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Just last February I returned to this hobby after a very, very long absence. To refresh my skills, and learn some new ones, I began by taking on this old kit: and, after a few trials and tribulations, managed to achieve a pretty satisfying result: The Phantom is by far my favorite aircraft, and having finished a few other projects over the past year, I was in the mood to build another Rhino. This time, though, with a more modern kit! The particular aircraft I chose to model is a MiG killer from VF-114, the Aardvarks: WIP here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235031821-academy-172-f-4j-phantom-ii/ Enough jabbering! Time for the pics: That's all folks!

From first sprue cut to final finish, it took me 7 years to finish this state of art model kit with my extraordinary(!?) skills. You can find the WIP thread as well. It is far from being good (noticed the not symmetrical walkway decals?) but any way it is finished. What I liked about it: I finished it (a rare outcome for any model kit) I was able to rescribe it and turn the raised details to recessed. Not bad fit if you take into consideration how poorly the kit is molded. Every finished kit is another experience (and with this speed of improvement, I'll be able to make the model kit as I want to in 80-90 years ) What I haven't liked: Too much expectation which required skills beyond my reach Poor execution of good ideas Zillion of errors Short cuts and compromises taken to finish

My 1/72 Sword Spitfire Mk Vc Trop is completed. Markings are for MA292 flown by F/O Lawrence Weggery RNZAF of 615 Squadron RAF at Dohazari, India, Jan 1944. The markings are from the kit. I added IFF "cheese cutter" antennas from Uschi Superfine Thread. Prop and spinner are Quickboost. Also added some Eduard seatbelts and a resin dorsal ID light. Paints are from MRP and weathered with pastels and silver artists pencil.

The inspiration for this build was taken from a fantastic book showing the history of the famous Tangmere Airfield in West Sussex.Renowned for its role in WWII this historic airfield was built in 1917 and became operational in 1918. This build is based on a photograph showing a Ltd E Wilson 92Sqn stood next to a newly delivered Sopwith Dolphin waiting to be ferried across to France. It is so new that it doesn't have any squadron identification. Luckily for me Copper State Models have recently released a superb 1:48 scale Dolphin. I was able to buy the premium edition, which came with resin engine, photo etch and also metal cast exhausts. This kit is sublime, It is my first WWII subject and I thourghly enjoyed building it using my trust vallejo paints and ED Line for the rigging. I also purchased Copper States RAF airman to represent Ltd E Wilson along with Eduard Lewis guns (which is the only thing missing from the kit). The model is going to be part of my clubs build this year :101 (101 years of Tangmere Airfield).

Hi. I thought I would try something new and different to what I have done before. I have used leds and tried to display different eras of red arrows aircraft and liveries over the years. The smoke is made from cotton wool. First time I have ever done anything like this. All kits are 1/72 airfix. I am pleased with how it has turned out. All comments welcome. Thanks

And that's it...finally...have to admit that the kit is really challenging to build. I'm not the best modeller in the world but i'm quite satisfied of the result Now it's up to you

Latest build done with craft paints. Mark DSCN3028 (2) by mwsfly9, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4722/25398718507_8d7cddbed4_k.jpg]DSCN3040 (2) by mwsfly9, on FlickrDSCN3041 (2) by mwsfly9, on Flickr tps://flic.kr/p/24hxDw9][/url]DSCN3038 (2) by mwsfly9, on Flickr 2/https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4756/40225008012_40c88ff26f_k.jpg]DSCN3039 (2) by mwsfly9, on Flickr 224993172_345ab7389c_k.jpg[/img][/url]DSCN3037 (2) by mwsfly9, on Flickr c.kr/p/22ZbjrF][/url]DSCN3030 (3) by mwsfly9, on Flickr 39372096115_430f89736c_k.jpg[/img][/url]DSCN3034 (3) by mwsfly9, on Flickr 2Zbhtn]DSCN3029 (2)[/url] by mwsflyDSCN3035 (3) by mwsfly9, on Flickr 9, on Flickr https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4752/39372113735_0e5aa77ca1_k.jpg]DSCN3032 (3) by mwsfly9, on Flickr a8_k.jpg[/img][/url]DSCN3031 (3) by DSCN3033 (3) by mwsfly9, on Flickr ://www.flickr.com/photos/90631911@N03/]mwsfly9[/url], on Flickr

Danke Benedikt, sehr nett Grazie Giorgio, molto gentile Cheers spaddad, I think There's a tiny bit of flash on the inside of the other front of the fairing too: Once that was trimmed off the lower wing and nose could be glued on: ... and then the upper wings: Just the intake to stick on now, a bit of filler and then primer.

