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  1. Hello! Here’s my recent project, an Eduard (Profipack) Hellcat F6F-5 Late. It means PE, canopy masks and resin wheels included, which is great. Everything went fine, this is a very good kit. Even after I dropped some varnish all over the right wing. So, ALWAYS put the airbrush cup lid ON! Lesson learned… Hope you enjoy! Cheers!
  2. The Grumman F6F Hellcat – Airframe & Miniature #15 ISBN: 9781912932115 Valiant Wings Publishing The Book The book is perfect-bound with 224 pages on glossy paper, tons of photographs, diagrams and profiles, the modern pictures being in colour, while the contemporary content is going to be black and white due to that being the predominant film format of the day. It is of course written by Richard A Franks, with profiles by Richard J Caruana, isometric drawings by Wojciech Sankowski and models by a group of fine modellers. If you're familiar with the series, you'll know that the pages are broken down into the Airframe section that deals with the 1:1 real thing, and the miniature section that covers the scale models and has a number of builds, plus a host of photographic detail that will be of great help to the modeller. The breakdown in more detail is as follows: Airframe Chapters 1. Protoypes 2. Production 3. Reconnaissance, Night-Fighters, Drones, Test Airframes & Projects 4. Camouflage & Markings and Colour Profiles Miniature Chapters 5. Hellcat Kits 6. Building a Selection 7. Building a Collection 8. In Detail: The Hellcat Engine, Cowlings & Propeller Cockpit & Canopy Mid & Aft Fuselage Tail Wings & Control Surfaces Undercarriage & Arrestor Hook Armament Electrical Equipment Appendices I. Hellcat Kits II. Hellcat Accessories III. Hellcat Decals & Masks IV. Bibliography A concertina sheets of 1:48 Scale plans captive in the rear cover (equivalent to 8 pages printed on both sides) The scale plans are nicely thought out, and fold out sideways with the left-hand edge captive to the inside cover, and the isometric drawings by Wojciech Sankowski that pick out the differences between variants and sub-variants are a dream for anyone like me that struggles to remember the details that separate the marks. As usual with the photographs in these titles, they're excellent for the most part, and as good as they can be for the occasional slightly grainy one that is all that remains of this or that variant. Afterall, there's only so much that modern photo editing software can do. The builds by Libor Jekl, John Wilkes and Steve A. Evans are all first-rate too, with two in 1:72, one in 1:48, one in 1:32 and one of the immense 1:24 Airfix kit, all of which wouldn't look out of place on competition tables at the highest level. Conclusion This book is brimming with interest and information, with something for everyone – the modeller, the aviation enthusiast or history buff. My personal favourite parts are the variant isometrics as previously mentioned, but there is so much to enjoy and it’s all good. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  3. Another kit finished that was on the shelf-of-doom. In fact it turned out better than I expected. Paints were acrylics, Humbrol Light Gull Grey and Tamiya XF-2 White finished with the kit decals and a Flory wash then sealed with a matt sheen from Vallejo. I also made some airbags for the intakes from Milliput, made a mould and cast some resin ones. Thank you for looking. Regards Robert
  4. My next lockdown model is now officially finished I used the Eduard photo-etched set, together with metal gear from Scale Aircraft Conversion [SAC-72106]. I must admit some of the parts were particularly fiddly like the arresting hook and the bits and pieces for the landing gear (as shown by the close-up shots). For the high visibility markings I used MM Semigloss Orange #1595. Overall, I am really satisfied how it turned out. Enjoy!
  5. Hello, This my recent project, OOB. A really easy kit, nice fitting and engineering. The only, and big, complain are the decals. They’re virtually useless, way too thick. So, I put it on hold and waited for a new set from ebay. Hope you enjoy! Cheers!
  6. Time to start another Navy build. I'd been planning on a Skyhawk next (I should still get to that) but somehow the inspiration to build the unique EC-24A struck me. Here's the 1/1 scale version: The EC-24A was operated by McDonnell Douglas for the Fleet Electronic Warfare Support Group as an electronic aggressor - its role was to simulate attacks on the US Navy surface fleet. It was converted from a DC-8-54CF acquired from United Airlines in 1984, supplementing two NKC-135As in the same role. I'll be using the Minicraft 1/144 DC-8 kit, which includes suitable engines for a CFM-56 powered 70-series aircraft or for a DC-8-62 or -63 with the later style of nacelle for the JT3Ds, but not the earlier JT3D nacelle of the -50 series. So I'm using resin engines from Bra.Z. The various fairings and antennae will be scratch built, including some 3D printing, and I'll print my own decals. Here are the sprue and resin engines: First job is to shorten the fuselage. Minicraft kindly give us engraved lines inside the fuselage halves to guide the necessary cuts so this was pretty straightforward: and it's gone together quite nicely, with some scrap sprue used to reinforce the joints: So, off to a good start. I'm hoping to move it along quite quickly so as to get time for that Skyhawk. cheers Julian
  7. Hello all, I am working on Tamiya's 1/350 Fletcher with Eduard's PE set. Tamiya's kit is best Fletcher in its scale but still has inaccuracies and fitting issues, also Eduard's set suffers from same problems. You have to check your references before installing nearly every piece. I am not a ship expert and sometimes my models suffer from inaccuracy and mistakes but I am trying my best to build them close to the real one as much as possible. So, let the photostream begin Update 29 November: Beside these books, Internet is always your friend Let's start then! Ugly seam lines are sanded down. I really liked that plating on the hull, nice job Tamiya! Guess what is modeled accurate in anchor deck? Nothing. So I had to scrape them all Next on the line: Propeller shafts Rudder is movable, cool I also filled the gaps for propeller guards which will be replaced with PE ones. And this is my organizer for ongoing builds. Helps me a lot to not lose their pieces. Fletcher is currently using nine rooms. And we need to get rid of that mast First step. Choose the correct diameter for mast (1.5mm) and then angle it correctly accoring to the ref pics. Ref pic With her little sister, USS Cushing from Tamiya again. It was an old, brush painted model that I will convert her to FRAM Fletcher, hopefully soon Update 16 December : Main mast nearly finished. It is made of brass rods, sheet brass and plastic rod plus Eduard's set Looks better now, huh? And now for stacks, they need love too. Exhaust drilled The pipes that carry smoke to the funnels are made of plastic rods. Grills from Ed A little comparison with standard stack. The main pieces are not glued but it still needed lots of CA and glue... Little bit more PE The only remaining thing for fore-stack is pipes going straight above through the roof near ladder you can see in the photo above Before removing doors and ladders we had to check references to be sure... Then, attack! As you can see, there is a ugly gap between guard railing with fore-deckhouse, it will be filled with CA... Update 30 December: Also everything on the bridge is sanded down. And... Also these ugly stairs are removed and replaced too... It was the hardest part of this build so far... The torpedo tubes... Mid-deckhouse, %90 completed That's all for now. As you have noticed, this has been split in three update sections because I had posted them in Hobimaket before signing up here. But from now on, the updates will be launched simultaneously. This is my first ship build with a large set of PE, so I had done lots of mistakes and still doing but hey, it is for fun and i am enjoying the process. Hope you like my works and all comments are valuable and welcomed. All hands on deck! -Eren
  8. US Navy Aero 12c Cart "Explosive Ordnance Container" (198132) 1:32 VideoAviation.com The Aero12 cart is often seen on US Navy carrier decks to move bombs about, this new dual set from VideoAviation has two of these carts fitted with "Explosive Ordnance" containers. It arrives in a clear plastic bubble box, and inside there are a substantial bundle of resin parts, all in bags and protected by their safety. There are two carts and the boxes to fit onto them. The small decal sheet is crisply printed, and contains sufficient markings to complete the task in hand. Conclusion If you're placing any of your models on a base, adding ancillary equipment is a great way of enhancing realism.. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  9. Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (A19004) 1:24 Airfix The Hellcat was a tough flying barrel of a 'plane, used extensively in the Pacific Theatre during WWII by the US Navy, as well as the British Fleet Air Arm. It was propelled (excuse pun) by the powerful 2,000hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double-Wasp, the same as used by its faster stablemate the Chance Vought Corsair. It was a rugged aircraft that could absorb substantial damage, more so than the faster Corsair, so it was well-used and well-liked by the pilots. It was faster than the Zero, which was of a much lighter construction and couldn't absorb the punishment a Hellcat could. It came into service in 1943 and there were over 12,000 built before the end of the war, with it playing a substantial role in giving the Allies air superiority toward the end of the conflict. It was the replacement for the Wildcat, although it bears a very strong family resemblance that makes differentiation tricky for the uninitiated. The pilot was well protected by armour around the cockpit, and the fuel tanks were self-sealing, something that wasn't present on the Zero that led to some fiery shoot-downs, some of which were captured on gun-cameras and are occasionally shown on documentaries. By the time the -5 came into service, the 18-cylinder P&W radial engine was more powerful, the airframe tougher, and the forward visibility improved by the addition of a flat, armoured windscreen panel. There were Nightfighter variants throughout the production run, which were the last of the type to be withdrawn from service in the 50s, but the day fighter -6 was the direct replacement of the -5, with an even more powerful engine with water injection and supercharging driving a four-bladed prop. In British service is was initially named the Gannet Mk.I, which is heresy as there's only one Gannet and that's from Fairey The name was soon changed to Hellcat for simplicity's sake, with the Nightfighter named the Mk.II. The Bearcat was the final replacement of the Hellcat, keeping the cat naming theme that continued until the F-14 entered the Danger Zone. The Kit The initial reaction to the announcement of this kit at Telford probably wasn't everything Airfix could have hoped, but since then the level of excitement has risen, helped by its inclusion in the recent James May documentary about Airfix and Hornby, which also featured one of our very own members who was responsible for building the pre-production sample with that information helping design the instructions. It is the third of Airfix's reawakened interest in Superkits that restarted with the 1:24 Mosquito, and has continued with 2014's Typhoon, a reboxing of which we reviewed this week here. We've seen a few builds already thanks to the documentary and a few examples that have gone out early due to what seems to have been a bit of an early dart by one of Airfix's stockists. Our sample has arrived and it's another large box that is well-filled with sprues, many of which are the full size of the interior due to the fact that they have been moulded in pairs with a central "spine" holding them together. We've had to remove those and split the sprues up to be able to get them into the photobooth, so we end up with fifteen sprues in grey styrene, one in clear, a large decal sheet and a thick instruction booklet that will keep you busy for quite a while. The painting and marking guide is provided on two sheets of glossy A3 paper on both sides with another containing stencilling instructions printed on one side. First impressions are excellent, as the surface detail that was first seen on the Typhoon has been replicated on this kit, with oil-canning, riveting and a few lapped panels visible on the main parts, which will give the finished model additional realism once painted. The detail is continued into the inside with a fully detailed cockpit and engine compartment plus further fuselage detail behind the pilot and inside the wing in the shape of wheel and gun bays. Add to this the foldable wings, optional raised or lowered flaps, landing gear and a choice of weapons, and we have a literal super kit. The detail and engineering has to be seen to be believed and the 310 construction steps gives a clue to how much has gone into this kit. If you're going to break down the cost between the hours of entertainment you'll get building it, it will be extremely good value. If you're going to break the price down on part count you'll get similarly good value, and if you look at the sprues it's a similarly good ratio of smiles per pound. Each sprue has been protected by its own bag, and the clear parts have been cocooned in paper towel, then a bubble-wrap bag, and finally a similar style bag as the rest of the sprues, which indicates that Airfix are taking no risks when it comes to clear parts on their more recent kits. Construction begins with the option of building the kit with the wheels up and in flight, wheels down and wings unfolded, or wheels down and wings folded for storage. This will impact your choices later, so choose now, walk through the instructions looking at the silhouettes at the top of the pages making notes and you'll have less chance of getting confused later. The steps are in the new 3D style with the previous step's parts highlighted in red, and where necessary there are captions that will assist us with our builds, some of which will have been added due to experiences during the pre-production builds mentioned earlier. You also have the option to leave many of the panels open or off completely, so you'll still have some choices to make throughout the build. The final one of the initial options is to add an electric micro-motor to the heart of the radial engine to give your model an attractive spinning prop. There are even custom parts to allow you to do this, and the routing of the wire is mapped out for you. After drooling over the sprues and the decision making, the build begins in earnest with some actual plastic that makes up the cockpit floor, which has a number