Leaderboard

Hi, guys, Let me introduce, my last Lady - A-26B Invader in 1/72 scale. The Italery model is worth to be correct in terms of the fuselage width. The width was cut up to 3.5 mm and the Lade get much more shapely as it should be. A lot of other details were corrected and added: - the interior, including the bomb bay and weel bay was developed a lot using BigEd photoetched and scratch built parts. - the lines was corrected (get more narrow) and added with foil in some places. - it was riverted. - diving rudders were cut off. - resin R-2800 egines by Vector were added by some scratch built parts, - gear and bomb bay doores are from scratch - landing gear are from scratch - painted by Alclad II and Gunze metallics. With best regards!

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af273/snitok1983/IMG_8689_zpsqo0szvpj.jpg

Hi gentelmen! Please welcome another my work/ Not shure if thst load exist in a real life, but that looks SO BRUTAL!)))))))

This is the Wingnut Wings Bristol Fighter, what more can I say, beautiful kit in every way, challenging yes, but for all the right reasons. Built with no major mods other than some additional wiring and rigged in monofilament with the essential "Bobs Buckles" eyelets. This formed a welcome distraction from 1/400 aircraft carriers at the time !! Thank you for looking !

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor aircraft/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their respective air wings. The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record, and an absolute altitude record. During the Vietnam War, the F-4 was used extensively; it served as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, and became important in the ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U.S. fighter flown to attain ace status in the 20th century. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force had one pilot and two weapon systems officers (WSOs),and the US Navy had one pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO) become aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft. The F-4 continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 in the U.S. Air Force, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight demonstration teams: the USAF Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the US Navy Blue Angels (F-4J).The F-4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with five countries. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most numerous American supersonic. In 1979, the Checkerboards became the first 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing fighter squadron to deploy to the Western Pacific under the Unit Deployment Program (UDP). Since joining the UDP cycle, VMFA-312 has made five six-month deployments to the Western Pacific as well as participated in numerous training deployments around the United States. Upon completion of the first six-month UDP rotation, the Checkerboards became the first squadron to receive the F-4S variant of the Phantom, which incorporated leading edge slats as well as advanced radar. In July 1987, VMFA-312 retired its F-4 aircraft and transitioned to the F/A-18A Hornet. This is the Tamiya 1/32 kit, which is starting to show its age, not sure why they include the screws for fitting, but anyway, she went together rather painlessly I used resin ejector seats and engine pots, with quite a lot of Eduard brass in, the pilots were from PJ productions, again my thanks to Jenifer @ JS miniatures for the lighting rig, and programming the chip. Main decals were from the colourful F-4J phantoms, very nice, more than could be said for the kit decals, they were dread full, and I had to delve in to my spares box, good old spares The armaments were Eduard but only the sparrow and sidewinders, I was going to use the Eduard kit on the bombs but the kit sufficed nicely. She was all painted using Tamiya paints, Enjoy

This was my first in 2017. I finished at the end of January. It's a bad kit, but the dimensions are ok. I really wanted an "A" version on my shelf. The Stuka is one of my favorite WWII aircraft. I scratch the interior and I used an old PE set from Eduard (recommended for Italeri kits). I adjusted many things around the kit - pitot tubes, flaps links, rewrote lines, small rivets, and so on... I used Gunze acrylics. Thanks for watching. Cristian Zarichta.

Hello folks , this is an airplane that I always wished to model since I started this hobby and I am glad I chose the ICM kit for the purpose . Even though this kit is over a decade old and belongs to a period when ICM were making kits that are not known for fit of parts , the detail as well as fit of this particular kit is very good . It is a very small airplane , even smaller than the i-153/i-15 ! I weathered the model to depict a machine as maybe be found in a museum in its original paint job - I like to think of my cabinet as a mini museum haha I have also included a photo with the i-153 and i-15 , those two are ICM as well . Regards , Basu