Hi, everybody! This time I present you the model of an ordinary airplane. I used additional etched set from Eduard, propeller from Quickbust and vacuum formed canopy from Rob Taurus. I made the antennas macht from copper bar, replaced all shock absorber plastic rods on metal rods, added navigation lights, made new Pitot tube, rolled riveting and etc.

Hi Lee, My advice, stay away from the Sky Model decals 48 - 043, wrong colours, wrong everything. Sky Model Decals 48-043 RNZAF F4U-1(A/D) Corsairs were never light grey, dark grey etc etc. RNZAF F4U-1 A and early D's were stock standard Corsairs delivered in USN 3 or 4 tone (which ever side of the street you choose). The only thing different were the RNZAF Pacific Roundel painted over the US Star. as per attached photo RNZAF Official - Used for Illustration purposes only What I'm a bout to say is probably going to wrinkle a few noses out of joint, but really I'm past caring There is a lot of stuff on the internet about WWII RNZAF aircraft, Corsairs in particular, which is just plain rubbish. This has either been started by some person or SAGE (Self Appointed Guru) that has read or heard some comment and "Chinese Whispers" later it become Gospel Truth" and perpetuated by all and sundry Point in case in the colours of the RNZAF Corsair Sky decals. I have modern colour photos (not mine) of What RNZAF "Faded" Roundels look like some 70 years later, and they look nothing like the Sky Models or even Ventura Sheet V4880. The Artistic rendition in your post is wrong also, colour of Roundels, as is the markings aft of the "Angry Donald Duck motif on NZ5277 - never existed. Continuing with my comments, as I have told folks on the Internet previous (especially those from a certain Geographical area who like to tell we Kiwi's what our Air Force did or did not look like) that not everything about the RNZAF is on the Internet either. I could write a long narrative on the Idiotic things I have read on the Internet which includes "Supposed" Know it all's who don't know it all Also People wanting their 15 seconds of fame by supplying wrong info to Decal manufactures (don't get me started). As far as finishes go please note the following for RNZAF Corsairs: F4U-1(a) US Navy 3 or 4 tone - some repainted after assembly in overall GSB Early F4U-1D - US Navy 3 or 4 Tone Later F4U-1D Overall GSB FG-1D Overall GSB Later Some F4u-1's (certainly A's) received an upper repaint such as these two F4U-1's in either Non Spec Sea Blue or GSB Incidentally NZ5350 -"Struggle Buggy" (F4U-1A) below is the subject of one of my Corsair builds RNZAF Official - Used for Illustration purposes The RNZAF Operated two fleets of Corsairs, one in the Forward areas of the Islands, the others in New Zealand as trainers. Obviously those that stayed in New Zealand F4U-1(A/D's) didn't weather as much The RNZAF Aircraft that flew off the forward areas, again weathered much more so - These aircraft flew off the same airstrips as US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft - so weathered much the same Below is a well weathered Corsair (F4U-1A), but note the Roundel - appears freshly painted/redone Dave Homewood (ex RNZAF) wrote in a conversation we had a bout RNZAF Roundels in the Pacific, that the SU (Servicing Unit) personnel would repaint the Roundels, as they were proud of their country markings, plus if the Roundels were fresh/redone, smaller chance of one of our erstwhile allies shooting at our aircraft/pilots as they did on occasion. Now the RNZAF Pacific Roundel was painted in paint made by BALM here in New Zealand, it was prone to fade or wear, and when it did, it looked like this Note the US Star underneath - I have yet to see an decal manufacture even show that on RNZAF Corsair markings. Posted above by Tony are the Ventura Decals. As a Kiwi I am ashamed to admit one of our own got it wrong - V4880, having said that we too have those in the Antipodes who get it wrong...... The other Ventura Sheet V4897, Pete Mossong who I consider the Kiwi expert on the RNZAF Corsair worked with Ventura to get it right - I would go with that. And in finishing, to stop the naysayers" From the RNZAF Museum, the colours of the RNZAF Pacific Roundel on NS Spec Sea Blue and Intermediate Blue - Stores Ref: 33b/164, B.A.L.M. Ref: S13-044, Description: Matt Blue Iden Colour Correct RNZAF Roundel colour Now a Caveat - I realize modellers can build what they like. To be honest if some one built a Kiwi Corsair with pink and red polka Dots and said that was "Their Take" on it, I would not be fussed. It's those who try to make out they know something about it and paint/mark their Corsairs like they have spent 20 years at the Rukuhia Graveyard, as being what our Corsairs really did look like - that gets me annoyed Thank you for asking, and I Hope the above helps Regards Alan

