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  1. With the Jet provost done and the other activities out of the way, it’s time to get back in the saddle and do some more modelling. For a bit of a mojo boost, I watched Top Gun, Top Gun Maverick and The Final Countdown on DVD’s. So tonight, out came the Airfix F-14A Tomcat (blueprint box) and the Revell F-14D Super Tomcat from the stash - both 1/72. I’m going to try to build them both together stage by stage (rather than build one and then the other). The Revell is better in detail as it’s a much later kit, but the Airfix one still has a certain charm to it - even with the raised panel lines which I’ve decided to leave to see how it turns out. So, the first stage was to build the two cockpit tubs. The Airfix one is much longer then the Revell and both have raised detailing in the some consoles in roughly the same depth. The ejection seats are worlds apart in detail, so I might see if I can 3D print something a little more interesting for the Airfix kit. Otherwise the offices are fairly well detailed considering….. Both tubs were painted with Tamiya XF-19 Light Grey (as it’s what I had to hand) and are drying off. They will both receive other colours to highlight the consoles and IP’s. I’ve also bought an extra set of Airfix F-14A decals which offers two options - TopHatters and the Black Aces - to go with the Bounty Hunter and Grim Reaper options for the kits.
  2. Release expected in Spring (April) 2024 - ref. A05141 - Bristol Bulldog Mk.II https://uk.airfix.com/products/bristol-bulldog-mkii-a05141 V.P.
  3. Fairey Rotodyne (A04002V) 1:72 Airfix Vintage Classics The Fairey Rotodyne was an ambitious project in the post WWII heyday of British aviation, when the aviation world could re-concentrate their efforts on more radical designs, which included the development of rotary-winged flight types that had been of interest during the 30s, but was put on the back-burner during WWII to concentrate on more pressing matters. Fairey were interested in creating a combined rotorcraft that merged autogyro with helicopter, using both type’s strengths to provide a cheaper, faster method of transport that could take-off and land vertically without the high expense associated with helicopter flight then and now. Fairey envisaged blade-tip engines powering the rotors, thereby obviating the need for a stabilising tail rotor, while the rotor would transition to autogyro mode once horizontal flight was achieved, powering down the engines and utilising the passive lift generated from the blades along with the short wings carrying a pair of turbo-prop engines that would supply forward momentum, but could also be used to counter any torque encountered during flight. The engines also supplied high-pressure air to the blade-tip engines, mixing it with fuel and burning it to provide energy to the blades to rotate. Fairey already had experience with this type of flight with their Gyrodyne, which had been demonstrated to be effective, although its size and fuel capacity limited its range substantially. It acted as a development precursor that gave Fairey confidence in its design, although the form factor and layout changed from several times during development before they settled for the twin-engined design. Which brand and type of engine became a problem however, as Fairey had their preferences, and many leading engine manufacturers considered themselves already over-stretched with various projects. Politics reared its ugly and divisive head, as the British Government had been bankrolling the project on the basis that it could be useful for military applications, and in the hope that airline BEA would make an order for at least 20 airframes to act as financial backstop for the project, which they blew hot and cold on as time went by. During the greater periods of interest, there were plans to build an enlarged variant of the Rotodyne that could carry up to 70 passengers, which would have resulted in an even more cost-effective return than the already reduced cost of the original design. The choice and power output of the engines was an ongoing issue that helped to kill the project, along with concerns over the noise caused by the rapidly spinning blade-tip engines, which were said to be painful and potentially damaging to hearing close-up, and still a nuisance even at greater distances, making conversations within range a difficult prospect. There were attempts to reduce this to a more acceptable level, and progress was beginning to be made as funding was withdrawn in the early 60s, leading to the project’s cancellation when Fairey’s new owners, Westland were likely to have to foot the bill for the completion of development. There was a good chance that the noise could have been brought down to