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Hello Dears !! I'm very glad to call this one finished !! What could ever possibly go wrong... Has been wrong... I surely messed up since I read here and there that it's a pretty good kit... To no avail for me... So Let's go on the Eastern front, Spring 1944, General Winter is retreating but Her Majesty Raspoutitza is taking her toll !! This one represent one of the Hans Ulrich Rudel's bent wing bird At this time he was at the Stab 3 SG 2 well !! The name of the game for me, was to represent the Aircraft with a worn out winter camouflage... The white paint used was a Casein based paint and was qhicly wiped out by the weather and the maintenance. The wheel pants were teared out to prevent the jamming due to the really sticky mud !! I wanted something different of the all White Stuka, However the white paint was applied with street brushes... Paints are Life color and I used Flory white to attain this effect !! The interior is fairly good, I added some bits and bobs here and there but not too much ! This one was already in her way when I signed to BM, so there is no WiP ! You see @Christer A, I'm cleaning up my stash i like the effect of the pants less wheels, and thus the projection of mud are reproduced too I modified the armament according to a photo !! 50Kg bomb came from a Tamiya kit, modified with scratched fuse extenders ! Ok gents, I'll try some familly pics and outside pics if the weather permit ! Let me know what you think about this "Also a bent wing bird" Have a great modelling time !! Take care ! Sincerely. CC

Hi every body, this will be my last post for ´19. Its the Fw190A-4 Würger of Anton Döbele, one member of Walter Nowotnys Devils Chain "Teufelskette". Hope you will enjoy!

Here's my 1/48 Spitfire Mk XIVe highback completed as 'Blackie' MacConnell's mount at the end of the war. I believe he was flying this aircraft when he downed an Arado AR-234 in April, 1945. It started life as an Airfix PR XIX, and was modified extensively to become a Mk XIVe. Decals are from XtraDecal, and Aviaeology stencils. Paints are Tamiya acrylic's, with weathering using Humbrol enamels and pastel chalk. Hope you like, Colin Build log -

Hi all, here are some pics of two 1/48 scale Eduard kits I completed lately. Originally I got my hands on the Reichsverteidigung special boxing, which allows to build one FW 190 A8-R2 and one Bf 109 G14, with plenty of nice marking options. After building one FW 190, I really wanted to make another with the extra glass armor plates on the side of the canopy, so I purchased an extra Overtree kit. The build went very easily (much easier than the earlier FW190 A8 release, which was tricky to assemble). As usual I painted the kits with Gunze Aqueous Hobby colors. I used H 317 and H 68 for the RLM 76 and RLM 74. To add variety I used the recommended H 69 for the Grauviolet RLM 75 on one kit and H 305 on the other. The H 305 has a less violet and more gray shade. The weathering was done with oil washes, acrylic ink pencils, pigments, and chipping done with foam. have a nice day, Christian.

Well, we got an offer, but it was absurdly low, and when we countered, the potential buyer discovered she couldn't get pre-approved for the mortgage (which you'd think they'dve check on earlier), so that was that. We'll see what develops. As for the kits, I've managed to get a little done since we last spoke. As you can see, the one-two combo of my new Mr. Airbrush Procon Boy PS-289 0.3mm (what a mouthful!) and Colourcoats Sky Type S make for very smooth application. Imagine, however, my horror when I realized I'm down to half a tin of the stuff and both US suppliers are out with no sign of restocking any time soon. Ulp! I've emailed the US distributor to see what can be done. I also applied some PPP around the canopies of both kits. The Airfix molds were surely showing their age with the clear parts, as they had identical little divots in the lower framing where the canopies were very slightly short-shot, so hopefully this will sort things out

Last completed model in 2019.

Hey guys, First post here, long time lurker but only first time geting round to posting! Im pretty well established on the Facebook pages and Instagram (@jonesy.models) but never branched out to BM yet! I thought id share a recent completion of mine here, Airfix's venerable offering of the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod... The kit itself is really quite remarkable, and offers the oppurtunity to build the MR1, MR2 and R1. I went with the MR1 at the request of recipient, who further detailed that he wanted XV230 in her handover days to the RAF. So i decided to represent her as she was at Hawker Siddley Aviation Woodford in 1969. Just in her standard scheme and markings, lacking the squadron details et al. I used a pick of markings from the Xtradecal X72080 'Grey and White Nimrods in RAF Service' sheet which provided all i needed for the final livery. The build itself wasnt without its difficulties. The main being when it came to affixing the wing. The lower wing section was fitted, and then when the upper halves were to be attached, it wouldnt go correctly, forcing an unnatural and unrealistic dihedral to the wings. As a result, it took a few good goes, and finally a bit of filler to get it correct. Otherwise, the build was uneventful and generally pleasent. Which is good, as i have two more of these beasts to build in the near future! The basic shots above show the completed model, and what a mighty looking aircraft the Nimrod is! I am a Volunteer at the Avro Heritage Museum, on the former Woodford Aerodrome, and here you see the mode in 'flight' over a model of the airfield at it once was in its heyday. Now, it has been demolished and is being turned to houses. A shame for the home of Avro, and birthplace of some of my favourite aircraft, namely the Vulcan, Nimrod and HS748. Finally, a shot of the model in profile with our Nimrod nose section, XV235, which holds many stories in its own right! Thank you for reading my post, my first here but i dont doubt therell be many more to come! Rhys Jones-Ager

My latest build is de BAC1-11-300 in KLM colours. KLM leased this aircraft from Eagle Airways for a few months in the 60's, while waiting for their DC-9's to arrive. KLM flew this aircraft in full KLM colours, but only a few pictures exist online. This build is part of the "100 years KLM group build" over at the Dutch Modelbrouwer forums. The kit is by Authentic Airliners and is excellent as per usual. The decals were by F-decal, but the fit wasn't too great (the vertical stabilizer decal for example was way too large). The window and flightdeck decals by Authentic Airliner decals were great too. I made the wire antennas too short, but fixing that would cause more damage than it would solve, so I decided to let them be (and also they are not tight enough, which tends to happen over time. I'm going to experiment with different methods of applying them to prevent this from happening again). I am happy with the way the engines turned out. I used a different paint on a recommendation from my buddy Vintage Jet (Inspire Chrome) and that works really great! It's expensive but it gives a clear shining metal result. At any rate the pictures: My next build will be the Zvezda 767-300, in the latest KLM livery this aircraft has flown in. Thanks for looking and see you next time!

In an example of modelling finesse and skill I have sloshed some Mr Surfacer around the vortex generators and wing fences: The little ‘oles into which the VGs had been planted needed a tad of filling and the wing fences and fl*nges are supposed to be one piece of bent metal and so any visible joins also needed filling. Cue quite a bit of time spent trying to unscrew the gummed up tops of my various Mr Surfacer (500, 1000 & 1500) and Mr Dissolved putty jars (not entirely sure how I came to be a ‘collector’ of such things) - followed by further time spent adding Mr Mr Color Levelling Thinner to resuscitate the sticky lumps that the contents had become....... Anyways - after several seconds of contemplation Mr S 1000 was selected for the task and I look forward (?) to a session micromeshing the excess back..... Many moons ago I thinnned and shaped the ailerons to commendably sharp corners......which have now of course all got bashed up and damaged - as the starboard one in the above piccie demonstrates.... If I was the Baron I would simply and immediately swap the ailerons for precision hand-crafted brass replacements......but seeing as I’m barely beyond etched brass folding (and only learnt from Ced’s Sunderland thread this morning that you fold etched brass with the half-etch line inside...) I’m just gonna add blobs of thick cyano to the damaged aileron tips and sand them sharp again......