Just a couple of recent completions. The Airfix Dakota IV is a pretty neat little kit with (for me anyway) near perfect fit. The kit supplies markings for a DanAir machine and a BOAC version in a camo finish but I liked the aluminium finish option on the Xtracdecal sheet so that's what I went with. Overall Alclad white aluminium. Very pleased with the result. Then the SH Tempest V 1/32. This was a bit of a trial, partly my fault (I really, REALLY hate invasion stripes as I cannot get a decent white paint laid down) but also the instructions. There is an awful error with parts numbering surrounding the front wall of the u/c bays. I tried my best to figure out the correct configuration, flipping back & forth through the pages & the various (supposedly) helpful diagrams but didn't realise my error until I came to fit the undercarriage itself. No shots therefore taken from the undersides; I'll remember this particular SNAFU when I come to build the Tempest II I have in the stash! I also had issues fitting the main u/c legs which seem to be designed to fit into "troughs" that are attached when building the bays. I actually wondered whether they were intended to "snap" into their locations but it was VERY tight & I didn't like to use to much force as I could see myself shattering the bays & ending up with the parts trapped inside the wings. A lot of sanding & I got them to fit but it was a hairy phase of the build. The nose is provided as separate halves into which the radiator assembly is fitted AFTER the two halves have been joined. Fit isn't great but it all looks fine once assembled. Normally I'd attach the halves of the nose to the respective main fuselage halves first to avoid any kind of stepped joint but I thought this would make it hard to attach the radiator assembly. I needn't have worried as the fit was spot on. Xtracolours & kit decals for "Bee" Beaumont's machine, 1944.

Nightmare kit with Aires resin seat, Eduard interior and their non fitting air intakes PE.

Hi all I am not sure why i bought this ugly bird....but as i started work on other drones, predator, raptor...it was somehow in line with this path. Easy to build, general very good fitting, simple, only issue is with wings in the root, where you need to be careful to align properly, simple color scheme just with different shades of some panels in gunship gray , minimal almost none weathering, some silvering after applying decals even with gloss finish and use of decal solvent solutions (at the end Tamiya ultra thin cement save the day).......and that was all......at the end only stayed to find enough place in the display cabinet for this beast. In general, not nice looking flying machine.....but somehow different. I hope you will like photos...but it is hard to expect with this ugly thing. Best regards to all

I have had this kit for so long, I cannot remember who gave it to me. For that I apologize...just in case you see this. It was a difficult build as parts were missing, and no real "instructions" were included. I searched the net for photos, and found one I would mimic. Built OOB (bag) and painted with MM enamels. Rigged with .005 Ethicon stainless steel wire. The wing roundels are replacements from a MicroScale sheet. The originals exploded in water. The rudder and side decals are from the kit. A three day build and #6 for the year.

Good evening, gentlemen! Few people know that in WWII, in addition to "Mosquito", took part in another one, mainly made from wood, twin-engine combat aircraft. It was the brainchild of world famous Dutch firm "Fokker", the designation "T.V.".

#4/2017 What the Versailles Treaty was for Germany, the St.Germain Treaty was for Austria after the end of WW1. Austria´s military wasn´t allowed to have a standing army bigger than 30.000 men, no heavy artillery, no tanks and no aircraft. Nevertheless, like Germany, Austria secretly formed a Fliegerkorps in 1927 with Austrian, British and German built aircraft. In 1928 the pilot training started, a technical infrastructure was built up and further aircraft ordered in Italy. The first of the latter ones arrived in 1933. Two Fliegerregiment were formed and stationed in Wien-Aspern and Graz-Thalerhof. And finally in 1936 the typical Austrian roundel was introduced. On April 22nd 1937 the Austrian Airforce ordered a single Bf108 which arrived in Wien-Aspern on July 27th 1937. In October 1937 a wing broke off during flight and the aircraft crsahed, killing all 4 crewmembers. Eduard kit (old black boxing), added handgrips on the roof and rudder joints from the sparebox. The aircraft was painted in blue, most likely Messerschmitt factory blue (RAL5008) so my dad made a selfmix. Wooden propeller from the Eduard Brassin line. The Luftwaffe style letter decals are from Fantasy Printshop. Couldn´t find the correct number style decals, especially in that small size, for the rudder, therefore used some US Navy style decals from Superscale. DSC_0001 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0002 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0003 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0004 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0005 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0006 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0007 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0008 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0009 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0010 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0011 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0012 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0013 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0014 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0015 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0016 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0017 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0018 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr

Finally finished my Soviet Winter Camo project. I was inspired to build this by the box top artwork. Trouble was I hadn't done anything like this before, so it was a bit trial and error to achieve a convincing worn and weathered temporary winter white camo. The model kit itself was easy enough, and did not present any particular problems. It looks like a Yak-7 to me, and I am reasonably happy with the end result. Thanks to those that offered help and advice along the way. Links to those threads. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234998914-yak-7b-soviet-winter-camo-finish/ http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235004627-soviet-winter-camo-weathering/ Hope you like it Thanks for looking.

Hiya Folks, I`ve always liked the Blenheim Mk.V and this 1/72nd MPM kit was built for the MTO GB, wearing the markings of 15 Sqn SAAF which used the type on anti shipping sorties from North Africa. It wears the Temperate Sea Scheme with white undersides which was also worn by Baltimore`s and Ventura`s carrying out the same role,....... the TSS was extended down the sides of the fuselage as the better known `coastal' scheme was disliked by crews operating over the Med as it made them stick out like sore thumbs from above against the blue sea and thus more vulnerable to fighters. As usual the model was mostly brush painted, with rattle can white applied to the undersides and Polly Scale Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey representing a slightly faded looking TSS. Humbrol enamel Gun Metal was used for the exhaust rings and other Humbrol enamels used for detail painting. A massive thanks to my mate Colin Burgess who sent me the excellent book `The Aegean Pirates' which is the wartime history of 15 Sqn as this provided most of the reference pics for this model. Here is the model; DSCF9747 by Tony OToole, on Flickr DSCF9748 by Tony OToole, on Flickr DSCF9752 by Tony OToole, on Flickr DSCF9763 by Tony OToole, on Flickr DSCF9769 by Tony OToole, on Flickr Here is the WIP; And here is one that I built a while back in desert colours,......I`m hoping to do another in SEAC markings! DSCF5398 by Tony OToole, on Flickr All the best Tony

And no build thread? For shame! I usually have a fair amount left on the fret at the end, but I recommend the seatbelts, instrument panel (be sure to sand down the face of the plastic part, it's far too thick with the PE on otherwise), carbuerator and radiator grilles, and that little "L" shaped doohickey in the starboard radiator. These all made a visible difference for me. Speaking of radiators, tonight was "radiator follies" here at Hedgehog Manor. It became increasingly and unpleasantly apparent to me that I'd reversed the radiator sides on the IXc late, causing the radiators to angle gently inwards in a way that managed to look subtly yet simultaneously spectacularly wrong. (How did this happen? Well: I'm an idiot.) With a little work (and a lot of cursing), I managed to remove the radiator bits, but they were in no shape to be reused: 20170216_234305 by Edward IX, on Flickr Those were the only bits that came off even partially intact. They left a lot of themselves in place. No fear, though, because I had [PRODUCT PLACEMENT] a Mission Models micro-chisel! 20170216_234311 by Edward IX, on Flickr I bought it on a whim from Spruebrothers when it was on sale (I am genetically incapable of resisting even a nominally good deal; it's a family curse, which is why I was out picking up a serger from some random lady half a mile from me at the behest of my mother, who saw it was being sold on Facebook for $30), and it's turned out to be amazingly useful. I was able to clean out the recessed mounting points, add the photoetch I'd failed to add before, and loot one of my overtrees for new radiator parts. (Which means now I have to find more radiator parts to turn that into a Spitfire as well -- hopefully someone will do resin rads or something). ' Presto! Good as new: 20170216_234222 by Edward IX, on Flickr No other masking got done as a result of this, so we're slipping a bit behind. Tomorrow night I have to clean the house so that when Mrs P gets home on Saturday she can complain about how it's not as clean as she'd like and how tired she is after a week-long vacation in a sunny paradise while I was just gamboling about at work. Don't I look refreshed to you? 2017-02-17_12-09-18 by Edward IX, on Flickr

It took 13 months to build this old kit..but mainly due to my lack of free time Thanks for looking!