similar or lower levels than other vehicles that were in use at the time, but it was never to happen, as the curtain was brought down on a promising project. The Kit This is a reboxing of Airfix’s vintage tooling, which was first released in 1959 while the Rotodyne was still in development, so as you’d imagine it’s a product of its time, and expectations should be measured accordingly. It is however eminently possible to create a realistic and well-detailed model from the kit, as our membership have proved in the past if you’d care to search the forum’s sub-sections. The kit arrives in a modestly sized top-opening box, and inside are eight borderless sprues in a dark grey styrene, a clear sprue, a sheet of decals, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on matt paper, with profiles for painting and decaling on the rear inner cover. As already mentioned, this is an old kit and should be viewed through rose-tinted glasses, as it’s even older than most of us on the forum. Considering its age, time has been kind to the moulds, with surprisingly little flash, and virtually no mould damage other than some scratches evident on the upper rotor-head and one of the tail parts at first glance. It was tooled during Airfix’s heavy riveting period, covering the skin of the kit in thousands of fine raised rivets that can be obliterated during seam filling. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is a simple floor with a moulded-in centre console with decal, and two turrets that the seats plug into, with a crew member for each seat, although they have their hands by their sides so won’t be doing much controlling of their charge unless you plan on undertaking some surgery. The cockpit is enhanced with a pair of thick control columns, and in front of the crew is an instrument panel for which a new decal has been provided, with realistic-looking dials on a grey background that look rather nice. The bulkhead behind the crew has a door moulded-in, and the nose gear leg with twin wheels is fixed to the bottom of this, putting the assembly aside while you prepare the two fuselage halves with ten oval portholes on each side, even though there is no interior present in the passenger cabin. This was the norm back in the day though, so you can either paint the interior a black shade, or build yourself a simple floor and add some seats. To close the fuselage, you will need to create the rotor-head, which consists of top and bottom halves, with a dome added to the top, and a shaft/pin inserted into the hole underneath. This and the cockpit are trapped between the two fuselage halves, taking care not to allow the glue to seep into the socket for the rotor if you wish it to remain mobile later. Seam-filling will doubtless remove some of the raised rivets on the surface, so you may wish to toy with the idea of either removing them all, converting the model to recessed rivets, or picking up some suitably pitched printed 3D rivet decals to replace those lost in the seam-filling process. The same will be true for the other external surfaces, so take it as read that this will occur for those parts of the model. The Rotodyne’s wings are simple top and bottom halves, painting a small portion of the underside interior silver because it will show through a hole in the upper wing. These are put to one side while the tail is made, creating the horizontal section from two parts plus a single flying surface that can be left mobile by not gluing them in, then adding the upper portion of the fin in two halves, and the lower portion that has a separate rudder panel, building one for each side of the model, and plugging them into the sides of the fuselage along with the wings and the surprisingly clear canopy part at the front. The two engine nacelles are split vertically in half, and are equipped with a nose with intake, through which the prop’s axle slots, securing the four-bladed propeller in position. Intakes and exhausts are added to the sides, and the main gear legs are trapped between the two nacelle halves during closure, fixing a pair of wheels to the ends of the axles. Once complete, they are pinned to the underside of the wings, and the main gear bays are given three doors each, plus another three for the nose gear leg that is now projecting from the bay under the nose. One useful feature of the Rotodyne was the clamshell rear doors that made loading cargo an easy task. These are supplied as two curved sections with four-part hinges that let them open and close if you are careful with the glue. They are locked into position by a pair of C-shaped clamps that glue to the interior of the fuselage in the tail. The penultimate task is to build the rotors themselves, adding half of the tip motors to the ends, and plugging each blade root into