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As I've had to temporarily put my Supermarine Seafire FR.47 on hold, @TonyOD gave me the go-ahead to bring this into the group build. It was started at the beginning of the New Year and is currently at the painted innards stage. I intend to do it in the kit 217 sqdn scheme, with EDSG/DSG/Night camouflage. I am hoping for a "no surprises" build 😁. The only extras are an Eduard steel photo-etched seatbelt and the Eduard canopy mask set. I mean, what can possibly go wrong with that?

Gidday All, 1/600 scale warships are my modeling interest, and since progressing from OOB builds I usually try to make various ships that actually existed. However, I sometimes make whiff ships also, and when I do I try to make them as plausible as possible. To date I think I've made seven (twelve as at Feb 2025), the first nigh on 20 years ago. This was waaay before I even knew of the term 'what-ifs', or modeling forums such as this. This first was a battleship I named HMS Monarch, and was made from two Airfix KGV kits. I decided to make a ship with four quadruple 14-inch turrets. Here is a photo of one such kit, built OOB, and shows what I started with. This meant that the bridge superstructure had to be moved aft a little, to accommodate the larger "B" turret. Also a complete extra turret was added aft, hence the hull needed to be lengthened somewhat. I also removed the aircraft launching and recovery arrangements, rearranged the boat stowage and added more light weapons. Here she is, the battleship whiffed from two KGV. Quite powerful in fact. The two hull halves were joined midships but the deck was joined just fwd of 'X' turret. I also added quite a few light AA guns, as you can see. I'll add more at a later date. Regards, Jeff.

Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster.... Following a break of 4 years to my nascent modelling career, I've re-established my workbench and have returned to this lovely - and well regarded - Airfix kit to remember just how you go about this sort of thing. I was still in the process of learning when I took a break, and am back to learning now. So all my kit came out of the cupboards, and most of it still works, with the exception of my H&S Ultra airbrush (which was rapidly replaced with an emergency Temu special) and my talent. Have loved reading Britmodeller over the years, so hope my work is up to snuff... I'm building it out of the box, so using this as a way to remember how this goes. First step was to paint up the pair of James Mays for the cockpit and navigator. It was at this point that I realised that a) my airbrush was knackered and spitting primer everywhere and b) my eyes were also knackered and I would need a pair of reading glasses for painting at this scale (which I never liked before to be honest) - cotton bud for scale: I then made a cursory job at the cockpit - not wanting to get stuck into 1/72 photo etch, and because I want to remember how to build and paint more than strain my eyes - so I'll save my efforts for 1/48 in the future: Having built one of these before, I remembered just how lovely this kit goes together, and had to take a picture to marvel at it. Even a klunk like me can make a mess of this - the tail assembly goes together perfectly (please excuse the odd bit of sanding dust): I then primed the buttoned up Beau with Tamiya light grey from a rattle can, and made the world's most inept pre-shade with Vallejo Model Air Nato Black. This is at the point where I realised I would have to work on my airbrush and pre-shading skills - which were at best non existent before. Thankfully, I could tone this down with careful application of Vallejo Model Air Sky Type S, lightly highlighting the centre of the panels to break down the great big gobs of black preshade. While Sky is not the same as the indicated colour on the Airfix painting guide, it's still more accurate than this light grey. Not unhappy with the results of the preside, which I have attempted more for effect than accuracy. Not also that I have not thought things through and have mounted the engine nacelles already: also, if I was smart I would have pre-painted the invasion stripe area with white first. I am not smart, but this is a mistake I will avoid next time.... More to follow, if anyone's interested!

My first build of 2025. An unexpected and welcome Christmas gift. Built OOB with just a touch of licence applied in placing of decals and some laziness in not using all of the stencil markings.. Fit of parts was universally excellent. Finished with Tamiya acrylics. I enjoyed the build and I'm very pleased with the result ! I should mention that I used around 70g of 'liquid gravity' to avoid having a tail sitter.

Hi, my plan is to finish here what I could not finalize in the 2024 KUTA. So fingers crossed it will be a short stay. Feel free to look in the post above . I will return tomorrow with some progress photos. Thanks for watching. JR.

Hi everyone, I was unable to finish my Spitfire Mk Vb on time in the Classic Airfix GB. It is unfortunately a frequent occurrence. No panic: the build has just moved into the KUTA. This Spitfire will be finished in 2024, so no pressure. I have just painted the cockpit framing with the inside cockpit color. The primer is next. I will post some photos tomorrow. Cheers JR

As promised in the chat thread, joining with this recent Airfix kit. Receipt says that it cost me £9.89, on 19 Oct 2023. Airfix's description of what it is and does. A look at the instructions. And colours for the English Channel crossing in June 1959. I'll post a photo of the parts on 11 Jan. See you then.

