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Showing content with the highest reputation on 18/04/19 in all areas

  1. This is my first go at a 1/48 kit - I've always preferred 1/72 but my eyes are beginning to complain! It's an OOB build which is actually out of the box. Nothing added at all, which I now regret as the wonderfully detailed cockpit that Airfix supply is crying out for some etched seat belts. Oh well.. Happy Easter Hols! Ian
    32 points
  2. There may be accuracy issues, putting that up front, but it is a Horsa in D-Day markings. Serial matches Pegasus Bridge aircraft and Chalk 91 is under the loading door,Trust Me.šŸ˜ I used the decals that Eduard supplied in their small give-away kits. Serials were fromDan Taylor to match the D-Day Pegasus bridge assault. Stripes were done rough on purpose matching most of my reference materials. I used the open section to brake up the LOOOOONNNGG Cylinder of the Horsa. What a large aircraft this was. Last Striped Model for my display in May/June Comments welcome (be nice on accuracy please) Cheers Bill
    32 points
  3. Hi comrades! Here one of my older projects. It's old but great DML kit with addition of Eduard brass. Because most of the available decals (OOB and AM) were for boring (IMHO) schemes - I choose more interesting scheme from attached photo (taken from Osprey book) - all markings were painted with help of Montex (insignia) and custom (individual codes) masks. So: Reference prototype photo: Cockpit stuffed with brass (the Eduard set is HUGE) And - completed model Thanks for looking!
    30 points
  4. Hey All, I'm one of the victims of the ATT DNS denials in the US, so I'm trying to get caught up from a work-trip hotel room. I've been trying a new technique on each kit. The technique I tried on this kit was painting/finishing major subassemblies prior to final assembly. The wings/booms, center fuselage and center tailplane were all built, painted and weathered separately. The final assembly with very little weathering/finishing after. I found it easier to paint and weather some of the compound curves. But gluing the final sub assemblies was a bit nerve racking. Thanks for looking!
    23 points
  5. Hi.....this is the last born.....1\48 Gwh T-33A in Italian colorfull dressing.....
    22 points
  6. Hi Everyone, Just finished the third of my haul from Telford last November, so I thought I`d trouble you with some photo`s Czech Models 1/48 scale Curtiss A-12 Shrike kit Finished to represent an aircraft of No 26 Bomber Squadron, No 9 AG, Chinese Air Force, 1937-38 Which was an option in the kit Built mostly from the box with the exception of the fragile resin frames and flying control actuators which were broken into little bits in the bag and.... replaced with bits of wire, tube and plastic strip. Took three attempts at the rigging before I got it looking barely acceptable and can`t count the amount of times I broke the undercarriage struts. Suffice to say I`m glad it`s all over. Hope you enjoy the pic`s. Thanks for looking, Cheers Russ
    20 points
  7. I attach a few pictures of completed in October 2018 model of Convair B-58 "Hustler" from the recently reissued Italeri offering - probably the only one in 1/72 scale. I have used the following aftermarket upgrading: Airwaves PE set, Eduard PE inspection panels and 'Remove before Flight' steel flyers, Aires resin exhaust, metal MasterModel Pitot tube and electrostatic dischargers. I have reworked the crew compartment hatches, crew seats (to the early type) and landing gear. I have used the Caracal decals. The model has been painted with Tamiya acrylic and finished with Gunze and Alclad lacquers. Thanks for watching!
    14 points
  8. How about an inexpensive kit built "Out of Box"...This was challenging in its own way but fills my need for a P-47 in D-Day markings. Xtradecal has outfitted a few models for me recently. X72196 has quite a collection of Overlord markings. Are there issues, sure but looks like a P-47 to me. Gun Barrels aren't offset a whole lot, engine is oversimplified(Try seeing though)wheel well details are sparse, interior is non-existant (also try seeing it). Surface detail is nice and construction was about 6 hrs and only a couple of fills need on the fuselage sides. Painted with Vallejo Air Colors and painted on stripes.Uschi powder on the prop spinner boss Should be my last "striped aircraft" for awhile. Thanks for taking a look and feedback is always welcome Cheers Bill
    14 points
  9. This one proved a lot more difficult than I thought it would, but I reckon the end result is worth it. It's an old 1/72 Matchbox HS125 converted to become the Blue Vixen (Sea Harrier FA2) radar/weapons integration trials aircraft, using putty and elbow grease! The nose was cloned from an Airfix FA2, using silicon and Milliput, to give me: ļ‚· New nose ļ‚· Block unused cabin windows ļ‚· Stbd Cockpit modifications (but only those that can be seen!) ļ‚· Doppler altimeter fairing under fuselage ļ‚· Wing Pylon ļ‚· Various underwing strakes and flap operating fairings ļ‚· Open up and fill landing lights ļ‚· Open up and fill Nav Lights ļ‚· Add new antennae FredT
    13 points
  10. And found yet another one (no, I don't have replicator technology like Martian Hale, it's all hard labor). This is from 13 years ago too, and the only purpose of posting it now is because it offers a good comparison to the much better ICM kit that I posted here before: As you all well know, this is the ex-Matchbox kit re-issued by Revell, now without the colorful sprues that are the delight of modelers of all ages. Plenty of reviews since this is an old mold are already around, so I'll keep it brief. Grey sprues, light, almost faint raised panel lines, chunky molding, some interior, very good decal sheet that caters for the three versions offered, one being civilian, which I personally applaud. I definitely would like more civilian options around. The decal sheet is somewhat cluttered, the more than sixty subjects for the three versions being scattered around. So, get a good pair of scissors and some sight help. The instructions are matter of interpretation. In my first try, what was on my workbench after following the instructions was a tramway, in the second try I managed to build a bridge, but finally I got it right. The landing gear, though, is