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-This another of Mr Paul COUDEYRETTE model, the Monogramm 1/48 old B 58 kit, He is spenting a few holidays in Spain but he have seen your comments about his F 100, he thanks gratfully everybody for their comments on his model . Now the Hustler...... -Enjoy...

The performance properties of coatings cannot be generalised. For example lead pigmented paints darken with exposure to atmospheric sulfides. Ruths of Hamburg reported their belief that the artificial resins manufactured by W&B used sulphur in the process which was efficacious in improving their adherence to metal alloys. The use of such resins might have been catalytic to darkening paint and as a result revised pigments, intended to offset these effects, introduced. The only way to truly understand what nachdunkelnden implied would be to read the output report of the scientific analysis of the phenomenon by the paint technicians concerned which led to the change - if that has survived. It might be possible to get some clues from an understanding of the constituents of the paints concerned but even that is fraught with difficulties. Some W&B formulae have been published but that for 1942 RLM 70, for example, lists pigments only by generic colour and (presumably) a catalogue or stores number - 'Blue 1152', 'Green 719', 'Black 1297', 'Yellow 420' - with no indication as to their actual chemical composition. RLM 71 contained Chromium Yellow (a lead chromate) which does darken significantly when exposed to hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere. Colour is only one attribute of paint coatings and there is a tendency for modellers to discuss that attribute in the one-dimensional visual terms of apparent appearance with such generalisations as 'fading', 'UV', etc., as though these were a constant. This is not surprising as the different types of damage typical of UV, light, and IR result from their different photon energies. The photochemistry that underlies much of the disintegration of materials and the production of yellow by-products typical of UV exposure requires energies greater than about 3 eV, whereas the photochemistry typical of colourant fading, as well as the operation of our retina, occurs in a range between about 2 eV and 3 eV. We are fated to see in the same band as that where sensitive colours fade or degrade, given the related photochemical phenomena. However, the constituents of the paint film, including pigment, may react to environmental or exposure factors in different and divergent ways and not always consistently. "Coatings fail because of irreversable changes which occur in the film as a result of exposure to a variety of possible stresses. The changes in a coating leading to failure are almost exclusively physical and may include phenomena such as gloss loss, colour change, dirt retention, chalking, cracking, delamination, blistering, fouling and corrosion. The stresses that give rise to failure may be large and short lived (e.g. impact) or small and long lived, often cyclic in nature. Moreover, the changes in physical properties of the coating are often a consequence of underlying chemical processes occurring in the coating." (The Chemistry and Physics of Coatings by A R Marrion (RSC 2004)) Nick

Finally got this one finished. Airfix 1/48 B-57 with a CMK cockpit and Two-Mikes corrected tail.

Well i have stepped away from my usual 1/32 comfort zone and delving into the smaller scale of 1/48 , specifically the 1/48 Testors YF-12A I bought this kit about 6 years ago and it was pretty rare then but you can not accurately turn the standard SR-71 into a YF-12A, there are too many differences in contour and shape in the forward fuselage section alone. I have to admit this it was with some reservation I broke the sealing film on the box as there is no way back then. I could hear the collectors cries from my study, I calmed myself with the knowledge I buy models to build not to horde in an impossible stash. The only extras for the kit would be the Afterburner decal sets, True Details wheels and Cockpit Set. Considering the many changes made to the airframes and the fact that many bits where removed and spurious bits added before they were taken to the museums makes fact a dubious area indeed for these planes . The plan was to lightly sand all the raised panel lines so they are not quite so pronounced, leaving just a trace of them that will show through the gloss black undercoat. From there I can spray an overall Titanium finish Tamiya X-32 then mask individual panels and alter the shades of titanium to give it some depth. the Chines will be finished in Tamiya black, German Grey and Nato black as the black surfaces didnt stay that way for long. No specific Metalizer paints, I have done quite well with the Tamiya Metallic paint in the past. From my own Titanium Bike exhausts I have had over the years I know that Titanium does not polish up like Chrome or Aluminium, It has a dull finish so I think the Metalizers would be wasted here. 2 weeks to complete, finished mid March 2013, also completed recently my A-12, http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234938133-lockheed-a-12-oxcart/ Regards Danny Attree