An Airfix Vanguard This is an aircraft that I’d always had in the back of my mind to do a model of one day because it is my friend’s favourite aeroplane. Many years ago (when I used to do that sort of thing) I did a fine art pencil drawing of one in the very early BEA scheme. That drawing still hangs framed in his house and a RFI post on this forum encouraged me to go and see if the old Airfix kit was available anywhere so that I could build him one. The thread, by ‘Strangeways’ is here And the brief notes that were made about the build gave me a few points to consider for mine. One of these was using clear epoxy resin for the cabin windows. More research found this further thread by ‘SuperTom’ that I read with interest, bookmarking it to come back to when I’d found a kit After much (I’ll admit, quite half hearted) searching, whilst more actively searching for other stuff (as we tend to do), I found a ‘newish boxed’ version for a reasonable fee on an auction site and acquired this. The kit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Whilst the box was probably less than 10 years old, and therefore the transfers were ok, the same could not be said for the rest of the contents, which, although bagged, contained far more plastic than I’d expected. Whilst the kit has been reboxed and given new decals over the years, I suspect the molds may well have been original (or nearly) and date from its origins in 1962. I found raised panel lines (expected) and more flash than I’d ever seen in a kit. I forgot to photograph the fuselage and wings (the worst elements) as I set about trying to clean them up a bit almost immediately, noticing that these alos had a few chunks taken out of them where they’d been torn at some point off their sprues… but I remembered to take a photo of this sprue which was by far the best of the bunch, but some flash is still evident. Cleaning up would be the order of the day for this build. A sprue example with flash by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Fuselage So… all in all, some work would be needed. A look at the clear parts revealed that they were all there, but that some work may be needed, or an alternative approach sought (as mentioned previously). Initially, I decided to close the main doors to keep it all cleaner, and these needed padding out a bit to give a more-flush finish with the fuselage skin. Padding out the main doors by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr In order to provide some secure space for ballast and to give a more secure ‘fit’ of the two halves, I added a new bulkead to the rear of the cockpit and a floor that would later allow a little bit of cockpit detail to be scratch built for. The cabin would remain blank, but I didn’t expect the cabin windows to be too transparent once finished. New bulkhead and floors by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Floor and bulkheads by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr With the halves taped up, I tried a test fit of the windscreen. Not good. I tried some cleaning up and further test fits but eventually gave up. I recalled the comment in ‘Strangeways’ post about removing the crown so opted to look into this late on. Test fit poor windscreen fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Rescribing. Ok, this is probably my least favourite part of any build or preparation and this needed a lot. Rescribing begins by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr This is my main scribing tool, a HIQParts 0.004 tool, and I use plenty of dymo tape. Good old dymo tape by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr An application of Tamiya panel liner shows all evils and mistakes afterwards. I’ll be rubbing most of this smooth at the end as airliners rarely show panel lines except when dirty or on an aged bare metal finish and this will have neither… but it serves to get most of it right to begin with. Not perfect but.... by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Back inside the fuselage, I boxed up one half of the lower bays using plasticard and sprue goo to seal everything in; the basic seats and instrument panel/console are evident here. Cockpit seats and panels and ballast bays by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr And then I took the fuselage and placed it on to an artists canvas board that I picked up from Lidl, which will make an ideal slightly textured base once this is finished. Artist board for base size check by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Resin windows. So, per the previously mentioned threads, I bought this stuff and thought I’d give it a go What I used by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr By following the instructions and mixing up far more than I needed (I need to learn here) I taped up the outside of the fuselage halves (covering the outer of the windows using a PVC tape that was quiet smooth, and gently poured some of the resin in to the halves from the inside. I used a cocktail stick to try to rid it of all the small bubbles and got most (but a few appeared during curing annoyingly on the outside of the windows so will be filled with something like gluenglaze at the end of the build. Once this was done, I put the two parts aside on a dust free covered shelf for 48 hours to cure. Clear epoxy resin poured and cured by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Once dry, I pulled the tape from the outside and cleaned off any tape glue residue and was quite pleased to see a relatively flush set of windows that would sand and polish up quiet well. Flush windows by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Holding the two joined halves up to the light, a suitable amount of transparency was evident, but not too much. Transparent enough by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Having let this settle, I painted the interior parts a few shades of dark grey and black to just tone it all down, and added a few little paint marks to the instrument console that might be visible through the windscreen later. I then taped the halves together, put a a little glue on the two parts of the crown and then taped over this to mark a cut line to remove the crown. Masking for a cut by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr I cut through this using a razor saw and then set about padding out the rear part of windscreen aperture a little aith plasticard. The cut by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Some fettling followed and I added a little plasticard along the cut face to pad it back out again… evident in later photos. I then glued the bulkheads and floors and added a great deal of liquid gravity (delux lead balls) sealed with rocket hot CA glue, and let to dry. I was not going to allow this to be a tail sitter. Bulkheads glued in and ballast added. by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr To check balance, I took the wings and horizontal stabilisers off their sprues, taped the halves together and popped them in their slots (after cleaning up the slots that were full of flash). This would represent most of the additional weight of the kit (apart from paint and glue) and I could then check the CofG pivot point. I balanced the model on the tin section of some tweezers moving it fore and aft until it balanced. This was just forward of the wing leading edge, about 2 to 2.5cm forward of the main gear, so it should sit fine. At this point, you’ll also note that I decided to add thin plasticard strips along each side of the fuselage to represent the strengthening plates on the airframe. I thought that this may be better than my poorly executed engraving and once sanded back to a very thin profile, wouldn’t be too bad… hopefully under some paint it’ll look fine. Balance check by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr I glued the fuselage halves together with some Mig Ammo night blue thin cement. I started at the nose, applied the glue liberally allowing it to work into the seam and applied pressure and then taped it. I did this to resolve the slight warp in the two halves. Once the front was cured, I applied more glue to fuselage behind the cockpit and along the top and bottom, squeezing applying tape and slowly working all the way aft to the tail and cone. Once dry, the tape was removed and the security of the joint checked – all good. Fuselage halves glued by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr I then set about sanding these joints to remove further flash and secure a good rounded surface. Holes in the upper surfaces were filled with some delux putty and smoothed whilst curing. And filled and sanded by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr The windscreen and crown were then taped in place and then glued in with Tamiya thin. Their fit wasn’t brilliant; I had to pad out the join between the crown and the windscreen with some plasticard, and I did try to smooth out some blemishes on the inside of the windscreen before fitting, but they were mostly inside the material. Hopefully they’ll not show too much at the end of the build. Adding the windscreen and crown by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Not a bad fit but sanding needed. by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Once the parts were dry, I set about some fairly crude re-shaping, starting with a 200 grade standing stick to start to get the shape to what it should be. Coarse sanding by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Some finer sanding then followed (400 grade sanding stick, then 600 grade) slowly improving the shape and smoothing the surface. Finer sanding by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Then I moved on to a 1000 grade sanding stick, then a 1000 grade sanding sponge, then 1500 and 2500 grade sponges, slowly improving the smoothness of the plastic and glazing as it went. Smoothing off by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Further sanding with the 2500 grade sponges, then 4000 and 8000, then some micromesh and then just the sponge side of the sanding sponges… followed by some Tamiya polishing compounds (coarse and fine) produced a relatively smooth and shiny surface which will suffice for now. The result of more smoothing and polishing by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr This has ‘rounded’ the screens off a bit but I’ve found a set of masks that I’ll carefully add later which will hopefully help redefine the screens with some paint. That’s the hope anyway. This is going to be a generally simple build but hopefully the result will be ok in the end. But yes, my build never end up being simple. Thanks for reading. Jonathan.