of ribs added along with the control column and its linkages. The aft bulkhead is detailed with fire extinguisher and headrest, then fitted to the rear along with the H-shaped foot rest for the pilot's feet when they're not pushing on the rudder pedals, which are fitted to the shorter front bulkhead. Details such as instrument panels with decals and extra parts, the crew seat with seat cushion, lap belts and the shoulder belts, as well as other mechanical parts fitted to the cockpit tub, while ribbing, and more controls/instruments are installed in the sides of the fuselage halves, which prevents sink marks associated with moulded-in parts, then the cockpit is positioned in the port half for further construction. Another bulkhead with tanks is fitted behind the cockpit and the arrestor hook is applied to its bay with two small frames fitted forward of it, a scrap diagram showing the completed position of all the parts. The radio gear is built up and placed on three palettes suspended in the aft fuselage, and the instrument panel with either moulded-in dial fronts or flat fronts in clear parts and a styrene front panel installed over the top. There are also decals at the bottom of the sheet, with their location called out on the back page of the instructions booklet. Before you close up the fuselage, you may need to open up two holes in the bottom centreline to accept the external fuel tank later. A choice of retracted or deployed tail wheels are the final dceision before closing up the fuselage, after which a central panel on the underside and the lower half of a fuselage frame aft of the landing gear are added. The wings are next to be built up into a full-width assembly that will be installed later in a similar style to the real thing. It starts with the centre lower section with stiffeners added around the landing gear bays, a short length of spar that will be visible if you're lowering the gear, and you'll also need to drill some holes if you are planning on fitting the bombs. The retracted gear is fitted along with its wheels, which are made up from two parts tyres, and three layers that make up the hub, and are used in all three options. Another spar part and ribs are added to the inside of the lower skin, and this is then made up with the upper wing halves. The gear down option differs by adding more internal detail and leaves off the gear legs for now, then the outer wing's lower interior is made up with masses of ribs inside to stiffen things up and add the compartments for the three wing-mounted .50cal machine guns. These parts are common to all versions, and the machine guns have separate hollow tips for more realism, plus ammo cans feeding them. The aileron hinges and hinge-point for the wing fold is glued to the inner edge, then the whole process is repeated on the other side, save for the wing light that is only fitted in the leading edge of the port wing. The gear-down inner wing is then added to the wing uppers, and if you're fitting the wings unfolded, the joints between inner and lower outer wings are inserted, sanding to width if necessary, and then added to the inner by sliding in the tab first and then gluing the assembly in place from below. A small panel is slid into place next to the open gear bays, and the open or closed gun bay doors are added to the upper wing, then the fuselage is dropped in place on top, with the clear wingtip light covering the lights with bulbs inside that you should paint green and red. The folded wing version has short sections of the upper wing added to the top of the lower mid-section, and the wings are made up separately with more detail in the joins, plus cranked joining tabs fitted to the outer wings for later insertion. Meanwhile the ailerons with their separate trim tabs, the flaps and inserts are fitted along with the gun bay covers, which are more than likely fitted closed when the wings are folded, although the open option is also included for completeness. The fuselage is dropped on the short centre wing panel, and then we're back to the common parts of the fuselage. Firstly, the fuselage intake is fitted under the wing after construction with the exhaust vent closed or open 14o if not carrying a fuel tank, or 5o if the tank is present. The tail feathers with their separate elevators and rudder are next, with their posable trim tabs that take us to the other end of the airframe, then it's back to the engine, which starts with a tubular shaft that can take the motor if you can find one. Currently it's a bit rare, with only a couple on eBay for 2-3 times their RRP, and out of stock at Airfix.com. Hopefully that situation will be resolved soon, as kits of this size deserve the extra attention. There are a couple of extra parts for this option, but otherwise the engine is built the same way, with the pushrods added early on, the cylinder banks, separated by another ring from the front bank, with the motor or styrene axle added to the front and covered up by the reduction gear housing, after which the wiring loom hardness is slid over, and the fun part begins (that's semi-sarcastic if you didn't twig). Airfix have supplied a full set of diagrams from front and back as well as cross-sectional diagrams for you to add ignition leads to all your pistons using a colour coded system which designates the length of 0.7mm wire you need to use. Although this will take some time and effort, it's well