the rotor-head, ensuring they are installed at the same angle of attack for accuracy’s sake. The forward access door in the port side of the nose is depicted in the open position, hinging up and down in two halves, with a stairway glued to the lower portion for easy access. Markings There was only one flying Rotodyne, and it wore a fetching white, blue and silver scheme, with Fairey Rotodyne written in large text over the lower silver areas on the sides. From the box you can build the following: Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion There is only one kit in this scale, and this is it. It’s an old kit, but it gets the basic shape, and despite some of the details being a little toy-like, a creditable replica can be made with a little effort. The inclusion of new decals will certainly help with that, as they are very crisply designed and printed, especially the instrument panels. Highly recommended for a vintage kit. Review sample courtesy of
  4. Greetings, and welcome to part 2 of my contribution to this GB. [The GB is amazing. I just can't keep up with all the different threads. So much industry and good modelling going on. And how the guys looking after it all manage to encourage everyone is almost super-human. Well done chaps and thanks. ] Anyway, to reprise the initial photo in the first part and set the scene, I am doing 2 older Airfix twins; and doing both as the big gun variants sort of balances things out I think. I started the Hs 129 thinking it was a lot simpler and hence quicker build. It's not bad but my penchant for being a little ambitious compared to my skills led to a few pensive moments, shall we say. Anyway, it's almost finished but as I'm awaiting some paint to dry I thought I'd fire up this second thread. (First one here if you haven't seen it https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235134900-flying-artillery-part-1-hs-129/) Since I first saw this picture in a book (included here from the IWM collection (© IWM CH 14113)) I've wanted to build it. So when I saw a re-boxing of the Airfix Mk II/VI/XVIII in 1982, although I'd almost given up modelling by then due to career/family etc, I couldn't not buy it. But it's lain dormant in the loft for 40 yrs, so now's the time to do it. I believe it's the 1972 mould standard. I will be leaning very heavily upon the excellent restoration build by Charlie @Johnson which is here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235131297-freemans-folly-mossie-restoration-2/ a Master-class in my opinion. Hope you don't mind Charlie, but I will be borrowing a heck of a lot from you on this. Unlike Charlie who built his 50 yrs ago then totally restored it very recently, I will be trying to to start the kit from original bits and then use his modern input as well and compress the build time down to a few weeks. Well that seemed to make sense when I was typing it .... I'm, starting here It doesn't seem bad in outline but there is a gaping void under the canopy behind some dodgy looking seats. At least there's an IP of sorts but I think I will cheat and make use of some of these bits I know the Eduard set is for the bomber variant but sure I can make the cockpit look a bit more busy than it would be OOB, if not entirely accurate. And it hopefully saves me printing too many of my own decals as Charlie did. Whilst I can do them I find them a challange, so I swapped the decal challenge for the PE challenge instead . I couldn't get the same set of wheels that Charlie used but taking a hint about the hub (spoked vs solid) issue I found this set from Brengun that gives the option of either, as well as having the block tread. I am in no way comparing my skills with Charlie's but I hope to get something that looks about right and if I do so I'll be well pleased. But the fun is in the trying. Will just go and give the sprues a bath. Thanks for looking. Rob
  5. My last Airfix Mustang in the stash. I found some goodies too. Although the red-tail markings are attractive, I once fell for the luxorious design of these Exito decals, and I somehow need to motivate that expense, so this will be the choice this time: It’s a P51D-25-NA operating as long-range escort out of Iwo Jima towards the end of the war, and since I have 5-, 10 and 15-NA since before it complements the collection. Some tweaks will be needed, regarding radio equipment (I distinctly remember they had a different set of boxes, not to mention the different set of antennas) and tail-warning radar. I now have one week to find that vac form canopy and Quickboost exhaust stacks I remember buying but cannot find. I now understand how squirrels feel.
  6. Joining you with this kit, costing £3 at Lyneham last year. Which carried stripes after D-Day. Which is how I intend to complete the build.