Hi first post for about six months. Have not had a great deal of time for building kits. This is the airfix 1/72 hurricane mk 1 which is a lovely kit. I have used aftermarket decals to represent the aircraft flown by A. Clowes. All comments good or bad most appreciated. Thanks

Here we go, the big reveal!!!! Before screwing the front frame and glass in, we got some pictures so we didn't have to deal with the reflections from the glass. One very happy and proud modeller, and so she should be; it's turned out great!!

Garn, The week nearly gone already and so little to show you since Sunday... The non-modelling 'pay-the-mortgage' part of life has been uber-busy of late, compounded by the fact that I've been fighting some variant of the dreaded lurgey flying aboot that's left me kernackered each evening has meant that this afternoon was the first point in proceedings that I've felt compost menthol enough to be let near sharp tools. As it is I confined myself to tidying up the outstanding transparency works up front of the Box. Being a paranoid sort of a cove where transparencies and glue are concerned I'd whipped the inside masking off a couple of nights back to check there'd been no disasters and was rewarded with a glimpse of purity (or as pure as scrap packaging can be...): As a ruleof thumb with this approach, if you can see the masking on the other side without any indications of glue blobs, fingerprints and all the other DNA traces of us that cling to our kits then it's a safe bet you're masking's been proof against the epoxy. Peeling back the outside masking earlier revealed similarly good results: Usually there's a film of excess epoxy spread across the outer masking panel itself (a far less frightening a proposition than it looks) which just needs some gentle and sensitive slicing around the edges to break the glue seal before peeling back gently with tweezers. The rubric is that if you're having to pull at all hard, put down the tweezers and tease the tape out a bit more with the scalpel - making sure the scalpel blade is always being moved in an outward direction away from the transparency to avoid scratching it at the last knockings. Pleasing clarity: From the inside: I photographed this stage before the final tidy in order to reassure anyone trying this approach that any of the remaining excess you see around the edges in the above couple of shots is easily cleaned back with the scalpel, whilst a final clean to remove any traces of remaining epoxy can be made with a small brush and some acetone. To avoid splashing acetone onto the bead around the edge and thus undoing all your hard work I found an angled makeup brush perfect to get into the slightly awkward recesses in a steady and controlled manner: The upper canopy is filthy already with my grubby mitts but that'll get a clean prior to masking up - all I wanted to do at this stage was a quick dry fir to see how all those new transparencies played off against each other: Certainly those new side transparencies match the actual aircraft a lot better than the kit parts regarding being flush with the aircraft skin: As well as superior clarity to see inside: Saving a final smarten-up around the beading, that task is now finished and we can move on. I've glued the yokes to the control columns now as well: The only remaining element in relation to the Pilot/IP area are the rudder pedals. You may recall a few pages back @keefr22, @perdu and myself rhapsodizing about Reheat etch. Well after umming and aahing I decided that their 1/72 'rudder pedals (modern & vintage)' set contained such a ringer for the Fairchild jobs that I transmitted some cash to a pleasant gentleman in California last night who was proferring same at reasonable rates on the Geltbay. He also had some Reheat FAA/RAF interior etch sets as well which fit nicely into future plans so a modest packet of brass should reach these shores by early March. In Dublin all day tomorrow but hope to have further progress to report back to you about on Saturday. Some great work happening around the forum these days - it's really buoys you up to see it when you can't get at your own stuff! Tony