worth it at this scale. The complex tangle of exhaust collector pipes are added next at the rear of the engine, done in steps to reduce confusion and at the back various ancillary parts are affixed, with magnetos and such attached to the bell housing at the front. The engine mounts and more exhaust pipes are still to add, and the exit pipes have separate tips with hollow ends for realism. This goes on for a couple of pages, taking it slow to avoid mistakes, including various tanks and the tubular mounts almost last into battle. A number of ducts are added front and rear to aid cooling, and a header tank is strung between the top two mounts, with the chin scoop trunking slung under the engine and married up with the cowling ring which has the lower section as a separate assembly to obtain the correct shapes. The front bulkhead needs detailing before the engine is installed, so a set of styrene wires and hoses are added, partly inside the leading edges of the wings, with location aided by a translucent diagram that has the parts picked out in red. Ancillary equipment, the stays for the intercooler flaps and the intake trunking are put in place before the main engine assembly is glued in place, using some sturdy-looking pegs that fit into holes in the bulkhead, and helping to line up the two lengths of intake. The cowling for the very front of the fuselage is put into position part-by-part, covering up all the engine mounts, plus a small panel in the leading edge of the wing, the intercooler flaps in open or closed positions, and the supports for the engine cowling panels, which you can either install completely, or leave off in full or in part to show off your painting of the complex engine. The cooling flaps are last, and these too can be posed open or closed. Moving onto the landing gear, which is only appropriate for the land-locked options with folded or open wings, the struts are substantial and made up from two halves, with a large mating surface in the front of the bay, the retraction jack and separate oleo-scissors. You'll need to add some brake hoses from wire before you install the captive gear doors, and the small flip-up forward doors, then the wheels you made earlier. The tail wheel can be made retracted or deployed by using a different yoke and the same two-part bay door, with the assembly fixing to the bulkhead at the front of the bay by three tabs for strength. The flying surfaces for the remainder of the options are next with the flaps spread over the wing join in two parts, and the ailerons fitting to their three hinge points which have helpful guides to set realistic deflections of both the aileron and its trim tab. Here the instructions take a break to build up the stores carried by the Hellcat, then take up the addition of the delicates such as the pitot probe, aerials, formation lights, IFF lights under the fuselage, the two part canopy, which can be posed open or closed, and the prop which has a different rear part if you are using the motor, then the prop is fitted to the front (it has a separate rear section), and the spinner is placed on the centre boss. A couple of diagrams show where the aerial wires go, but you'll have to use your own material here as none is supplied. The remaining two pages detail the final fitting of the folded wings, which begins with the little drop-down trapezoid-shaped flap at the break, then the wings themselves which slot in on their big tabs, after which you add a couple of linkages to complete the job. Let's go back to the weapons and tanks for a moment. The Hellcat was rigged to be able to carry bombs and rockets as well as additional fuel in a centreline fuel tank. All these are included in the kit, and at 1:24 scale they're quite large. There are two each of the 500lb and 1000lb bombs, which come in two separate halves, plus a separate tail section and spinner inside the tail. These then attach to the aircraft by two pins via short pylons of three parts each. There are six 5" HVAR (High Velocity Aircraft Rockets) rockets in three parts and these have moulded-in rail-less pylons and fins. These also attach to the wing via two pins that are at an angle, so that the dihedral of the wing is countered and the rockets hang vertically. The bombs fit on the inner wing, while the rockets are attached to the outer folding panel, and the 150 gallon drop-tank sits on the centreline. The tank is made up of three main parts plus two additional straps giving eight attachment points and requiring the removal of a small pin that hangs from the centreline. To reiterate, the intercooler flap can only be posed closed or at 5o with the tank fitted. Markings 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. There are four options on the sheet, with a full side of glossy A3 paper devoted to each option in full colour and all the paint codes on each sheet so you don't have to flip pages all the time. From the box you can build one of the following: F6F-5 "Paper Doll" flown by Lt. Carl A Brown Jr., VF-27, USS Princeton, Oct 1944 F6F-5 VF-12, USS Randolph (CV-15), May 1945 Mk.II "Operation Sunfish", No.808 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, HMS Khedive, East Indies, Mar-Apr 1945 F6F-5 Flotille 1F, Carrier Arromanches (R95), L'Aéronavale, Indochina War, 1953 The stencils are covered on another sheet of glossy A3, with quite a few dotted around the airframe. These small details make a model for me, so it's worth putting them all on the airframe, and there are even stencils included for the prop, bombs and rockets with only the drop tank escaping adornment. Conclusion Golly! What a big, detailed, impressive kit of this WWII slugger, as you can see above, straight from Airfix's build. My usual scale is 1:48, but this thing is really quite exciting from a detail point of view from the box, and will keep your average modeller busy for quite some time, especially if you're planning on putting your heart and soul into the build like it deserves. They're selling fast, so don't hesitate. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  10. F/A-18B/D Super Hornet Upgrade Sets (for Kinetic) 1:48 Eduard Kinetic have a new F-18, and you can build it as either the single seat B or two-seat D. It is known. 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 (and number of seats) 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. Interior F/A-18B (49915) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles are the primary parts on the painted set, with new rudder pedals; ejection seat details; coaming instrumentation including HUD and canopy internal structure and rear-view mirrors also supplied. F/A-18B Zoom! Set (FE915) 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. Interior F/A-18D (49916) Two frets are included, one nickel plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels and side consoles for the two seats are again the primary parts on the painted set, with new rudder pedals; ejection seat details; coaming instrumentation and longer canopy internal structure also supplied, although the two sets are identical in all but name. F/A-18B Zoom! Set (FE916) 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. Am I repeating myself again, again? F/A-18B/D Exterior (48960) This larger bare brass set contains some important detail upgrades, such as numerous vents and grilles on the fuselage and around the engines; slime-lights for the tail, fuselage and wingtips; a new door and support structure for the refuelling probe; replacement crew ladder detail; intake splitter plate skins & supports; a detail update to the twin main gear bays and shoulder mounted launch rails; nose gear bay skins and detail upgrade, some of which require the simplified kit details to be removed first. F/A-18B/D Seatbelts STEEL (FE917) In case you don't already know, 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. As well as the two sets of crew belts (for one D, or potentially 2 x B), you also get a set of leg restraints that pull tight on initiation and help prevent flail-injuries in case of an ejection. F/A-18B/D Masks (EX604) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. F/A-18B/D Masks Tface (EX606) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything above, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the interior and give your model that extra bit of realism. Review sample courtesy of
  11. Time to mark my spot for my entry in this GB. Last time the MTO GB came around I planned on doing a couple of US Navy aircraft operated in the Med but time got the better of me and they never happened so it's time to put that right, at least partially, by building Hobby Boss' F4F-4 Wildcat as an example flown by Lt. Cdr. John Raby of VF-9 when based on the USS Ranger during the landings in North Africa for Operation Torch. I intend to build her pretty much out of the box but hope to get hold of some suitable seat belts for her. I have a set of aftermarket decals by Superscale which has the markings I want. Here's the ubiquitous box shot; And the open box shot; And the decal sheet and a very nice book I've had for a few years which got me hooked on this subject; I have the small matter of a B-25 to finish first for the types STGB before I get started, though knowing me I will not be able to resist the temptation for very long. Thanks for looking in. Craig.
  12. Hello Britmodellers! This is my 26 year old scooter, Spook Killer of Top Gun, finished OOB in 1992, never shot by me but quite dusty after the years... US Navy, Top Gun, Navy Fighter Weapons School BuNo 150044 / 555 CPT Schurr, "Bill" Cheers, Thomas
  13. USN Ensign Flag WW2 Steel 1:700 Eduard Eduard released a set of US Navy ensigns in 1:350 scale in the autumn. Now they have added a set for the more dextrous modeller in glorious 1:700. On the fret are two large and six small flags, each pre-painted and with small tabs to aid attachment. I'm not sure how easily these flags can be manipulated in order to give them a more 3d shape - at least without causing the paint to flake off - but they should still be better than decals. Review sample courtesy of
  14. This is my latest completion, built for the Matchbox II GB which ended recently. A mainly OOB build with the addition of Pavla's Resin update set for Cockpit and Nose Wheel Bay, then completed with HATAKA's Orange Line US Navy and US Marine 'High Viz' paint set and the kit decals. Rockwell T-2C Buckeye VT-19, U.S. Navy NAS Meridian 1975 1/72 Revell (Re-box of Matchbox PK42) by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr
  15. Evening all. Here is my build of the Fujimi F7U-3m. This was started about 6 years ago but stalled a few times whenever I got to a tricky bit. Overall it's a really good kit which fits reasonably well. I was pleased to finish it as I haven't finished one in a year. Anyways here are some pics.