still something that puzzles me. Some shuffling around with the versions is apparent in the instructions, so check your references. If they are like mine, they will contradict each other, leaving us again in the happy limbo of uncertainty, which is just the prelude of creativity. My only minor contribution was to score the hinge line and deflect the elevators a little bit downwards. I used with the canopy framing the usual sprayed decal paper cut in tiny stripes, this time helped also by the use of a "Pilot" silver metallic marker to deal with all the external frame. It worked well, with no risk of spilling. I discarded all the other transparencies in favor of the later use of Testor's window maker. After a copious application of filler almost everywhere (the fuselage-wing joint being wider than the Grand Canyon) y sanded the model and applied, directly, a spray-can black paint formulated for plastic. After masking the nose y proceeded to apply the metal tones, in three different hues. Handle the decals with care, and you may consider to separate some of the larger subjects (fuselage sides, wing letters) in more manageable pieces. You will have to cut out, once the decals are dry, the window sections, which are part of the carrier film. Some setting solution is needed also to help some of them to conform to the surface (walk sections on the wing root and the nose area). Pay attention to the instructions regarding the small area that should be painted (a diagram for a mask is provided) to offer a backing color to the front of the "arrow" decal -which is transparent- in the civil version. Again the magic of the 30's available for us thanks this time to Revell, at a very convenient price.
    13 points
  11. Hi all, I feel a bit ambivalent towards this build. I was expecting it to be an easy one, as the Tamiya kit is excellent and I was looking forward to the mottling. But, through my own ham-fistedness a lot of little things went wrong and it became a trial. Not least of which was the problem that I just couldn't get the paint mix and pressure right to do the mottling as I wanted it. I had to settle for a bad job in the end, and then found out my airbrush needle was slightly bent! A replacement needle, and everything works fine now, but it's too late for this build. Even the photography is a bit lacklustre...I took some lovely photos in the sunshine yesterday, only for the memory card to be completely wiped before I could download them. Time to move on... Here's the walk around: Here's the crawl around: ...and the fly around: Here's to the next one... Dean
    10 points
  12. Vampire F.1 5 Squadron, Chivenor 1949 CMR resin kit - 1990s vintage And with something of similar vintage i.e. late 1940s - Airfix P-80 converted from P-80C to P-80B: Heller / Revell Vampire F.3: Frog Vampire FB.9: Frog Venom NF.3 converted from Sea Venom: CMR resin Vampire T.11: Aeroclub Vampire T.11: Frog Sea Vixen FAW.1 conversion: Frog Sea Vixen FAW.2:
    9 points
  13. Just getting the hang of Village Photos after the Photobucket debacle. As requested by @CedB here is the Condor in all its glory. The original decals were toast so Ced kindly did a trick for me and scanned the orginal decals before putting them through his CNC cutter. The resulting masks allowed me to produce the engine masking and curve around the nose. Thanks Ced, much appreciated! I sprayed the model black, masked off then applied the Vallejo chrome from their metallic range. Other decals were from LF as seen here https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/LFMC72198 The aircraft depicted is Hitler's personal transport. Not that I wanted to do this one especially, I'd rather have done the Danish version, but I couldn't obtain the decals for it. Overall a nice if simple kit, it went together quite well with no real hiccups. Aerials are EZ line. Precious few reference shots it must be said.
    9 points
  14. Found yet another one, from the dawn of my scratchbuilding efforts, a model from 13 years ago. What is an Archaeopteryx, besides a very good Scrabble word? Literally, an ā€œancient wingā€. And you know that with that kind of nameā€¦err, it will lookā€¦well, you get the idea. The Granger brothers started to build a plane upon a design of their own -refined by Latimer Needbam- that flew in the very early 30ā€™s. It was influenced by the equally bizarre ā€“read ā€œbeautifulā€- Pterodactyls built by Capt. Hill. Although unusual, it has a pinch of elegance. The engine used, a two cylinder 32 hp Cherub of very limited power, made take offs veryā€¦interesting. Being a small plane of course it renders an equally small model, as you can see in the image with the quarter. The Archaeopteryx ā€“sorry to make you read this word again- is a fairly simple scratch project, no doubt helped by the use of tiny brass ā€œStrutzā€ for all of the ā€“many- required homonyms. The photo sequence will provide you with a general idea regarding materials and construction steps. As this little moth-like bug flies off your book case into the eerie atmosphere of the room, it will remind you of Tinkerbell, leaving a sparkly trail as it lands, with a subtle shudder, on your building board. A couple of mentions on Flight Magazine (links to their archives) https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1935/1935 - 1503.html?search=granger archaeopteryx And with a different tail decoration: https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1933/1933 - 0268.html?search=granger archaeopteryx
    9 points
  15. You guys! Enough of this glueing puppy talk, there WILL be growlingā€¦ Fret ye not hendie, here's the pointy-out-the-nose bit: Bill I will attend to the, er, nipple. I have a vague memory of how one turns them into sharp points (fnaar!) Thanks John - agreed! Thunder and Lightnings has a good history of the Lightning with some 'light-hearted moments' at the bottom. My tin of H164 is, of course, thick. Not enough room for enough thinner so resorted to dipping the brush in thinners too. First brushed coat of Dark Sea Grey: Now I remember why I prefer airbrushing! Mind you, that nostalgic smell of Humbrol enamelsā€¦
    9 points
  16. This is my latest finish.Built out of box, not too bad a fit but i had to sand and cut and sand to get cockpit to fit, to allow body to close, still I finished, so hope you like.
