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  1. This is my latest completion, the Airfix 1/72 kit of the Messerschmitt BF 110E Trop, built using the kit scheme for a machine from 7/Zerstörergeschwader 26, Derna, Libya, 1942. It’s also the first of my many builds in the WW2 Twins GB I’m running to make it over the line. Pretty much OOB, I added the crew as the cockpit detail was a bit on the sparce side, and the nose guns were replaced with brass tube. Paint is Mr Hobby acrylics, and weathering is a combination of oil paints and pigments. The WIP is here. James
  2. Hi all, I recently noticed that the paintwork on my Airfix Sea Vixen from a few years ago was starting to craze and fade somewhat. As I have fond memories of building the kit and it’s not exactly easy to get hold of a replacement I decided to give it a refresh. MRP provided the paints, the EDSG being a much better match, and the decals came from a variety of sources. The stencils mainly came from print scale, probably the most traumatic three day decalling odyssey I ever hope to endure! Thin and extremely “grippy”! I used VMS satin varnish for the final finish which I have to say is absolutely lovely stuff - very very smooth! In the process of gluing the last few bits back on I managed to crack the windscreen, fortunately I too cracked and bought another kit along with the FAW.1 conversion from Alleycat which includes a new windscreen. The spare kit one will eventually find its way onto this model. Hope you like the model ! I think she needs a Phantom and a Buccaneer for company…. First the original: And now the 2024 refresh:
  3. Hi, Now that I have cleared the last troublesome kit I will build from my stash, it's time to get to the Corsairs. It started with the F4U-5, then I found an AU-1 (F4U-6) kit I didn't know existed, and recently I found an F4U-7. I thought I'd work on them all together since they are all related. As everything will be in triplicate this will be a slow build. Cheers, Wlad
  4. Hi All, Happy Easter to one and all! Whilst I am waiting for a replacement kit for my DAF duo project, I thought I'd start another build! Inspired by @AliGauld's lovely 1;48 B25, I thought I'd have another crack at Auntie's lovely Mitchell II. This was one of my very first RFIs on this forum, a whole 5 years ago, so I thought it was about time to build another. As that build was one of the kit schemes, I thought this time I'd try something a little different, so I'm going to build this as a PRU version, specifically MA956 of 684 Sqn RAF: You will note that this is a single colour scheme, so I will have to try and add some texture! I was a little dubious regarding the scheme as presented above - an AVM flying on operations?? There is very little photographic evidence I can find of this scheme, but the legend Tony O'Toole did build one a few years back. Here's the scheme as presented on his thread (I believe it is a DK Decals sheet): That shows no mission tally, no AVM pennant, white centres to the roundel, and a serial in white - hmmmm! Any photographic evidence gratefully received, but at least I can paint it PRU blue. Interestingly this version of the scheme shows de-icing boots, whereas the other does not (I suspect the latter to be correct, and it will certainly add a little interest). So, here's the boxart: Here's the sprues: The lovely transparencies: The decals (stencils only will be used), along with obligatory mask set: In order to make a PRU version there are a couple of changes I shall need to make: - Fair over the astrodome behind the cockpit - Plunge mould a large astrodome in place of the dorsal turret - The ventral turret is faired over - The 3 cameras were mounted in the ventral turret location arranged in a lateral fan (one pointing downwards, two oblique), so appropriate holes will need to be drilled. I don't think the cameras will be at all visible so no point adding them. As I say, references are scarce for this one, so any information gratefully received! As the wife is infected with the spicy sneeze we will be laying low this weekend, so plenty of available bench time. There's always a silver lining,,, Thanks for looking, Roger
  5. Following a couple of quiet months, these GBs seem to be coming around quickly now, at least from my perspective. See how this one goes. Back when a flag against our names was a strong hint as to which country we should build, Portugal was selected for me. OK, they are now decorative, maybe a gentle hint ... but my choice was made in earlier times. Portugal Now, I know little about Portugal or its armed forces, but I took a look to see what I could find. After rejecting ground forces as (nearly) impossible to model, two aircraft stood out as possible in 1/48. An F-86 and an F-16A. Already overcommitted on GBs, and with Denis's F-86 GB due to follow soon, I settled on the F-16A. OK, what is needed for a Portuguese F-16A? An F-16A kit, and some appropriate AM stuff, a selection from Model Maker Decals, and a 3d printed ADF tail from 3D-Chute Expert and a 'pit from Quinta Studio. Actually, the AM stuff isn't essential for a Portuguese build from the Kinetic kit. The ADF tail isn't shown in Kinetic's instructions, but the necessary plastic is in the box, the key detail is shown here alongside the 3d printed tail. The difference is subtle, but I feel the 3D printed part is better.
