film, “Always”. The real a/c survived its firebombing career and is now in a museum in Texas. This was my first Civil build and was part of a tribute GB in memory of our late IPMS Ireland member and all-round gent, Don Whitaker who built beautiful Civil 1/444 jets and props. RIP Don. The build thread is here but to recap: Kit: Airfix A-26 Invader (1975 boxing) Scale: 1/72 Build: Some homemade detail in the cockpit but otherwise OOB. Extras: 20g in the nose, cockpit and engines. Sanded all the rivets off and a minor rescribe. Paint: Halfords primer from a can. Brush painted with Revell Acrylics. Flory Models Wash, Klear, Pastels for weathering. Decals: A-26 from Draw Decals (thanks Greg) Goofs: Lots! - the nose never fitted properly (or the clear bits) and the wing leading edges should have a prominent droop that was designed to help with low-speed handling. The nacelles fit was.....testing. And I think the nose art is back too far...Acch....here are the pictures! Cheers, Dermot Airfix Douglas A-26 Invader_Air_Tanker (6) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Airfix Douglas A-26 Invader_Air_Tanker (5) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Airfix Douglas A-26 Invader_Air_Tanker (16) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Airfix Douglas A-26 Invader_Air_Tanker (9) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Airfix Douglas A-26 Invader_Air_Tanker (7) by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr

I have been tortured for some time now that even though we have many Air Forces represented by our aircraft builds in this GB, we don't have any from the Regia Aeronautica - no aircraft collection is complete without those distinctive fascios on that gorgeous 3-colour honeycombe camouflage! I think that there is time to fit in this simple build - wheels up of course. This particular type of Fiat G.50 flew in the Battle of Britain, I believe. Also has a pretty extensive kit Check List included - just how many of these has this GB covered???

Morning All. As I still have another 20 days before the B17 STGB starts I made a start on another Airfix kit, this time the new tool BAE Harrier GR3. Pick up from Ebay for £5.99+postage due to the control column and pilot being missing both of which I had left over from the other one I built 4-5 models ago. I have the Xtradecal sheet that I used for the 3 Sqn aircraft I made before so plenty of options. IMGA0419 by neil Connor, on Flickr The plan for this one will be in flight on a range sortie, firing SNEB rockets from 4 pods as seen in quite a few video clips from the 80's. The only decision I have not yet made is the range location. It could be UK or Belize, this give me 2 marking options. 1. IMGA0421 by neil Connor, on Flickr 1 Sqn in Norwegian exercise winter camo 2. IMGA0422 by neil Connor, on Flickr 1473 Flight based in Belize, I was based in Belize for 6 1/2 months and watched the RAF set fire to the live fire training area with rockets and bombs and then spent 3 hours putting them out with fire beaters. Made a start on the cockpit and tested pilots for fit, the painted one is a revell figure and just looks like a giant compared to the airfix pilot IMGA0423 by neil Connor, on Flickr IMGA0426 by neil Connor, on Flickr IMGA0428 by neil Connor, on Flickr IMGA0427 by neil Connor, on Flickr Not sure the canopy will fit of the revell pilots head

