Search the Community

Hello all, A second entry from me - Tamiya's 1/48 Spitfire Mk.Vb Tropical, marked as AB262, of 249 Squadron at RAF Takali, Malta in March 1942. This machine was used by the then Flying Officer Robert McNair, DSO, DFC & 2 bars, claiming a 'damaged' on the 18th March followed by a number of 'destroyed' - an ME 109 on 19 March, a Junkers Ju 88 on 26 March, a 109 on 20 April and a Ju 88 on 22 April. He downed a further three ME 109s on the 22nd May, 25th May and 10th June 1942. EDIT - Scheme change, see below. Kit: Extras: Eduard interior etch and mask along with Xtradecal markings. Decals and paint scheme: The appropriate MRP colours: Perhaps not as modern or as well detailed as the Eduard series of kits or Tamiya's new Mk.I, it's still a nice looking little kit. Will make a start later this week all being well. Dave

My entry to the group build, my first piece of 1/35th armour in over thirty years It will be oob, no PE no aftermarket, but I’ll try to do a serious job of camo and weathering. Still haven’t entirely decided on the scheme yet but will probably be a winter one.

Hey y'all this one is ready to be called done just got radio Aerials to add Thanks to all who commented on the WIP thread C+C welcome thanks for looking

Squadron is taking pre-orders on a Tamiya 1/48 P-38H due for release in the US in July/August https://www.squadron.com/P-38-H-Lightning-p/tm25199.htm

Dear all, this is my first installment here, on Britmodeller, and I thought that building a Spitfire would be an appropriate choice for this circumstance. The kit is the very well known Tamiya offering of the Spitfire Mk I in 1/48 scale of which several other builds can be found in this forum, surely all very well done. I am impatient to start mine to verify in person the reported high standard of the kit and also because this will be my first Spitfire model. Because the kit is so well documented, I will skip any presentation of it and start immediately with the pictures of the build. Nothing special was done so far, I just started with the fuselage sides adding some fictional wiring. I was addressed to a lot of interesting discussions, especially here, about which color would be the most appropriate for an early Spitfire. I learnt that a clearer shade of green might have been used, but eventually no certain color code could be given. The ubiquitous XF-71 indicated in the instructions looks dark in comparison with the few pictures available, hence I decided to lighten it up and arbitrarily went for a mix of 50% XF-71 and 50% XF-21. The first subassemblies are prepared, painted and highlighted with a wash. The parts left aluminium, are sprayed with Humbrol metallic 'polished aluminium' which in my view reproduces well an aluminium paint. Here the cockpit tub and two frames are posed with half fuselage to get a first impression of the interior. Indeed, the quality of the Tamiya parts is really good and a careful planning of the painting and of assembling is needed not to risk spoiling the nice level of detail. Finally, the tub with the frame that support the instrument panel and the assembly of the rudder pedals linkages is fit checked. That is all for now, thanks for any feedback, Daniele

Hey all have started a Tamiya Challenger 2 but not gone desertised ( have another in stash for that) but have mixed parts from the Trumpeter Kosovo kit. A few photos and at the first green paint stage Is a bit light but hopefully will darken down a bit at later stages. Any comments welcome Thanks for looking Day light shot More to come

This build stalled a couple or few years ago when I looked closely at the windows supplied in the kit and realised the main screens were virtually unusable. I commented on @Peter Milgate's lovely build thread about them and then contacted @capri-schorsch who kindly supplied his vac form set with templates and spare material for just the cost of postage, very generous. So I've got no excuse for pushing on except I'm in the middle of a 917K build! In Pete's thread I said I would start my own so here it is, I'll regard this as a place holder to come back to once the 917 is finished, they're iPhone pictures so don't expect brilliance! The fuel tank was roughed up with an application of plastic solvent (plastic pipe cleaner) and stippled with a stiff brush then given a dark wash. Engine shoe horned in. Just noticed the trailing arms are not there, must check the box to make sure I still have them. Some bits of the interior look as though they have come adrift too... but I'm quite pleased with how it looks overall, not something I usually think but the passage of time dulls the critical side of your brain! When you're in the middle of the project - nothing but self criticism! It may also inspire folk to get and build the sister 934 as it's just been re released by Tamiya. They really are lovely kits. I haven't taken any pictures of the body shell, it's not good, the decals have started to flake as I didn't put a finish lacquer on before it got parked so it looks like a replacement decal set is required as well. So place holder set, future project to finish. Dave

Kit was a dream to build. Some of the parts fit so well, a coat of paint needed to be removed before fitment. For some reason, it took me longer to build than expected, weird. Please enjoy. Comments/questions always welcomed. Thanks for looking, Mark

Hello fellow modellers, I like exotic schemes on airplanes, Indonesia has a beautiful edition of the F-16 in magnificent colors, better than the standard dull gray colors. The Tamiya kit is a joy to build, what a fantastic fitting. As extras I have placed an Aires Resin cockpit, the AGM-65 Mavericks and Aim-9J Sidewinders are from Eduard. At the end of last year I had this kit ready ... below some pictures, enjoy.