  6. Hi all, Here’s my entry for the GB, it’s the Revell 1/48 Beaufighter TF.X. It will be in the markings of 144 Squadron based at RAF Dallachy in 1945. This aircraft (NE831) was damaged in the disastrous Black Friday raid on the 9th February 1945 when 9 Beaus were lost to flak and fighters during a raid on Norway. She ended the day with a belly landing back at Dallachy and never flew again. Fortunately there are a lot of photos of this aircraft showing some interesting variations and weathering of the finish which should make for a satisfying modelling challenge! The markings will come from Aviaeology, in addition I have an Eduard etched set, the Aerocraft cowling correction plus a stack of bits taken from an old Tamiya kit that recently went to the scrapyard. So far I’ve cleaned the parts up and got rid of some of the flash. More updates to follow in due course! Chris
  7. Tower, this is Theplasticsurgeon, requesting a flyby. . . Rejoining the circuit with this Mustang kit, bought in 2020 for £8.99. To build like this, modified as a two-seater. Instructions, strangely blang, not saying anything about the Mustang's history or performance. Parts. Familiar - as this is my 5th build of this P-51D kit. And scheme, with superb decals.
  8. I know we have a few days...I just want to roll this one onto the tarmac before I forget. This'll be OOB as I have no clever aftermarket decals. No bother. This is fantastic enough, of course. And a nice kit, as I recall. I've built it before. That was a post-war Uruguayan. I am looking forward to adding this one to the lineup. And I just took a quick inventory...I already have three Mustangs in the cabinet---Uruguay, Switzerland and one from No.19 Sqn RAF. So it is essential I have an American bird. Nice plumage... I think I'll be painting the red and yellow decal bits. It always looks better than the decals which, for me, never quite fit right around the edges. Btw...for those who have been paying attention...I have new airbrush compressor so I will be making headway on the three jets already on the bench. I have been eyeing a Hunter for a second build in the Boomer GB...19 Sqn? --John
  9. Starting the new year off on a vac foot. Cooper Details Westland Whirlwind. Lets see what kind of mayhem I can come up with Vacs this year
  10. Hi All, We have a wee while to go so I'll share this gem from the bottom of the stash which will be my contribution to the Group Build. I bought it 2nd hand but suspect its been through a few sets of hands on its way to me. The box was part opened on one end but I opened the sealed plastic bag this morning. There are no dates in the kit but it has HAWK scribed into the stbd fuselage half in the usual rough manner. Scalemates lists it as released by Hawk in 1946 and this Testors boxing is from 2009. The moulds are ancient but my kit is not too old. I'm it will fit perfactly! I'll run this as a second build for now while finising a few entries in the 'Baby Boomers' Remember the A3 double sided instructions? Colin
  11. I have been avoiding the big Sanger 1/48 Avro Shackleton in my stash for a while now. I picked it up on eBay a few years back & then realised it was an MR2 version and I wanted the AEW2. So some great service from Sanger provided me with the correct bits to build the one I wanted. The Martine Reconnaissance version had been retired before I started going to airshows, although I think the Duxford one had not long arrived when I first went around 1976. The AEW2 all over grey Shackletons were still sometimes seen around airshows until the late 80s. I can remember the sound of those 4 Griffons, and one memorable time seeing one flying with the BBMF Lanc. Anyway, the kit. These are the two fuselages and wings with a 1/48 Airfix Lightning for scale The detail isn’t actually too bad And the white metal parts. As I said I have both MR and AEW parts. So 24 separate prop blades & vacform hubs. Nice and easy then! This is not going to fall together over night! I usually do lights & motors but even though technically a modified rc helicopter would give contra rotating props, I think the white metal blades would fly around the room! Might still squeeze in some lights though
  12. .... and we're off. My wife ( blessed be her name) bought me this for my (hrrmph) birthday. It's taken me nearly two months to get started. (I blame the distractions involved in moving from Brazil to Canada). But now here we go. I've completed page 1 of the 44 page instruction booklet in a day and a half - that means I should be finished sometime around christmas....😮 It'll be the RCAF Ian Keltie City of Winnipeg version. I've previously built the 1/24 Typhoon, which judging from other posts, seems to be a pre-requisite for doing this.!🤣
  13. While the weather continues to be unfavourable for gardening or hiking, and with no play to rehearse for, it seems there’s ample opportunity to start another kit. I’d considered a couple of others including the Kinetic Harrier T-bird and a crud n’ custard Zvezda Herc, but with two of these Javelins in the stash I fancied getting one on the shelves. The now familiar box. The moulding and finely engraved panel lines look excellent. Big colourful decal sheet. But will there be aftermarket alternatives? Of course there will! And reference material. The Jav is one of my favourites so got a few books to use. I’ll be doing it in the Xtradecal markings for 25 squadron, this aircraft, XH909/R based at RAF Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire in 1960-61.