Well I've been lurking on here for nearly three years only occasionally sticking my head above the parapet, so it's high time I contributed a bit more. For my first WIP I'm going back forty years or so to the first kit I built with Dad's help, or was I hindering him building it? Said kit was the venerable Airfix Wellington. I've no idea what happened to that model, nor another Wellington I made on my own a couple of years later. For most of the intervening years I've pottered around in the model railway world not really achieving that much. Three years ago though I fell off my bike and broke the top of my leg. Unable to direct my wife to the railway kits and bits in the shed down the garden I remembered how good a friend had said the new Airfix Spitfire was. Well it wasn't just the one Spitfire that was liberated from the LHS and my wallet has felt feint ever since. Coming up to date I purchased from an auction site a Wellington of similar vintage to the original one and with the upcoming release of a new version I thought it about time I got cracking with it. The intention is not to build a super realistic Wellington but hopefully have a reasonably competent bash at assembling the kit well. Opening the box showed that the plastic bag was still intact which was very pleasing to find. So with a bit of a James May moment I slashed my way into it. And it's still got its stand :-) That's where the initial joy ended. There are sink marks and flash all over the place. A degree of fettling will be required to get bits to fit, but that's part of the fun. The two biggest problems are probably going to be that the upper part of the port flap is slightly short shot and the port fuselage just in front of the bomb aimer's window is also. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the ribbing yet. It's a quite pronounced but vague in where it's going. Hopefully the sink mark remedial work won't obliterate it and I'll be to gently calm it down. I've seen some builds where it appears the ribbing has been removed and it doesn't look right. Airfix have provided some crew, though I'm not sure that Tie fighter pilots were acting as gunners during WWII The crew have all been cleaned up and had spears shoved up their ... ready for painting Much of the work over the last couple of days has been cleaning up the fuselage, turrets and glazing and then carrying out dry fits. The cockpit fitted relatively well and only needed lifting a bit on one side (it'll need plenty of filler though!). The bomb aimer's window and the front turret were both a bit wide so strips of plasticard have been added on one fuselage edge. I've also assembled the cockpit such as it is. Starting with this horror Thanks Airfix! And there's only one of them. Wimpey's seem to have been dual control. Cleaned up and looking a bit more like the real thing. With the jam jar glass of the cockpit not a lot will be visible anyway. And assembled The pilots and cockpit glass will hopefully hide much of the seat horror, though I must dust the filings off before taking future photos. Thanks for looking, comments are welcome - are the photos too large?

Hi all, No.2 in my planned ‘Battle of Britain’ 1/72 series - the rather nice Airfix Hurricane Mk I (fabric wing). The first offering was their equally nice (actually probably nicer even) new Stuka. I was waiting on a replacement canopy due to a slight overspray incident from Airfix. It’s just arrived as I write - very impressive customer service as it took 4 days from me submitting my request! So while that was on the back burner, I couldn’t resist dipping into the Hurri.. Extras are the beautiful Eduard interior set, canopy masks and camouflage masks (I’m a lazy builder). Additionally, I’ll be using decals from Xtradecal’s BoB 70th anniversary set. So far so good. The fit has been spot on and the Eduard set really brings the cockpit to life. Macro photography always highlights the flaws - and in this scale - it’s a nightmare! But I’ve done my best, and can only say I’m pleased with it in the flesh. I’ve managed to squeeze in a map so he doesn’t get lost - printed off the internet after being scaled down considerably: I really can’t take any credit for the instrument panel - it’s just the usual Eduard gem: The parts in situ: I’ve just closed her up and mounted the fuselage on the wings, the fit, again, is great. Just take care and time and it really slots together. I applied some filler along the edges, but it didn’t really need any, more of a just in case.. Thanks for looking, Guy

This is the Tamiya 1/48 F-4U Corsair finished in RNZAF colours from Xtradecal's RNZAF Corsair sheet. I was looking for something other than the kit scheme & I noticed this one. The pilot named it after my wife AND she's got blue eyes so the ideal Valentine's day gift. Weathered with oils, Flory washes & Mig pigments. (The kit, not the missus). Any comments, observations or criticisms welcome as always. Pete Thanks for looking.

My latest build - Forder`s Camel built OOB for a friend of mine. I`ve used elastic thread to imitate RFC wires. It was a pure joy apart from the cowling.

The last couple of pictures. A close up with the glass fitted, and hanging on the bedroom wall, and another with the proud owner in the bedroom.

Thanks Cookie - I'll have a think about the canopy templates, although of course they may be kit specific. I wonder how they differ? Thanks Giorgio - very kind, as always, and I think they're 'home' now Thanks Tony - I was going to make a silly joke about having to stop flagellating myself but then thought better of it; no point in beating myself up Go on, tell us the 'boiled kettle flex' story! File, fit, file, fit... would have been quicker to paint some Eduard half wheels in the end. Educational this site eh? Certainly taught me a lesson In better news the fuselage seams have vanished nicely after a scrape and sand off. Fit the wings. I know Cookie and Stew both had problem so I was very wary. I decided to try Stew's 'stick the back first' and found it was 'springy' because it was fouling on the bottom of the internals, so they got attacked with a dental burr in the Dremel: Dust in the canopy? That'll never happen (gulp). That done I spent a happy few minutes playing 'how do you keep an idiot busy all day' trying to line up the front. Then the back. Then the front. Turns out the front has sloping edges: so, if you clamp it, even lightly, it slips backwards. There was also a tiny bit of flash inside 'the overhang' that was messing up the fit - trimmed off. Now glued at the back a la Stew and drying before the front gets stuck:

Hi Gents. This is the superb Ki-61-Tei from Tamiya in 1/48th in the colors of the 19th Sentaï, an emergency unit swallowed by the God of War in the Philippines in 44. I have used pictures of real aircrafts of this unit to create the paint job, using the hair spray technic. All markings are mask made, and the tail markings touch up with a brush to simulate the hand paint job. Best regards. DSC_0001 by jean Barby, sur Flickr DSC_0002 by jean Barby, sur Flickr DSC_0003 by jean Barby, sur Flickr DSC_0004 by jean Barby, sur Flickr DSC_0005 by jean Barby, sur Flickr DSC_0001 by jean Barby, sur Flickr DSC_0002 by jean Barby, sur Flickr 1280px-Kawasaki_Ki-61_Hien_with_drop_tank by jean Barby, sur Flickr

Hi peeps This is my quick build of the Fujimi 1/72 Mig 21MF (Corrected SMT). I decided to look at my stash and build the kit that had been in it the longest and this was it. Built in 8 days using Tamiya acrylics.

Hiya Folks, After speaking to a few people at recent model shows I was asked to post my progress on the new Airfix Sea Fury,..... but I`m already at the painting stages so it isn`t a full build,...sorry! It is a beautiful kit with great detail but the thing which got me was the poor fitting cowling doors,....... they are narrower than the front and rear rings resulting in a step between them! I tried to compensate by leaving the joint between the upper and lower halves slightly more open than they should,.....filling in the resulting gap,....and sanding the front and rear rings to match,..... I was surprised at having to do this and hopefully some resin manufacturer will be along soon with a complete engine bay with opened doors. There has been a lot made about problems inthe tail area but I must have been lucky as all I discovered was a sink mark or two,..... although the part rivetted horizontal tailplanes did make me scratch my head,..... I`ll be sanding these down in a future build! Anyway,....here is the model so far,.....I`ll be finishing it in Royal Canadian Navy markings using decals from Mike Grant; DSCF2443 by Tony OToole, on Flickr DSCF2444 by Tony OToole, on Flickr DSCF2446 by Tony OToole, on Flickr Although it looks like I`ve glued the spinner sections together,....they have been dry fitted together,....sanded and then painted,.....I`ll be cracking them open again to fit the prop once I`ve added another coat of yellow to the prop tips. Cheers for now, Tony

Nobody's ever heard a Buccaneer in reheat, though they have been known to have the occasional engine fire.

PK-405 B-25H Mitchell brush painted with Humbrol and Revell acrylics. Thats it, over and out! Thanks for watching and for all taking part, its been a blast, Cheers Greg

Thank you very much!! Wish there was this much to go get shots of nowadays

All part of being a member of the Britmodeller family

#5/2018 When German bomber pilots converted to the 262, they started to train on old trainers and biplanes, then usually moved on to 109s before they got to fly the Schwalbe. Partly these 109s were also used for combat with the KG(J)s. Sadly there is only one pic of "white 4" that shows it after it was shot down. In earlier years this machine was designated as a G-10. But there is a partial Werknummer known which is from an Erla G-14 block. Then there is discussion if it´s a normal G-14 or a G-14/AS. My dad went for a G-14. On the pic you can see a sharp edged light grey quadrant on the fuselage side in front of the cockpit. https://translate.google.at/translate?hl=de&sl=cs&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leteckabadatelna.cz%2Fhavarie-a-sestrely%2Fdetail%2F534%2F&sandbox=1 That was usually the case when the bulge there was removed, either by mechanics or by force, like here: https://me109.info/display.php?from=site〈=de&auth=e&name=version_display&fotonummer=12757 Build thread here: Hasegawa kit with Cutting Edge decals, Gunze and Tamiya acrylics, EZ Line for antenna wire 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_0017 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0018 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr

I understand your apprehension, they are a little overscale, but let's be honest, it's a 70's Matchbox kit afterall. I did want to retain the rivets and took a gamble on the foil neutering the overscale. Again I was apprehensive too as they can look too plastic, especially at this scale. I think the larger the scale the better IMHO, but I'm still pleased with the effect. Roight up, sorry for the radio silence, but having extreme broadband aggravation with a certain three letter provider. Problem still not solved and all my fault apparently! Anyroad up I finally got some paint on the go – Humbrol metalcote polished aluminium which I feel looks like high speed silver (I reckon you need to spray it over gloss black and buff it to get a polished look. This just went on top of grey primer. Some Humbrol trainer yellow, then a few coats of klear on the silver only. I tried a few coats of klear on a test piece of bare metal foil and it does dull it a little. I will test with some gloss varnish, humbrol and Alclad. As you can see it is lovely and shiny. The plain silver and shiny aluminium have a nice contrast, which is the effect I'm after. The masking tape did pull a tad corner of the BMF off, but I burnished it back down. However, I will probably have to put a lick of cyano behind it so it stays in place. I will get some decals transfers on next (there aint many, no Phantom stencils for this dude fortunately). Then panel line wash, then more varnish, then the wings on, then rigging….on and on. Back soon, a certain annoying three letter internet provider and newspaper TV magnate permitting.

Giorgio, you could say that also in German: "Ced, das schaukelst Du schon nach Hause." so what's the italian phrase for that? Ced I have no doubt about that with this minor problem/issue. Cheers

This one is going to be right down to the wire... I will TRY to get 'er done.

Obviously you don't want unwanted pigments in a white finish Whisky will certainly add a little Jenny Say Kwah to a darker finish The younger generation, what are they like huh?

Yes it's a bit on the pale side. It started out too yellow but I think I overcompensated and took it too far the other way. It's better like this though since, like you say, I can warm it up with a few filters. I've started that process now and given the whole thing a light filter of ochre oil paint, together with a few pin washes of various AMMO and AK enamel washes. Before that I did some chipping with olive drab over the sand camo, and a bit of heavier chipping with dark brown on the crane and some of the damaged areas I'd added to the fenders. I'll let all this dry for a day or two then give it a light matt coat before doing any more weathering Andy

Hi guys, Valentine day was booked for my Treasure and thus no time for modelling tonight!!! Anyway as I got home from work, I found the Ark Family had grown!!! This one arrived this afternoon! Decals shouldn't be a problem, what surprises me a bit is the instrument panel's size which doesn't look like being the same scale on both sheets!!! Family shot! Only the Phantoms are missing. Good night!

The bolt blends in well with the background. The whole thing is very close to the big reveal in the frame, but I think you can all wait another day for that!! 😉

Perds can be seen in this image, surmounting a shoulder. Which shoulder, I leave it for you to decide.

Well, I was supposed to build the Italeri F-21A AKA Kfir C1 kit next, and I started it, but I was unhappy with the way the build was going and then there was a tragic solvent spill and all I was able to salvage was the interior. So I had to order another one and while I was at it I ordered DNModels' painting mask and canopy mask and while the new kit has arrived the masks won't get here until late January. In the mean time I decided to do a few quick builds. The first one is the Anigrand M2-F2 lifting body. I had previously build the HL-10, X24A and B, and the M2-F3 and since the differences between the M2-F2 and the M2-F3 are minor I figured that was enough. But the competist in my said I really had to do the M2-F2. The M2-F2 was what the designer, R. Dale Reed, called and "angry machine" and it had stability issues that lead to it crashing on landing, made famous by the Six Million Dollar Man TV show. In the real crash the pilot survived with the loss of an eye due to infection. There were no major issues with the kit. It has a nice interior, but since the Anigrand canopy is translucent at best with a lot of internal bubble, I didn't spend a lot of time on it. The body is divided into a top and bottom half and the top half is just a little too short in the rear, but that was fixed with a strip or styrene. The decals were excellent. From start to finish was 8 days. And here it is; Next I am going to be working on the Platz RQ-4B Global Hawk drone which has no canopy or interior to mess up Enjoy.

