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Micro-Mir's 1/350 K class submarine (early), built as the unfortunate K4. The K class are often cited as technological horror stories, but the Royal Navy did eventually solve the many issues with this incredibly ambitious concept, if you count 'not suddenly sinking' as successful resolution. But it was a time when anything seemed possible and it was thought that a high speed "submarine cruiser" could make everything else obsolete. Turns out this theory was correct, but it required the power of the atom. Doctrine was the real problem - the idea was the Ks would essentially be destroyers that could submerge to lie in ambush, but were expected to fight just as much on the surface, thus the guns and deck torpedo tubes. The result was a vessel that "had the speed of a destroyer, the turning circle of a battlecruiser and the bridge of a picket-boat", and led to several tragic collisions that cost many lives. Micro Mir's K Class kit is available for rebuilt 'swan bow' boats or this version, as built. Its a nice kit with good fit but suffers from a lack of sources. The Maritime Museum plans are available online, but they don't show good external side views and depict the K's as built - modifications immediately started! There are few good photos available, by far the best being the famous photo of K4 beached showing the starboard side: The kit has the port side exactly the same, which isn't possible as the hull beam torpedo tunes are staggered. I fixed the tubes and repositioned the ballast tank openings to match other photos. The kit comes with photo-etch but its designed for a K after rebuilds that moved the 4" guns onto the superstructure deck. As built the Ks didn't have a hand rail or ladders, instead there were hand and foot holds which I drilled out. So all I ended up using was the propellers which look very nice. I also: Added flood and drain holes as required Added railings made from brass rod and EZ Line Scribed various deck details Filed out the funnels Cut out and faced the funnel wells Built the main deck hatch on the starboard side of the superstructure Added life rings per photos from rolled up brass rod. The kit's main sprue comes with guns, propeller shafts and masts, and then there is an extra sprue with the guns, propeller shafts and masts again, but better cast. All the guns are identical, so I improved two of the 4" with some small details and rebuilt the other as the superstructure's 3". The masts and shafts are nicely done but I replaced them with brass rod, using Albion alloys 0.4/0.6/0.8/1mm tube for the masts. Until rigged and painted they worked, retracting into 1mm tubes set into the hull. I painted them duraluminum to look like greased metal, but they may have been simply grey. The spread aerial was worn by on fitting out trials, I can't tell from photos if it was used in service but I thought it would be good practice. The triangle is nickel silver wire and the aerial itself 0.08 fishing line. The kit provides the bridge windows as decals, but I drilled out the round ones and built the square ones out of photoetch ladder with Krystal Klear glazing. The bridge has an interior with pelorus and hatches, but its invisible. Oddly the decal sheet has nothing that fits the name plate on the kit stand, so I used 1/72 8" RAF letters which fit nicely. Paints are Humbrol satin 123, 164 and 165 with each used to weather the others. I ignored the kit paint scheme and followed photos - K's had black decks. Flory was used for washes on the details. Note the kit depicts the submarine in an unlikely configuration - funnels up but the boiler air intake doors (between the funnels) closed. So she can't be under way. I chose to build K4 not for the famous photo, but because she lies with K17 and her entire crew just over the horizon from my house. Brave men.

Hi all – here is my latest completion, the Spin Models 1/48 Caproni Ca.20. The Caproni Ca.20 is considered the first true fighter plane (hence the title on the base). It was (apparently) the first to mount a machine gun (in this case a Lewis gun) over the propeller arc, aligned with the line of flight, making shooting relatively easy. There was only one prototype, flown in 1914. It was evaluated and apparently performed quite well, being faster than contemporary German and Austrian designs. The aircraft was not put into production by the Italian military, as they wanted Caproni to focus on bombers rather than fighters - imagine what could have been if it had gone into production... The prototype has famously survived in its original condition and resides in the Seattle Museum of Flight, after the Caproni family kept the aircraft stored away safely in a dry environment for 85 years - http://www.museumofflight.org/aircraft/caproni-ca20 There are some interesting things to note when viewing contemporary photographs versus the preserved prototype - the aircraft was clearly modified at some point. The cheek panels were removed at some stage, and ailerons added. The spinner also looks to have had some fairings added over the propeller blades. The kit represents the earlier version of the aircraft, with metal cheek panels, no ailerons, and no fairings over the propeller blades. This kit is by Spin Models and is limited run. It’s made in that hard, brittle, yellow resin that seemed to be in vogue a number of years back. There is lots of flash, uneven surfaces, and clean up needed, as well as LOTS of air bubbles to deal with all over the airframe. Though it looks relatively simple, the kit is a little tricky and not for the beginner. The kit needed a scratch built interior, as well as some new wheels, upper A-frame, gun, and other details. In-progress build pictures are here: https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=10352.0 Anyways, here are some more pictures (apologies for the one slippery turnbuckle that slid up its rigging line during photography at some point…!): Overall, I had fun building this relatively obscure, yet important, little aircraft. All feedback welcomed! Cheers, BC

I'm just asking for information and floating something, a thought, I've been pondering for a couple of weeks. On the 11/11 next year it is 100 years since the end of the Great War. Has anyone suggested a group build to tie in with this date? If not, it seems like it would be a very poignant and fitting GB? All best regards TonyT