Ex Foil, June 1949. Yes, I know the Hornet only is Hornet-ish....but does ok for this composition. Decals for 247 sqn codes and serials from spares box and my printer, first experience of printing. 41 Sqn crest adapted from spitfire 24 80 Sqn one with white decal and red decal bits. Letters codes mix of Fantasy Printshop and spares.

Airfix 1/144 Kit with New ware detail Set & New Ware Launch Pad, Apollo CSM replacement kit from the Model Bunker shop, plus 3d printed thrust structures & J2 engines. A few scratch additions here and there, and an absolute must have- Rick Sternbach’s superb set of Ultimate decals.

At Wingleader have been purchasing original photo collections for over thirty years, which helps us produce this outstanding series of books. Which RAF aircraft appears the most in these collections, the Vickers Wellington is a clear winner. Every collection seems to have hundreds of them! Of course, it was a very advanced and photogenic aircraft for its time, (replacing the antiquated Heyford and other biplanes), and it entered service just as the Press took a renewed interest in the Armed Forces as the country prepared for war. Another important factor is that the Wellington was the third most produced RAF aircraft in history, with nearly 11,500 examples being built. With all this in mind, we decided to give the old Wimpy the coverage it deserves, so this first book just covers the very early examples, the Mk.I and Mk.Ia, with plenty more to follow! As usual, we asked our Bomber Command expert Peter Allam to take on this classic bomber and he has done a cracking job on uncovering some fine details and quirks of these early Mks, including the ‘SCI’ and ‘DWI’ ops. We hope you enjoy this one and keep space on your shelves for a few more Wimpy books to come! Check it out at www.wingleader.co.uk Wellington MkI/IA (WPA35)

So the clue is in the title. What if the Daring class Destroyers were modernised in the 1960's? What I am planning on doing is based on this Shipbucket drawing I am using the 1961 Airfix kit which means it's slightly younger than me I have ordered a Starling Models HMS Devonshire upgrade set to provide a lot of the necessary parts that will be replaced. I also have some etched brass from Atlantic Models for a few other items and there will be some scratch-building as well. The idea being that I have about eleven months to finish this so I can take it to Telford, well there's nothing like a target to aim for, if it's realistic or not we shall see Later: Because the back end is based on the Leander fit I was thinking of using the rear two-thirds of a Leander deck on top of the rear of the Daring. But as I am going to be scratch-building most of the superstructure I may as well scratch the Limbo well, just as I am doing in my Leander builds. I shall use one of my as-yet unbuilt Leanders as a guide for the scratch building. One question I will have to think about now rather than later is the viewing windows for the VDS which are in the room in the Port Rear of the ship, with one window to aft and another looking back up towards the winch for the VDS. The question is do I do the same for this build or move the windows to Starboard? Gondor

Hello all. I started this model in the recent Classic Airfix Group Build. I managed to get quite a bit done making the odd adjustment and correction here, adding etch there and so on, but I didn't quite manage to get is across the line. The thread is here if you missed it but want to catch up: When the Group Build finished, I was advised to complete the build in the WIP section of Maritime, and being a good boy, I followed instructions, and the rest of the project is here: It is now complete, and this is what I ended up with: I had loads of fun with this, despite the issues (mainly self-made) that I encountered. Thanks for looking, Ray

I was delighted when the 1/48 Airfix Gannet was announced and immediately acquired one. The AS1 and AS4 versions in the standard colour schemes didn't appeal so I decided to convert my build into a COD in the later RAF Blue Grey scheme. The conversion would entail no great changes with the removal of the rear cockpit equipment and a few minor alterations to the observers cockpit. The underbelly radome would have to be removed and I new I could fashion some underwing pylons and stores. I had previously bought some after market replacement decals. The attached photos show the final result with a couple of the build. I write this a few days after Airfix have announced the release of their COD variant..... GREAT! Just as a post script, I have to say what a superb kit Airfix have produced and I'm sure the new release COD variant will be equally well received. Thanks for looking. Ian