Hi guys. A small amount done on the Lanc but nothing worth showing. Pancakes and love hearts have soaked up all the time this week. I did get a grand valentines gift however. it’s got a Lancaster on the other side too. Also as I mentioned to Tomo I visited my new favorite shop it the city and found these little gems. It’s dangerous having that place so close to work. Fingers crossed for some weekend action. Have a wonderful Friday you lot. Johnny.

1/72 Italeri M4A1 Sherman Here is my first entry for this GB. Build thread is here. Built OOB, she is finished in Tamiya Olive drab, and the only identification Italeri give is "US Army, Normandy campaign 1944" And shot with my other entry, the Mirage Hobby 1/72 M3A1 Lee. All done!

NO NO John..it's 6 RN and 1 SAAF. Off for tea now

You just know they are secretly planning one as the next in their showcase 1/24 scale with options to have wings folded and all hanging out or "clean" as well as 4 decal options - 1 RN, 2 early RAF, 3 late RAF Germany/ Red Flag and 4 Gulf War lady Nurse is it time for tea yet..? I need to go for a P............................

The brain is an interesting thing, no? Did you ever see that internet thing that claimed we only need to see the first and last letters of a word in order to read and comprehend a sentence? Or something like that...I forget exactly what it was because they only included the first and last letters of each word. I did the same thing in Dayton. What makes it worse is that Kelly Johnson put the leading edge of the wing right near forehead level. @perdu beat me to it! Ah, Jenny...I think I dated her sister. Navy Bird does not mind. These are good diversions to take up the time when I'm not making much progress! I have to ask, though, if vodka and X-20A are substitutes, does this mean that you drink Tamiya if you run out of vodka? So, some experiments. I made up a wash using Gunze FS36495, and when applied to some panel lines it is virtually indistinguishable from the white paint. So I will need to make a darker one - I tried by adding a single drop of black to the light grey wash and it resulted in a wash that was too dark. Time to start over again - this time I added a drop or two of Medium Sea Grey to the FS36495 wash and I think this will be just want I want. I also did some random application of Gunze off-white, trying to follow the photos of XR220 and duplicate the areas where the finish looks aged and/or yellowed/dirty. No luck, this resulted in a very odd looking finish. I then sprayed over the top of that with a very thin mix of the base white to tone everything back down. I think my plan now is to do the panel line wash, and then pick out certain panels and the radome to do in a bright white and see if that adds some more interest. Cheers, Bill

Thanks Adrian A bit more detail painting, this 72nd stuff gets fiddly at this point. The black cables are a real nightmare. Dan

It's "Ced, lo porti a casa anche stavolta" Keep on keeping on, Ced Ciao

Cheers Roger Moving on to the smaller parts, main landing gear, cabin door and the sponson struts are now done. I've also masked up around the sea tray and filled in that bit. Cheers for looking Dan

I'm glad I was a little shook the community (I hope Navy Bird does not mind). Of course, acrylic is better to dilute X-20A, but vodka is also suitable, especially since we have a lot of it! )))

VEB PLASTICART - DDR , Ilyushin IL-18 1:100 , restoring project. First one in 2018. WIP here :

And a few of the lovely lamented Vulcan... 50 by jongwinnett, on Flickr 51 by jongwinnett, on Flickr 52 by jongwinnett, on Flickr Untitled by jongwinnett, on Flickr Untitled by jongwinnett, on Flickr

Thanks Keith Thanks Roger - very kind Thanks Will, you are a star! I've just checked the stash and sure enough, there are the Eduard 'half wheels' and also some Airfix 'wheels up' parts kindly donated by other BMers. Sadly I've only just read this after fighting with the parts for an hour or so. I'll try to remember next time. I am an idiot. In my single minded 'fix the KP' mode I thought 'get the doors flush, then fit the wheels underneath' I found I needed to remove the wheel bay detail: ... and still one door wasn't the right shape: Out with the sanders and I now have two flush doors: ... with gaps that will need to be filled, sanded and re-scribed: Half wheels. Airfix wheels up parts. What's wrong with my memory? Single minded, process driven idiot

The mounting bolt length was calculated and cut, and it was then painted white and yellow to blend with the background picture. It was glued into the Triplane with cyano and a white nut used to space the model from the backscene. The kennel and the Triplane mounted. We were getting excited now, the end was in sight!