Dear Modellers, I like to show you another of the many two-seaters, which flew in the Great War. There is not much information so I turned to Wikipedia for some: The C.V was Albatros Flugzeugwerke's first revision of their B- and C-type reconnaissance aircraft since Ernst Heinkel left the firm for Hansa-Brandenburg. While retaining the same basic layout as the Heinkel-designed aircraft, the C.V featured considerably refined streamlining. The forward fuselage was skinned in sheet metal and a neat, rounded spinner covered the propeller boss. Power was provided by the new Mercedes D.IV, a geared eight-cylinder engine. The initial production version, designated C.V/16, suffered from heavy control forces and inadequate engine cooling. Albatros therefore produced the C.V/17 with a new lower wing, as well as balanced ailerons and elevators. The fuselage-mounted radiators were replaced by a single flush radiator in the upper wing. These changes improved both handling qualities and engine cooling, but the downfall of the C.V was the unreliable Mercedes D.IV engine, which suffered from chronic crankshaft failures. The C.V was therefore replaced in production by the Albatros C.VII. I build this model from scratch the same way like my other models; I carved the engine part from a piece of solid wood, for the other parts I used plastic sheet of different thickness. The rigging is stretched sprue. There are some more types I hope to build only to find the time..:-) So enjoy this photographs ! With regards, JohnHaa l

Brass Swiss cheese can only mean one thing: eye strain and back ache! Yes, I have begun the task - and, incredibly, almost completed it - of knitting together microscopic pieces of wafer thin metal, and then guessing where they are supposed to fit into the plastic bits. The Extra Tech set is designed to make up as a series of sub-assemblies, which you then fit to the plastic. As ever, some parts fit better than others. One or two parts have been trimmed a little so they fit better. It was more often than not a case of guesswork as to location. Others have various components left off for the sake of sanity. An example of this is the myriad 7.62mm MG magazines which were generally hung anywhere around the cockpit there was space. I’ve left them out completely. Life can be sometimes a bit too short. I’ve also resorted to extemporising the instrument panel, using the kit parts to help position the PE part. If nothing else it will look sufficiently busy in once the canopies and nose are installed. Anyway, I’ll attempt a squirt of primer over things in daylight, and then paint up the fittings. Then I can button up the fuselage. Having considered camera bays and crew access hatches, I’ve decided the former can be represented as black painted patches on the belly. The latter is incorrect, but I’ll leave it where it is and make some kind of representative panel over it rather than try to fill the hole. Good old modeller's compromise.

Plain of coarse Self raising would be used for airship models

Indeed. What fools they are, said the man who currently is failing to pack a lunch for tomorrow despite promising Mrs P that he wouldn't go out once at the office.

Hello all, I have been rather busy working of late but I have found time between working with real aircraft to finish my F-4D. Im sure many are aware that the Tamiya kit is a dream to build and goes together very well, I used Mr Colour paint which I believe are the best on the market at the moment, the colours I used were 303 (FS34102), 310 ((FS 30219) and 320 (Dark Green)……….and black for the bottom 🙂 Sadly the decals were in a poor state and fragmented as soon as they hit the water, so I purchased the Warbirds Decals set (32009) which were superb and set well on the aircraft and into any details very well and recommended. I didn't like the fit of the intakes to the ducting, so I thought it a far better idea to use the Quickboost (QB 32089) set of intake covers. The seats are aftermarket, but I cant tell you who made them as they came free with the kit (from a certain auction site) All the weapon pylons are removable, this is done using small earth magnets in the wings and pylon locations. I hope you like it, it is certainly my best build so far. All comments are welcome, thanks for looking

Just finished vintage model of Mitsubishi MU-2S built as an OoB. Total failure with decals 40-years old were to weak for proper applying even after Microscale Liquid Decal Film. Some are (re)painted, and decal edges are still visible (even on photos below) even after (careful) sanding. If you have it in your wardrobe - buy a new ones or reprint your decals! MU-2S is a special version of MU-2 built for J.A.S.D.F. with few modifications: radar (and radome), bulb windows, doors opening during flight and (due to that) unpressurized cabin. Main role: Search-And-Rescue

That's just what Mrs Martian said only the other night! Martian 👽

Bottom exposure time. F'nar! (In my defence, it's Friday and it's been a busy week).