Pro 3532, 1/350 Vickers 0.5" Quad Machine Gun is now available, priced at £4.55 for a pack of 4 mounts. Resin castings plus PE, and the usual clear instructions by Peter Hall. Order now: https://www.whiteensignmodels.com/p/WEM+1350+Royal+Navy+Vickers+Mk3+05+Quad+Machine+Gun+x4+Pro+3532/19227/#.UZVYKcpQ2Hg

Hi all, here my Swiss Tiger in 1:48. Its from the AFV Club F-5E. Added the Aires cockpit and some PP`s by Eduard. The Decals are out of the box (be carfull with them)

Thought id upload my latest aircraft. The kit went together with no problems however the fit of the canopy caused a bit of trouble. Its not my best model but im fairly happy with it as i had a few problems with the gloss coat being a little bit patchy in some places. Painted with Tamiya Acrylics, humbrol acrylic clear sprays and weathered using humbrols new black weathering powders. Any thoughts welcome. Cheers

Lublin completed. WIP here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234937416-lublin-r-xiii-d-mirage-hobby-148/

The old Airfix Gladiator is awful, so I threw it away without putting glue to plastic. I did keep the decals and used them on the Revell Gladiator... ...and only then did someone remind me that Airfix were releasing a new tool Gladys. D'oh! And in a sudden change of direction... No it's not Barry White dressed in Evel Knievel's jumpsuit. It's a rather butch looking Melody Angel

Brilliant Idea! I will look forward to the imminent release of the Tamiya Spey Engined Toom in 1:32 that will be announced within 8 hours of you breaking the back of your build odyssey!

Hi all, I have spoilt myself lately.. I have bought these kits.... I see them for sale at a good price and can't help myself!! The Sherman was a good deal, £399 all in including the Tamiya CD rom on the Tiger 1. The latest purchase was the Leopard, and boy what a bargain!! Less than £450 from the guy I bought the Pershing off, he wanted it "out of the way" I will say, £1150 retail is rediculous, even for a kit this good!! Anyway, what do you get in the massive box.. well, do a search on the 'net and you'll see plenty of reviews. I don't have a table big enough to spread it all out on!! sorry... On with the build, we start with the Differentials, yes, in this kit you get to build the big beautiful gearbox... Parts for the Centre Diff.. Built up... You get two tubes of Ceramic grease in the box. Now on to the side Differentials, there are two of these... Built up.. Finally, I would like to show you a small mod, as recommended by Dodoslovensko on Youtube. He has kindly put up a lot of film on how he built his leopard and modified it. One of his mods was to put epoxy in the two slots in the driving flats of the MG8 Output gears. It's difficult to photograph, but hopefully you can see it.. The blue marks are from the blu-tack I used as a barrier while the epoxy cured. Anyway, that's all for now.

Here's a small secection of the photos I took at Derwent yesterday we got there early to ensure we got a parking space and after scouting a few locations we made the decision to walk up the hill it was tricky to compose a shot with the Lanc flying over the towers as she came over a bit higher than I thought she would but our viewpoint offered us a unique opportunity to photograph these aircraft at low level. Derwent Lancaster 005 by Marks CVS, on Flickr Derwent Lancaster 009 by Marks CVS, on Flickr Derwent Lancaster 010 by Marks CVS, on Flickr Derwent Tornado 003 by Marks CVS, on Flickr Derwent Tornado 004 by Marks CVS, on Flickr Derwent Tornado 006 by Marks CVS, on Flickr Thanks for looking, Mark

