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Hello everyone. Here's my entry from the recent Flying Boat GB. This is the old and wonderful Matchbox kit, modified here in order to represent M7+YK - a D3 variant of the Dornier 18 from 2/Kü.Fl.Gr 506 and one of the first Luftwaffe casualties of WWII shot down by the FAA on 26th September, 1939. My interest in the subject was piqued back in the summer by coming across a valedictory HMSO book published in 1942 on the Ark Royal (after she was sunk) that had a page of incredibly evocative contemporary photographs taken from HMS Somali of the downed seaplane. There's further details and reproductions in a rather lengthy WIP here. Those of you familiar with the aircraft will no doubt wonder about the inclusion of the large antennae on the gondola! It is the night/blind flying apparatus that is detailed extensively in two of the handbucher for the D variant. It appears to have been a collapsible item and stored in the cargo space when not in use, (in which a series of batteries were also positioned to provide power for it via an electrical circuit leading up to the top of the gondola). I have not discovered a single photograph demonstrating this gear in operational use but as the aircraft here is seen in a maintenance pose, I thought it might be fun to include it as part of a systems-test being run by the ground crew. Notes on process The kit itself has been made many times and was a pleasure to work with. In terms of broad dimension and shape it yields an accurate rendition of the aircraft, but did need significant remedial work on the bow, propellors and sponsons. Aside from fuselage, wings and struts, the rest of the kit (including flaps and ailerons) was discarded at the start as too crude for a decent representation. Having bought the original Lufwaffe handbucher (in digital form) I had the necessary parts and maintenance volumes to enable me to construct an accurate interior and add whatever detailing was necessary to the airframe out of brass and plastic. I won't bore you here by repeating a full list of those things (which are fully covered in the WIP) but the main elements I wanted to achieve as much accuracy for were: Drehkranz gun mountings -3D printed, with the mounting rings themselves built out of brass watch parts. Propellor assemblies were hand built from scratch (the blades themselves being canninbalized from a Lancaster and reshaped) I vacformed a new canopy and scratched all other from glazing transparent packaging. Flaps, ailerons and all hinges/acutators scratch-built from brass and plastic. The RLM paint-scheme was homebrewed from Tamiya acrylics and mixed directly on the aircraft itself using a technique I've been developing. All aircraft markings (aside from unit badge and hakenkreuz which were custom printed), were masked and airbrushed on. Working up the overall visual 'finish' involved experiments in salt-fading and the production of a variable lustre using polishing tools. On with the pictures then! Interior Sunshadows