Hey all, Here's my Emil from Tamiya. It's an essentially out of the box build with additions of an Eduard Seatbelt and a decal set from Techmod. The aircraft's painted with a mix of Mr. Hobby Acrylic and Xtracolour Enamel. The finished aircraft represents White 13 flown by Walter Oesau, one of the leading aces during the Battle of Britain. I found the Techmod decals quite impressive, very thin and nicely detailed whilst being in register, the white was slightly translucent however but this was mainly masked by weathering with oils later on. They also responded well to Ultimate's new range of decal setting solutions, which I also found equally impressive. As per the usual standard of Tamiya it's an elegantly simple build with very little or no compromise on detail, as a result I decided not to use Eduard's photoetch instrument panel and instead painted the kits one up instead because it does have some great detail! Though my eyesight hasn't been the same since... Thanks for looking guys! Sam

I got these two kits on the (partial) lifting of our lockdown, as my stash is usually non existent. They both proved to be a treat to build and went together like typical Tamiya kits. The 222 was especially nice, as it had P.E mesh for the turret as well as an aluminium gun barrel. The WIP can be found here: Also, I would like to thank @Foxbat, @Hamden, @Ernst, @robw_uk and @Bullbasket for all the advice, kind comments and support. Apologies for pictures, we are having some plumbing work going on, so there is rather a lot of noise, but not a lot of space to take photos. The above one is take on the roof. Critiques and comments welcome. Stay safe.

And whitewashed

So my 1 and only lockdown build. Being a key worker I am either at work or at home looking after my daughter. Here is the Tamiya Tiger 1, and Brush painted. First time I have done track links and have to say what a pain. Over all a fun build and enjoyed the painting. Regards daron

For you delectation may I offer my 1/12 Ferrari 312T as driven by a Mr N. Lauda at the USGP West Long Beach March 28 1976? It's the venerable Tamiya kit, but in it's later upgraded guise with etched metal fittings. I managed to obtain this several years ago from a member of my old club, @Covjets13 thanks Si! Bet you wish you'd charged me more as these things have rocketed in value in the last couple of years. I didn't use very much of new etch parts in the kit, they didn't seem to add much in my opinion. I remember building this back in the late 70's and the parts don't seemed to have suffered much in the intervening years, still cleanly moulded, with little flash and it fits well. Anyway, this is what I was aiming for - And this is what I finished up with - The body doesn't fit because of the way I chose to display the model with fuel tank panels off. Looks like I got some reaction with the gloss coat..... I've used lots of wires and cord collected over the years to simulate the plumbing and wiring, the fibre glass ducts are the kit ones roughed up to simulate the texture and painted, the intake trumpet mesh is home made using fine mesh formed over a carved dome, not perfect but they fit a bit better than the ones I bought off eBay which were too big. Welds are simulated with beads of Krystal Klear, roughed up when nearly dry, all the hardware was replaced with Meng moulded bolts. The red is Halfords rattle can Nissan red which (apparently) is very close to the 1970's Ferrari racing red, clear coat is also Halfords then polished with car polish, decals are from the kit along with some from the BBK generic labels sheet. Hope you like her, I thoroughly enjoyed building her and any critique welcome. Dave

Hi Everybody, this is my second lockdown build and another Russian jet. A very enjoyable build which went together well with, the exception of the undercarriage doors, I suppose with the wheels down all they have to do is represent the doors. Build them in the closed position and they are not even close. Built straight out of the box and painted with Tamiya acrylics. I would be the first to admit this is not one of my better builds, so comments and criticisms are welcome. Thanks for looking, stay safe everyone.

Republic F-84G Thunderjet, 8 FBS, Taegu, 1952 Kit: Tamiya Republic F-84G Thunderjet (#61060) Scale: 1/48 Paints: Vallejo Model Color, Model Air & Metal Color Weathering: Flory Models Wash, Mig weathering products Quality kit as can be expected from Tamiya, very similar to the 1:72 version. Build thread:

While going through my loft I found some models I put together when I was between about 12 and 16; about 28-32 years ago. I think it's fair to say that my desire to get things finished far outweighed my patience and desire to do a good job. I also found some models that I must have started and maybe even finished at least ten years ago. As I'm new here I thought it might be good to put them all in one thread. My preference is for 1:24 or 1:25 scale kits and I think Tamiya was the easiest brand to get although I have a few others. I tended to get the cars that appealed to me, rather than following any more carefully thought out collecting strategy. The newer ones will come in a while, when my phone has recharged and I've taken some photos. Here are the really old ones, I'm a bit nervous sharing these (warts and all). From left to right (oldest to most recent); Hasegawa Buick Wildcat; Tamiya Porsche 911 Turbo "flatnose" and Tamiya Mercedes-Benz 500SL 6.0 (not sure if that's the correct designation). They were all brush painted, probably with Humbrol enamel as that's pretty much all I could get at the time, from a distance they don't look too bad but up close they're pretty rough. Here's a close up of the Buick; complete with runs, hair in the paint, poor masking and excessive glue. There are similar flaws in the 911, it's also lost the lip to the spoiler and part of the rear suspension. I also had some odd ideas about decal placement. Underneath the Porsche. Probably the best view of the Mercedes. I didn't bother with a test fit so the engine is too high and the bonnet doesn't actually sit properly. That rear spoiler fitting isn't pretty! I'm actually still quite pleased with how the interior looks, main flaw is that driver's side door trim that isn't located correctly. I'm not sure what to do with these. I'd quite like to strip the Buick down and give it a decent paint job. The Porsche, it would be nice to add back the missing/broken bits. The Mercedes, maybe just leave it as it is. I hope you will see from subsequent posts how my skill has improved even if only slightly.

I've got a confession to make - I've never built Tamiya kits. So I thought why not test whether they live up to their good reputation, and try not only one - but two. So this is Tamiya 1/48 and 1/72 Republic F-84G Thunderjet double build. I thought it might be fun to compare the two kits side by side as I build them. It could also be confusing and I make a mess of the kits and parts - there's only one way to find out Box arts. Painted Tamiya box arts are always classy. Model in the 1/72 is also nice but I think I prefer the painting. Decals. For the 1/48 I'll be using kit decals which look pretty good. The 1/72 I'll be doing something different than the box offers and make it as a Norwegian Thunderjet using Vingtor decals. Hoping to start a small collection of scandinavian cold war era jets. Collection, that currently consists of one model - a Finnish Vampire. But hey, you gotta start somewhere, right? Big brother and little brother side by side. Wings. The clear parts and the extra sprue that the 1/48 kit has. This did not come with the kit. She is called Batman and she loves my hobby. Mainly due to the seemingly endless supply of boxes

This is a build that I finished last month and have only just got around to putting it in RFI. It's the Tamiya M-51 Sheman, built basically as Tamiya intended, that is, as a second batch or Dagem Beth. Eventually, I'll put it onto a base along with a figure, when I can find a suitable one. The WIP can be found here So that's the Dagen Beth, and this is my previous M-51, Dagem Dalet, or Batch 4, for a comparison. Thanks for looking. John.

Fairly standard offering - bit of resin here and there, OOB markings, very enjoyable build. Mojo up and running now. Factory fresh too, a first for me

Hello all, Here's my entry another Tamiya 1/48: Haven't decided on which of the schemes to do yet, not that there's much difference between them, but I'm erring toward the box art as I do like a bit of yellow! I have got the Eduard zoom set and that's about it really, looking at the kit its very nice...I don't think it needs much extra at all. Cheers, Mark.

This has been the most challenging and time consuming build yet. It was my first time working with schurzen and I wasn't too fond of it. I had many difficulties with this build and learned a lot while making it. I enjoyed the process but will be choosing something less fiddly for my next build, maybe an early Panther or something. I was planning on spraying some buff over the finished model to dull the decals down but only remembered after the pictures had already been taken. As always, all criticism and comment welcomed. Anyway here is the end result: Andy

My entry for this GB will be Tamiya's 1.48 new tool Spitfire Mk.I. I will be building it represent the restored Mk.I currently being operated by IWM Duxford. A couple of birthdays ago, my brother bought me a Classic Wings flight experience of a flight in a de Havilland Dragon Rapide in formation with a Spitfire, N3200 was that Spitfire. It was a fantastic experience to see a Spitfire up close in her natural environment. The Tamiya kit contains decals for this aircraft, all I will need to source are the IWM logo and Duxford name for the nose. Spitfire Mk.I N3200

When I was young my mum and dad bought a slightly run down little cottage in Devon and unsurprisingly we spent most of our childhood holidays there. Much of the time there involved mum and dad working on the cottage with me and my brother running amok around the house and garden trying to keep ourselves entertained. It was about this time (probably aged about eight) that I started building models and my parents were happy to oblige just to keep me quiet. My dad gave me a small amount of guidance but he wasn't a modeller and didn't really have much to say apart from "be careful with that knife...I don't have time to take you to hospital if you cut your finger off". Anyway I was mainly interested in building planes but one Easter I remember getting this kit to build over the holidays. Looking forward to having another go at it. I have picked up the Eduard PE to add a bit of extra detail. I may try and do a little diorama as well. I tried a few times as a kid and failed miserably but its always worth another go. Thanks for looking. Cheers Dave

Afternoon All! This'll be my first tank build in a GB Not built any tracked things in 1/48 before, but was curious to have a play with some of the solid link n lock tracks that Tamiya now have rather than the rubber bands. First impressions, tracks look great but don't like the smaller scale. Maybe it'll grow on me! This also seems like a good test bed to try out some AK rust and streaking pencils I bought impulsively recently. Aaron