  14. This will be my third build for the GB - I have another two possibles but that depends on how things go as I will probably be involved in one or more GB at the same time. Ok, I know this has a lot more parts but the box is enormous - at least 3 times the volume of the boxes for the original Airfix B-25 and the Frog one, though in fairness it is quite full. As I mentioned elsewhere I pre-ordered it when first Airfix announced the release so it is the first boxing and I am not altogether happy with the two colour schemes offered. As I will be doing the old Frog one in RAF markings this will almost certainly be a US one, and as it seems they preferred the B-26 for Western Europe then I suppose it will have to be something appropriate to the Western Desert or Italy unless I go for the Far East., so I will have to have a think about that. Airfix have subsequently reboxed it as an RAF Mitchell II, a B-25B, and another desert version, and looking at the parts breakdown I suspect one of the later versions may be on the cards. Pete
  15. I'm quite excited to start this! Here's a box shot - I'll be building Eduard's 1/48 P-51D, in markings of an aircraft flown by Lt James Hickey, out of Martlesham Heath. My late father was RAF groundcrew, and based at Martlesham until it became an American base in 1943, when he was transferred to work on Wellington bombers at Chipping Warden. So, a family connection, albeit a slightly tenuous one!
  16. Hi, Folks, latest one from me. By a coincidence I received this recently for my birthday and it come up on my Sultan thread as SMM models were suggested for 12m masts by @ivan-o, which happen to be made for the Ferret, so I also ended up getting their Ferret upgrade kit as well. I meant to re-do this for a while as I confess I rushed the first one I did. The upgrade kit includes new hatches, replacement extinguishers and shovel, PE exhaust covers, reflectors and a new exhaust fish tail. I really like that I can choose to have the drivers small hatch open. I would definitely get another one if I decided to re-do it again. I also widened the grills on the kit part and replaced the rubies with clear resin. SMM do load of extras and you could easily fork out twice the kit price in upgrades. Paints are a mixture of Tamiya, Humbrol and Mig as were the weathering pigments. Gloss coat was Quick Shine, Vallejo matt varnish. The jerry cans are from the spares box. Water was left over from the Academy Warrior and the fuel was from the Hobby Boss Jackal. The straps were tape and the buckels come with the upgrade kit. Pleased with how the exhaust come out. It was the first time I used rust pigments. Bill
  17. The Airfix Blenheim has been built a few times in BM and I previously built a both a MkI and a MkIV of 771 NAS based at RNAS Twatt. So a quick look in the stash revealed this one as well. I had laid down some paint previously but that’s all. I have some aftermarket, the masks are vital for the Blenheim’s glass house and turret, while I’ve got a selection of transfers. I’ll use the markings for 787 NAS the Naval Air Fighting Development Unit. I’ll add in some etch seat belts but otherwise OOB.
  18. Hi folk's should be enought time to do another 1/48 build for this GB so instead of the common sense route of Tamiya's offering's I'll head back to Happy childhood days and Airfix's at the time much lauded release.KK have a dozen in stock so not sure which boxing will arrive if the decals are unusable AM will be bought.