iBristol Bloodhound (A02309V) 1:76 Airfix Vintage Classics Following the cancellation of an earlier Ramjet-powered Surface-to-Air missile project by the name of Blue Envoy, due it seems to the 1957 Defence White Paper by the now-infamous Duncan Sandys, a shorter-range project was considered to pick-off the remaining enemy bombers that made it past the English Electric Lightnings that were responsible for point-defence of the Great British airspace. The fact that the Blue Envoy project had been progressing well, with successful trials of a scale-version of the missile, caused some scratching of heads, but the new Bloodhound missile benefitted from its technology, giving it a head start on its development path. Much of those technology benefits were incorporated into the Mark.II Bloodhound, extending its range to almost double that of the Mk.I. When launched, the missile accelerated incredibly quickly thanks to the four booster rockets that were ejected after only three seconds, by which time it would be travelling at an ear-popping 1,800mph, with attendant sonic boom in addition to the roar of the rockets and ramjets, making hearing defence an absolute necessity. It homed in on its target using a combination of semi-active radar and powerful computing capability (for the day) that gave it a high level of resistance to electronic countermeasures, and allowed it to accurately track low altitude targets, making it a lethal opponent for the expected waves of lumbering Soviet bombers and their escorts in the days before ICBMs took over the role of delivering nuclear weapons. It remained in service with the British and Swedes until the 90s due to its abilities, and Britain took their Bloodhounds out of service when the Berlin wall came down, while the Swedes kept theirs until just before the new millennium. The Bloodhounds first paired with the Thunderbird shorter range missile and then the Rapier that covered the required defensive envelope between them. The smaller missiles could also be transported comparatively easily, while the Bloodhound was of a size that lent itself to fixed installation, often around strategic areas such as airfields. The Swedish Bloodhounds were converted to be vehicle transportable, and a possible future development of the missile was to introduce this facility wholesale to the Mk.IV, while the Mk.III was to be nuclear tipped with a longer range that would presumably be used to thin the bomber stream over the sea, hopefully keeping any fall-out away from the land. Both those variants weren’t completed however. The Kit This kit was first released in 1960 when the missile itself was still new. It has been reboxed several times since then, and up until the announcement of its long-overdue re-release, it was achieving eye-watering prices on a certain auction site. It’s amazing how some people are prepared to throw money at something if they want it badly enough. Now that it is back in Airfix’s catalogue under the Vintage Classics line, there will be a few people feeling a little silly, but the rest of us will just be glad to see it again, and pleased that the moulds are still in good condition. I built one myself as a nipper, and remember it fondly. Where my kit went though, I have no idea. The kit arrives in a diminutive red-themed top-opening box, and inside are six sprues of various sizes in the new darker grey styrene that Airfix have been using, which has been well-received. There are no decals, but there is a Land Rover with missile trailer, and a set of figures to guard the emplacement, including a dog that one of the chaps has on an invisible lead. Detail on the missile is good, and once the seams are dealt with, it should look suitably sleek. The trailer is a nice inclusion, as is the Landy, but if you want to give it an improved look, you might consider adding some clear acetate windscreens, a bulkhead and a couple of seats for the crew, or at least the impression of those things. There are of course some ejector-pin marks here and there, most annoyingly on the canvas roof of the Land Rover, which will make careful removal and making good very important. There is surprisingly little flash too, most of it around the sprue runners and the figures, which should be quick enough to remove with the edge of a sharp blade and some fine sanding. Construction begins with the missile, joining the main halves that includes the two Bristol Thor ramjet engines, then adding delta-shaped steering fins forward and square fins to the rear, plus the support structure for the temporary boosters in the form of a cruciform part at the rear of the missile. Each Gosling booster rocket is made from two halves, one of which has the fin moulded-in, and once complete the quartet are joined to the main body on lugs near the front fins, and at the rear on the four points of the cross. In action, the rockets were hooked to a ring fore and aft, and once their thrust became less than the ramjets, they would slide backwards, opening like a set of petals before falling away. That’s the missile finished. The Land Rover is next, building the canvas-topped bodywork onto a flat-bottomed floor, adding the windscreen, bonnet and radiator assembly to the front, plus two axles that thread through holes in the arches, to be finished by adding wheels to each end of the axles. A scrap diagram shows that if you leave the glue off, the wheels should rotate. At the back of the vehicle a bulkhead with a notch for the towing hitch closes the rear. The launch platform has several parts left unglued to allow it to be moved, based upon a flat turntable, which is joined to the floor by a styrene pin that joins them together and allows them to rotate. The side walls trap the launch rails and their supports into position, adding extra supports as the parts are joined together, and finally a stopper pin that plugs into the back of the missile so it stays in position. The last main assembly is the trailer, the chassis made from two halves that trap the tread-plated floor in position, adding twin wheels into the rear arches on both sides, another frame is glued to the trailer’s gooseneck, and twin supports are added fore and aft. The front wheels are based on a pivoting platform secured in position by another styrene pin, adding two stub axles beneath that have more pins to hold the wheels in place, and an A-frame with towing eye on the front. There are five human figures and a dog on the sprues, although you only use three of them according to the instructions. One is an officer waving while a ‘Snowdrop’ RAF MP stands to attention, and a dog-handler should be linked to the dog via a fine wire so it doesn’t bite anyone. The other two dog-handlers don’t have a dog to handle, but you could adapt them to other poses if you feel the urge. Markings As already mentioned, there is only one colour scheme depicted, which consists of a white missile with yellow boosters, green launch platform and trailer, and an RAF blue Land Rover. Other schemes were used, so check your reference if you feel like a change. Conclusion A great many modellers have been waiting for this kit to come back in stock, and unlike those with bottomless pockets, we appreciate the reasonable price that it is now being offered at. Most of us won’t notice the slight difference in scale from the usual 1:72, and if you give it some care and attention, you should end up with a creditable replica of this Cold War Warrior. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

My second build for this GB will be the Airfix starter kit Mustang IV I started this one in the Mustang STGB earlier in the year, but installing a new kitchen seriously changed my prioritys for a couple of months. I much prefer making models then installing kitchens i have realised! Not made much progress apart from getting the interior done and then joining the fuselage and wings together. As previously mentioned, it will probably be a few weeks before i get back onto this one, but it will definately be getting finished this time. George

Hi everyone, I stood in front of my shelf for a while, scratching my head, thinking about what to build next. I wanted to do something quick and merry, so I could show something off on the site. 😊 In the end I went with the 1/72 Supermarine Swift from Airfix. Although as it turns out it is neither quick, nor merry, it is still very entertaining and keeps me on my toes. I started the build with the cockpit. It was a bit of a challenge to have everything line up perfectly, but I think once you get the hang of it, it goes together well. The next step was the jet intake. I decided to glue the two halves in at this stage so after giving a couple of coats with a Tamiya White Primer rattle can, I could mask the intakes easier. After adding the exhaust and the clear parts for the photo equipment, I glued the two halves together. It needed some convincing here and there, but nothing majorly disruptive. I dry fitted the wings next. I have to say, this kit has some of the best fitting wing roots I have ever seen - although admittedly, I do not have 100s of models under my belt like some of you here. It was at this point when I realised that I forgot to put the weight in the nose. Just one of those senior moments I am afraid... Luckily, there is plenty of space for weights behind the cockpit so I bluetacked and superglued five steel bearing balls just to be on the safe side. It also gives some substance to the model. Makes it feel more serious in the hand. 😉 After that, the wings went on, and some filler was applied to the top of the fuselage. It was a pretty neat fit everywhere else. This is where I left it getting close to midnight. It is a shame that work gets in the way on weekdays, but I will try and post some updates soon.