Hi, I built this for the NATO GB so thought I'd post it in the RFI WIP is HERE if you are interested Hope you like her Cheers

I applied the Eduard masks to the B339C canopy: I need to consider the order of assembly/masking for the F2A-3 canopy which has the telescopic-type gunsight projecting through the windscreen. Hopefully I can get that done tonight or tomorrow, and get the primer applied on Sunday... Cheers, Stew

Thanks guys! I have a few moments while I decide, er, if bed is safe or not so I thought I'd sit quietly (for a change) and post a bit. Thanks Simon - Picolax I have had before but this time it's 'Moviprep'. Sounds like getting ready for a blockbuster and it's not far off! Sorry, am I 'sharing' too much? The new stuff tastes better BUT (and it's a big but) you have to drink a litre of the stuff, plus 500ml of water over 60-90 minutes, have a rest for a couple of hours, and then drink another litre with 500ml of water. Actually water or 'clear fluid' so I decided G&T would be a good substitute for the second round. All this means I've consumed over 3 litres of fluid this evening. That's, like, five pints! Just about my maximum nowadays, even on a good night! PC I'm afraid that made me laugh, a lot, and was shared with Mrs B. Great story and I sympathise - probably more with the family! I hope the house had more than one 'bathroom'! Thanks Stew - 'Oof' is very appropriate... but the sedation is actually a nice experience and probably the best rest I get nowadays - I always apologise in advance for any snoring! Thanks Rob - safe as houses, no worries. Thanks Benedikt! I love that phrase, mainly because it sounds like it has a rude English (and appropriate) word at the end. You're right though, bowel cancer monitoring is very effective and I would recommend it to anyone 'at risk'. They found a couple of polyps on my first one which they removed; apparently they also tattoo the area after removal so they can check again later. Yes, I have tattoos! Not that they get seen very often... I had sort of hoped for a Dolphin but hey, needs must. Thanks Tony - my nacelles should be OK, it's the exhausts I'm worried about! Thumbs up? Sadly, a little larger than that (but it did remind me about the great job you did on Mo's!) Thanks Keith and John for the kind wishes Thanks Ian - I greatly admire your ability to maintain a sense of humour in such situations! Kindly, they keep the 'scopes in a tank out of sight but I have 'handled one' in the past and they're, how can you put it, not the sort of thing you'd want to see coming up behind you. Especially when wearing a hospital gown. So that's me safely off to bed - hopefully! Thanks again chaps

Hello, just few weeks ago i finished Su-27 from Academy. I used HDL Decals, Eduard Pe set, Correct Nose from QB and Pavla K-36M Zvezda, also i added a wires on landing gears and wheelbays. Just like always my Su-27 has got few mistakes (i broken canopy, the color and paint scheme are incorrect. Another mistake is incorrect Nose paint scheme (it should be straight, and i made paint it curve). I hope you will enjoy.

Hi All, Next finished build is the Revell P-47 built from the box and using the box image option of 'Balls Out'. Its a really nice kit to be honest, the shape is a bit off with the belly being too low. the rest of it is very nicely detailed. She was finished using citadel paints and a brush, variation on the NMF was done using two shades of metal paint and washes. weathering was done using pastels, these were also used to de-saturate the transfers so the colour wasn't too stark, fuel staining was done with citadel washes... all applied with a good paint brush. Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr (that Bull was a complete git! ) Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr and here is 2017 so far (wild cat nearly there) Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr WIP Here comments etc welcome Cheers Rob