    9 points
  17. To Julien's point: Yes, if you look at something like the Defiant or Blenheim every single part is different (in ways other than scale) comparing the 1/72 and 1/48 kits. A 1/72 kit scaled up to 1/48 would be slammed as toy-like by today's audience, and a properly detailed 1/48 kit if literally scaled down to 1/72 would run into all kinds of moulding difficulties. The flow of molten plastic down a mould is not something that scales.
    8 points
  18. Hello all, Like many of us of a certain age, I grew up watching Space 1999 in the 70's. Looking back at it now, it's pretty cheesy, but the classic design of the utilitarian Eagle Transporter endures. I was smitten as a kid, and had the Dinky Eagle, in lurid green paint, and restored one a couple of years ago. I also got hold of the old Airfix 1/72 kit a few years ago, but when the 1/48 scale MPC Eagle kit was announced, I just had to have one. I was saving it for my retirement, so now's the time! Here's the box: ..and for those interested, here's the sprues: That's what the sprues look like when you spend three consecutive evenings cutting off and cleaning up 308 parts, many of which are round rods with a mould seam up both sides. I'm not sure how visible those seams will be on the finished article, but better safe than sorry. I separated the parts into plastic containers so I wouldn't get them mixed up: Comparing the beak to the 9" long Dinky toy I restored gave me my first impression of how big it'll be - referring to it as the 22" Eagle is all very well, but it's only when you get the bits in your hands that you start to wonder where on earth (or moon) you're going to put it afterwards: I hd a glueing frenzy last night, and many of the subassemblies are ready to have their seams dealt with...more when that happens... Cheers, Dean
    7 points
  19. Still trying to clear the bench but more models keep appearing ā€¦ā€¦ This is the latest ā€¦ The Tamiya Dornier 335, 2 seater. OOB, but the paint scheme is as it should be not as Tamiya say. No real problems,; what you do realise is just how big it must have been in real life. I did manage to see the Smithsonian one up close and personal some years ago. What an interesting development it could have been. On to the pic's. Please feel free to comment etc. Thanks for looking Dick And a single seat one I made earlier.
    7 points
  20. Hi, everyone! It's my next model from "Dora Wings" Ukrainian manufacturer. Kit as plastic is perfect, but strongly need to look photos and drawings of prototype. Instruction is not clear to understanding.
    7 points
  21. Here's another completion to celebrate getting my access back through my AT&T device. It's the the old tool Airfix Spitfire Mk.I finished as an aircraft from 66 Sqn at RAF Upwood in 1939. The two blade prop was snagged from the new Mk.I kit as it was going spare anyway. The decals are from a Kits at War sheet. I think the aircraft should have the early unarmoured windscreen, but I can live with the discrepancy. This is one of the few models I've ever painted twice; the first time I painted it, the clear gloss coat crazed all over the bottom of the model. So I stripped it down and started over.
    7 points
  22. Duesenberg Howard Hughes, used to pull a glider at his El Mirage Soaring School in 1947. There is only one photo available, so I just got inspired. The car should give an unkempt impression of being used on the dusty desert runway of the dry El Mirage Lake, California. Even today, the typical "diamond" shape of the airfields is still evident even though there is a new airport there. I used a damaged model of Dusi, on which I built the entire duralumin bodywork, then I created the whole system of winch with the machinist's workplace, finally I made the cover of the driven rosette and added a washer. The model now weighs 1.7kg It is true that the model is different from reality, but the color scheme is not entirely clear. I searched for other photos or information about this particular car and I found out that it was maybe black or dark gray and had a daytony in black or green or perhaps the original chrome strings. perhaps therefore take the model as a free inspiration. Although the winch drive was probably driven by belts, I eventually used a chain drive ... VinobranĆ­ fotografie MÅÆj model z podobnĆ©ho Ćŗhlu ...