Neil @ HK Models has sent me a shot of their latest CAD drawings of this highly anticipated model, which I thought I'd pass on ASAP: The original file is over 2mb, and around 7,000 x 5,000 pixels, allowing you to zoom in to your heart's content. So it doesn't play havoc with the forum software, you can download a copy here. You can see some more here. They are actively looking for comments on the B.I for shape and accuracy, as well as assistance with other variants through to the Grand Slam and Dambusters "specials". If anyone thinks they know enough to help, and are conversent with the internet, email & so forth, please drop me your contact details to pass on to HK. I mention the internet purely because time is of the essence, and any delays may push back the release of this behemoth. We don't want that, do we?

Hi just found this so thought I'd post it up, no daft background music to spoil things either. Tim.

Hi there, here are some pics of my recently finished Sunderland. Painted with tamiya acrylics and finished with Alclad flat, which the jury is still out on cant make my mind up if I prefer peobo which is more flat. the alclad is far easier too spray, but be warned it does react to white spirit, and i did get into a mess, and the thing still feels a bit sticky even with the final coat on. thanks to BM for helping me to sort out color issues with extra dark sea grey and dark slate grey, think i should have put the slate grey on first ??!!. Hope you like, thanks for looking.

Hi all... Just a couple of pics of my latest build, which I finished today. I got this kit a few months ago as I thought it would be a nice little kit to do, something different. At first I was only going to do the Drone, but in the end I decided to give the base and figures a go as well. Academy have an interesting way of doing the digital camo on the figures, it's all decals. It works ok, as long as you don't look too close. Anyhow, here are the details and pics: Kit: Academy RQ-7B UAV Scale: 1:35 Paint & Weathering: Brushed painted with Revell Aqua Colour, Citadel Nuln Oil Shade, Promodeller Wash Extras: None

Hi All, this is the last of my three calibration B.57's This one was the only B.57B used for the satellite trials. The kit is the Italeri 1/72 scale B strait out of the box except the markings of course! The three amigo's Thanks for looking! John

1/48 monogram harrier gr1 to gr3 Monogram kit converted with heritage aviation parts including , nose, inlets, cockpit eduard etch HL-10 supplied the tail , tanks and sneb rocket pods xtradecals falklands sheet paints are tamiya with vallejo matte varnish build thread is here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234923394-multi-harriers-part-2-gr3/page-2?hl=harrier multi harrriers

OK here is the finished article. WIP thread can be found here

Sorry if somebody has already posted this:

A few more updates from last Sunday morning before all hell broke loose... Now the weathering needs to start once I have painted the cannons and I have brought some of the True Earth products to try out.

Taking shape Arnold

Maybe white punks on dope...

Lovely little MIG, well done

I finished this a few weeks ago and finally sorted the pictures out. This is the first Mig 15 I've ever made and being Airfix it was a nice and simple build. I brush painted with Humbrol polished steel metal cote. I managed to get a decent shine after buffing but when i sprayed new formula klear, it dulled a bit. Weathered with pro-modeller dark wash. Messed up the canopy that's why it looks cloudy, Still a lot to learn...... Here's the pics..............

You can't fool me that's a real F-5E! Stephen

Very nicely done!!!

Good Job Mish!

Mr Airfix, I hope you are listening regarding a 1/48 whirlwind? Hehe!

It's a subjective opinion and I'm not claiming to be right but if I were modelling it, I would go with insignia blue for the cowl band. The logical case for black is a good one and I would certainly not criticise anyone for choosing black, but to me the contrast with the prop blades and fin band, and the similarity of the nose band to the blue in the fuselage national marking, suggests that blue is slightly more likely than black. In cases where no-one actually knows for sure, and there are no other known sources of information, then the best advice is always to go with your personal gut feel, otherwise every time you look at the model you will feel you should have done it differently.

If you hadn't have said I would never have nioticed. ..............................That will start the hand bags at dawn brigade...............