It has been a couple of years or more since I last did a "What-If" but here is one I have just finished for a "What-If" GB. It is a conversion of the Airfix 1/600 RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 to a "Harrier Carrier". The background story is that the Falklands Conflict did not end with the surrender of the Argentine forces on the Falklands but it became a much longer war with Argentina. The Royal Navy found itself in need of more amphibious ships and aircraft carriers. HMS Bulwark was to be brought out of mothballs and recomissioned as a stop-gap but due to her age and poor condition of her hull it was necessary to find another way to fill the gap. It was decided that the QE2 would be dropped from it's role as troopship and converted to a "Harrier Carrier" but with an amphibious dock at the stern. The conversion entails removing all decks above the weather deck, building an island to starboard, building sponsons either side, with davits on the starboard side for landing craft, cutting out a stern dock and fitting a flight deck with lifts. White metal Harriers and helicopters came from Tumbling Dice. Landing craft were made from plastic card and apart from the Airfix QE2 there are parts from another six Airfix kits. Dave

thanks folks been a bit quiet as my camera has had it so not many in progress pics but I have been busy ..the battery dies in 30 secs, none of the menu's come up or if they do commands aren't accepted so I have a replacement on order (it's only a cheap Sony cybershot)..I did manage to coax it into life today (albeit on the wrong picture setting) to take a few shots of what I have been up to.. ..the bulkhead that goes below the IP was finished with some details.. ..then I painted & attatched it - I also made the compass mount and painted the compass so this main bulkhead with IP is nearly done.. ..then more painting (or what I like to call great opportunities to screw up all my work...), by painting the rear bulkhead frame, the fuel tank and the seat & frame... ..the seat was a challenge as not only is the colour quite hard to mix, but the tonal variations in the bakelite and wear on it, so I tried some shade & highlights and actually am pretty chuffed with how it turned out... ..I also test fitted it all in the cockpit plug, and made sure that all fits into the airframe.. ..no small matter of the port sidewall to start now - made complicated by the cockpit hatch - if I cut this out of the plug it will not only weaken it disasterously, but also lead to it losing it's form.. I may need to partial cut it or something, or cut it but add external braces like they do when they strip cars of their body panels.. ..back soon, hopefully with a new camera TTFN Peter

Czech T-72 (Tamiya - 1:35) This is my first entry. I hadn't planned on a second but I've completed this way ahead of schedule so it's a great excuse to build something else I based this on a photo that Helios16V provided me a link to in the GB Chat - Just not as clean!! WIP is HERE Hope you like her Cheers Nigel

And she's done! Not my best effort but happy to have finished it. Will post some more pics in the Gallery later. As far as builds go, I found the Kinetic kit really fiddly and frustrating to put together. I missed the simplicity and ease of the Revell 1/72 F-16s. And here she is with the other F-16s I've built over the past couple of years (both Revell) Good luck with your builds and thanks for all your comments and support. And cheers to Enzo and Rich for hosting! Dermot

She's finally done! It took only 11 monthsIt's the ancient Academy kit, which I still believe is far more accurate in terms of the overall shape than the modern HobbyBoss one. Aftermarket goodies: Verlinden cockpit (modified according the F version) and AN/ALQ-131 Paragon flaps & slats FlightPath Pave Tack Master pitot tube Eduard GBU's, some of the photoetched details NorthStar wheels Afterburner decals Made of scratch: gear bays, bomb bay, doors, wheel legs, nozzles, Pave Tack cradle, blah blah... Cheers from Czech rep. Andrew F-111F Miss Liberty II, No.70-2390, 48th TFW flagship, Col Tom Lennon

Hello again everyone. Another quick update for today... Now that the rear door is open, there's quite a lot of stuff that needs to go inside the rear fuselage to make it look 'busy'. Firstly I added some pipework to the port side, as well as the rear bulkhead over the tailplane spars: and then the flare chute, Elsan, and ammunition track, with its motor: I also thought I'd have a go at making some photoflash flares: These have been added, along with a parachute, light, oil tanks for the upper turret and couple more odds and ends: Meanwhile, on the starboard side... I've also added a few bits so far for the starboard side - so yes, a carrier pigeon cage, plus first aid box and a step: More again soon... Simon

