On my (very messy) workbench...

[Tango India Mike]

You've probably all noticed that I've been around a bit lately after a fairly long absence, and that's because I've been taking advantage of an unfortunate occurrence with the play I'm in rehearsals for at present. Since the play is what's known as a 'two-hander' - that is, there are only two of us in it - and my fellow cast member suddenly had to pull out of the production, there really wasn't much point in continuing with rehearsals! However, we've now found someone else to take his place, so I'll have to go back to work tomorrow...and it'll be hard work too, considering that the play opens in just over two weeks!

Personally, I can hardly wait for it to be over because I'm pretty fed up with the disruption that theatre causes to my life and I'm long overdue for a break from it...a very long break if I can get it!

I rarely even open the door to my modelling room any more because I can't bear to look at all the unfinished projects that have been gathering dust for very nearly four years. And there are plenty of them too, I can tell you!

Here are some of them...

An old Frog Whitley Mk V that I'm ashamed to say I started working on well over twenty years ago!

As you can no doubt see, there's been some quite extensive reworking of the kit and there really isn't that much more work to do in order to get it finished. No doubt you can all see the dust too! It will eventually be photographed 'in flight', which is what I almost exclusively build my models for these days, and then will have its undercarriage fitted for some start-up and taxiing photos. Another reason for taking that long break is so I can paint some new backdrops. This one, I think, is going to look fabulous 'airborne', but I don't want to use the tired old backdrops that I've used too many times in the past!

And since Spitfires are a hot topic of conversation at present, with new ones from Airfix both arrived and yet to be released, here are some of the many on my production line...

A Hasegawa Mk VIII not far from completion.

Now, I don't know how I did this, but somehow I've managed to fit the seat and head armour too far back in the cockpit. Very stupid of me, but there's little I can do about it now!

Another Mk VIII, this time from a Ventura kit...and again, not far off completion.

This is one of my 'Frankenstein job' pilot figures...which doesn't stand up to scrutiny this close, but will look just fine once installed inside the cockpit of an MPM PR Mk XI...

More to come...I've got some strange problems with the computer at present and it's pretty slow going...damn it!

Edited July 27, 2009 by Tango India Mike

[kspriss]

This is one of my 'Frankenstein job' pilot figures...which doesn't stand up to scrutiny this close, but will look just fine once installed inside the cockpit of an MPM PR Mk XI...

Nice work there TIM..and i wish my pilot figures looked that nice. i tend to build my stuff gear down with open cockpits, just to avoid putting the pilots in!..lazy i know, but hey

steve

[Tango India Mike]

Another PR Mk XI from MPM. If you're wondering why the cowlings are painted black, they won't actually stay that way! I'm building them up with coats of paint to better represent the way they appear slightly proud of the rest of the airframe on real Spitfires. This one will be a USAAF example stripped back to bare metal.

Here's a Mk IX from Ventura. This one will be finished as EN398, the famous JE-J, and will be photographed in a similar pose (or as near as I can get it) to the equally famous Roy Cross artwork for the old Airfix kit.

And speaking of Airfix Spitfires, here's one of two Mk Is that will fly together for the camera. This one assembled almost entirely from the spares box, I've built so many of them! A damned good kit that has been useful in the past for innumerable conversions. Give me this old thing any day over the Tamiya, which I don't like at all!

This Italeri kit is destined for a diorama depicting the return of a well-clobbered Mk Vb from a sweep over France...

There's a fair bit of work to be done on the airframe surfaces yet, and those bullet holes will be reduced in size by successive coats of paint...but there's been a cannon shell hit near the spine of the rear fuselage, with this result as it's exploded inside...

Rip-roaring fun that one's going to be to photograph!

You're probably sick of looking at Spitfires, so here are a few others also waiting for attention...

A Heller Arado 96.

An MPM Junkers W34.

An Academy Tempest Mk V.

A CMK Vampire F Mk I.

And a Heller Mistral being converted into an Aussie Vampire Mk 31.

So, roll on the final night of this damned play...'White Roses'! I want to get some bl**dy modelling done!

Cheers all,

Tim.

[Doug Rogers]

The sooner you're back building models, the better for us I reckon Tim, I just love your inflight pics.

I'll be getting that Airfix JE-J backing card off to you in the next few days.

[Tango India Mike]

Thanks Doug and Steve, I'm really champing at the bit to get back into it...especially as it's winter here and I'd really like to have something ready for when the spring gets here...good 'flying' weather with plenty of sunshine to keep the camera (and me) happy! I may even get around to doing that 'how to' feature on the photography set-up this year!

[Nick Millman]

"I may even get around to doing that 'how to' feature on the photography set-up this year!"

Yes please! And it gladdens the heart to see the lovely Frog Whitley taking shape with a trio busy inside the office - even if it has been so long in the making. The pilot in that Spit I is just superb too - well they all are.

[diamant]

Hi Tim

As always I am completely impressed by the level of details in your pilots. Your models look great but the way you paint the pilot make them much more real.

I hope I can see the pictures of the Whitley flying in the near future. :-)

Cheers

Santiago