  19. Gonna add an Indian Spitfire to the Indian Tempest. Would have preferred to do the camouflaged "96" with the Chakra roundels. There are Iliad Design and Model Alliance decals for this scheme, but the Chakras are on white ground. Actual info is that the chakras on camouflaged aircraft were on yellow ground. So gonna do the silver Indina scheme with the normal cockades included in the kit. DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0009 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr
  20. Westland Sea King HAS.1/HAS.5/HU.5 (A11066) 1:48 Airfix The Sea King is one of the most enduring rotary-winged aircraft of the post-war period, the original Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King flying for the first time in 1959 under the company code S-61. Although no longer in production, the Sea King continues to serve with air arms around the world, including those of Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the until recently, United Kingdom, although they still fly in private hands. The WS-61 built under license by the then British-owned Westland was substantially different from the American airframe though, powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Gnome turboshaft engines, which were a development of a General Electric power-plant, so not entirely new. British air-sea warfare doctrine required other changes to equipment fit of the Westland built Sea Kings, which were further sub-divided depending on what tasks they were expected to undertake. The first British Sea King flew at the end of the 60s from the docks to Westlands to act as trials and patterning airframe, going into service first as Anti-Submarine HAS variants, and adding more capabilities as time went by. The HC4 Commando played a part in the Falklands War, alongside other marks that were transported into the islands aboard the ships of the Task Force, where one was lost, presumably due to a bird strike, with the crew and SAS passengers killed on what should have been a routine ship-to-ship trip, sadly. During the Gulf War conflicts, the Sea King was deployed again, providing important inter-ship transport facilities, although their AEW facilities weren't needed due to the blanket coverage provided by other assets. A further crash during Gulf War II highlighted the need for better night operations equipment, and throughout the type’s service, one constant has been change, with earlier variants often upgraded to the same standard as their replacement, which is evidenced by looking at the history of XV666, which started life as a HAS.1, was re-engineered as a HAS.5, and finished up as a HU.5, going through many livery changes, and changing operator into the bargain, as you’ll see later. Many Westland build airframes have been sold to overseas operators, including Norway, Australia, India, Pakistan and Belgium amongst others, and although the Sea King has been retired from operations with the British Armed Forces, they still fulfil a training role under the auspices of HeliOperations, training German crews to operate the Sea Kings that are still on charge with the Marinefliegerkommando. The Sea King remains in the skies of Britain thanks to Historic Helicopters, who have restored several airframes, some of which still fly. The launch event for this kit was held at their museum, but we were unable to attend due to my health, however Dale from Airfix has sent us out an advanced sample for review, so we’re only a little behind. The Kit As mentioned above, this new tooling was announced with a flurry and is currently all over the internet, having created quite a splash and for good reason. For years the choice of British Sea Kings has been poor, and the available tooling pretty old, so the large fanbase for this old girl has been wishing and hoping for a new kit for quite some time. Airfix did a good job of keeping it quiet that has paid dividends, and I expect the pre-orders to be massive, especially now the sprues have been seen around the internet. The kit arrives in a large red-themed box with great artwork on the front, and the decal options on one side. Inside are three bags containing seven sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a long decal sheet, and a thick instruction booklet that has colour profiles slipped inside, printed on folded A3 glossy paper, with one side for each of the four options throughout XV666’s long career. Airfix have clearly put a lot of effort into the tooling, as evidenced by the detail that is visible on every part, of which there are an impressive 348. The exterior is covered in fine engraved panel lines and rivets, with lapped panels in places, and stiffener plates in raised relief where appropriate. The seats and cloth elements have folds and wrinkles to give them a more organic look, and the detail extends from the tip of the tail to the end of the nose, including masses of avionics and equipment boxes, much of which will remain visible thanks to some crisp-and-clear transparencies. There are also some parts that will remain on the sprues for as-yet unreleased options, which will be pleasing to those still waiting for their preferred mark. The good members of the forum have been discussing the ins and outs of the design and what can be achieved from the sprues in detail since the launch, so head over to the Rumourmonger thread if you need to update your Sea King knowledge, as we all need a little help at times, especially if you have my kind of memory. Construction should sensibly begin with choosing a decal option, as each livery of this single airframe comes with a different sensor and equipment fit, so you need to decide right away. The first four pages of instruction steps have you opening up the rotor head and drilling out many holes in the floor, lower fuselage, sides and roof, for which you will need drills of size 1.5mm, 1.1mm, and 0.8mm depending on which choice you have made, plus a little filler to hide some recesses in the lower fuselage near the nose and along the keel near the rear. It would be a sensible idea to cross through the diagrams you won’t be needing in advance to prevent any mistakes at this stage that could have you cursing yourself later. The real building starts with the interior, and is based upon the full-length floor with a step up into the cockpit, adding a nicely detailed bulkhead with a separate equipment box at the step-point, then building one side out with an equipment storage that slots into the floor and aligns on a ridge on the back of the bulkhead. On the other side of the hatch, a shallow step is placed on two holes to locate it, then the crew seats are built from a back that has a pair of front leg extensions and braces that support the seat pan, which has grooves moulded into it, and a rear pair of legs that are stiffened by the moulded-in brace, making it look a bit like a folding chair found in most schools. To keep the pilots’ bottoms comfy, an L-shaped seat cushion is laid into the completed seat, hiding those nice grooves. The seats fit into holes in the cockpit floor, and the leftmost one has a suitcase shaped box fitted to the rear, plus collective and cyclic sticks for both crew, and a pair of foot pedals for them toward the nose. The instrument panel is based on a T-shaped former, adding three detail skins to form the side of the centre console, and topping it off with an extremely busy central instrument panel, for which a decal is provided, the panel and decal choices differing slightly between options. The same is true of the main panel, which has a choice of coamings and panels, one having an additional centre panel over the main one, with decals to match. Your choice of centre console assembly is glued to the floor in the nose, and covered by the coaming and instrument panel assembly appropriate to your choice, then either one, two or three more seats are made in a similar manner for the rear crew, depending on variant, although these have a bottom rail instead of extra legs at the rear. The instrument housing and panel for the rear crew that are common to all variants is made next, with decals to depict the radar screen in active or off conditions, building into a well-detailed sub-assembly. Another console with more decals is made for two options, as is a winch mechanism, all similarly well-appointed, and the latter including the dipping sonar buoy that is suspended from the winch. Sadly, you can’t wind this one up and down by rotating the rotors like the old 1:72 kit I built as a kid. The sonar winch is fitted to a palette once complete, and a cowling is placed around the winch mechanism for safety’s sake, with the console butted up to it and set to one side while two equipment racks are built, one having a map of the UK and Ireland on the table below an instrument panel. The later decal options have passenger seats aplenty, starting with a three-seat set with separate backs, all of which have creases that show their canvas structure moulded-in, separated into seat and back cushion, and adding tubular legs underneath the front edge, as they can be folded away. Another longer run of seats for nine people is made in a similar manner with more legs that are shown in a scrap diagram below to prevent confusion, after which another raised rack is built with legs on one side for insertion next. The instructions show the early variant first, adding the radar and dipping sonar assemblies around the hole in the deck, fitting a rack to the front, and two seats to the rear, then placing the panel with the map behind the seats with another seat if you are portraying decal option B, plus a canvas bulkhead at the rear where the floor tapers. For the two later options, the radar unit and seat are fixed in place, with the long row of seats on the opposite side, and the shorter three seat set behind the operator’s chair, filling the space forward with the rack on legs. All decal options have the rear bulkhead fitted to a tab on the rear, although option A won’t be seen thanks to the fabric bulkhead further forward. The passenger compartment has an interior wall skin fixed to both sides, and there are a few ejector-pin marks that will need dealing with if you think they’ll be seen, and it’s almost certain that some of them will be obscured by the internal equipment. The port side has a stepped equipment rack glued onto a pair of ribs before closure, then the peculiar smooth fuselage assembly is completed by inserting a narrow ceiling strip where all the ejector-pin marks will be invisible. Three side windows are fitted to the fuselage halves, and an insert is added over a hole in the port side to give it depth before closure. You can pose the door open with this model, but if you have opted to close it, the door, window, and ladder insert are fitted at this stage, again on the port side. Before the fuselage can be closed around the interior, the exhausts must be made up from two halves, plus a tapered lip, fitted to a bulkhead with the lips facing outward and toward the rear, then slotted into the top of the interior without the use of glue. The port fuselage half is brought in first, locating on a pair of lugs near the centre of the lower edge, and mating with the exhaust bulkhead, as illustrated by a scrap diagram nearby. An insert is added to the open rear of the rotor cowling, then the starboard fuselage is brought in, locating in a similar manner, and allowing you to glue the whole assembly, dealing with the seams in your preferred manner. Option A has two rectangular recesses in the floor insert filled, and the skin for under the nose is different from the others, gluing the appropriate one in place at the front of the fuselage keel, then inserting a short tunnel under the floor of the fuselage before gluing the keel into position with or without the blanking plate for your chosen version. The rotor cowling is completed by installing a large insert over the rear of the hump, and adding a curved part to the front, both of which have fine mesh panels moulded-in, then the intakes are built, starting with a central divider that has the curved cowling glued to the top, after which the intake trumpets are inserted, their