Here's my build, from Kinetic in 1/72. Full build thread is here but to recap: Kit: Kinetic 1/72 F-16I Sufa Build: Airframe and decals OOB Extras: Pilots from Revell, LGB's from Hasegawa weapons set 6. Static discharger-thingys from toothbrush (I broke the kit ones!) Paints: Halfords primer from a can. Revell Acrylics. Klear, Flory Models Wash, W&N Matt coat all by hairy stick. Thanks for looking! All the best, Dermot

OK - So she's done - Hope you like her. I'll pop her in the gallery in a while. Thanks for all the help and support. Especially Sarge re. the painting &weathering and Helios16V for providing the link to the photo that she's based upon. So appreciated

Hi all I've just finished this 1/48 Revell B-17G in the famous nine O nine 😀 Here we go a few more added thank you for the help Clive 👍🏻😀

I don't know what i was worried about! its molded in white plastic... All i will need to do is paint the grey on top and whack the transfers on Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr the detail looks pretty good to me, but the flash is fairly prolific, nothing that cant be sorted carefully mind. this is not so go! Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr the rest is fine however wont be used as all but the rear and top turret with be replaced by vacforms. the transfer sheet is below, a few used in Mr P (very nice! ) B-24 build. Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr So far all I have done is google B-24 interiors which appear to be a mix of Bronze and interior greens, so I have painted it green and will use a lighter shade to bring out the detail once assembled and paint the anti slip mats further back (CP doesn't appear to have any?? ) Untitled by robert mulvey, on Flickr Cheers all Rob

One of the latest Eduard's kit. A real pleasure to build. Rendition of a Jabo of the 10.JG2 (F. Liesendahl) for a forecoming issue of Wingmasters. Cheers Pierre

Oh dear - what have I done?? I thought I'd build a second entry, this time from the air and from the other side of the fence. This turned up in the post yesterday and I can't believe the size of it!! Oh well, in for a penny..................... I'm going to see what aftermarket goodies I can pick up without making it too complicated.

First Bandai kit built. Bought for my Christmas from my Kids. Fantastic build, so good I bought a Stormtrooper to keep him company.

Amazing how much a bit of marking makes the model start to come alive.

Now that I've successfully 'borrowed' Mrs B's pot of the Galeria stuff, I'm going to give it an outing TT. Thanks for bolstering my confidence about the stuff. Or not.... Just out of curiosity Keith, were you airbrushing the stuff over a layer of Klear. I'm going to have some of that on for decalling, washes etc. so alert to the possibility of a reaction that may (or may not) occur between the two. 'Thank you young man.' There. That was my Bryan Clough impression... Bloody paparazzi. It's entrapment Ced. Have no truck with it! A little progress to report this evening after work. Interior green on the various remaining interior surfaces and fold parts: Once that went on this suddenly starting looking nearer to completion than I anticipated: I've left the negative space in the fuselage that the triangular torsion fairing folds into the same colour as the surrounding fuselage markings, as from various reference photos I'm not at all convinced that region should also be interior green, as I've seen done on some models. Here - you haven't seen this region in some time: I couldn't resist sticking the engine in there earlier and it looked the absolute business (he said with disgraceful immodesty): But you'll just have to wait a wee while longer to see that sublime conjunction later on. I did notice that unsightly gap at the bottom of the firewall that I'd cheerfully forgotten about - that's been filled and I'll give it a lick of green tomorrow before the Klear goes on. Sweet dreams: Tony

...a-a-a-a-and here we go. This time round I am not proposing to post anything like so many progress shots of the rivets; you've seen it all before. I will show you when sections are finished, but if I document the process in such detail as last time my page count will explode the Mods' heads! But, for the record, here is the start of the (final??) riveting process. It is built on a bed of lacquer (Mr Color) paint, which is far more durable and thus ought not to peel off so readily when the carrier film is removed. once it is all in place there will be a coat of varnish on top to protect things, and then some weathering to tone things down. The major markings (roundels, side numbers) are going to be painted on using a set of Maketar masks that arrived yesterday, since that will allow the rivets to continue across them too, which they do in real life. I am convinced this will give me the look I have been after all this time - and frankly if it doesn't I am running with it anyway, or I will never finish this cab! So here you are: Phase 2 of the madness re-commenced here today.

Hello! This is one of my model. This model illustrates the plane from the movie " Hot Shots! " it's very small model, but assembly was not easy because of my carelessness and negligence I used MR color paints. Weathering- oil dots and washes. Decal from Special Hobby kit.

Markings begin: P.S. It doesn't look as "pink" as this in real life.

Yes Edward, that is definitely the thousand-yard stare of a refreshed man Good recovery on the radiators mate. Not sure if anyone will be making any resin radiators any time soon, but you never know. Maybe by the time the next Eduard Spitfire variant comes out you could just get a couple more sets of overtrees thrown in (by rights, for free as well, given the amount of trade you have put Eduard's way over the last six months which might have artificially skewed the Czech Republic's GDP for the year ) Cheers, Stew

PC.....It's fellas like you that give me confidence that the USA will actually achieve it's full promise one day. I mean.....You actually know where another country is (possibly more than one) and understand that it can be different, yet still worthy of respect (So much so that AFAIK you've never suggested bombing us even a little bit! ). That makes you quite exceptional IMHO. (Apologies in advance to anyone thin-skinned enough to be offended by this.....Not very sincere ones TBH, but there you are.)

John, Based on the logbook extracts you've put up, your father flew the following Thunderbolts with 79 Squadron, KL338 NV-Z, P-47D-30-RE. Overall NMF with blue theatre ID bands and dorsal fin. KL206 NV-B, P-47D-30-RE. Dark Earth, Dark Green, Medium Sea Grey with white theatre ID bands. Interestingly, the white band on the fin continues onto the fin, the only a/c in the line up picture to do so. Highly likely that the stripes on the tailplanes would also continue across the control surfaces based on other images, however it can't be made out for definite on the line up one. KJ355 NV-X, P-47D-30-RE. Finish as KL206, except white ID bands don't continue onto elevators or rudder. Difficult to be certain, but I think that aircraft is also in the line up image on P37, two past the silver NV-Z. Regards, Mark.

Including overtrees. I have three Royal boxings, two XVI combos, three VIII combos, four overtrees, two IXc early, and three IXc late. So 31, plus three built and four building. The Spitfire IX is my favourite airplane...no, my favourite thing in the world. I think it's the most beautiful airplane ever to have flown, and it was one of the greatest moments of my life to see one fly for the first time. One of my favourite Churchill quotes is "All the greatest things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: Freedom; Justice; Honour; Duty; Mercy; Hope." I know it's corny, but those're what come to mind when I see the Spitfire IX. I knew I loved it the moment I first saw it. It was everything to me as a troublesome, erratic little boy three thousand miles and fifty years from where it came into the world. "I have a love in my life...it makes me stronger than anything you can imagine." Parts of my life have been really weird and unpleasant. Everyone has their own lodestar, and this is mine.

Tony, still thinking through options but am favouring a British United scheme. Thanks Dave, see some before but there's enough there to cobble something together. Thanks Ced, managed a cockpit, see below. At the rate you complete builds you will have done another 10 before I finish this! Glad you like it Olli, more to come... I wanted the Airmodel conversion but couldn't get one, perhaps a good thing as I would have been tempted to have the doors open which would men loads of internal detailing. I've seen some stills from the film but wonder if it is a Mark 21 interior? Mine is generic Freighter! A little update.. I now have a cockpit, enough detail I think for the limited view in and probably not entirely accurate. When pushed into the fuselage not so much is visible. This is my current thoughts on colour scheme, it has to be something that I can produce decals for, I think from some trials I can trace the Bristol logo using AutoCAD and colour the background. Don't suppose anyone knows if the British United lettering is a known font? More soon....

Hi all, A big thank you to those of you who have replied; I appreciate the kind words all around. Right then, off we go on Part 6. I made a couple of different tries to make pieces for the nose of the ship and the canopies. Some Y-wing models have a fairly flat lower nose, looking from front to back. I discovered that this is one reason that fitting a full pilot in them is an issue- not enough depth. Based on my overall goals for the build, I found that I could create a little more "headroom" in the cockpit by giving the bottom of the nose a compound curve (side to side and front to back); the top piece already has this type of curvature. I tried to shape sheet plastic by hand but found it does not like to bend smoothly in two directions at room temperature. In the end, I used basswood to carve a separate top and bottom; the amount of curve and the dimensions at the front of the nose section dictated two different pieces. I then carved the canopy and made vacuform pieces. Here are the masters: And here are the vacuformed pieces. This picture shows the cutout for the cockpit; I placed the clear canopy in position and drew the outer shape, then marked the inside dimensions and cut the opening out. I also added strips of .020" rod, inset enough from the outline of the canopy to butt up next to the inside of the canopy; this will give me some gluing surface to work with when the time comes. The lower nose has openings for the proton torpedoes. The openings are there for tubes for the weapons, so I laid out where each tube would be placed, made the cut-outs, and glued plastic tubing into the lower nose piece. This took a lot of trial and error, plus a lot of filling and sanding to achieve the final shape. I painted the interior of the tubes black and glued in a piece of sprue to simulate the little torpedoes; if you shine a light in there you might just see them- but mainly, there is a real tube there just as a “real” Y-wing would have. I spent some time thinking about the relationships between the locations for the cockpit tub, the two laser cannons, and the torpedo tubes. Based on the Incredible Cross Sections images for the Y-wing, there is room for the cannons to run just outside the lower cockpit tub, and the tubes for the torpedoes are just outside that. I was quite pleased to find this is possible even though it is not obvious in the completed model, nor will anyone else even notice; but I know there is a workable spacing of components in there! Here is a picture I took much more recently; you can see the torpedo tube from the inside. The vertical pieces are part of the original tub for the vehicle; the cockpit tub will sit inside of that. Finally, here is a shot of the underside of the entire fuselage. You can see the torpedo tube openings and scribing on the lower nose. Also note the lower assembly I built for the neck section; it is not glued in but I wanted to include it for this picture. I am working on the rear section of the fuselage (where the hyper motivator sits), then it's back to the nose to get the cockpit finished and the nose itself put together. Cheers all, Jim

Thx gents. A small construction update. The reconstruction of the headlight behind the glass in the nose and the strengthening of the main wing. I used a screw. The head is drilled and then a little rose painted. Then it is covered with a clear lens (from the sparebox). The pictures do not show it super clear. But I hope that after the painting of the nose section the headlamp is noticeable better. I also mounted an aluminium profile from the hardware store on the roof. Because of the large wing span and on top of that, the weight of the tails. The impact is huge. I am happy with that.

Hi to all, we had very long meeting with our German distributor this afternoon, so I am a little bit late. I promised to show you the first photos of Chipmunk master. So you can follow the link - http://www.modelarovo.cz/dhc-1-chipmunk-172-az-model-master/ And, to avoid many questions - the kit will be for the first time in sale on 18th March 2017. Immediately after this date it will target the distribution network.

I've been asked how I've cramed all the lighting bits in there so rather than explaining with just words I've pulled it apart and taken a few shots. Bandai have done such a great job with this kit that it's an easy exercise to disassemble and reassemble at will. Here's the battery access in case I need to replace the batteries. This is the general wire layout. Just a simple parallel circuit. Battery holder is just a few bits of styrene glued into a box. Led fits inside a hole drilled on part B8. I hope you can see the areas I needed to cut away so the wires can thread through. Switch is hidden next to right gun mounting point. I use tweezers to turn it on and off. Put it back together and everything stills works.