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Hello .... Here's my first finished model since I was a child. I had always wanted to complete a model using all the correct paints and to try to get as much detail in there as possible. I've learned a few things along the way though ... 1. Filler for the gaps would be a good option 2. Shake that paint like it's a a badly behaved <insert object/person of choice here> 3. Dust and wet paint don't mix 4. A good quality brush helps 5. Should probably laquer / varnish to protect the finish 6. Paint the whole body before glueing on the glass bits 7. Patience with a stanley knife is advised 8. Not every moulding is 100% perfect so be patient when cleaning up edges 9. Paint costs a fortune 10. Modelling is fun 11. Hairclips are both a great way of securing glued parts but also a pain when they don't sit still 12. Landing gear is fiddly 13. I really like my magnifying LED Lamp 14. I should take photos in a more appropriate location 15. I can't paint straight lines 16. I'm itching to start another model

Hi folks, I have just checked in on Ben,s excellent Spitfire prototype build from the 1/72 Mk1 and I have an ancient Hasegawa kit for a future project,but would the new tool 1/48 tooling be to difficult to convert and what would the basic changes be for a reasonable looking rendition?

Greetings fellow modellers, here's Nomore Shelfspace again, this time with the Airfix Spit Mk 22. I decided on this one because it was only one colour - simple, right? Wrong - I found Humbrol 11 Silver, the new concoction anyway, sprayed like gravel, unlike the excellent old one - my tin of that was probably 20 years old but still a liquid - but I ran out... anyway I cleaned off the muck and then managed to respray it by thinning it as far as I could... it's a useful matt aluminium otherwise... after several brush coats of Klear the decals went on more or less ok with the aid of Humbrol Decalfix, not bad stuff if you are patient with it. Final coat was Xtracrylix matt varnish. Exhaust staining etc. was by pastel chalk. Decals are from the box, representing a machine of 603 Squadron at RAF Turnhouse in 1951, after a serious sortie! The kit itself is very nicely moulded but has some fit issues, for example the undercarriage legs would not fit the provided holes and neither do the exhaust stacks, but this may be the only quibble. The method of fixing the prop is also over-engineered. But it looks like a Mark 22 to me! Only addition is an Eduard pre-painted etch harness, first time I used one. Looks pretty good although you have to peer in to see it. Hope you like it!

Here it is, my OOB build of Airfix's classic Spitfire IX. This is of course Johnnie Johnson's JE-J based at Ford in 1944. Ford is just down the road from me, one reason why I stuck with these markings. In earlier iterations of this kit Airfix provided the invasion stripes as decals - this one doesn't have them, which is a bit of a pain. I mean they could have just provided the black stripes! Finish was Xtracrylic - can't say I really like using it, and the Medium Sea Grey is too dark so I usually lighten it with white - making this colour too matt so the decals silvered. Should have Klear-ed it but you usually forget something. Final finish is Xtracrylic matt of course, can't complain about that. For further stuff about the build see my WIP thread...

Happy New Year Britmodellers and wordly wallet warriors. Last year...last year. It did, could, would, shouldn't have but absolutely all went wrong in 2014. It was without refute a year of abject stress and worry on all fronts. Work, family, renovations, health all worked into countless days of . It was all going on. Fortunately after the final week of rock bottom it's like I was touched by an angel and all the worry & stress seemed to evaporation, strange how it can do that but I'm in a super mood now. Enough about me, sympathy is for the true victims. But this isn't about me, this is about pointy things with spinny bits and a pair of lovely twins with perky...propellers. Last year I only managed one model which in itself a miracle due to the fore mentioned. I did start 5 but only finished one but was pleased in the end. More on that later. After the poor output in 2014 I wanted to finish/start on a high and an easy project to work on. As I have a good stash of new mold Airfix kits (god I do love the new molds - Defiant me please) I chose out a Mk.Ia and Mk.II to work on. Almost OOB with Eduard prepainted harnesses, Quickboost antenna & scratch antenna mount (the tear drop shaped bit). Mk.Ia markings will be DW-K from kit, Mk.II will be EB-J "Canadian Division" from Authentic Decals - Presentation Spits. Onto the build - I'm sure you'll like the narrative: As I'm building two of practically the same kit all parts were removed and cleaned up ready for painting. Lose bits were assigned their respective zip-lock bags after being worked on as I've learned from the past, having sent a box flying accidentally before (yea, I can be a clutz sometimes). Below is where I'd got before Christmas with interior painted, this includes the wheel wells. Fuselage parts had received a wash of Tamiya Panel Line Black accent. Basically pre-thinned enamel wash. I use Gunze Sangyo Lacquers when spraying and I adore them for their hardy nature. I didn't have to seal them before doing the wash although let them dry fully first. Post Xmas - this morning only a little hand painting of cockpit bits had been done as had my 6 yr old son for a week which was fun. A wash was added to the gear bays also using a mix of Tamiya Black panel accent & Humbrol gloss oil stain wash.<- This product btw is brilliant. An example will show later. Today I managed to get really stuck into the project as my best friend wanted to Skype chat all afternoon, anchoring me to my desk. She's in Texas and was home alone so wanted the company. She doesn't like being home alone, poor wee poppet. I Applied instrument panel decals, added pre-painted etched harnesses, attached seat to bulkhead & instrument panel to floor. I chose not to join these two sub assemblies to ease alignment so snipped off the lug off the floor piece and added them to their respective port fuselage halves. I've build this kit before so knew where I could fettle with them...damn, was that a spoiler? Chatting the afternoon away (talking dribble more like) I found myself with cockpit attached and fuselage halves joined. Tamiya extra thin was run down the joints with some thin superglue in the area in front of the cockpit for strength & filling. No putty filly used so far. There's a terrible gouge on the chin of the Mk.Ia where the spure gate was so this was filled. This was done by making a mound/filling the hole using talcolm powder and running some of the thin superglue over top. This left the glue/powder mix easier to sand. I've seen the glue/powder mix done as a premix but with a retarded glue which I didn't have available. Kiwi ingenuity at work on this one. I wouldn't have had the brain power for that kind of quick thinking in 2014. I've sanded the joins which are flawless thanks to the soft plastic and earlier dry fitting. I didn't have to apply much pressure and the cement dried quickly which allowed me to zip ahead. I've also added the horizontal stabilizers. Seems we have an interloper on the left trying to get in on the action too. And here's one I prepared earlier. More picks here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234973861-supermarine-spitfire-mkia-172-airfix/: