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Many thanks are owed to the West Glamorgan Model Club for once again ripping me out of my comfort zone ! RAF Centenary competition time and very little in the stash that I could stick an RAF cheatline onto! As a result, I resorted to building the 1/72 Revell Lancaster using an Eduard etched set for the interior, replacement CMK wheels and Quickboost gun barrels, and finishing it off with markings from an Xtradecal sheet. Job done : I did have a go at correcting the kit's wing dihedral and I couldn't resist the temptation to use Mrs M's hairdryer on the props ! Standard 4 x 4 walkaround : ...with a side profile to end off : Brought back happy memories of the Airfix Lancaster that my dad built, when I was a lot younger than I am now. Thanks for looking. mike

It is my last built: an Airfix Dornier Do17Z - 3U+FU Libya 1941. This kit has some difficulty and wrong panel lines. I adjusted some points and rivet all skin. I used Tamiya mixes. Cheers!

Hello This has been a long term project, started before digital cameras were available... (as my first photos of the Frog fuselage and wings were taken with a 35m camera). A mate gave me his KMC detail set for the interior and to fold the wings, combination of resin and p/e, the decals came from Eagle Strike and did not take kindly to my unvarnished paint work!! The KMC is actually meant for the much better Hasegawa kit... but I wanted to do a RN FAA Avenger/Tarpon and believed the Frog kit would be more accurate!! Doh etc.... it was like trying to fir the proverbial square peg in a round hole... a very poor decision on my part and a waste of a lovely detail set on a rough old kit!!! Now I remember looking back that the wing parts were not fully molded and required a lot of either filler or plastic card and elbow grease by the gallons: The lovely resin interior: The replacement tail area: More of the interior: It was the folded wings that sold it for me.. er but what a job!! But I digress.. the Frog engine and cowling were molded as one but I decided to use an old Airfix engine from their Avenger... actually it fitted quite well!! Can't recall but I think the canopy also came from an old Airfix kit and with a bit of cleaning up worked okay..: Anyway this is the finished beats... port folded wing unfolded twice, tail wheel refused to glue with liquid cement so I super glued it... and the turret assembly came lose in the assembled fuselage... The wings took a lot of super glue and pva to stay in place.. I tried to hide the glue wherever I could....excuse the pun but a sticky problem.. I was motivated to complete this model for a club display at a local model show, a modelling mate and I put together a display of carrier types for our club... all these in this photo were by my fellow conspirator! This is my small collection: Then in to the display cabinet at home: High Planes Sea Fury, Rareplanes Fulmar, Airfix Firefly (RAN markings) and Airfix Swordfish!

Hello mates, Here part two-seater kit built in 1979. Microscale decals again are perfect as new, top quality after so many years! I cleaned it and polished the glass.... Cheers,Tom

I'd like to say I'm back....but I have the feeling I'm just making a guest appearance..... Zvezda 737-800 kit finished with 8aDecs decals : Standard 4 x4 walkaround : ...and here it is with the original : I think AA have done a pretty good job with the new markings Thanks for looking - Mike

Just finished - after a bit of a fight - the latest 'BIG MiG' from Modelsvit........ the MiG E-152-1.... Usual fare from Modelsvit - excellent panel detail, large sprue gates, superb decal sheet, canopy masks and etched fret - a complete package. I had trouble getting the fuselage halves to close up around the cockpit/intake trunking - but won in the end. The dummy K-9 missile are painted to look like AIM-7 Sparrows. Business end of the massive Tumanskiy R-15-300 turbojet. This latest MiG joins my others in this range of huge MiG interceptors from Modelsvit.... More photos and the parts sprues are here.. Ken

Morning All, With the release of the new Revell Beaufighter there seems to have been a steady stream of them lately, so as I've not done a RFI in this section I thought I'd join in! This is the classic Tamiya 1/48 kit. No real fit issues apart from ones I created myself, like having the wheel bays closed. Paints are a mix of Vallejo and Tamiya, I scratched up some extra aerials here and there and got some plain while markings for MB T, I don't think it's right but I prefer the look to the yellow or red options. All comments, criticism and advice welcome. I should have said at the beginning that this is my first attempt at a 1/48 model, working on the Tamiya Spitfire mk vb and the Special Hobby Seafire at the moment so it won't be my last. And a couple of edited pics just for fun. Hope you like em. Geoff

Sorry for never updating some people in 2016 when i finished the build had some stuff going on and had to put it into storage. This was my first build where i'd follwed instructions, used photo etch and got myself an airbrush, every build before that was a slapstick job with brush paints and not much care and attention, this took me about 100 hours to finish. That might seem an awful lot to some but for me it came out how i wanted it. I've got all the supplies out again and im decided if i should do the kinetic su-33 or my airfix 1:24 hawker typhoon(apparently the typhoon is a looooong build)

What went wrong,yes I wanted to buy a 1/35Citroen on line and ended up with a 1/48 instead,I thought it was to cheap(O,well no fool like an old fool),so to salvage something out of this mistake I made this simple Dio,the Citroen is Tamiya and the figures are the Tamiya maintenance crew,I modified some a little,nothing ground braking just a fun build.Cheers.

Hi guys posting a few more rail guns. This railgun is from a resin kit, the amo wagon is scratch built, hand rails were remade along with other alterations on kit ,the black lines on camo were painted by hand. The dio depicts the gun being set up for firing, a pit was was dug and all braced to take barrel recoil,(see last photo) the gun was then shunted oved pit lowered on to bracing then bogies moved away ready for firing.

When choosing a subject for the Classic Airfix Group Build, I wanted something a little unusual and outside my normal fighter/bomber related build themes. Looking over Airfix's extensive back catalogue of kits a couple of 'different' aircraft sprang to mind - the Short Skyvan of 1974 and the DHC Beaver first kitted way back in 1971. The Skyvan proved to be an elusive kit to find (since addressed), however the Beaver happened to fall into my hands at a local swap meet I attended about two weeks before this GB started. So finally, here is my completed and slightly modified Beaver kit. It took me longer than planned and there are some bits that I'm not exactly happy with, however it's another finished kit thanks to BM's fantastic Group Build programme and the many supporting members that take part. Now for those of you that have not participated in a BM GB as yet, I cannot encourage you all enough to just have a go and get involved. I'm one of those procrastinating modellers that really struggled to get any kit finished, however can now boast six completed kits this year and hopefully another two to go before this year is out. Anyway, here is a link to the full WIP thread and a few progress and final photos added for your viewing below. Cheers and thanks.. Dave (p.s - aren't we glad that this ugly 'Standing Roo' roundel was soon replaced with the more familiar hopping Roo!!). .... and the real A95-201.

I have managed to finish some old kits this summer. Boeing 727-200 A rather quick build. Less than two month. Decals from 26 decals. Well not a Swedish plane but Denmark is close enough. I have wanted a Sterling 727 since the 1970's and finally I have one. The Caravelle's wasn't as fast to build. I thing that I started on them around 2006. Decals from F-DCAL But I should have bought new engines for it but I didn't want to dig in to references so I built it out of the box. Not a Swedish plane but it says SAS on the side. Good enough for me. I think these decals came from F-DCAL as well. Thai Airways International was founded in 1960 as a joint venture between Thailand's domestic carrier, Thai Airways Company (TAC) and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) In 1977 the Thai Government bought out SAS and THAI became fully owned by the Thai government. I had built this Air France plane back in 2006 and after I had finished it I found decals for SAS and Thai so I had to buy more kits. Built straight out of the box with the decals supplied in the kit.

Old Japanese Seaview kit I got pretty cheap from E-Bay about four years ago,its pretty inaccurate,but it looks enough like the Seaview for me to be reasonably happy with it. Cheers Andy

Well. Finished one of my Aurora kit restorations. This one is the 1/72nd Cessna 337 as a Canadian Coast Guard operated example. Decals by JBOT. The boom stripes, de icer boots and flap, aileron elevator 'hinge lines' are all from my stock of decal stripes. The red paint is Humbrol Crimson with a dash of red t match the deep red of the stripe decals. Not a lot of wrok involved in doing this rebuild, just Mr Muscle oven cleaner for paint stripping a little repair and rebuild. First a couple images of the rebuild in progress... And the finished article.... The fine black lines to the control surfaces are to depict the hinge points as the kit recessed lines were very feint and lost under the pain. With the help of my Airfix O-2 and 1/72nd scale planes direct from Cessna many years ago that I found in my acive of 'stuff' I was able to place te decals reasonably accurately. Could do a bit more though. Also, some detail refinements could or should have been added like the exhausts and vents around the lower engine areas etc. But As I often say, less is more ! PLus a little teaser for another Cessna dusted down to be finished.... Monogram 1/41st scale Cessna Model 180, Done the pilot chappie but more on this to come when completed........

Hello All It has been a while since i post here something, so here it is..my recently finished F-84G Thunderjet of the Portuguese Air Force 1953 of the first 25 received via MDAP These Thunderjets formed the 20 squadron ,the first equipped with Jets..and many of them ended their lives fighting in Africa....but thats another story.🙂 It´s the Academy 1/72 kit painted with AK´s extreme metal ,used eduard´s photoetch and decals from various sources. Enjoy, regards from Portugal FBorges

Radio silence as it were has been due to me being busy working on the interior of the aircraft. With the front observation area built I have now fixed the interior into the fuselage. This actually fitted nicely, with out any hiccups (the truth of the pudding however will come when the halves are joined). I now need to add the instrument panel and pedals before the halves can meet.......fingers crossed.