  16. Hi everyone, On a roll and finished two this week ! You know, sometimes, you get the urge to build something that you know is going to be too big to go anywhere but think....who cares- I`m building one regardless........ Well here`s my example : Trumpy`s 1/48 Skywarrior that I`ve just put the finishing touches to. Built and loosely converted to represent a RA-3B from their KA-3B kit Finished to represent an aircraft of US Navy, VAP-61, based at DaNang, Vietnam around 1969 Modifications include adding the fairings on the fuselage and defining the camera hatches on the lower forward fuselage, filling in various unwanted panel lines and bomb doors....... drilling the port holes and filling with Krystal Klear and what looks like an IR Seeker on stbd side as well as making some new antenna Made life very difficult by lowering the flaps and apart from pitot tube and decals the rest is from the box Apparently the paint scheme wasn`t too popular as crews preferred all over black. Hope you enjoy, thanks for looking Cheers Russ
  17. Before i make a short break to visit friends, here the Crimson Test Tube, a Navy jet in full polished color! 3 speed records but lost Mach 1 race against X-1. I love it. As in April/May 1947, before cockpit conversion. Cheers!
  18. Kit manufacture: Hasegawa N° 00537 Scale: 1/72 Type: S-3B Viking Extras used: None OOB Paints and colours used: Gunze Aquous H308, H337 Other info: So I've been building this in the background and thought I'd share it for some feedback. The kit is pleasant but shows it's age with some flash and a few fit issues. I also managed to make myself some problems but in the end I think it look the part. I scratch build the refuelling pod from a fuel tank and a refuelling pod from a Revell Tornado, it isn't accurate but good enough for me. Also I have never tried to weather a raised panel line kit so thought I'd just go with some Flory Dark Dirt, it has done the trick. Anyway enough waffle so here is the finished kit: 1/72 Hasegawa S-3B Viking by Neal, on Flickr 1/72 Hasegawa S-3B Viking by Neal, on Flickr 1/72 Hasegawa S-3B Viking by Neal, on Flickr
  19. Hello Chaps, Continuing towards my aspiration of having The Shelf of Ping to showcase four of the world's most prominent ASW helicopters in current service, I've added the SH-60B Seahawk of the US Navy. The rotary enthusiasts will immediately note that as of 2015, this is now no longer in service with the US Navy and has been replaced with the MH-60R, but there isn't a kit for that yet and I didn't want to spend £20 on a conversion kit for an £8 model. Furthermore, I only realised half way through the build that I was using an old paint scheme and the newer US Navy grey is a much nicer look, but then the decals wouldn't have worked anyway. Of note, this aircraft has a Magnetic Anomaly Detector bolted to the right hand side. Many of you will know that for years, the exotically beautiful Sea King AEW2 and her replacement, the Sea King ASaC7, have been considered by many experts to be the Kelly Brook of the skies due to their elegant lines, delicate handling characteristics and high octane role. It's normally a very British thing to take an aircraft and then bolt an ugly bit of kit to one side of it to force it into doing a job it was never designed for, thus giving it all of the problems associated with asymmetric aerodynamic properties. Yet here we are, with the US Navy taking a troop transport helicopter, drilling a few holes in it, filling the back full of heavy kit and then using HBM to stick a multi-coloured kid's rocket to one side. Until 2015, at least, all of that has changed with the MH-60R. Anyhow, enough of the ASW history, here's a kit which was £8 new, including p+p, and you very much get what you pay for with it: The sorry saga of the build:
  20. I think I asked this once before but it got lost without responses but does anyone out there know of a supplier of white aircraft technical stencils in 1/72, particularly US Navy? So for example, a set of generic (or specific) stencils for a Navy Fury! Yes, very topical! Thanks in advance. Martin