  7. In the spirit of the era of pushing boundaries, I'll push my boundaries in this GB by building by far the largest model I've yet attempted - Airfix's 1/72 Handley Page Victor. Inside the box there is a LOT of plastic! Bottle of Mr Color for scale. Will really need to clear the bench to build this, both figuratively and literally. Plan is to build it out of the box, using the box art scheme - B.2 XL512 of 129 Squadron at RAF Wittering in the anti-flash white scheme circa 1963-64. So a late Boomer, but one that to me really encapsulates the bigger, faster further spirit of the early jet age. This kit would have been built dozens of times by Britmodellers, so all tips and pointers welcome. I've always loved the Victor's evocative shape and form, it really must have looked like the future when it first emerged in 1952. Hopefully I can build a decent representation of it, plus find a place to display it! Thanks for having this baby of baby boomers in this GB! Cheers, Gerard
  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. 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
  10. As I sit here waiting for the final bits of glue to dry on my 1/48 Gazelle, I have decided what the next project will be. I've gradually been assembling the bits I need, and I have a 4-5 week window without too much work, so can make a decent start as the Autumn draws on. If you follow aircraft WIPs, you might already know me from the Gazelle in the Helicopter 2 GB, and a long-running (and ongoing) 1/48 Barracuda III. But this will be my first ship since building the Airfix 1/600 Fearless about 45 years ago... This is going to be Ark Royal (5) as she was when I served in her in the late 80s, on my first front-line tour on Sea Kings (820 NAS). Based on the Airfix Illustrious, obviously, but there are quite a few differences to be adapted / reworked / scratched. In no particular order: - Different shape to the ramp; Ark's was built at 12 degrees right from the start, whereas the other 2 were modified, so Ark's was a different shape underneath as it faired into the hull; - Ark had Phalanx as her CIWS throughout her life, rather than Illustrious' Goalkeeper. I have acquired some Veteran Model 1/350 Phalanxes, so that's sorted - but I need to modify the sponson on the port quarter, which is not as deep as Lusty's; - Similarly the bow CIWS deck, and a much smaller one on the starboard side of the island; - The port quarter of the flight deck is a different shape; my Ark didn't have the "bulge" alongside 8 spot; - I have to reinstate the Sea Dart installation, which means completely re-working the starboard forward flight deck; no Spot 0, as in Lusty, different profile, visible fo'c's'le, capstans and other Fish-headery, DF aerial on a pole, rather than (as later in her life) up the mainmast; - Speaking of masts, the mainmast needs major rework to reinstate UAA1 and the 992 aerial, and lose 996; the mizzen is much smaller, without the large radome she acquired in her later life; - SCOT terminals further aft, just by the mizzen mast; - Two 909 domes to reinstate, though at least the superstructure beneath them doesn't appear to have changed much; - Different catwalks - the excellent WEM PE set includes the earlier catwalks, thank goodness - and Ark didn't have a stern catwalk at all at this stage; - A Cheverton in the port midships davit (just aft of the SRBOC sponson); - Different deck markings; I will be able to use some of Airfix's decals, but there will need to be some serious maskery later on in this build - at least the lines were all straight on the flight deck I knew, unlike these semi-circular things later on! - A few other more minor differences to do with 20mm placement, configuration of liferafts etc The CAG has been assembled; some extra Airfix aircraft sprues, 8 WEM Sea Harrier FRS1s, half a dozen Trumpeter Sea Kings a plus the WEM conversion kits, plus a couple of the WEM Air Group PE sets - the aim being to have 8 SHARs, 9 Sea King 5s, 3 AEWs & 2 HC 4s, which was what we carried for the trip to Australia in 1988. I know how I am going to do the HAS5s and the AEW2s; still working out how to get the HC4s right. So lots of work to do! I have made a start; the hangar deck is built, and I have cut off a) the stbd aft flight deck "bulge"; the forward area of the flight deck; c) the port aft CIWS sponson. I'm working from a lot of reference photos, a couple of books, plus the excellent Jecobin plans (suitably reduced in size to make them 1/350). More soon (including pics of the destruction); pull up a chair!