I managed to squeeze in a little more Sunday evening and a bit more tonight so a quick update. That's the idea Simon. For sharpness at this scale I couldn't contemplate getting the same results from plastic... I feel like I've just tuned into a late night heavy-metal station powering out of Belgium CC! Do you have a husky voice by any chance...? Most gracious hendacious one. Bill & Keith: please gents - no unwarranted immersion of noggins into said steaming vats! You are both correct of course in terms of the visual; however, from tests I found that playing about with thinner than 0.4mm starts to play into the hands of the gods regarding a) sagginess of the cage-like structure involved, and more importantly perhaps b) having enough bond strength on the various soldered junctions, due to the very small surface area at the tips of 0.3mm tube. (The alternative is to have unpleasingly large blobs of solder there which brings us back full circle to visual disruption...) I've worked-out a compromise structure using 0.4mm for strength on the main load-bearing runs top and bottom, with 0.3mm for the internal triangular bracing and cross sections on the engine bearers. In this way it should yield maximum strength with a minimum of visual incongruity. Thanks Roger. Now that I've got my teeth into it so-to-speak, it seems less daunting than considered in the abstract.... Sounds like a macabre version of 'It's a Knockout!' Ian..... 😁 We are but men Giorgio, and subject to the winds of fancy..... Sincere aplologies esteemed xenomorph. Well am I chastized for such unwarranted vandalism of the Martian chariot... Great stuff isn't it Chris? I'm still getting used to using so much less solder than previously and being able to poke it right into the join with a fine tip. Marvellous! A source of chagrin, dismay and dolour Bill but I shall definitely be absent from the throng, for the aforementioned reasons. Now if I can just get the eldest through his driving test by this time next year then it occurs to me I may get chauffered over next time! I'm tempted to lie outrageously Ced and say that it's a lump of amerbgris that I found whilst walking on the shore outside my beachfront house in the Maldives with Helena Bonham Carter in the dusk. Sadly however, it's just a lump of old stained White-Tak that I use to bung things onto for painting or soldering.... Here we are then: Using the etch bender to get the tubing to conform to the plan-silhouette for the top run of the engine-bearer. Held in the vice for soldering and the tubing secured at the right angle with ambergris White-tak: A dab with the hot pointy thing and that's the top tun in place: Side view: The final precise bend to all these parts will get done at the end when the mounting collar goes on last: Same deal with the bottom runs added now this evening: This time around I worked out that it was easier to bend the tubing to the approximate angle after soldering them on, rather than struggling to hold oddly-angled parts together beforehand: The lower runs will probably need trimming after a final bend inwards but again, easier to do it in situ than guess beforehand and hope. I am, it seems, learning. I do hope your respective weeks are going ok for you. Hard to believe that this is the middle of October already! Tony

Hi all got this for my birthday Inspired by Bengalensis build I've decided to try and do this version Can find no detail of the chassis so will have to make that up, will have to learn resin casting as I will have 3 pairs of suspension to make and 6 wheels.

Hi all - having recently got back into the hobby and after a very nice welcome from everyone here, I thought I’d put my latest work in progress on here for some scrutiny- it’s the current Airfix typhoon which is a plane I’ve always loved - and Airfix kits seem to build pretty well (mostly) and they're nice and cheap. So with every build I’m trying to expand the skill set and try something new - this time I’m adding some pe parts from Eduard for the cockpit and attempting some riveting. I’m also going to go for some nice weathering on the fuselage using oils and maybe some double layer chipping... we’ll see how it goes. After 4 nights (about 8 hours) I have the following: My first photo etched part assembled and painted... I thought this was going to be a nightmare but it turned out okay I think. All done with a modeling knife and tweezers. Cockpit all done and ready for assembly- all that lovely detail that no one will ever see. So far so good. I painted the base colors with Tamiya cockpit green - used Tamiya panel line wash and chipping with a silver artist pencil which works surprisingly welling as it’s a pencil. Dry fit of the fuselage half’s seems okay. Some fiddling required on the cockpit seat. Glued, clamped and left to dry. I haven’t tried riveting before but love the extra detail it brings out - using this as a source and using my new riveting tool from trumpeter I hacked out rivets on the upper wings. The results are so so... I really need to figure out a better way to do this before doing the rest of the model. I used a transparent ruler to use but it kept slipping and so quite a few rivets went where they shouldn’t go. I was going to use label tape but the stuff I got was way too thin. If there any kiwis or aussies know a good brand to get for this job I’d appreciate it. That’s all for now - thanks for reading and for any feedback you have to offer. I’m only working on this for the moment so it should be a relatively quick build.

Hi Everyone, Hope you don`t mind me sharing some photo`s of my latest effort My second attempt at Hasegawa`s 1/48 Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate kit Finished to represent a `Frank` of the 58th Shimbu-Tai, Kyushu, Japan 1945 Built mostly OOB, with just some brake pipes, seat belts and aerial wires added the decals are a mix of the kits and the tail makings came from the old Tamiya kit I know they didn`t usually have the flaps deployed on the ground......... so imagine that this ones undergoing maintenance 🙄 Hope you enjoy the pic`s, thanks for looking Cheers Russ

Hi Folks, OOB nothing added except filler!! Here is an Italeri F-14 with Iranian Decals, Humbrol Paints and Alclad Mat Varnish. 587_8701 by Georgeconna, on Flickr 586_8700 by Georgeconna, on Flickr 586_8692 by Georgeconna, on Flickr 586_8691 by Georgeconna, on Flickr 586_8689 by Georgeconna, on Flickr 586_8688 by Georgeconna, on Flickr

The first finish of my Airfix Therapy Build thread and my tenth this year!. WIP is here . Paints are Mr colour/levelling thinner. Markings were masked and sprayed (with varying degrees of success) except for the shark mouth, eyes and serial. Went for something different in the photos: the John Dibbs look as I like to call it, cropped in, close and personal. Moments of silliness- microscopic ring and bead sight and those cute little position lights done with acrylic resin. Showtime! Adios muchachos, the stash calls to me and I'm a goin' fer 15 builds finished this year , even if they're a bit rough around the edges like this one! Cheers and thanks for lookin' in Anil

Not much time at the bench this evening, so just a bit more added. First, the control boxes for the cable holders (see the real Leander photo earlier for details): Second, more fair leads - this time on the stern.

Hiya Folks, Here is my attempt at the new 1/48th scale Revell Beaufighter kit,.... not exactly a shake and bake like the Tamiya kit,.... but to my eye it looks a bit more accurate, especially around the cockpit. For anybody interested, here is my WIP; The model was brush painted using mostly Polly Scale acrylic paints and the decals came from Aviaeology and were excellent to use, as were the highly detailed instructions. The rockets and the box in front of the windscreen which directed air to keep this clear came from Tamiya kit spares, while the strike camera protrusion on the nose was made from drilled out sprue and the antennae on the nose and top of the fuselage are piano wire. For those wondering about the brick red coloured areas, strips of fabric were doped along the wing leading edge fairings to stop screws from shaking loose when the cannons were fired while others were used to cover the cannon ports and the dinghy release hatch too. Here is the model; And,....... Here is the same aircraft depicted later in its service life built in 1/72nd scale using the Airfix kit; Cheers, Tony

"To Remember The many" The Tamiya Lancaster 1/48 RFI Good evening fellow Britmodellers, let me present my longest build to date, it’s been Seven long months and a lot of blood sweat and Tears to get this iconic bird over the finish line. If you followed the WIP you’ll be aware of the back story so I won’t re tread old ground. If you’re interested in the WIP you can find it here. I’ll keep this short and sweet and get on with the pictures. I hope you enjoy the shots. I wished I had a brighter day to take them but as autumn looms so does the light. c'est la vie. That’s all folks. I know there’s a lot but I figured I could endulge in this centenary year. ❤️ I’ll run through what was used. Tamiya Lancaster 1975 1/48 (revised version) BIG ED (Photo etch) interior exterior bomb bay. masks belts etc. Tamiya Acrylic paints. Windsor and Newton oils. Flory washes. Tamiya weathering pigments. jewellers wire. Plasticard and various plastic rod sizes. Haynes manual. The BM hive mind. @isaneng‘s invaluable insight and research pictures of PA474. @corsaircorp‘s Lancaster engine and wing parts that reside in the nacelles. I do hope I have done justice to this wonderful part of our history. The many will never be forgotten. Thank you all for taking time to view this dedication to PA474 and all the brave souls. “The Many” John.

F-4Js of VF-103 out of NAS Miramar at Nellis AFB for an exercise, November 1980. 155510 AD204, drag chute still connected and wrapped around the missile launcher to avoid tangling during taxi back to the ramp - nice weathering subject... 155733 AC212 155754 AC203 157307 AC202 taxiing out Thanks for looking, Sven

So, i was travelling with work one time to Texas and, as i had some spare time, i wandered around a flea market one Sunday morning. My eye was taken by a pile of 1950's magazines titled "Cars and the Apocalypse". They were full of ways to alter current cars to meet the demands of a 1950's imagined post apocalyptic USA which, of course, had easy access to lots of old WW2 hardware. I was particularly taken with the plans for a half-track conversion of the Cadillac Eldorado. This is my effort to recreate a barn find Cadillac Desperado left all abandoned and rusting after the apocalypse failed to happen in the 50 years since then. The base kit is the old Revell Cadillac Eldorado heavily modified. The half-track set up is from a Panther with the second engine from a Jaguar 3.4L