    7 points
  23. I'm reminded of Mr B's earsome ditty in this respect! I'd forgotten the Louvre had a branch out there Ian! The debate still rumbles on in art history as to whether or not some of the Dutch artists resorted to optical aids such as camera obscura doesn't it? I'm not an expert of any kind in this area but given the growth and interest in optics in Europe during that period (plus the manner in which the humanities historically liked to write science out of the master narrative of artistic 'genius'), I'm not at all hostile to the idea that these artists were intelligent enough to look at the world around them in such open-minded ways. Evidence is not of course easy to discern, but curiosity in such matters is such a powerful drive you can't discount it. You only have to look at how adept and observant so many people are here on this forum to get a sense of that capacity! V. kind of you CC. Luckily the IBS takes my mind of the back pain! 'Huawei's new smartwatch: users report performance issues.' 'Fragrance in court!' šŸ‘Øā€āš–ļø Nurse! The screens! Hi Anthony, and welcome to the forum! That cutter does indeed look useful and I'd been ruminating over it myself a while back. Iirc though a at least one reviewer complained about the limited measuring scale on it which compromised its usability as a tool for consistently cutting multiple length in millimetres. Can confirm that GG is an excellent product: have used the thin version for etch - it sticks tenaciously. The thicker blend I've used happily on transparencies also with good results. Hear! Hear! (In fact I'm off to one in Dublin tomorrow...) šŸ˜ Were you in it CC? šŸŽ¬ šŸŽ„ šŸ˜Ž#belgianbeefcake Glued a bit of brass frame onto the turret this morning but without - it has to be said - much enthusaism. Resorted to GS-Hypo in the end as for some reason the GG refused to hold it in place on the curve. No idea why but it didn't improve the mood. Maybe the bent posture and medication leaving me a bit subdued this morning: with that and heading over to Dublin tomorrow for a large family lunch I reckon a day or two away from the bench will help clear the air. Bright and lovely spring day here so nowt at all to complain about.... ā˜€ļø šŸŒ¤ļø Hope you're getting to enjoy the weather in your respective territories! Tony
    7 points
  24. True, but the majority of such reviews simply re-iterate such advice. Better to buy one of the many books on the subject than a regular monthly magazine. The value of any review is in how much it would help you if you were to think of making the same model, or to a much lesser extent one from the same company or of the same subject. This has little or no value if the reviews continually ignore the scale you are working in. I would go further to criticise reviews in general when they were written (as is often unavoidably the case) by people with little or no knowledge of the subject, and ties by editorial policy to avoid criticism of the accuracy of the kit and its transfers. The magazine is only of value if it provides useful information, either for the short term (the thing is sitting on my modelling bench now) or long term (I always fancied one of those sometime). Especially when specific to the model or to the subject. Hence the value of historical articles that don't need to mention models at all, yet these have been excised from some modelling magazines. Yuck, real life, don't want anything to do with that! Pretty pictures of made-up models are just that - pretty. If that's all you want then fair enough, but it's pretty thin fare. I keep looking at a number of current modelling magazines without feeling the slightest desire to ever buy them, for the reasons above. I have renewed my subscription to Scale Aircraft Modelling because of its content.
    6 points
  25. There. That was pretty straightforward. Plain sailing from now on, right? Just a bit of sanding and a bit of fettling and it will be done. Or not. šŸ™‚ Jon
    6 points
  26. I've had a bit of a marathon sanding and filling session over the last couple of days. As usual with these sorts of projects, I've used my trusty P38 automotive filler as it covers large areas well, dries quickly, and is very easy to sand. The only problem is, it creates an awful lot of dust, so to avoid getting on the wrong side of the good lady wife, the kitchen sink is the best place to tackle such tasks: IMG_0962 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I'm really pleased with how the main landing gear bays are shaping up: DSC_0121 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The left side bays have been blended in nicely after their move forward: DSC_0113 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I've also made and added the ALQ-117 pods on either side of the nose: DSC_0114 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0117 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The tail turret has taken a lot of blending, and the panel detail will all need to be replaced here: DSC_0119 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr So here we are now - underside: DSC_0111 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And the upper side: DSC_0110 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr There's still a fair few blemishes to sort, and I also need to do a full re-scribe, but I think I might tackle the fin next and ensuring a strong join. Until next time, Tom
    6 points
  27. I have noticed a number of modelers on BM that seem to have long running threads of their builds and thought that that would be very useful for my finished Sabres. So here we go. F-86A Sabre 'Miss Louise, 4th FIW, USAF, Kimpo AFB, Korea, cir. 1951. Built from the Hobbycraft kit; backdated the wings, pylons moved inboard, correct gun-sight fitted, got rid of the tail plane actuator fairings, Pavla canopy. Humbrol Metalcote Polished Aluminium enamel paint. Decals from Matchbox kit. TF-86F 2-Seater Sabre Trainer Fuselage is a Vacform by Falcon. Everything else came mainly from a Hobbycraft kit and spares bin, wings backdated, pylons moved inboard, correct gun-sight fitted. Humbrol Metalcote Polished Aluminium enamel paint. Hobbycraft decals, serials and such were DIY. WiP here: Canadair CL-13 Mk.2 Sabre. Aircraft '19241' of 421 Squadron, 2 Wing, RCAF, Grostenquin, France, 1954. Hobbycraft kit with backdated wings, pylons moved inboard, correct gun-sight fitted. Humbrol Metalcote Polished Aluminium enamel paint. Model Alliance decals. F-86E Sabre. 'Lt Col. Ed Heller' aircraft 'HELL-ER BUST X', 16th FIS, Korea, 1953. Hobbycraft kit with backdated wings, pylons moved inboard, correct gun-sight fitted. Humbrol Metalcote Polished Aluminium enamel paint. Kit decals. F-86E Sabre. 'RUTH I' No. 2 "Flying Cheetah" Squadron of the SAAF, Korea. Hobbycraft kit with backdated wings, pylons moved inboard, correct gun-sight fitted. Humbrol Metalcote Polished Aluminium enamel paint. Kit decals. Microscale decals. Stuart