  11. For this GB I'm going to build a "Sexy American Singles in South American Service" subject, a Bolivian P-51D. Sexy American Singles in South American Service involves building American WWII single-engine aircraft to represent eight South American nations. So far, I've built representatives from Chile (A-24B); Argentina (F4U); Brazil (P-47); and Uruguay (F6F). Bolivia will be the next addition. I had hoped Arma would have their P-51D out by now, but since they don't I'll use this Airfix kit I picked up. One day I want to build the Korean version from it, but for now she'll be Bolivian. I will use decals and the profile from Aztec:
  12. I have been struggling slightly with modelling mojo - due mainly to workloads and family commitments. I am determined to get building again and complete my first GB for 2024. My chosen kit is the Airfix 1/72 Mig-17F from: I pulled this out of the stash last night. Who knows I may even do the Skyhawk as well (I will obviously do another thread if I do). I seem to recall some issues with this kit shape wise but it looks fairly Mig like to me... I thought I had some other decals for this but now can't find them and the Xtradecal set I wanted appears to be out of stock. Ideally I would do a middle east based plane (fits with one of my collection themes) but the North Korean scheme shown above will do just fine 😉 A bit of history from Wikipedia... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 was license-built in China as the Shenyang J-5 and Poland as the PZL-Mielec Lim-6. The MiG-17 is still being used by the North Korean air force in the present day and has seen combat in the Middle East and Asia. The MiG-17 was an advanced modification of the MiG-15 aircraft produced by the Soviet Union during the Korean War. Production of the MiG-17 was too late for use in that conflict and was first used in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958. While the MiG-17 was designed to shoot down slower American bombers, it showed surprising success when used by North Vietnamese pilots to combat American fighters and fighter-bombers during the Vietnam War, nearly a decade after its initial design. This was due to the MiG-17 being more agile and manoeuvrable than the American F-4 Phantom and F-105 Thunderchief, which were focused on speed and long range combat, as well as the fact that MiG-17 was armed with a gun, which initial models of the F-4 Phantom lacked. The obligatory sprue shot: As always all comments welcome. Dave
  13. I think I am starting to become a Meteor buff! Hot on the heels of the SH Meteor F.8 in SyAAF scheme, I started building the Airfix kit. I did not chose one of the schemes proposed in the box but an IAF scheme from the SH Kit: This is a good occasion to compare both kits and, spoiler alert, the Airfix kit is much much better! It is really well designed, the detail is excellent, the fit is top not notch and the moulding quality excellent. The cockpit tub is a 3 part assembly and has the characteristic horseshoe shape that its SH counterpart does not have: It is really easy to position it accurately inside the fuselage: Clever engineering. The seat is decent OOB but misses the harness and can benefit from a few added details: The fuel tanks have the rim that is missing on the SH F.8 and are more correct in shape. Note: the fuel tanks on the SH NF.14 are OK too. The engine heads are more detailed than on the SH F.8 but the SH NF.14 reactor heads are better. The IP, nose wheel leg and cockpit quarterdeck (is that correct?) have better detail: The air inlets in one part are a very good idea: No need to deal with an awkward seam between top and bottom half like on the SH kit. The engineering of the main landing gear bay walls is also really clever: 4 parts, a mortise-tenon system and you're done! The main landing gear bay roof only needs a black wash over the alu paint to make the details pop: I assembled the wings and painted the air inlet lips in black and white: The result can seem weird but the period pictures show they were actually painted this way on the original airframe. The flaps are provided as separate items but I always saw them level on the pictures. So, not really useful IMHO. I also painted the nose in black and white: But I have to re-paint it as I inverted the black and white areas! Doh! The main landing gear legs and wheels are the only letdown on this kit: Two gear leg halves and two wheels halves that have to be glued together. Filler is needed to get something clean. But that is only a minor gripe. So far, this is a fantastic kit and a real pleasure to build.
  14. OK slight change of build plan, I said that the next on the bench would be the HobbyBoss Scammell Commander with the Amusing Hobby Centurion AVRE for a load well whilst at the South West Model Show at the Bovington Tank Museum I was given the Airfix Austin K2/Y by the friend that I shared a table with as he had ended up with two. He has built one as in the film Ice Cold in Alex but didn't want to build a second one so thought I might like to have it so it has made its way onto the bench and will be built out of the box using the Northern Europe markings in the kit. A start has been made with the basic chassis being assembled completing build sections one and two That's as far as its progressed more soon I hope Thanks for looking in your time is very much appreciated Stay safe Roger
  15. 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.