part numbers depending on which decal option you choose. The side cowlings are common, as is the panel at the top rear, each covered with detail, then behind the rotor, a choice of radome cowlings and bases is provided, and some spine details are removed for some options, flatting the area back to profile, which is best done before they are glued onto the model. Three options have an additional trunk applied down the port side of the tail, mounting on small lugs that correspond with recesses on the boom side. Returning to the front, there is a choice of nose cone for the decal options, two of which also have a small rectangle sanded flush on the port side, and a flashed-over 1.0mm hole drilled out from inside. The boxy interior of the main gear sponsons is created from roof and four sides, and the assembly is slotted into the outer half of the fairings, aided by a scrap diagram, then they are closed by fitting the other halves, one having an insert for a light in the rear floor, and both having inserts in the roof appropriate to their location, plus handed noses. The aerofoil sections that link them to airframe are similarly handed, and made from top and bottom parts, plugging into a recess in the inner faces of the sponsons. The diagonal support struts are made from two parts and are installed after the sponsons have been plugged into the fuselage on two pegs, nestling into recesses in the sponson and fuselage sides, with their correct orientation shown in overhead views. You can build your Sea King with the gear up or down, although as the wheels and struts are still visible in the bays, there’s not much work to be saved, but it’s your choice! The gear struts are adjusted at the top by removing the peg and a pivot point there, then adding tie-down lugs and oleo scissor-link at the lower end, fitting a pair of two-part wheels, one each side of the axle. The retraction mechanism is inserted flat into the bay roof, and the legs are inserted retracted into the bays, locating the main pivot on the support moulded into the front of the bay. For gear down, the legs are built in the same manner, without adjusting the tops, and using different shaped retraction inserts that have the strut projecting from the bay at an angle, as demonstrated by the scrap diagrams. The legs fit into a hole in front of the bay roof, locating the upper retraction arm in the pivot point, and the diagonal leg to the back of the lower end of the gear leg. The fixed tail-wheel is two parts, as is the strut and yoke, the wheel flex-fitting into position, and slotting into a hole in the stern of the fuselage’s keel. Another choice is ahead of you, allowing you to fold the tail of your model if you wish, cutting off a small tab on the two tail halves, as demonstrated in the scrap diagram. The two halves of the fin are glued together, inserting a mesh panel in the top, and the stabilising fin and rotor cowling on either side of the fin’s tip, with a choice of clear light added to the fairing on the fairing. The fairing is assembled from upper and lower half, trapping an axle between the halves before it is mated to the fin, which should allow it to rotate freely if you’re careful with the glue. The fin is completed by choosing the straight link between it and the boom, or adding the two open bulkheads on each side of the break, making for a strong connection between the two assemblies. We’re back at the nose again, glazing the canopy with two side sections and the combined windscreen/roof, which has an overhead console glued to the inside before it is installed. There are two windscreen parts, one with moulded-in windscreen wipers, the other without for those that want to take advantage of PE detail sets when they build their models. That’s rather considerate of the designers, especially as it isn’t even their concern. There are two choices of intake filters for this boxing, split between three of the decal options, the first of which is a simple deflector with fairing behind it, the second a sloped box that is built up from individual faces, and filters the air before it reaches the engines. Both types fit over the same portion of the roof, and are shown from the side in scrap diagrams to assist with placement. Two more side windows are installed, the port one having a choice of flat or blistered parts, while the larger one under the sponson support on the starboard side is flat and appropriate for all options. Two small landing lights are installed into recesses in the sponson supports, which is done with the model inverted. Now the fun begins. There are four pages devoted to the aerial fit for the decal options, one for each choice, so pick your fit and get started. This includes some items such as a crew step that were added during the type’s long career, as well as radar warning fairings as technology became available. When you come out of the other side of that, option D has a three-part FLIR infrared turret mounted on the fuselage side under the port sponson, depicted with the window closed. Three options have a SAR winch suspended over the large side door, the fairing formed by a single part into which the winch mechanism slots, while the two support arms are mounted on the inner side, fitting onto the transition between side and roof above the door. The door itself is a single part that accepts a window with radiused corners, and this can be posed open or closed, as can the door on the port side behind the cockpit. If you selected the closed option it was done early in the build, but for the open option, the door halves are detailed with a ladder in the lower part, and a window in the upper, gluing them to the top and bottom of the aperture, as shown in the scrap diagram. Whether you fit the fin folded or not, you have a choice of two types of rotor for the decal options, both of which have their own actuator crown in the centre, using the same parts for both folded or straight options. The main rotor can be posed folded or open and ready for flight, the instructions starting with the latter, building up the details of the rotor