    5 points
  28. Hi folks, Real Life has been getting in the way of plastic-based virtual reality recently, but I can see some gaps coming up ahead and want to keep challenging myself. I've realised that the best way to prevent a project from stalling is to post it as a WiP; even if nobody is remotely interested it still acts as a conscience-prodder! After recently completing my first vacform, a 1/72 Sopwith Snipe, I wanted to try a slightly more involved vacform. I managed to procure this from a well-known UK regal second-hand supplier: The Vildebeest has intrigued me since I was young and saw an article in a very old annual (1930s?) that described how to carve one from wood. I subsequently served two tours as an RAF pilot on 22 Squadron, which took the Vildebeest to Malta in 1935 in response to the Abyssinian crisis and, as a result, incorporated the Maltese Cross into its emblem. Here is what is 'in the bag': Two fairly sturdy sheets of parts, a small bag of white metal bits, a few lengths of rod and strut taped to a piece of plastic card, a pretty comprehensive plan/instruction sheet and a decal sheet...with some dodgy out-of-register roundels for the RNZAF version. The struts/rod and decals: The white metal parts (the exhaust part in particular will need some fettling): The vacform sheets: Yes, that's a vacform torpedo (I should have one in my spares box that will do the trick), and there's a fuel tank for the RNZAF Vincent as well as an engine cowling for a Vildebeest IV. ...and the plan/instructions: I am intending to model a 22 Squadron Vildebeest III with the Maltese Cross markings on the wheel spats. Anyone expecting to see quick results or Moa-like attention to detail may be disappointed, but if our Argentinian friend can tackle a vacform HP42 then it would seem churlish of me not to at least attempt something much smaller! Oh well, in for a penny... Jon
    5 points
  29. Hello, I finished this early this morning, just added two small aerials to the nose and that was it. This is the High Planes kit, bought decades ago and restarted in 2016. I added two Airfix DC3 engines as replacements for the basic kit engines, scratch built the three aerials and mast, the set of photo-etched fuselage mounted aerials were liberated from the Encore kit (which was just a reboxing of the horrid Frog kit) and needed some alterations to make them suitable for the High Planes kit. The model was finished using Sovereign paints which I highly recommend, harder work than the Special Hobby kit but this is a more accurate kit than the Special Hobby offering!
    5 points
  30. Finally finished my first Spitfire. Thanks for looking. Stephen
    5 points
  31. Iā€™ll just leave this here Trevor
    5 points
  32. 5 points
  33. Update time, after being inspired to proceed and guided how to, I feel enabled and empowered to push on and not bin these. Here they are on deck. 314 Marquez has Condor decals complete on port side. Much better than the old Airfix, colours are sharper and they are a touch larger. They didnā€™t go down easy and I lost 3-A-3..but substituted it for a spare from Airfix, perhaps you notice the difference. The intake decal is superb as is the unit badge. 304, who was not involved in the HMS Ardent attack, got her leading edge flaps attached and canopy frame touch up while 301 Philippi got a humbrol clear gloss coat. Waiting for paint to dry, varnish to cure and decals to set.
    5 points
  34. This is my conversion of a Monogram 1/48 Douglas DC-3. It was a rather complicated excersise, but it can be done.
    5 points
  35. A bit of progress. Primed with Alclad Semi Matte Aluminum. Paints are Mr. Paint straight from the bottle.
    5 points
  36. They keep popping up from my obscure past, in this case from 10 years ago. The model was scratched way before the recent Farman 190 resin kit was released by SBS, a wonderkit that I built and posted here too (you know what they say: "Scratchbuild it and the kits will come": The extensive Farman 190 series spawned a prolific progeny, among them a dedicated ambulance version, the Farman 197S, the S standing for Sanitaire. The 197S had some modifications to better accomplish its task, the most visible being the door/hatch used to load and unload the patients on the left side of the fuselage and of course the furnishing of the interior to accommodate two stretchers and an assistant. It is most likely that the aft door on the right fuselage side was deleted too since it would have been useless. It had a Lorraine Mizar engine instead of the usual power plants for the 190 family. Some research was done to fill the gaps in the documentation, and useful information came from Michel Barriere and Alain Bourret, among others, for which I am indeed grateful. The machine depicted got later on the Uruguayan CX-ABH registration. The images of the in-progress building will give you a view of the techniques and procedures used, and all in all more than 140 parts were fabricated for this project. A few items were adapted Aeroclub Models after-market parts which saved some time, always important when you are spending a lot of it in research and the fabrication of the model. The interior (cockpit and cabin) was taken care of, depicting the stretchersā€™ holder, interior lights, pilot ā€œgruyere cheeseā€ seat, control wheel, rudder bar, instrument panel and a few holders; as well as exterior details, like the wing tank details, Venturis (two), nav lights, oil radiator, control horns, cables and the multiple struts, about two dozens of them between big and small. Fine wire rings were made and inserted as window sills, leaving enough space for the transparencies to be glued from the outside at a later stage ā€“after done with the exterior painting-. The stretcher hatch and the access door were positioned open. The open door shows the furrow into which a slider runs to open the window, which was depicted half way down. I also carved a wood prop from a Popsicle ā€“replacing the metal one that came with the engine- to be more faithful to the original, adding a photoetched boss. An area that proved to need quite a time was the cockpit glassing. The issue was solved, after a few trials and discarded parts, with a front panel, two side rectangular panels and two triangular windows, as per original. These transparencies have same angles involved, and are wrongly depicted in some plans of the type. At some point during preparations the aftermarket metal Venturis went to the great beyond, so replacements were fabricated as per photos. I spent a lot of time under my desk looking for lost parts and I am thinking about installing some speakers and furnish a pillow for that area. References prescribe a sort of whitish aluminum for the French planes. Wing tanks were painted another hue, and so was an area on the nose, close to the engine.