  16. Hi guys, my local model club with the backing of the LMS have set a club group build of 1/35 AFVs and in case, I won the Cromwell Mk VI by Airfix in 1/35. I used to build in 1/35 some years ago but space forced me to now build in 1/72-1/76. The rules are to build using the parts in the box, no AM but you can do some limited scratch work or add figures. I'll be building this OOB with an addition of a couple of figures. The box. The box of bits. Lots of plastic, choice of hard or rubber tracks, decals and even a little PE. The first couple of stages were carried out, the only clean up required was getting rid of the sprue grates and I must admit I am quite impressed but then the kit is relatively new. Next, the swing arms(?) were cleaned up and fitted, followed by fitting the side plates and side vents. Catch you later. Stuart
  17. New tool 1/48th DH.82a Tiger Moth kit - ref. A04104 Release expected in May December 2019 February 2020. Source: https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/new-for-2019/tiger-moth-1-48.html V.P.
  18. I'd like to enter with this please; Bought a few years ago, along with the Airfix Curtiss Tomahawk, each costing me the princely sum of £2.49! The Mustang is my all time favourite aircraft, and many moons ago I built the Matchbox and Academy 1/72 P-51Ds, so it will be interesting to see what this much newer kit is like. It certainly looks nice upon initial inspection; Mine actually came with two sets of decals; This RAF scheme is nice, but its not how this one will be finished. Back in 1995, when I built the previous two Mustang kits, I had just started to get interested in the Eighth Air Force, and, whilst on holiday in Suffolk, had recently visited my first old airfield, which happened to be Leiston. Ever since then, Leiston has been a bit of a special place for me. Ended up visiting Hannants, and buying some Repli-Scale "Yoxford Boys" decals. The Matchbox kit was finished as "Old Crow", and the Academy as "Glamorous Glen III", which leaves me with these options: I'm thinking of going for "Missouri Armada". The decal instructions show this as an early model D, but I consulted this; There is a photo of Missouri Armada showing it with the fin fillet. The serial number given on the decal sheet (414709) is not amongst those listed at the rear of the book, however 414789 is, which is only 1 digit different. Using other numbers on the sheet, I can cobble together the right number for the model. Time to saddle up and get started!
  19. My Meteor is going okay so, in a burst of enthusiasm and ignoring all the nearly finished kits littering my workdesk, I've started another kit. I've had this one in the stash for years, not entirely sure why because I don't make Axis stuff. Anyway, I'm going to avoid my no-Axis rule and make it as a Bf-110 C-5. I took a photo of the sprues... But promptly forgot to take any more photos until I'll try to take more photos as the build progresses.
  20. It's been some time since I posted a build on here, even longer since I took part in a Group Build but this one has tickled my fancy so, I hope no-one minds me joining with this old kit. The sprues: Should be a simple build, even if I add some bits'n'bobs in the driver's compartment. I may rescribe the panel lines, or I may not. Scalemates tells me this is the 1986 boxing of a kit originally released in 1970. The last 37 years certainly haven't been kind to the stickers (even if they were in register and the tail stripes weren't wrong). No matter, I have plenty in the decals box. I've got some Hurricanes to finish but should start this one at the weekend.
  21. Airfix 1:72 Mosquito in the kit scheme of No. 571 Squadron from the Pathfinders. Airbrushed with Vallejo Model Air, weathered with Abteilung 502 oil paints and varnished with Tamiya matt and gloss varnish from a rattle can. Overall the kit went together well. I used a masking set from ASK for the transparencies and CMK resin flaps and elevators. I did a fair bit of scratch building of parts in the interior (such as new radio set replacing the unit supplied with the kit; new bombsight, seat belts with tape and wiring and various gubbins. I also corrected the bomb bay doors, redrilled the red, green and amber lamps and added brake lines to the wheel hubs. I also modified the tailwheel to the anti-shimmy version and added ice guards to the Merlin second stage intakes (though they are a bit out of scale). i also drilled out the wingtip lights to add the green and red bulbs. What went well? Canopy transparencies and masking, learning how to fit aftermarket resin control surfaces (though in retrospect I didnt thin the trailing edges enough); redoing the bulged bomb bay. What could be improved? Interior painting was too thick, my scratch built radio set was not accurate for the airframe in the end (despite spending weeks pontificating on reference drawings in Richard Franks Modellers Datafile); the paintjob could be improved e.g. brush painting the u/c legs was a disaster; i was too heavy handed using the spray can and had to redo the camo template several times resulting in a poor paint finish with dust and hair all over the place. also over did it on the weathering underneath. anyhow thanks for looking Neil
  22. Hi all so my next project I am undertaking is one I am very very excited to do. It is the Vickers valiant prototype WB210 conversion for the 1:72 airfix Vickers valiant. The conversion is made by a very talented person, I am sure people have heard of BritJet ( Steve ) it's thanks to him that I can make this absolutely beautiful valiant. I have made a start on this conversion, the first thing is did was to fill in the radome panel lines. the next step I did was to remove the U shaped parts just above the bombbay on both sides then after that I removed the vortex generators from the fin, then the fin intake and then I reshaped the two blisters under the rudder. I actually forgot to reshaped the top of the fin so that is next on the to do list.