Currently working on the Revell/Matchbox Hawker Fury Mk1. And because life ain't interesting enough, I treated myself to the Eduard Weekend Airco DH2 (1/48 for a change). What gauge line should I use for the rigging, d'you think?

The Airfix Shagbat. A much nicer kit than I expected. I did a lot of work building up the interior, which makes the view through the windows a bit more interesting. On that score, it would have been wasted effort had I not replaced the cockpit canopy with a home-made version

Hi all this is not my normal scale 1/72 but I thought I would give it ago, and I was pleasantly supprised at how well she's turning out. Clive

Come on guys, calm down and lets just celebrate that fact that Tamiya are releasing another great aircraft kit. It may not be everyones cup of tea, but as has been said, if it sells well they just might release something you are interested in.

Oh if only that box art was for real. Nice job on it Iain. Now, about those few things you need to clear off the workbench, how am I supposed to berate you for not finishing the Super Connie & Lightning when I really want to watch these take shape!?!

Hells bells! That bit of reference I've sent you (if you know what I mean ), better get to you soon, or you'll have them after you! Sean

Been doing some domestic negotiating in preparation for when it's out. Told her that she can move out of she doesn't like it !!!!!!

You can use Model Master Intermediate Blue or Gunze Color No.72 (Intermediate Blue).

I use PRU Blue for what looks like a close match. Cheers, Roy

Vallejo Model Colour do a French Mirage Blue.

Many eons ago, when I first attempted a line up of Lightnings (some serious Airfix/Hasegawa & Matchbox kit bashing!) my plan was to feature all nine of the frontline Squadrons with each of the nine marks (and sub marks). So : 5 Sqn (F3a), 11 Sqn (T5), 19 Sqn (F2-or F2a), 23 Sqn (F6), 29Sqn (F3), 56Sqn (F1a-Firebirds), 74 Sqn (F1), 92 Sqn (F2a or F2) , 111 Sqn (T4). (The plan never reached completion - funnily enough - I managed just 3 or 4 I think!!) Of course all of these front line squadrons used either a T4 or T5, or both in some instances. So the choice is large, and most if not all featured on Modeldecal sheets. But , being trainers, I always thought it appropriate to feature training units/OCU's etc., so The T5 would also appear in LTF markings or 226OCU/65(Shadow) Sqn markings and the T4 in 226OCU/145 (shadow) Sqn markings......... Having said that..The T4 I built all of those years ago was finished in 92 Sqn markings - with blue fin/spine etc., the best laid plans and all that eh? I will give it another go when Airix issue their F2a!!!

Thank you Brian & Jason, nice to know you're finding inspiration from this one, go for it on the Aeronavale Seafires as I for one will enjoy seeing them. Right, progress to date, made a stand. Lump of clear plastic that once served as a display for sunglasses covered in rumppled tinfoil and painted a couple shades of blue. A bladed bicycle spoke will hold the model aloft; Canopy sorted for detail and glued on; Then the hook glued into place; The photo I found showed I had the wing root colour demarcation wrong so that was carefully masked and corrected. A bit of weathering to blend it in again then I'm pretty much done;

Nice work

OK, so how did this get moved?? I thought a 1/16 build belonged in the 1/16 section?? Anyway, on with the wheels.. Here are the parts that make up each pair of roadwheels... You can see the phosphor bronze bearings on the left, they are as the kit provides. I have bought some ball bearings for the wheels, they are on the right... Here we can see the built wheels, ready for primer. If it's of any interest, the wheels are made of ABS, so require a strong cement to stick them. I went to the Gloucester show today, and Little cars.com provided me with a liquid cement called "Plastic-Weld". It claims to glue ABS, and certainly appears to do the job. I tried it out on some ABS sprue first.. Thanks for looking in Nige