#26/2018 Look, another 109 by my dad 😄 He´s trying to get rid of his 109 kits by building them. This was the Hasegawa G-10 JG300 boxing, but in fact both included schemes are G-14/AS. So my dad converted it by filling the wrong and engraving the correct filler caps on the fuselage. Decals are from the kit, only the Balkenkreuz which had the typical Hasegawa "ivory" look were replaced with decals from the sparesbox. As usual Gunze and Tamiya acrylics used, Eduard seatbelts, EZ line for the wiring, plastic rods for the brake lines. Build thread here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235043049-against-the-odds148-messerschmitt-bf109g-14as-jg77/ Model shows an aircraft of JG77 stationed at Twente/Netherlands in 1945 and later found by the Allies. p.s: The Antenna wire is supposed to look that way, explanation is below in the comments. DSC_0001 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr 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_0007 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0008 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 DSC_0019 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0020 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0021 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0003 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr DSC_0004 by Reinhard Spreitzhofer, auf Flickr

Well I have been hammering it lately I'm finding that I still get cloggings but it's not as debilitating with the easy clean Ultra Swift separate and clean out the nozzle and whip the needle out for a wipe down So tomorrow it is time to use my Mr Model Gloss White acrylic It is said that I should thin with water, can any confirm or deny that before I get going with my Ultra? I lashed out about six quid in Amazons huge depository for a litre of IPA, having used the last of the twelve quid's worth litre I bought from RS Components a while back Should I use this instead? I cannot read Japanese so I am in the dark Anyway Will somebody give me a slap and call me Ced, please I see Mr Tools using his clamps day in and day out so I decided to join in I bought a pair of these to try out before I lash out on the bigger ones Undercart doors on ready for bottom coating, held in place courtesy of Ced and His Amazing All Singing And Dancing Berna type clamps I took the one off to show the good fit I got Tomorrow colour me Glossy White ciao

Hi all, yes Dave, right on both counts! I may remake it if I can find something suitable - the reversal is because I used a template but did it on the reverse of the material so i could use masking tape stuck to it to make clean cuts.. so next up was the trim pedestal seen here - this is in Lopes Hope, but has some of the access panels removed - luckily I have drawings of these... ..first thing to do was take what info I could from the drawings and make templates to scale... this was then transposed to a sheet of thick plastic card... ..and working up the base shapes and the access panels.. ..I had the trim wheels 3D printed by shapeways and the tape template is trying to work out the top panel as the plan does not allow for the curvature... ..the tape template then was used to create the top panel... ..and the sub assembly starts to take shape - some of the placards needed backing panels adding.. ..priming and painting the 3D parts.. ..these then had the bespoke decals added.. ..and after painting the unit all the levers were fabricated and the other decals added.. ..it will need weathering later and a big lever at the bottom needs adding.. ..and how it will fit in the fuselage side panel.. enjoyed that, will have to see what is up next.. TTFN Peter

I wish I can take credit for this but I can't. This exceptional piece of fully scratch built replica of Donald Campbell test run Blue Bird at RAF Tangmere is done by master modeller Phil Cowley. Phil is a member of our model club: Tangmere Sector Modellers IPMS. He built this as part of our group build T101 (101 years of Tangmere Airfield). And what a subject to choose. He uses plans and research to create a balsa wood replica and then with the dark art of vacu-forming creates the model. Everything is moulded and scratch built. (Phil doesn't do social media or forums, but this is worthy of posting here). My only claim to this is reconfiguring a die cast Mk1 Land rover, adding some scratch and repainting it to depict the support vehicle used during the test. T 101 will be at SMW this year so please come and see it.

I'm sticking my neck out here, but I can assure you it'll either be a very big plane in 1/72, a medium sized plane in 1/48 or a small plane in 1/24.

Thanks Stuart, & nice to hear from you again Dave! Well I think it’s worked about as good as I could hope. I’ve ground them down till only a tiny teardrop of white is left perched on top of each strut. They look rough. But a test in place shows a set of satisfactory butt joints which should get even tidier when (if ever!!) glued together at final assembly. Out of primer, so hold for now ..