F-86 Sabre | Airfix | 1/72 Pakistan -- Muhammad Alam, Pilot I completed this kit in November of 2017 and felt I should post it because I mention it in a post about Alclad and Decal incompatibilities. I intended this kit to be a Norwegian F-86 as part of a project of mine to make a model of every major Norwegian fighter. As such, I intended it to be an "Airshow" finish -- That is, like a mirror (which I'd done before on a Hasagawa Sabre). The Airfix Sabre plastic seemed kind of rough, so I sanded it with progressively finer paper down to 12000 grit. When the Alclad polished aluminum was applied, it didn't look like a mirror, but more rough or weathered. At that point I chose a different subject from the same decal sheet: the Pakistani ace Muhammad Alam. Finishing: Seams filled with CA (superglue), entire surface sanded down to 12000 grit Paints: (applied from base coat to surface): Tamiya spray gloss black > Alclad polished aluminum > Alclad Dark aluminum w/ a dusting of steel > Alclad Aqua Gloss > Decals > Alclad Aqua Gloss > weathering (oil washes) > Alclad Aqua Gloss Detail paints: Testors Model Master red, black, gray (don't remember the exact color) in cockpit, Testors MM Zinc Chromate in wheel wells, Alclad aluminum and Tamiya Nato Black for landing gears/wheels Decals: Cutting Edge Decals F-86Fs & Sabers #3: foreign aircraft (ca. 1999) -- primary markings / Airfix kit decals -- stencils I didn't have a WIP, so some building notes are at the bottom. Also, I have a terrible time getting good pictures of reflective models (imagine that!), so I'm not sure these quite do it justice. Building Notes: This Airfix model was a joy to put together. I would tend to agree with critics that say the panel lines are too deep and too wide (although that seems to be improving), but for a $12 model, this is a super value. The only gripe I have is that the wing assembly was a little ill-fitting, requiring a little work on the seam on the bottom behind the landing gears. It looked really good, but after I dropped it on the concrete patio (nice and wet from a coat of Tamiya black spray paint at the time 😲), I think I damaged the plastic, because I couldn't quite get looking the same. To get different shades of Polished Aluminum, I masked panels that I wanted darker, sprayed a couple of coats uniformly over the whole aircraft, then removed the masking and sprayed a couple more coats uniformly over the whole aircraft. This way, I let the transparency of the Alclad show the black undercoat through to create different shades of the same paint. Therefore, the center panels on top of the wings were masked for the first couple coats, and then were unmasked and painted with the rest of the wing for the next couple of coats. Weathering was difficult, and ultimately inaccurate. I found very good close up pictures of Alam and his aircraft after I was finished (of course ) and they showed that his Sabre was not nearly as reflective as I depicted it. The weathering was very difficult on the slick Alclad Aqua Gloss surface, as you might expect, and seems kind of artificial to me. I should've backed off on it, if the whole aircraft was going to be so shiny. In the end, I'm very proud of the NMF, but disappointed in the weathering. Overall, the build was a ton of fun, with a good kit and great decals. Hope you enjoy. Comments, constructive criticism, questions and tips always welcome!

Aircraft Carrier HMS Ark Royal – Airfix 1/1200 This one is a small but nice snap-together kit from 1976 that was designed to go together quickly. This is another quick build, so I plan to forgo any improvements to this one and simply bang it together as God and Airfix intended! Airfix cleverly depicted the hangar and other decks visible behind the Ark’s outer skin with snap-in inserts. The insert boat and hangar decks go aboard quickly, and they impart a pleasing sense of depth and complexity to these areas. Snap! On goes the flight deck. The little Ark’s island was a sraightforward assembly; only six parts, including a lower section which was already molded as part of the flight deck piece. Cleanup of the small parts was simple but fiddly. A homemade sanding stick helped! The only glitch was a set of visible locator pins inside the funnel halves, but these were easily removed. Although the well engineered parts do snap securely together, I’ve been cementing everything in place anyway for a more positive fit. The mast consisted of two parts which fit together well – that is after I figured out that the instructions had incorrectly shown the mast mounted backwards so that the little mounting pips for the support legs faced the wrong way! Still, I appreciate this little kit more and more as I work with it: the parts are so small I hadn’t even noticed the faint depressions at the front of the bridge until I saw this enlarged image. Bridge windows! Some of the nicest moldings were the eight tiny radio antennas. Though only 12mm in length, they show Airfix’s game attempt to depict the lattice structure of the originals. Here’s Airfix’s 1976 HMS Ark Royal finished out of the box with no alterations other than parts clean up. Out of production since the 1970s, Airfix has finally re-released this kit, along with a 1/1200 Bismarck, Prinz Eugen, Hood, Sufolk, and Tribal class destroyers as a combined “Sink the Bismarck” set. Very cool. Having finished the little Ark Royal with an out-of-the-box unpainted build, I liked the kit so much I went and bought the new Airfix “Sink the Bismarck” set to get the 1/1200 Bismarck, Prinz Eugen, Hood, Suffolk, and destroyers to go with it. Upon opening the box I was surprised to find a flight deck stripe decal for the Ark – a nice plus not in the original 1976 release I built! This was so cool I went ahead and shot the Ark with a coat of Model Master Acryl 4755 Dark Gull Gray (approximate for 507B) and again with a darker mix of Dark Gull Gray and 4752 Gunship Gray to highlight the catapults and lifts. After coat of Future to gloss the surface, the flight deck stripe went down with no problem. Even the clear decal film within the circle aft disappeared completely under a second coat. Sweet. I love it when companies add value to re-releases with little upgrades like this. Go Airfix! After the gloss coat was dry I reinstalled the masts and gave the ship a thin wash of Grumbacher Raw Umber artist’s oil with a bit of Titanium White & Ivory black added to grey it down. The mixture was also applied to weather the hull sides (unfortunately, I may have gone a little too subtle earlier with the catapult and lift color contrasts, since they almost disappear under the oil wash...) Airfix had provided faint depressions to represent the bridge windows, but I added a decal to make them more visible. This was a cut down set of victory markings from a 1/72 German fighter aircraft - you never know when those odds and ends you keep in the scrap box will come in handy! This is a great little kit, highly underrated.