    5 points
  37. As this bomb load is basically a incendiary bombload, the 2000lb HC would blast open buildings and the 4lb incendiaries would then set fires on what exposed. I believe; "Ordy" is short for "ordinary" that is the basic 4 lb incendiary as opposed to the 4 lb "X" type incendiary (also part of the quoted bombload) which were 4 lb incendiaries with an additional explosive charge incorporated, used to actively discourage firefighters from attempting to extinguish the incendiaries. "Inods" is used as a descriptor for the 500lb Cluster bomb. Various different munitions such as smoke bombs J type incendiaries 8lb frag bombs and 4 lb incendiaries could be used in this cluster bomb. Inods I think in this case probably means the type of 500lb cluster was the type also filled with 4 lb incendiary ordinary. Selwyn
    5 points
  38. Masking gel? Is that like Maskol or something new? All ears? Just like the Spaniels! Bill how could you: She doesn't even have her proper teeth, yet! Quick 'Kim's game': But in this version you have to say what I've forgotten*. You'll notice that the holes in the wings have been filled - I prefer her without the tanks: First coat of green on: * Scissors and flow improver.
    5 points
  39. The work to furnish the cockpit begins. To the left, the instrument panel provided in the kit, to the right, the home-made one: Dressing continues:
    5 points
  40. First time posting one of my builds. I do not build fast. I do enjoy building but also the learning/research is what strikes my fancy. So follow this thread at your own peril. You will age before its all done and probably not in a good way. Just two photos to start. Taken with my phone as I don't have a camera any more. (the batteries corroded in the camera waiting to be used) This is the the kit raised panel with the kit decals, and the cockpit, again out of the box
    4 points
  41. Last year I got an email from a collector. He told me that he had a partially build resin kit of the Ferrari 250 Bertone GT. The Ferrari 250 Bertone GT is a "one-off" car that was recently restored : The collector bought this kit second hand. He had no idea who the maker was, but he send me some photos of the partially build kit : He said : "All it needs is to be painted and completed". I accepted what looked like an easy project, but when I put the kit on my workbench it became clear that this would be quite a challenge. I removed the primer and then the resin horror show began : Lots of detail that is missing and panellines that look like trenches : The kit has no brake discs and the wheels were superglued to the resin. Removing the wheels wasn't easy - I actually broke the PE on one of them - they will be replaced by AM wheels : I removed the seats only to discover that the chassis was bend : A dryfit of the windshield showed that this would be a major project : But enough on the negative side of this kit. Allow me to share this work-in-progress as I battle this kit into submission. Will post the updates later this day. Sincerely Pascal
    4 points
  42. Here we have Italeriā€™s old Leopard, in its 1A2 boxing, wearing Esercito Italiano markings. (I donā€™t know what unit.) At last! - the first of my 16 Leopard kits sees the light of day. This kit has been around a long time but it still bears up. Itā€™s modular, allowing for a number of the basic build variations. I got mine from Italeri and Revell. Now that Revell has started to produce its own kits, itā€™s not clear what the future is for, say, the 1A5 version. The kit builds reasonably well and reasonably easily, although it has two problems with its engineering. First, for my money, there are too many butt-joints. Most of the tools and accessories on the upper hull attach to faint outlines rather than by pins, which makes them hard to position accurately. Worse, the side skirts have no positive location points, which is doubly tricky with the poor fit of the mudguards. Iā€™ve reinforced the front-end joint with a plastic tab. Second, itā€™s plagued with mould slippage and seams. It seems the smaller the part, the worse those flaws are, and the harder they are to correct on the sprue. Iā€™ve read that this version is nearer a 1A1 than a true 1A2, but the differences are minor, and I didnā€™t fancy over Ā£20 on a replacement turret. Iā€™m happy enough that the major changes from the original Leopard are in here: thermal jacket on the gun, exhaust grilles, new tracks (more on them later), and side skirts. The overall finish is Humbrol 86 light olive, which Giorgio N on this site and others on Armorama say does the trick. Under the watercolour, pastel and dry-brush weathering, I think it does too. If youā€™ve made it this far, hereā€™s a few build tips you might find helpful. First, the turret. Fit of the top and bottom halves is poor and needs a lot of sanding and filler. Helpfully, though, you can leave some of the excess plastic to mark the join on the real thing. Fit of the mantlet is worse, leaving a large gap underneath. Mine is packed with plastic card. You may also find that, with the dust cover attached to the mantlet, the whole assembly meets the turret at a slight sideways angle. Iā€™m not convinced the turret sits low enough on the hull, but from most angles you canā€™t tell. The rear basket is pleasantly easy to assemble, but some of the locating points are a bit sloppy and need filling. The smoke launchers are handed, and helpfully have ejector pin marks on the outer side - it would have been just as easy to put them on the inner side, wouldnā€™t it? And theyā€™re the devil to remove. Iā€™ve added wire cables to the gunfire simulator and the searchlight. For the latter, thereā€™s a blanked hole in the right position that you can drill from inside the turret top. The radio antennae are very coarse; mine are fine floristā€™s wire. Now, those tracks. While I like the Italeri kit, its tracks are dreadful: stiff, chunky, and poorly detailed. The only replacements Iā€™ve been able to find are very expensive Friul metal jobs, and really nice plastic ones from Meng, which now appear in their Leopard kits. I used those, and they turned out to be a nightmare. Five parts per link is pushing it a bit, but I can live with that. The real problem is that theyā€™re supposed to fit together without glue, but they just wonā€™t. The