MAC Phonix D.IIa...Late in the war, Austro-Hungarian Navy and most likely based on the Istrian Peninsula so it could harass all the sea traffic coming in and out of Trieste...Nice little kit, but the decals had all dried up. No worries. I painted the big stuff and scavenged the rest. All Vallejo and Vallejo Air... I do have an affinity for the Austro-Hungarians over the Germans in the Great War. Maybe it was their poly-ethnic Empire...I don't know. In any case... Thank you so much to Robert and Enzo for this wonderful and lively GB. As with the other GB, I will now bow out with gratitude and humility. See you all on Maritime Patrol! --John

So task 1 was to tidy up the larger parts. Fill the whole in the lower wing (might need to stock up on filler... 😂), clean up the fuselage halves (the sprue attachment points are all on the mating surfaces), remove flash from any bits needed soon-ish etc. I painted the inside of the fuselage halves black. There's a few modules to build up first. Cockpit, nose wheel bay, engine nacelles and windows to fit to the fuselage. Nose wheel bay is reasonably detailed and went together fine. Can't see a way to fit the retraction arm later, so in it went. I've painted the bay silver and fitted it (rubbish pic alert..): Cockpit parts are OK once cleaned up. Instructions call for paint code "K" but there's no K in the list of colours.... 😂 Research (ahem) suggests Doves are anything from black to a lovely cream, and G-ALFU is at the blacker end of the scale. So I've gone for a 50(ish) shades of grey approach: I'll add some belts from tamiya tape and the control columns need to go in. Instrument panel looks good under the kit decal (blue tac from the Eduard detail set... 😂😂) Engine nacelles build up from 6 parts each. Overly complex if you ask me (which you didn't..) : None of the windows fit their apertures. I'm talking not even close! There are 10. I've done one side but got bored, and it's not done the clarity of the parts any good from so much sanding. Meh! Thanks for looking in. Enough for now. W-D

Hi The canopy I glued from small parts, each window as separate one piece The left and right windows from windscreen were rounded, not flat like others were. I cut it from plastic wine "glass" The top window is taken from RWD 6, all otheres are cut from plastic element of Gillette box of shave blades . The tailplane is a bit too narrow, so I glued extension in control surface and added some putty on ot... . The nine cylider engine Walter Bora had 110 cm diameter in original, so it about 15 mm in scale. I had to enlarge Towdend ring The engine itself will be a resin copy of engine from Praga E39 by RS. I started to scribe surfaces of wings To be cont. Regards J-W

So... The project AIRBUS A300-600ST BELUGA that was started in Sep'16 is completed now. Original body: Airbus A300-600ST BELUGA Model: Revell 04206 Scale: 1/144 Aftermarket parts: no Livery: Airbus Beluga first roll-out and flight color scheme It was challenging project, but not all things I kept in mind was realized here. Anyway, to be honest, I like the result . Initially, it was quite old mid-quality Revell kit and ordinary livery in the box (as for me). Of course, white modern Airbus home livery is good but do not expect you'll get bright model on your shelf after completion... Looking for detailed photos of Beluga, I've found some interesting pics of first roll-out and flight and finally decided to make my model with this painting scheme! I've collected almost all photos of Beluga from that time period. At least, all available in inet . It is just 8 pics, +2 videos. That is all I had for start... Link to build (WIP):

I will be using the Airfix kit to make a Flying Fortress Mk111. It will be OOB due to my limited knowledge of the aircraft, unless anyone knows of some better decals or aftermarket goodies for a 100 Group aircraft.