de Havilland Chipmunk T.10/T.20 (A04105A) 1:48 Airfix The Chipmunk was the first fully Canadian aircraft from De Havilland of Canada that entered service just after WWII, and was used by many air forces as a trainer in the post WWII years, often replacing the biplane Tiger Moth. The RAF trainers were manufactured by D.H. in the UK, serving with the RAF until 1996 when the last of them were withdrawn from service, and there are a lot of pilots that learned to fly during that period who hold the little aircraft in high regard, having taken their first tentative and hopeful steps into the sky at the controls of a Chippie. Its calm and reliable flight manners made it an ideal trainer, and its more modern construction using a large proportion of metal parts with only partial fabric covering to the wings, gave it a more modern feel that was suitable for the absolute beginner, or ‘ab initio’ pilot, as they are sometimes referred to. Canada continued to use the Chipmunk as trainer until the early 70s, and a surprisingly large list of operators have used them over the years, including such varied powers as Egypt, Ghana and Lebanon. It is estimated that around 500 are still airworthy today, most in private hands. The Kit The Chipmunk is a 2021 tool by Airfix that has been reboxed with new decal options depicting other operators. It arrives in a small top-opening box in Airfix’s usual red theme, with three sprues in dark grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet with colour profiles on the rear pages. The Chippie’s exterior is covered either with flush panels, raised-rivet panels or doped fabric over the metal ribbing of the structure, and all of these surfaces are depicted well here, even down to the raised rivets, which are thankfully positioned on the leading edges of the wings where they should survive seam sanding. Construction begins with the cockpit, with two bucket seats that have a diagonal surround with the seat itself recessed in a concave shape behind it. The front seat’s recess is a separate part that is glued in behind the panel, with a moulded-in coaming behind the seat, and optional seat cushions for a restored example. The rear seat is a single part that also has an optional cushion. The cockpit floor forms a shallow trough with ribbing in the bottom, and it requires two holes per pilot to be drilled through for an instrument on the floor and the control column, then the seats are both placed behind the controls, slotting into place on twin tabs. The cockpit is set to the side while the interior of the fuselage is prepared, mostly by painting the ribbed sides, adding a few small holes for the tail strakes if necessary, and a pair of stencil decals on the cockpit sidewalls to finish off. The cockpit can then be installed in the port side, and a pair of additional controls are fixed to the exposed side of the cockpit. With the addition of a small circular bulkhead under the tail, the fuselage can be closed and glued along with a bulkhead and tank at the front of the cockpit aperture, which also has some ancillary detail picked out in different colours. This model includes a rendition of the DHC Gypsy Major 4-cylinder engine that has about the same output as an average modern car. The first act is to put the remainder of the cowling in front of the nose on the fuselage, which has the long central section of the engine cowling projecting forward, with optional hinges glued underneath if you plan on opening the cowlings up to show off the engine. The cowling has a coaming and instrument panel for the front cockpit, which has a decal applied for the instruments, as does the rear panel, which also has a separate coaming and decal to finish it off. The engine is built up from two halves that trap a rotating axle between them, with input and output manifolds, the latter angling away from the bottom of the motor toward the underside of the cowling. A C-shaped panel covers the port side of the engine to finish it off, and the two engine mounts are fixed next after removing two moulding-assisting sprue sections from the rear, which you are shown exactly how to remove with the aid of scrap diagrams. The completed assembly is offered up to the bulkhead and locates on four holes that mate with the rear of the engine mounts, just like the real thing. The fixed lower and forward cowlings are glued in place, then you have the option of posing the side cowlings open or closed, which also have a small intake added to the top of the starboard piece. The lower wing is full span, and is strengthened by adding a short spar into the area between the main wheel sockets, with a small landing light inserted from within, just right of centre. The lower wing is then slotted into the gap in the lower fuselage leading edge first, locking two tabs in position within the root fairings and dropping the trailing edge into its matching socket. The upper wings have tabs on the root edge, and these should be glued in place to set up before you add the two separate ailerons, which also have tabs to locate them. Similarly, the lower elevator fins are full width with the root fairing moulded-in, and accepts the two top surfaces, locating with those new donut-shaped sockets that Airfix sometimes use. This slots into the front fairing on the fuselage under the fin, and is then joined by the rudder. The elevator strakes are slotted into their pre-drilled holes, and the elevator flying surfaces are attached to the trailing edge of the fins to complete that area. The Chipmunk’s fixed landing gear is simple, and has aerodynamic fairings moulded-in, with a slot for a clear landing light in the top of the port leg, and there are also a pair of unweighted legs with elongated oleo-scissors to posing your model in flight. The main wheels are each a single part, as is the tail wheel with its strut, which fixes to the small bulkhead at the rear of the fuselage. The prop is a simple two-blade affair, moulded as a single part with a spinner and back-plate to close it in, with a hole in the rear to fit onto the axle projecting from the engine. A pitot-probe and two aileron actuators are glued to the underside of the wings, finisheing off the airframe by installing the open cowlings if you have chosen those. The canopy is an inventive assembly, beginning with the installation of the windscreen with a t-shaped central rod glued to the inside, then a jig is used to attach the two side panels at the correct angles to the vertical so that they can be mated with the roof, rear panels, and a stiffening cross-brace at the rear. You are told in no uncertain terms not to glue the parts to the jig, but someone’s just bound to, so make sure it isn’t you. Before you glue the canopy in position, you have a choice of utilising the two identical pilot figures, which are a well-moulded, but with the usual hands-on-laps pose that I really wish we could move away from. Once that decision is made, your last choice is to pose the canopy open or closed, either of which options requires the addition of the small handles on the port side of the roof, sliding back if you wish to pose it open. Markings There are three options on the kit decal sheet with a choice of three operators from three nations, the Irish option a restored airframe with comfy cushions for the crew. From the box you can build one of the following: Chipmunk T.20 Irish Air Corps, Irish Historic Flight Chipmunk T.20 Portugese Air Force, Escola Militar Aeronáutica, Granja do Marquês, 1951 Chipmunk T.10 HRH Prince Charles’ Chipmunk, The Queen’s Flight, 1968 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A happy re-release of a good kit from Airfix, with different operators, loads of surface detail such as the rivets, the little V-shaped zip-up inspection pockets under the wing and the fuel gauges on the wing tops. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Gloster Meteor F.8/FR.9 (A04067) 1:72 Airfix The Gloster Meteor was the first British active-service jet fighter, and the Allies' first operational jet aircraft during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneered by Sir Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft itself began in 1940, although work on the engines had been underway since 1936 using the diminutive E.28/39 Pioneer airframe. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27th July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF, although it was initially forbidden from operating over enemy territory for fear of a downed aircraft giving away precious secrets. Nicknamed the "Meatbox", the Meteor was not a sophisticated aircraft in terms of its aerodynamics or engines, but proved to be a successful combat fighter through successive upgrades of the basic design, with several major variants incorporating rapid technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Thousands of Meteors were built to fly with the RAF and other air forces, and remained in use for several decades overseas. The Meteor saw limited action at the end of the Second World War, primarily intercepting V-1 ‘Buzz Bombs’ as they flew over the British coast, which was a task they were well-suited to. The F.4 was the first major variant after the initial wartime jet, and by the time the F.8 came into service, the airframe had been subject to substantial upgrades, shortening the wings that mounted more powerful Derwent 8 engines, lengthening the fuselage by over 30 inches, adding greater capacity fuel load, and a new tail to improve aerodynamics and prevent instability when ammunition was fully expended. It was also fitted with a Martin-Baker ejection seat, starting with a Mk.1 that was superseded by the Mk.2 later in production. The FR.9 was based upon the F.8 airframe, but with a new nose that mounted cameras to add reconnaissance to its list of capabilities. Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) provided a significant contribution in the Korean War, flying many sorties against Mig-15s that were superior in most respects, suffering mounting losses before they were re-tasked with ground attack roles where they excelled due to their ruggedness. Several other operators such as Argentina, Egypt and Israel flew Meteors in later regional conflicts with variable success dependent upon the opponents that they flew against. Specialised variants of the Meteor were developed for use in photo-reconnaissance and as night fighters before they became too slow and vulnerable to the more modern, swept-wing aircraft that were coming into service. The Kit This is a reboxing with an extra sprue of a recent tooling from Airfix that had a lot of 72nd scale modellers champing at the bit for a modern tooling of this important early British jet. It arrives in a small top-opening box in the usual red Airfix theme, and inside are five sprues in dark grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and the instruction booklet that has colour profiles printed on the rearmost pages, plus a stencil diagram on the back page. There is plenty of quality detail moulded into the sprues, so it should build up into a compelling replica. Construction begins with the cockpit, starting with a C-shaped assembly that is made of two sections to form the side walls and rear bulkhead, which is attached to the floor on four tabs at the sides, then has the ejection seat made up from five parts, with a pair of stencil decals applied to the sides of the headbox, latching on the rear bulkhead with a tab and slot. Behind the seat is a short deck that is shown again in a scrap diagram to correctly place it against the rear bulkhead. The control column, instrument panel with decal, and the two-part gunsight are added to finish off the cockpit, then if you are modelling a Meatbox with wheels down, the nose gear bay is inserted into the lozenge-shaped hole beneath the forward floor of the cockpit, after which it can be inserted into the starboard fuselage side, with a scrap diagram showing the correct location, and advising you to place 8 grams of nose weight under the floor. For the wheels-up option, the insert is left on the sprue, the nose bay is covered over with a single part representing the three bay doors, which has tabs to help it fit flush with the rest of the fuselage. Closing the fuselage involves painting the cockpit walls silver, filing a small depression in the centreline under the cockpit, and placing the rudder without glue between the two halves so that it can be left movable if you wish. The wing lowers are full-span, and in preparation for further work there are several flashed-over holes inside that should be drilled out if you are fitting drop-tanks, semi-conformal belly-tank or the official Airfix stand that requires two 2mm holes. For the wheels-up option, a single part that spans the two main gear bays and the belly is inserted inside the lower wing, and the engine nacelle interiors are both painted silver in preparation for installing the engines later. The first step involves inserting two spars that have the rear faces of the engines and their supports moulded into each end, then the front spar, which has the aerodynamic horizontal splitter that is visible through the intake. The spars also have bay detail moulded into them, two small sections of which should be removed from each side to facilitate the wheels-up option. The side walls of the bays are then inserted between the front and rear spars, boxing in the bays that are finished off by the moulded-in detail on the inside of the upper wings. The exhaust pipes are each assembled from two halves and are glued to the rear bulkhead, then the front face of the centrifugal jet engine, which looks considerably different from the more advanced axial flow engines used in the Me.262 and most modern jets. Before closing the wings up the underwing landing light is inserted under the port tip, with a tiny recess inside that could be filled with silver paint to replicate the bulb. Before joining the two main assemblies, a trailing-edge root fairing is inserted under the fuselage, then the wings are brought in and glued, with two-part ailerons added to the trailing edges. The exhaust fairings are each single parts, with intakes fitted to the front, which Julien will tell you have panel lines inside and aren’t completely smooth. He says that a lot. The tail fin and rudder are already complete, and are joined by the elevator fins that are made from top of bottom halves, while the separate elevators are each single parts so that you can deflect them if you feel the need. At this point the Meteor has no nose and only half a nose gear bay, the main mechanism projecting from a bulkhead, which is made up from three parts including the upper gear leg that are applied to the bulkhead in order, which is then inserted into a choice of two two-part nose cone, the FR.9 option having camera windows on each side, then the assembly is glued to the front of the fuselage to finish it off, giving the modeller a pair of hollow gun troughs on each side as a by-product. The Meatbox’s wheels were covered at the top with a mudguard, which makes the building of the assemblies slightly unusual, as the wheels are each two parts that have a narrow top section to fit inside the halves of the mudguards that are moulded into the gear struts. Each one is made up in half, then is joined together into handed assemblies before being glued into slots in the gear bays and completed by adding retraction jacks and bay doors on each side. The nose gear lower section is made in the same manner, and is glued into the top half of the leg to be joined by the three bay doors and the door opening mechanism. A pair of two-part drop-tanks are supplied for under the outer wings, with a further conformal ‘pregnancy’ tank under the centre, and a choice of open or closed air-brakes that are added under the inner panels, using different parts for each option. The airframe is completed by fitting the various antennae, cannon shell chutes, the pitot probe, canopy and windscreen, plus the optional pilot. The windscreen has a styrene part inserted within before it is glued to the front of the cockpit, while the sliding canopy has a a solid rear fairing inserted from below, which fixes to the raised track aft of the cockpit so that it can slide. The optional pilot is the usual hands-on-knees type, wearing a modern(ish) hard helmet, as was becoming more common after WWII and the introduction of ejection seats. The FR.9 nose is tipped with a clear lens. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, one F.8 in high-speed silver, the other an FR.9 in green/grey camouflage with a PR blue underside. From the box you can build one of the following: Meteor F.8 No.77 Sqn., RAF Williamtown, Royal Australian Air Force, 1955 Meteor FR.9, NO.79 Sqn., RAF Benson, Royal Air Force, 1956 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This is a great new boxing of this important post-war British jet, and arrives with plenty of detail that should satisfy the majority of us, adding a reconnaissance variant to round out this boxing and fill a gap in available variants. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hunting Percival Jet Provost T.3/T.4 (A02103A) 1:72 Airfix As the jet age dawned and took a firm grasp of military aviation, the Jet Provost was designed by Hunting Percival as a replacement for their piston-engined Percival Provost basic trainer, as they anticipated the need for a Jet trainer going forward. Work commenced in the early 50s, consulting with the RAF as to the needs and likely specifications of RAF Training Command for a jet trainer. Although initially undertaken as a private venture, the government saw its potential, and in 1953 an order for an initial batch of aircraft was placed. The new ‘Jet’ Provost would use as many parts of the original Provost as possible to reduce costs and transitional effort, which gives the two aircraft a distinct familial resemblance. The prototype XD674 would first fly on the 16th June 1954 as the Jet Provost T.1, and in light of experience, necessary improvements were made to the aircraft’s design, hydraulic systems replaced less efficient pneumatics, while the tail also gained a new fillet to increase stability. The new T.2 had its maiden flight in 1955, followed soon by the T.3 that would use a more powerful Viper Jet engine, added ejection seats, shortened and strengthened the fuselage, and fitted more rugged undercarriage that could stand up to the abuse doled out by novice pilots, with over 200 of this mark built. The T.4 would follow in 1960, which again used an even more powerful Viper engine, although it was never a speed machine. It was followed by the T.5 with a pressurised cockpit, and an armed version would be developed that would become the Strikemaster. Both the Jet Provost and the Strikemaster are often associated with BAC (British Aircraft Corporation) as Hunting Percival was subsumed in 1960 as the Government whittled away at the British aero industry that had served the nation so well throughout WWII. The JP retired from RAF Service as late as 1993 after 38 years of faithful service, to be replaced by the Shorts Tucano T.Mk.1, which has itself now retired from service after 31 years. The Jet Provost remains popular with private operators and there are still some flying examples at airshows, thanks in part to their simplicity and the fondness of many pilots that learned their trade in its cockpit. The Kit This kit was first released as a T.Mk.3 in 2016, and is back again in a new box with different decal options. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box in Airfix’s usual red-theme, and inside are three sprues of grey styrene, a small clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet printed in spot colour on matt paper with the colour profiles printed on the back pages. A sheet of glossy paper is slipped between the pages with line drawings showing the location of the many stencils applied to the model. Detail is good, extending to all the usual areas, the cockpit having sidewall detail moulded into the fuselage insides, and detail inside what little can be seen of the main gear bays, as the bay doors close around the legs after deployment. Construction begins with the cockpit, the floor of which incorporates the rear bulkhead and shelf, adding a centre console between the crew, and control columns in front of them both. The front bulkhead attaches under the floor on a pair of prongs that slide into sockets moulded into it, then two ejection seats are created from halves, adding a cushion insert or a pilot figure to each of them. The figures don’t have any representation of cushions moulded into their backs, which might cause head-scratching with some modellers, but it could be hidden by the installation of the headbox and pull handle part at the top, so make your choice. The seats with or without pilots are installed on their blocks at the rear of the cockpit, and the instrument panel is slotted into the top of the centre console, applying a decal to represent the dials, which is very nicely done, with a realistic look to them, and most of the background is clear, to remove the need for colour matching. The cockpit is installed in the port fuselage half after painting the sidewalls a suitable black shade, closing the fuselage around it once you have inserted at least 2.5g of nose weight to prevent your model from tail-sitting once complete. The elevators are a single part that slips into a slot in the rear of the fuselage, and they are closed in by the combined exhaust and pen-nib fairing, adding the separate rudder to the fin above it, with the possibility of offsetting it for a more candid pose. The lower wings are full-span and have the tip-tank lowers moulded-in, and if you intend to mount the model on the stand that’s sold separately, you’ll need to drill out two flashed-over holes with a 2.0mm bit. It is glued in under the fuselage, and the upper wing halves and moulded-in tip-tank tops are added once the model is righted for installation of the intakes either side of the cockpit. The splitter plates are fitted first, adding the outer trunking after painting the inside surfaces light grey. If you are posing your model wheels-up, a single part portrays the nose bay doors, with two more for the main gear bays, although for that option the pitot probe and a blade antenna isn’t shown being inserted under the port wing. For gear down, the closed nose bay doors are depicted by a different part that has a pair of push-through doorlets moulded-in, and a socket for the nose gear strut in between them. The strut is made from two parts, one moulded as the strut and half of the wheel, the other part forming the other half of the wheel and the yoke. The two main gear legs have their captive bay doors moulded-in, adding wheels to the stub axles before plugging them into the outer ends of the two small bays. The pitot is installed in a recess under the port wing, and a blade antenna is fixed under the belly between the intakes, adding another on the spine behind the cockpit. The Jet Provost’s canopy is wide due to the crew sitting side-by-side, and it can be posed open or closed as you see fit. The windscreen and rear portion are glued into each end of the cockpit cut-out, and by using a choice of two central parts, you can either close the canopy snugly, or show it pushed back over the rear window, using the scrap diagrams as a guide. Markings There are two options included on the decal sheet, one in traditional red/white/grey trainer colours that it wore for the first flight of a female RAF pilot in 1990, the other in silver and red. From the box you can build one of the following: Jet Provost T.3A, Flt.Lt. Julie Ann Gibson, First Female RAF Pilot, No.1 Flying Training School, RAF Dishforth, May 1990 Jet Provost T.4 Royal Air Force Colleg (RAFC), Cranwell, 1962 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s good to see the Provost back on the shelves, with some interesting and important schemes. Was it really as late as 1990 that the RAF allowed female pilots to fly jets? I originally typed ‘fast’ in there, but the Jet Provost was renowned for being the best way to turn jet fuel into sound and heat, whilst producing very little in the way of speed. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