idea is sound: the end-connectors are integral with their bars, and carry the guide horns too, and you trap them between two inner faces and two outer faces. Much like the real thing, in fact. But the holes in the inner faces are too narrow for the pins on the outer faces, so you have to drill them out slightly with a 1mm bit. With two holes per part, and two parts per link, and 84 links per side, that works out at slightly more than four thousand turns of the drill. And still, the two sides may not meet perfectly, nor trap the connectors properly. Even when they do, moving links to any position other than dead straight can push the outer face away, and as soon as it goes, it will let go of the inner face too. Itā€™s maddening. From bitter experience I can recommend: sod the instructions, and use glue. You can assemble quite a lot as straight lengths for top and bottom, leaving just the bits that bend round the sprocket and the idler, and the bits that connect them to the bottom run. Then you can attach those to the straight lengths, apply glue, and work them carefully into position before it sets - but even that will wrack your nerves. And youā€™ll still need four hands, possibly more, to do the final connections. Meng give you a jig and it works well. But itā€™s no help for those last bits, of course. And itā€™s made of the same plastic as the rest, so you darenā€™t glue your tracks together on it. I used Revell Contacta with the hypodermic applicator, applied to the sides of the assembled links. Good luck painting your tracks! Iā€™ve not done that much retouching in ages. I could live with this easier if the result was better than other peopleā€™s tracks. But AFV Club uses only three parts per link for its Leopard 2 tracks, and theyā€™re a genuine push-fit, with no less detail. If you use these tracks, be very careful with the connectors. The bars are hair-fine and can break just from being taken off the sprue or from being held firmly. There are spares in the box - but not as many as there are for the other parts. 84 links matches the kit tracks, and hangs a bit slack. 83 links would almost certainly be too short. Other points about the running gear: donā€™t worry too much about the sink marks. Theyā€™re largely hidden. The hubs are a bit of a loose fit with the wheels, but you can disguise it with careful painting and oil stains. And you can leave the return rollers loose, which can be handy for feeding the tracks in. The tyres have odd grooves across them. Iā€™d read that they werenā€™t right, but then I saw pictures of a Belgian Leopard with them, so Iā€™ve not sure whatā€™s going on there. My view: filling 336 tiny grooves was more than I could bear. Properly assembled, the sprockets shift around a bit, which didnā€™t help with the tracks; but they turn as well, which did. On the hull, the undersides of the sponsons are moulded as part of the lower hull. That makes it a bit harder to fit the tracks, which is unwelcome, but it does mean you can close up the hull first and sort out any dodgy panel fit before the tracks get in the way. The one exception is the sprockets, for which you have to fit washers inside the hull, but they sit far enough forward that they wonā€™t get in the way of work on the rear plate if you want to do it in this order. I think I will, with my other four Italeri / Revell Leopards. Closing the bow and glacis plates is hampered by a slight step thatā€™s moulded into the lower hull sides right at the front. Next time Iā€™ll sand that away before attaching any of the running gear. Fit of the rear plate is rough all round and needs a bit of help from filler and plastic card. The exhaust grilles help locate the rear plate, but theyā€™re not a great fit either. The instructions would have you attach a few parts to the plate before fitting it; in future builds Iā€™ll fit it, and sort out the grilles, first. After that, the upper hull is trouble-free, although the mudguards arenā€™t brilliant. The front ones (I used the full-depth ones that go with the skirts) sit a bit low. You can use very thin plastic to fill in the step where they meet the section thatā€™s integral with the upper hull. The rear mudguards are OK, a bit thick on the lower rubber sections, but theyā€™re so close to the towing hooks that it may not be possible to fit the tow cables. The tools have nicely detailed clamps, but nearly all are on the backs and will be hidden if you attach the tools the right way up. Iā€™ll bet thereā€™s a fiddly, expensive fix. I wanted to use the Meng grousers on the glacis plate, but they turned out to be too big, so I settled for the vinyl things instead. With so much hidden by the racks, it didnā€™t really matter.
    4 points
  43. Finally finished a simple-ish diorama for this build, and forgot to post it šŸ™„ I decided to add the bonnet mounted lights as an afterthought, then realised that Iā€™d thrown the kit ones out! managed to scratch build one from plastic and make do, lesson learned for the next build not to throw anything out šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ thanks for looking, and for all of the encouragement and helpful comments throughout the build...
    4 points
  44. Hello Folks Haven't had much bench time in the last few months but I just managed to get this one done. It is the truly horrible Roden issue of the Skymaster with extra parts to represent an aircraft operated by No. 4 Sqn Rhodesian Air Force during the Bush War. After embargoes were imposed on the regime at the time by the major powers, Rhodesia turned to French company REIMS who modified civilian Cessna 337 Skymasters. The added weapons capabilities in the form of 2 x 303 Browning machine guns mounted above the cabin and strengthened underwing hardpoints gave the Lynx a formidable close air support capacity in a stable and east to operate platform. The aircraft carried no national markings. The kit is pretty average all round but the worst parts are the clear parts and the decals. Despite a lot of polishing and buffing the windows are barely see through and the decals were rubbish. I used aftermarket brass landing gear legs I got from Ebay to help cope with the metric ton of lead in the nose and some Master metal 303 barrels improved the look of the gun pods. The landing lights under the nose are MV lenses. Here's some pics.