mechanism, then skewering it and the lower portion through the centre with the axle and adding actuators to each blade root. The spinner cap is glued over the centre for all options, the colour differing between them. To finish the main rotor, you have a choice of early blades for option A, and later blades for the other options, all of which fit to the blade roots in an overlapping half-joint for strength. To build a Sea King with folded blades, a different rotor-head is used, with the blade roots positioned accordingly, as are the detail parts, following the stages exactly, only ending with all the blades facing in the same general direction, except the two outer blades that splay outward a little. The last job is to glue the completed rotor into position in the cowling, although you could leave them loose for storage or transport. The only thing missing from the folded arrangement is the curiously shaped bracket that supports the weight of the blades near the end, but you could either make one from scratch or wait until the inevitable aftermarket support arrives from Eduard or someone else. Markings This first outing of the kit has a special set of markings that depict the career of an individual airframe with the tail code XV666, which was first ‘born’ in 1970, so is currently over 50. I know that feeling. Getting the nickname Damian was almost inevitable, but she’s far from an unlucky bird, having survived all these years and been upgraded numerous times over the years. There are four marking options from her career, and you can build her as one of the following: XV666 HAS.1 No.826 Naval Air Sqn., RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, England, 1970 XV666 HAS.5 No.814 Naval Air Sqn., RNS Culdrose, Cornwall, England, 1988 XV666 HU.5 No.771 Naval Air Sqn., RNS Culdrose, Cornwall, England, 1995 XV666 HU.5, Heli-Operations, Portland, Dorset, England, 2022 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. Decals for the exhaust hider patches, tail-rotor tips and tramlines on the main blades are included, as well as several decals for the flight and operations instruments that are all printed on clear backgrounds so you don’t need to match any colours. Conclusion I’m really sad to have missed the fun of the announcement the other Tuesday, but it was a sensible decision on my part, and it has been worth the few days wait to get our review sample in the mail. The detail is fabulous, the options well-researched, and the choice of depicting the career of this single aircraft in this first boxing was inspired. I can’t wait until everyone has the opportunity to lay their hands on one or more this summer, and then for the next boxing to fill more gaps. Extremely highly recommended. You can pre-order one or many from Airfix by visiting the link below, and set up a stock alert so you don’t have to wait behind the door to ambush the postie. Review sample courtesy of
  21. Another work in progress but its likely to get shelved.Its just been a drain the two jags im doing are much more fun and isnt that what its all about? That said i"ve done some extra work to populate the nose bay and im 99% sure I have the correct aerial fit for what was a basic and new Sea king on 772 NAS at Portland in 1990 & 1991 ....a fabulous draft for a young person. Some of you will notice the main blades are incorrect and painted as metal blades and not composite.The head is frankly dismal so im waiting to find an older airfix or fujimi kit and then I can assemble correctly and perhaps add some busyness to the sometimes troublesome hydrulics and electics which gave rise to the automatic blade fold system. Need to make a SACRU ....not seen one built SK with a SACRU fitted to a kit yet.Having the SACRU or cargo hook was part of the mk4s primary role....looks odd without it. Finally the windscreen is a mess and awash with swarf so I guess im going to have to carryout surgery. Anyway take look criticism is welcome .
  22. My first build of the new year will be the Dora Wings 1/48 Curtiss-Wright AT-9 Jeep. A bit of an intriguing aeroplane - it doesn't look quite right to me, it's a bit oddly proportioned, and maybe that's because it was apparently deliberately designed to be difficult to fly (an unusual attribute for a trainer!), so much so that it wasn't offered for sale to civilians at the end of WWII. Box and sprues: It's a nice-looking kit, crisply moulded with some nice detail, although it relies on PE for some smaller details. I'm going to get cracking tomorrow. cheers Julian
  23. Hi - I decided that never having built a helicopter kit I would remedy that by pulling the Italeri 1/48 WESSEX HAS1 out of my stash. I had a search on Britmodeller and found several builds of 1/72 & 1/48 kits as RAN HAS31's so that firmed up my decision to make the kit as a RAN HAS 31B. I took the photos below in the late 80's at Cooma Airport NSW when two Wessex were on exercise transporting soldiers from the airport to various spots in the local countryside. Some good RAN Wessex walkarounds here http://www.grubby-fingers-aircraft-illustration.com/wessex_walkaround.html - just follow link HELICOPTERS>WESTLAND for three different aircraft. I'm not sure if the HAS31A was purely in an antisubmarine role & the 31B utility as in the photo but I leaned toward modelling it in the utility role - maybe someone could clarify on that? So armed with the 4PLUS book and referring to the Grubby Fingers Wessex walkarounds I took the plunge. I also found references on BM in the various builds on here including some with useful photos from Navy870 with of things like the main rotor fold jig in place on the aircraft. When I opened the box, I found that I had luckily purchased a Scale Warship Rotor Fold etch & a Rotor Craft folded tail rotor resin upgrade for the kit - other purchases lurking at the bottom of the box were two Wessex HAS31 decal sheets & a Scale Warship Helicopter Deck Grill & tiedowns. Sooo I plan to make the Wessex all folded up with the cabin door open & I wanted to make the cabin interior detailed - the kit does not have the "dog box" on the