  21. I've long wanted an F-111B for my US Navy collection, and pretty much the only way to get one is a conversion of either the F-111C or F-111G (FB-111A) kit. As I work in the only scale that matters, it's a Hasegawa kit that will do the honours. Luckily, Britmodeller scheduled a Group Build for the F-111, and this provided the KUTA needed for me to start work on this project. Unfortunately, life intervened (again!) and I will not be able to finish the build in time. Therefore, I will continue it here. But first, you simply must read what was accomplished during the F-111 Group Build. Why? Because I'm not going to repeat it all here, and I think a lot of the research information is especially interesting. There are a huge number of detail differences between the different F-111B prototypes and pre-production ships. So here is Part 1 of my build. Go ahead and read it, taking your time to learn as much as you can about this oft-maligned bird. I'll wait until you've finished. Back so soon? My, you're quite the speed reader. Well then, let's carry on! F-111B 151972, the subject of my build, had what is known as a "translating cowl" intake. Rather than have suck-in doors that are either manually operated or powered, the front portion of the cowling slid forward to open up a "slot" that provided the same benefit. This photo shows the intake cowling closed: And this shows the cowling after translating forward: The eagle-eyed among you will notice some detail differences in those last two shots with respect to the vents under the wing glove. More on that later! The Hasegawa F-111C kit that I'm using for this conversion has a slightly different intake configuration that what was used on 151972, so I've made some changes to it. Of course, you know all about that because you read Part 1 over in the Group Build section. One additional change needs to be made now, and it concerns the area above the translating cowl. The kit intake has a gap in this area, which is shown well in this photo (I'm not sure which aircraft this is from - EF-111A perhaps?): On 151972, there was no gap here, as can be seen two photos ago. In my collection of F-111B photos, specifically those of 151972, the translating cowl is almost always open when on the ground. So that's the way we'll model her. I added some card stock to create a "lip" under the rear edge of the translating cowl, and also to fill in the gap. The shock cones will be added later, as I think it will be easier to paint them prior to assembly. The intake ramps were made from card stock, since those on 151972 were a different shape than those on the F-111C, and didn't have the kink when viewed from the front. Anyway, here is what I came up with - I think it will work. Hopefully, I've got the angle of the landing gear correct as well. Both the main gear and the nose strut angle forward. Next up I think I'll add the vertical fin, as it just doesn't quite look like an F-111 without one. (Sorry, I can't call it an Aardvark etc. - I never fancied those unofficial nicknames. If the B had gone into production, I wonder what the Navy might have called it. Surely with Grumman's involvement it would have been some kind of cat...) Cheers, Bill
  22. During research for a new book, I found this amazing picture library of Ulithi Anchorage from 1944-45. Ulithi Atoll and the US Navy 1944-45 So many great pictures of the anchorage and the array of ships and various stories. Just keep scrolling down till you reach the button that says "Load 490 More Images"! Hope you find this useful, as I have. Alan
  23. Hi I am thinking that Privateer with Bat(s?) missile(s) would be a very attractive model to construct. I know that some use of this radar guided missile was done during WWII in Pacific since April 1944 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASM-N-2_Bat ) . Any info on this will be apprecieted - I hope not only by me , Especially photos from combat use - to identify the exact Priveeter carrying it... Best regards Jerzy-Wojtek
  24. Hey, I'd like to share with you my most recent addition to the shelves: Trumpeter's 1/350 scale USS Independence LCS-2. Apart from the way too soft photo-etch the kit is really good and I enjoyed it. I Hope you like my little ship! Cheers, Tom
  25. Hey folks, as mentioned, my follow-up to the F-8 Crusader from a couple of weeks back is another USN subject. One of the quickest (a month-and-a-day), easiest and most relaxing builds I've ever done. The old Monogram F9F-2 Panther updated in 2009 by RoG to an F9F-5P. Only addition to the build was a Pavla resin seat everything else including the 'stickers' are straight from the box. Kit - Revell (nee Monogram). Paint - Tamiya acrylics, Xtracolour enamels. Decals - Kit. Extras - Pavla resin seat. Grumman F9F-5KD Panther VU-1, NAS Barbers Point Hawaii 1959. Paint is mostly Tamiya acrylics with the exception of the fuselage which is Xtracolours' enamel 'Engine Grey'. Nothing else to add, another 'loved every minute' build. Please feel free to make any criticism, comments or ask any questions. AFN Ian.
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