    4 points
  45. Hi All Yeah... I know... and there's the split down the join of the two large nose wheel doors too... After reading about the horror fit issues I was going for less filler at the expense of accuracy. However, as I now know it's just down to the internal floor being too wide in the first place, my future self Gannet build will have that seen to. The final push now with the canopies. They have 'tails' on them to indicate the rails when they are closed, so they came off The Eduard masks for these are a bit vague, elongated horse-shoe affairs filled in with Maskol The spinners got some masking love too And also the aerial post Removing the nose masking was slightly underwhelming I've a feeling the forward white stripe starts from behind the blade opening and not the base of the nose cap. I'll see if I'm still niggled once the blades are in Hmm... I'll give it a clean up and dwell on it. Anyhoo, next up Stickers! Comments and suggestions welcome Cheers Steve
    4 points
  46. In answer to the queries about the histories of the various Hellcats noted above, Iā€™ve looked at FAA Aircraft 39-45 and also had a look at Joe Baugherā€™s website. Iā€™ve set out below the histories of all the serials listed above. All those listed were F6F-5 Hellcat II (Joe Baugher however lists JX827 &JX889 as from a batch supposedly built as F6F-5N). None are noted as PR versions (either US built or British conversions) in either source. JV255 (BuNo 58753) 808 Sqn (Q then K6K) 12/44. Overturned on Khedive (no date) JV282 (BuNo 58780) 808 Sqn 12/44. Deck landing accident on Khedive 9/3/45. Katukurunda 8/45. JV316 (BuNo 70016) 808 Sqn (K6Y) 12/44-4/45. RNAMY Clappenberg Bay (Trincomalee) 7/45. 757 Sqn Tambaram and damaged 29/10/45. To Trincomalee. JW723 (BuNo 70238) Tested RNARY Wingfield SA 24/11/44. 804 (6G) from 6/12/44. 28/5/45 Deck landing accident on Ameer & hit JX827, JW733 & JX889. 881 Sqn 8/45. Wingfield Storage Section 3/9/45. Trincomalee 1945 written off charge. JW733 (BuNo 70248) Shipped Norfolk, Virginia in Thane 14/8/44. RNARY Wingfield SA 3/9/44. 804 Sqn (2L then K6L) 6/12/44-7/45. Damaged by JW723 25/5/45. 808 (K6L) 7/45 JX827 (BuNo 71650) Air ferried from UK to RNAMY Coimbatore between 27/2/45-3/45. 804 Sqn (no code given). Damaged in accident with JW723 28/5/45. Trincomalee and written off charge sometime after that. JX889 (BuNo 71712) Tested RNARY Wingfield SA 10/10/44. RNARY Coimbatore. 1839 Sqn. Damaged on Indomitable 31/3/45. 804 Sqn 4/45. Accident with JW773 28/5/45 (typo for JW723). Note this history seems incorrect to me as Indomitable was in the Pacific by 31/3/45 so it is unlikely that it could then be repaired and with 804 Sqn in April in the East Indies JW370 (last photo in post #11 is in Thomasā€™ book at top of page 154 as JW370 K6K of 804 Sqn taken 20/6/45 and is listed as an FRII). No Hellcat wore this serial. Possibly JW730 see below. JW730 (BuNo 70245) Shipped Norfolk, Virginia in Thane 14/8/44. RNARY Wingfield SA 3/9/44. 804 Sqn Ameer 6/12/44-4/45. 808 Sqn (6K later K6K) 6-7/45. The squadron codes in the East Indies Fleet changed during 1945 (twice in the case of 804) and this is where the confusion starts. Both 804 and 808, both flying Hellcats, wore the code K6A+ during this period. So it is entirely possible to have 2 Hellcat serials coded K6K, and not just to account for replacement aircraft in the same squadron. This is borne out above with JV255/K6K in 808 squadron and JW730/K6K in 808 squadron. The confusion is not helped by squadrons spending time in several Ruler class carriers (which had only minor differences between them) over the time period. For example, 808 which arrived in the East Indies in Feb 1945 in Khedive and spent most of their time when afloat in Khedive, also had a detachment on Emperor in April 1945. 804 is even worse. While mostly associated with Ameer, detachments served on Khedive, Empress, Hunter and Shah at various times while the whole squadron was in Emperor for a time in May 1945 at the time of the sinking of the Haguro.
    4 points
  47. Well, all the major airframe parts have been cut out: Now for the long, tedious part where lots of time and effort will be converted into plastic scrapings and sanding dust with little obvious progress to report. Jon
    4 points
  48. Cockpit installed into fuselage, then wings fitted. Tippex ready to smooth the joins
    4 points
  49. Perhaps it's just excited by the prospect of going flying... Sorry. Definitely calling myself to silence. šŸ˜ˆ
    4 points
  50. An afternoon of leisurely pottering Gives me this Then a bit of frenzied fettling gets me staggering towards this The port cyclic isnt in the wrong way round but has been pushed out of shape before the pic was taken It's right now My paper version of the Airwaves IP and its surround sit cobbled in place with a dollop of cockpit glue, once dried I can wriggle stuff around and close up the halves
    4 points
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