Forty years ago on 12th December 1968 a Pan American Boeing 707 took off from New York bound for Maiquetia airport just outside Caracas, Venezuela. It never got there. The aircraft was a nine month old Boeing 707-300, the tail number was N494PA and the aircraft was named ‘Jet Clipper Malay’. To my knowledge a transcript of the final moments either doesn’t exist or has never been published. This is fictional but I believe it might have gone something like this; (All times are local) 21.56 PA217: ‘Maiquetia Tower good evening this is Clipper two-one-seven becoming established at fifteen miles for runway two-seven’. 21.56 Maiquetia Tower: ‘Good evening Clipper two-one-seven, continue approach, one to depart ahead of you’. 21.56 PA217: ‘Continue approach, Clipper two-one-seven’. 21.59 Maiquetia Tower: ‘Clipper two-one-seven cleared to land runway two-seven. Wind is two-eight-two at nine knots’. 21.59 PA217: ‘Cleared to land Clipper two-one-seven’. 22.02 Maiquetia Tower: ‘Clipper two-one-seven I can’t see you on the radar, confirm you are at eleven miles?’ 22.02 Maiquetia Tower: ‘Clipper two-one-seven did you hear my last transmission?’ 22.03 Maiquetia Tower: ‘Clipper two-one-seven can you hear me? Come in Clipper two-one seven.’ Clipper 217 did not respond. To this day no-one really knows what happened to Pan Am Flight 217 but all 42 passengers and the crew of 9 perished. Some reports say that the aircraft undershot into the sea because of an illusion caused by the town lights on the upslope behind the airport –this has never been proved. The flight deck crew were all very experienced with many flying hours so it’s hard to believe it was ‘pilot error’. Recently I found out that rumours at the time said there was an altercation or argument in the cockpit just before the accident. Apparently the Cuban Purser on board had a few issues and could be a bit ‘moody’ from time to time, but again there is no proof of this. So no-one really knows. Another consideration is we’re talking of 1968 here, the US was heavily involved in an unpopular foreign war and there was a lot of ill feeling towards the Americans (some things don’t change!) so sabotage/terrorism also hasn’t been ruled out. What is known is the aircraft suddenly disappeared off of the radar. I don’t know if aircraft blew up before impact with the sea or if the aircraft broke up when it hit the sea. The front section of ‘Clipper Malay’ broke away from the rest of the fuselage and fell into a ravine under the ocean. The bodies it contained were never recovered. I believe 34 bodies were recovered from the crash scene and it is thought some might have survived the initial impact only to drown shortly after. So why am I telling you this little story? My father was the First Officer on that ill fated flight. He had a lot of flying experience. He learnt to fly at the beginning of the war because he knew sooner or later he would be called up and he’d rather have a choice if he volunteered. He chose flying as it fascinated him and coming from a poor background he would never be able to afford it. In 1943 he was posted to England and was a part of the 368th BS, 306th BG operating out of Thurleigh as a captain on B17’s. Just after the war while still in the Air Force he was involved with ‘Project Casey Jones’. This was really one of the first acts of what was to become the ‘Cold War’. The operation was to have the first accurate photo map of the whole of Western Europe. The flying would have been boring, up and down, up and down and if the pictures didn’t turn out right you’d have to do it all over again. He did a lot of flying around Gibralter and Southern Spain. After leaving the Air Force he got flying with Pan Am. Although he was a B17 Captain he did have to go ‘backwards’ and fly as a Flight Engineer for a while and I do know he flew on Boeing Stratocruisers. In the 1960’s he got rated on the 707 and a little while later became First Officer. Then shortly before the accident he was about to be promoted to Captain. He’d done all the hours and taken the tests. His new uniform with the four stripes was in the wardrobe and all he was waiting for was a letter telling him to sit in the left seat next time he came to work. But of course it wasn’t to be. I remember some years ago my mum telling me that shortly after the crash the FBI coming round asking questions like ‘What make of watch did he have?’ and ‘What brand was his shirts? Describe his shoes’. All sorts of questions to make identification easier if any more bodies were recovered. There wasn’t. I don’t remember him as I was just 8 months old at the time. So a couple of years later mum sold the house and moved back to England with me and my brother, back ‘home’ where her parents lived. So, Forty years later I have finally built the model I always wanted to, ‘Clipper Malay’. I saw the1.72 scale Heller 707-300 kit in a model shop in Bedford about 8 years ago it was only about £12.99. Not knowing then about forums and people making decals I just stored it in the loft until I fathomed out how I would turn it into ‘Clipper Malay’. Around three years ago I was browsing Ray Charles’ ‘Two-Six’ decals website when I spotted a sheet of 1.72 Pan Am 707 decals. I emailed Ray to confirm they were designed for the Heller kit. I then asked him if it was possible to change the decal sheet’s tail number to N494PA and include ‘Jet Clipper Malay’ and briefly told him why. Ray said it was no problem and the decals arrived a few days later. That was three years ago. Since then I kept meaning to get this kit built but never got around to it until recently. Being the 40th anniversary now seemed a good time to get it done. Here's to the memory of 'Clipper Malay'. Keep smiling! Cheers for looking.

Hello mates, here a real oldie of mine. The "Erdnagel", Luftwaffe nickname "tent nail" (of Bundeswehr official spares part list for tents) because of its favourite "flight" attitude. I built this kit in 1979 together with the twoseater. German TL Decal lettering aged quite a lot. Microscale decals are perfect as new.... Cheers, Tom

Little Patches B-17G 91st Bomb Group. The name "Little Patches" was acquired after the aircraft's first combat mission with Lt William Major's crew when Frankfurt flak put many splinters through the ship. The damage was primarily cosmetic but the skin required numerous small aluminium patches prompting Lt Major to name the ship. Building the Revell 1/72 B-17G isn't difficult in itself, difficulties start begin when you are trying to use Eduard Biged. I only can say, that the main technology during the build of this model was soldering, not gluing. In addition, the following extras are also was used; - vacform canopies (Pavla models); - decals for "Little Patches" (Microscale); - resin wheels (Eduard). Well and some scratchbuilt parts of course. Thank you for looking, any comments are welcome.