Beetleback fairing for this version so whether the build would go ahead depended on whether I could scratch build a passable "dog box" I started by making a mould for the dog box from a piece of pine & then vacuformed it from some 40thou plastic sheet - I then had to carve a recess in the beetle back to accept the shape of the dog box fairing & remake some of the beetleback fins I had been a bit heavy handed with. I decided the fairing was good enough to keep going & would largely be tucked in behind the folded rotor blades, so I turned my attention to the cabin interior. I made use of the RP Tools strip cutter which was very handy when you need to cut several strips the same length. I decided to make the cabin interior framework more prominent by overlaying the frames in the kit with Evergreen 20thou square strip. Various gussets & boxes were represented by its of Evergreen plastic, pipes with fine lead wire & electrical cables from electrical wiring with insulation stripped off & teased out into bundles At this point after studying the RAN Wessex walkarounds I noted that the cabin roof extended only about halfway along the cabin and from there back the curved roof structure of the airframe is visible so I decided to try & incorporate this feature. I wrapped a piece of 40thou sheet around a metal tube with copper wire to hold it in place & plunged it into a cup of boiling water - after a few minutes it had taken up the curve I needed. Next step was to shape it to fit the rear cabin - photo below shows it glued in & frames added - the square of white plastic is there temporarily to help align it. The cabin roof part was cut so that it stopped between the two port windows & then the quilting was sanded back & filled with Vallejo putty followed by sanding. The forward bulkhead was detailed with plastic card & wire to make it look a bit more like the walkaround photos - I note the fire extinguisher should sit in a recess & I may or may not fix that - a piece of 5mm plastic tube was filed flat one side, cut to fit into the framework & added to the rear cabin roof to represent the tail rotor shaft housing. The fuselage halves were masked along the mating surfaces prior to painting of the cabin interior. Having done all that the following shows the glimpses of the interior when closed up temporarily. I'm still thinking about the "troop seating"? that fits along the cabin wall but just noticed that the new Airfix Sea King has them on the sprues for one of the kit versions - the other option is to scratch build them. Thats it for now! CJP
  24. While we all know the VK45.02 (P) that begot the engineering abomination that was the Ferdinand/Elefant the story of the Henschel move from the boxy Tiger I to the sleek and malevolent Tiger II has been little studied, although there have been many discussions and electrons have suffered in their uncounted billions because of it. I have been researching this vehicle since this GB got scheduled and I've listed most of the better sites/pages to avoid unnecessary suffering among the BM Massive. You are welcome - this is my act of random kindness for today. So; Listing of Tank Museum articles - some are very good indeed and they all have decent and useful photographs. Those concerning the real story of Tiger 131 are most interesting. Withinamnesia summary and armour supposition - From 2016 a good summary of what was known at the time and a decent stab at the new armour layout which resembles the first, short lived, iteration of the design conceived on 15-16 April 1942. The hull mg position was to be a 'parallel' design to that of the Panther AusfD pending development of a better mount for the thicker plate used. Stunning Swiss Museum Restoration The photo coverage of the restoration alone makes this site worthwhile but there is much more there. An 'interesting' WoT discussion and Another one and a slightly better blog post Starts well but well.... WWII Forum post with info regarding upgunning the Tiger I Axis History Discussion on upgunning the Tiger I Warthunder Discussion on upgunning the Tiger I - if you think you know something a look through these may help you understand Finally a Mythological Blueprint emerges... nearly Andrew Hills (author of a very good book on the Tanks of TOG although I gave him a hard time about the drawing reproduction in it) sums up the current state of play. The linked video is worth a watch as well. So finally starting from (some of) this And guided by and the Tank Encyclopedia article linked above I'm going to aim at the VK 45.02(H) if the design had been frozen, well as near as any WW2 tank design was frozen, in October 1942 allowing deliveries to start April/May 1943 running the assembly line onto the new vehicle as Tiger I production was adjusted to allow the new vehicle to start ASAP. With the VK 45.03 design really starting around 12 October 1942 and first acceptance in January 1944 I feel this is reasonable. With the VK 45.02 design being less of a stretch it could have been with combat units far quicker than the six months the VK 45.03/ Tiger II took to master. As a new project when Speer became Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production on 8 February 1942 it is possible that production could have started a little sooner if he saw this as a reputation establishing project - I think he would certainly have done so. So I'll start with a Skybow Tiger I early and a Tamiya Tiger II turret but first I'll do a bit of digging to see who might have got them, with the VK 45.01(P) originally earmarked for Rommel in N. Africa I fancy doing the desert scheme as used in the southern front of Russia on other types. Your opinions, engagement and questions are always welcome so no need to be shy.
  25. After the HC.4 variant ( http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234972969-airfix-a04056-westland-sea-king-hc4-172/) Airfix is to release a 1/72nd Westland Sea King HAR.3 kit - ref. A55307 Source: http://www.airfix.com/uk-en/news/workbench/jet-provost-and-sea-king-updates/ V.P.
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