Airfix's facebook page says they are announcing a new tool tomorrow in their workbench feature. It also feaures a cryptic clue!

So, here she is. My first model in about, oh, lets say twenty years at a guess. An Airfix Supermarine Spitfire Mk1a in 1/72 scale: Handpainted using a mixture of Tamiya and Humbrol acrylics, and added some detail using Eduard photoetch in the cockpit. Also used the Tamiya Weathering Master sets for a bit of detail on the gunports, exhausts and grub on the tyres. On the whole fairly happy with a first attempt in a long time; the paint went on a bit thick so thinner is a 'to-do' for next time; also need to investigate dry-brushing and washes to try and bring the kit to life a bit more...but on the whole fairly happy. Pictures taken on an iPhone so apologies for the variable quality! All tips and advice gladly recieved!

Kit – Airfix Paint – Tamiya acrylics & AK Xtreme Metal lacquers Decals – Aeroclub & Kit Extras – Master pitot, Quickboost resin seat. BAC / EE Lightning F3 Sqn. Ldr. George Black 111 Squadron RAF Wattisham 1965 * Built for (a total of) three RAF 100 Group builds on various modelling forums, this is Airfix’s original 1997 issue of the Lightning. Cannot recall when I bought it, but was a considerable number of years back and was always going to be a 111 Sqn. machine. Build was very straightforward with no fit issues to speak of, the Quickboost resin seat simply drops into place without any surgery. Have to admit I was very worried about the original Airfix decals and the replacement sets from John Addams Aeroclub, especially as they were all looking a little aged. But quality control at both printers were obviously on top of their game on the days they were printed because they worked perfectly. Didn’t want any weathering other than a panel-line wash as I wanted to depict my Lightning as it was just prior or just after the 1965 Paris Air Show, when 111 Sqn. sent a flight of virtually factory fresh Lightning’s to participate. As ever thanks for taking the time to look and / or comment, please feel free to ask any questions or fire any criticism. AFN Ian.

A mixture of Airfix. HäT, Waterloo1815 and Italeri figures

Hi folks, I've finally managed to get round to completing the Airfix 1/72 B5N2 Kate which I originally entered for the Carriers Ahoy GB but alas as is so often the case was unable to finish. The kit has been an absolute pleasure to build with excellent detail throughout and went together with the minimum of fuss and only a tiny bit of filler here and there. I used some new paints for me - a set of Japanese specific paints from AK Interactive and whilst I think the colours are excellent - I found the paint itself to be a bit lacking - almost too runny and too sticky in equal measure. Never mind - I persevered and I managed to use them ok. Built OOB with the addition of a montex mask set and I used some eduard seatbelts for the cockpit. The title of this thread relates to the fact that I've never built a Japanese aircraft until now so I hope I've done the type justice. I've gone a bit photo heavy I'm afraid as you'll see below. Please let me know what you think.

Hi! I haven't posted here before, but having just finished a Supermarine Scimitar ... ...I decided to make 'Something Completely Different' to quote Monty Python! I've had this kit in 'The Stash' a couple of years now, so I thought it was time to put some glue to the plastic! This is once again supposed to be a fun project, so I don't want to go overboard with detailing etc. - ....just a little bit! Cheers Hans J