  23. Another build from me, and a switch back to Civil Aviation for this one. This is the Airfix boxing of the Boeing 727 kit and a quick check of the measurements indicate that it scales out to around those for -100 short body version and I will be using a set of 26 Decals for this classic Lufthansa Scheme. Here is an image from Airliners.net of D-ABIB at Stockholm -Arlanda in August 1964. Boeing 727-30 D-ABIB 18360 Box and contents photos. by John L, on Flickr The fuselage parts have some slight warping but should pull together OK. by John L, on Flickr The wing parts will need a bit of tidying to remove a bit of flash. by John L, on Flickr Here are the remaining parts including a stand, obviously issued when these came as a standard item in Airfix kits. by John L, on Flickr And finally my choice of decals for this build. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Hope to get started on this soon. John
  24. The last 3 months have been nothing short of hectic, but with Telford now done for another year and no builds on the bench, I can build something for myself (kind of)! Airfix's brand new Me-410 is up. Massive thanks to Phoenix Scale Publications for providing this kit for a build review for the mag at some point in the future. I never make things easy for myself though as this kit will be back dated to a standard Me-410A-1, rather than having the /U2 or /U4 modifications as modelled in the kit plastic. It's an easy fix, but I'll provide info on that at a later stage. For now, basic cockpit construction is complete with all base colours down. The only cockpit decals used were the ones for the side panels in the cockpit. Everything else was hand painted after the airbrushing of the base colours. these being Tamiya XF-63 and SMS PL179 RLM02. The decals should arrive soon from Hannants and I'll be doing this awesome scheme as shown in the pictures. Invaluable references from the Valiant Wings Publishing book as well!
  25. First, the photos... Here's my attempt at the 1/72 Airfix S.2B Buccaneer. For a kit which has had rave reviews, I had mixed feelings on mine, not helped by the fact that one of the wings was quite warped in the box, and I never managed to get it entirely straight. A couple of other fit issues around the big fuselage components left a bit of a messy finish, though I'm sure a more skilled modeller would have done a better job. That said... some components went together really nicely and were quite cleverly engineered, and the surface detail is pretty good too. It was built almost totally OOB, with the exception of some Eduard etch for the cockpit, and those Quickboost intake FOD covers. Paints were Hataka acrylic, mostly airbrushed but a bit of detail added by brush. I wanted to weather it enough to represent a late-life, well worn example, and this was mostly done with oils (a little clay wash shading too). To get that properly worn, faded look, the whole thing was sprayed with Windsor & Newton Galeria matt acrylic varnish. When they say “matt” they really mean it! The flattest finish I’ve ever used. I deviated from the Airfix guide on the weapons colours, and went for 'live' markings on the Paveway and the AIM-9L. All photographed on the dining room table, as usual... the 'night' ones were done with just two torches for illumination. The hangar backdrop photo is courtesy of Nick Challoner, and the first generic airfield backdrop was a large print made after purchasing the shot from Shutterstock. Overall I'm fairly happy with it for the small scale - I think it was NavyBird who said how unforgiving close-up photos of small scale models can be, and he's right...don't zoom in too closely! Thanks for looking.
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