Here's my final build thread for today. I've started on the 540 motors... I checked the mesh of the pinion gear with the spur gear, before assembling the gearbox halves,because Tamiya state 14mm from the end of the gear to the motor casing, but one of them needs to be more like 16mm to mesh correctly . The gearbox, fully assembled is quite a lump and weighs in at no less than 0.7 Kg!! These parts go to make up the output shafts, they drive the sprockets and bolt on the outside of the hull. Assembled... This kit is typically Tamiya quality. This has been a pleasure to build, complex enough to be interesting and simple enough for anyone to have a go at!! See y'all tomorrow. Nige

I know what you mean, but those steel arms are so expensive!! I think the pivots should also be replaced. I guess this one needs to stay on the carpet? So, on with the gearbox build... Here's the parts for the mainshaft... Here's the shaft all built up.. I've glued the bearings into the gears as they are not a tight fit, and it would be catastrophic if they spun in the gear.. don't ask me how I know... On to step 4 of the manual and we are building the layshaft.. Once again, all put together... Spur gears. These are driven by the motors and transfer the power to the gearbox. Finally, we can see the gears in the lower half of the gearbox casing. the casing is made of glass reinforced styrene. Very strong!! Check out Tamiya's website for details on this 'box works... very clever!! http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/56020leopard/ Bottom of page. Thanks for looking in Nige

oh SO tempted to buy this, have 4 different Mustang variants in 1/72 to build, I keep looking every time I go to Model Zone, but I know my missus would use my swann Morton #11 to remove my codlings

OK, the wings were fitted to the fuselages. And the F-4. I decided that, given the work I was puting into the rest of the model, I should really do something about the slats as used on the F-4S, which seem to differ from those on the Air Force versions. I used some lengths of airfoil shaped styrene strips glued underneath the leading edges of the wings and blended them in. They're a bit difficult to see but I hope they look the part. you can also see in the above photos that I have added some extra styrene to the inboard ends of the outboard slats. This was to give them the extension that takes the real ones past the wing fence and can be seen more clearly here. A look at how the ailerons came up. They're still not actually glued into a specific position yet. and some miscellaneous bits and pieces. Re-scribing the F-4's inner pylons. and after assembly. and the A-4's tanks and pylons. and that's how they stayed for a while. Cheers, Motty. The first real delay was because I really didn't feel like the next step which was fitting the etched cockpit sills and details supplied in the Hi-Grade F-4 kit. I finally had a short burst of enthusiasm and got them done a while ago. and painted. Note that between the unpainted and painted shots that I also got rid of the chunky, kit supplied HUD and have replaced it with the etched one from the airwaves set (I forgot it was on there). plus I summoned the courage to add the etched frames to the windscreen and center pillar. and, again, that was where they stayed for a very long time. Cheers, Motty. Soooo, what have I done lately? Well, the next big disincentives were; 1/ That I needed to mask the interior of the A-4's canopy (that internal framing was going to be just too visible to "rough" it), and I finally found some enthusiasm for it. with some of the internals fitted, including those four, tiny mirrors. and the outside done too. and 2/ The really big disincentive was the need to apply the Hi-Grade etched canopy frames to the inside of the F-4 canopies. Super glue and clear parts? Yuck! It wasn't going to be made any easier by the fact that the frames were made of separate parts and not just folded into shape. I thought it might be easier if I could sub-assemble parts of them off the canopies first, so I glued them together with a small piece of styrene strip to help reinforce the joint. I then had to thin these strips down so that the pieces would fit against the angled sides of the kit parts. There were also some white-metal parts to be added to the rear of both canopies too. Although it mostly went ok, I did end up with some super glue on the inside of one of the canopies so i had to sand and polish it out. But I think they came up ok. and then, of course, they had to be masked too. And here's everything after painting. The A-4 canopy with the internal masking removed and the center support assembly fitted along with two small instrument clusters at the front and middle of the top beam. and the F-4 canopies with their internal masking removed and a bit of dry brushing to highlight the details. And that's where I'm at right now. Let's see if I can keep it going for a bit longer? Cheers, Motty.