After pretty much avoiding building weapons since February 2022, I picked this kit up at Telford from Jadlam’s bargain pile. It all went together easily and fairly quickly given that modelling time has been restricted by other issues just recently. The decals were beautiful though the rear stripes didn’t seem long enough for the “conical” shape of the rear fuselage so ended up a bit far back. And the pilot appears to have been running the Griffon very rich, judging by the exhaust stains! I took these photos outside for better light. Hmm, I like an overcast day to get a more even lighting but this is ridiculous. Oh well, at least it’s not raining! Cheers Will

Hello Here is my finished 1/72 Airfix Chinook HC.1. I chose to make Bravo November as this is a very iconic British Chinook. I remember well the time of the Falklands "special operation". The kit is easy to assemble and I added just a few things like a roof above the cargo inside, the electric leads of the winch and the antennae in front of the cockpit. Actually this is my third H-47/Chinook as in the past I built a U.S. MH-47E and a Libyan CH-47D, both of them were the Italeri kit which is less detailed. Patrick

Expected in Spring (May ?) 2024 - ref. A06023 - Boeing Chinook HC.1 Source: https://uk.airfix.com/products/boeing-chinook-hc1-a06023 V.P.

Chinook HC.1 (for Airfix) 1:72 Eduard Last year saw Airfix re-tool their 1:72 Chinook kit in the HC.1 guise, and we’re due a later boxing in summer of 2025 according to the new catalogue that arrived a few days ago as I type this. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Upgrade Set (73831) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small sheet of acetate with two circular windows printed on it. A complete set of new layered instrument panels plus added levers for other controls; a roof skin added to the entire length; seat belts for the two flight crew; equipment and avionics on both sides of the cockpit bulkhead; a curved panel with overhead panel is fitted at the juncture between the windscreen and the front engine cowling halves, adding a new window interior with film glazing on one side. The crew entrance on the side of the fuselage is replaced with a more detailed set of PE parts, starting with the exterior skin that is folded and curved to match the profile of the kit part, adding an internal skin and three detail parts, then fitting it in the roof above the door, making the lower portion of the door from a folded part that is also curved to match the shape of the fuselage, adding a locking mechanism and step, then filling two grooves moulded into the bottom of the door frame, replacing the hinges with new PE parts and a pull-handle, all of which is best fitted after main painting is over. The rear cargo ramp is also detailed, fitting PE strips around the edges, and covering the three vehicle ramps with skins, all adding extra detail to the area. Moving outside, the engines have two-part engine rear faces inside the cowling halves, making an exhaust to the rear after rolling it into a tapering cone with the same profile at the front as the engine cowling, times two. The two intake filters from the kit are used, but are covered by new mesh panels that are more realistic than the styrene rendering. The last few parts are brake callipers for the inner hubs of the landing gear, plus a small tapering skin that details the fuselage behind the rear gear legs. Zoom! Set (SS831) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. SPACE Cockpit Set (3DL72043) The Eduard SPACE sets use new 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin, creating highly realistic almost full complete panels that are supplied on a decal sheet. They can depict metallic shades, plus glossy, satin and matt colours too, which really ups the detail on everything they print. In addition, a small sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE is included for the aspects of the set that lend themselves better to this medium, such as seatbelts and rudder pedals. The centre console in the cockpit has its detail removed and replaced by a new decal, adding PE pedals to the front of the floor, then applying more decals to both sides of the cockpit bulkhead to improve on the simple panels and missing details. The main instrument panel is sanded smooth and has the detail replaced by a new decal, adding another to represent the overhead console in the roof at the front of the engine cowling above the cockpit. The two crew seats are fitted with a set of four-point PE harnesses that drape over the back and sides of their seats. Cargo Seatbelts STEEL (73833) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. Whether you have elected to use the pre-painted PE seat parts that are available in another set or not, this set of sixteen sets of lap belts for each side of the cargo compartment, each seat having two belts, offering the potential to arrange them in a haphazard manner, akin to what would happen whether passengers un-buckled and embarked on a dangerous mission, or a much-needed trip to the canteen afterwards. Review sample courtesy of

Airfix is to release in 2014 a variant from the new 1/72nd "fabric wings" Hurricane (ref.A02067), a Hawker Hurricane Mk.I "metal covered wings" under ref. A01010. A fabric wings in the illustrations/box arts??? Displayed as ????? Error? Source: http://www.airfix.com/shop/new-for-2014/172-scale-military-aircraft/a01010-hawker-hurricane-mki-172/ But also as stater set (fabric or metal covered wings Hurricane?) Ref. A55111 Source: http://www.airfix.com/shop/new-for-2014/172-scale-military-aircraft/a55111-hawker-hurricane-mki-starter-set-172/ V.P