Engines ready to install and the only viewing point …. and to put it in scale the pen is inserted into the hatch through which the engines can be viewed Thanks for stopping by Kev

Dear Courageous - thank you for your interest in my policies. Here is the Manifesto I wish to pursue... Hello Phoenix, My Maiden speech would most likely go something like this.... 'Earlier today I was chosen to take the role of Prime Minister of Australia. I am thrilled, honoured and humbled to have the privilege to lead this great nation. I am looking forward to achieving much that needs to be done for the average Australian citizen - however, as I have just been notified that I no longer enjoy the support of a majority of my cabinet colleagues, I must with great regret, stand-down from this position forthwith. I wish the new Prime Minister - (insert random name here) every success in this challenging but rewarding role.' Rt Hon, Bandsaw Steve, Member for the seat of Avro

Here's the last of my four builds in the excellent Airfix group build - the Bristol 192 Belvedere. Not one of those classic Airfix kits that stands the test of time - a pretty crude kit, doesn't fit together well, covered in rivets, has an annoying seam down the middle of the glazed nose and represents a prototype rather than the production version. I'd love a new Belvedere kit! I've made most of the modifications needed to turn it into a production Belvedere HC.1 but won't pretend it's accurate - looks more like a production Belvedere than the kit does though! All the mods are in my build thread here I've finished it in 72 Sqn markings - 72 Sqn used Belvederes very briefly in the early 60s, replacing them pretty quickly with the Wessex. Decals are a mix of Modeldecal and Xtradecal. thanks for looking Z

For the actual raid, and the previous three or four aborted attempts, the aircraft codes "ND-C" had been "washed out" with Grey paint in accordance with the instructions given by the AOC Coastal Command, ACM Sir Philip Joubett de la Ferte, who did not want the Germans to identify the Unit and mount a retaliatory raid at a later date. The Navigators bubble canopy was also cut back further in case a flag had jammed in the flare chute and Fern had to dispose of the second one by alternative means. Following the raid and after Gatward and Fern had returned from Leave, air to air photographs of the aircraft and crew were taken, one of which appeared in George Fern's personal photo album which he showed me at school in 1958 just prior to me joining the Service. A copy of the same photograph appears, partly incorrectly captioned, on page 11 of Warpaint No.1 "Bristol Beaufighter". Always proud of his Forest roots, Gilbert F Fern, universally known to countless East Dean Grammar School Students as "Fernie", passed away in September 2010 at Chepstow. aged 92 Dennis.

Hi everyone, thought I'd post my latest build. I really enjoy Wingnut Wings kits. Love to take my time and be methodical. There's a few mistakes, as normal. I was thinking for ages how to do the 'bullet' rigging, ended up doing it too low. It wasn't easy. I am quite happy overall but think next year I really have to think about getting an airbrush. The whole aircraft is slightly lopsided as well, which I've put down to a rough landing. My favourite part was the whicker chair, it's great to experiment with various colours. Also I think the propeller was my best wood effect so far, the wood inside the cockpit looked ok too but it's nearly invisible. Apologies for the photos, I can't seem to take a good one, never really tried before and didn't realise there was a knack to it. All the best, Martin

Autumn, what Autumn? We're still getting temperatures in the mid 20s here,but yes there are lots of leaves, they started dropping more than a month ago due to the lack of water. When I've given the grass a last trim SWMBO will be out with the leaf blower, she enjoys that, and I get to rake up the piles helped by the dogs. Was that an aeroplane I saw? John

Something that I was dabbling with during a bit of down time. MAC Distribution kit( very Kindly supplied by John D.C. Masters (Many thanks John!)Aviattic lozenge decals and other decals from JBOT. A rare attempt by me in building a WW1 subject and a tentative go at applying the lovely lozenge decals by the aforementioned. I am reasonably content with it but feel I should have done better. Never mind. By the way, the kit was much nicer and easier to build than the Rodent one I tried and was put off by a few years ago. Will have to hunt down another of these or the Revell one which I think is not too bad too having built a couple hundreds of years ago

This took some calculation. I should have prepared better earlier... I have converted both sets of colours to true greyscale but retaining the exact Light Reflectance Values of each. This perhaps explains the tonal problems with all Snyder & Short copies better than words. Note how the documented numbers of the left go from smallest to largest and our new paints likewise graduate from darkest to lightest, whilst the Snyder & Short ones jump back and forth. Anyone trying to make sense of B&W images with the shades on the left is on a hiding to nothing due to this. That's why there are so many versions of colour schemes around and each of them is contradicted by some real piece of evidence - the jigsaw pieces just don't fit together:

Hi there Time for an update. .....its a tad boring though as this part of the build always is!...but it has to be done! Basically I have been shaping the balsa down on the top half of the radio room. Its a little time consuming but it has to be right at this stage else this part of the fuselage (radio room) will not look right! I had to make the extended part on the top as well as cutting aperture's out for the perspex windows on the side and cutting the access doors out. The photos will show what I am waffling on about! 😉 Looks a mess but this is a sort of template for the raised bit on the top.as seen in the next set of photos. ...and so you can see where this will all eventually sit..... If this gets any longer I am going to need a bigger office!,,,,,,,So there you have it. Hopefully I will be able to start detailing in the next post,,,starting with the bottom half ,so until then chaps.... Thanks for looking in Fozzy