It's easy to grasp Steve, once you get the hang of it ............... I reckon gas mark 3 (160 Fan oven) for about 3 mins, heading 025 degrees magnetic for half a pint, at around 80MHz. Squawk 7400 and remember with your layer height things go funny when you reach the inversion layer. Terry

Here we go...... The newly inaugurated BM 3D printer elite are beginning to speak in code to each other.......

Leaving the hull to dry, I turned to the hull openings in the sponsons for the ship's boats. There are five openings, two smaller ones for Pacific 24 Mark 4 Ribs and three larger ones for Wave Transfer Personnel Transfer Boats. There is one Rib inside each sponson but the PTBs are all stowed inside the port sponson. When I built the QE I omitted these due to time constraints but this time round I am fitting the openings. Here I have cut out panels which will be used to make five boxes: Pic 036: Here I have assembled the boxes, bracing the corners with some angled Evergreen. They have been built higher than necessary to allow them to be trimmed down to the correct level. The largest bulkheads have not been glued in place yet as I need to detail the openings. In retrospect this was a huge waste of time and effort and there was an easier way. Live and learn….: Pic 037: Here I have marked the locations of the WTBs (Water Tight Bulkheads) as shown on my plans. These marks are solely to help with the correct positioning of the various components such as lifts, sponsons, openings for boats etc. Unfortunately, in subsequent days, I discovered an error on the plans which showed the WTBs in a slightly different position in profile view to that in the plan view. Consequently, there is a difference of about 6mm which meant I have had to re-jig things slightly. Pic 038: To ensure that the measurements are uniform across both builds, I have taken all measurements from the stern and worked forward and will "lose" the extra 6mm ahead of the sponsons. Here I have cut out and glued supports for the rear section of sponson. This sponson has a raised section at the aft end and has different size supports to the rest: Pic 039: Before I can glue the rest of the sponson supports, I had to mark the locations of the openings for the boats and lifts: Pic 040: Supports have been glued in place on the Port side, double-checking that they didn't interfere with the openings: Pic 041: View of the Starboard side: Pic 042: Plating in of the sponsons has started: Pic 043: View of the Starboard side: Pic 044: Right way up: Pic 045: Port side: Pic 046: Latest update on possible shortages of the world's supplies of plastic card.... I turned my attention to the hull where I needed to reduce the depth of the hull so that it would meet the transom. After removing the original hull section I glued some plastic card framing to support the new section: Pic 047: The hull is too narrow at the stern and will need to be built out to meet the sponson supports: Pic 048: I have cut out a bulkhead to the outline of the transom and glued that in place. The transom will be glued to this bulkhead later on: Pic 049: Here are the transoms for both versions undergoing more work: Pic 050: Checking the transom for fit. It was necessary to cut a slot into the bulkhead behind so that the lower "box" did not stop the transom sitting snugly: Pic 051: The transom was then glued in place and the hull covered in plastic card. Eventually it will be filled and sanded: Pic 052: Progress has been steady with a lot of time being spent on the sponsons: Pic 053: Although it looks like there are raised lifts, these sections will be cut out and new lifts cut from plastic card. This will allow me to add the underside detail to the lifts much more easily. It also allows the option of lowered lifts. Apertures for the hangar doors still need to be cut out: Pic 054: Next, I turned my attention to the hangar openings and doors. The top edges of the outboard openings will need to be trimmed down by the thickness of the flight deck. This differs between the two builds as the flight decks are constructed from different thicknesses of plastic card: Pic 056: Plastic card has been glued to the rear of the outboard openings. The inner faces will be trimmed and detailed they are glued in place: Pic 057: Doors have been cut out and will be scribed and glued in place later: Pic 058: Plastic card has been removed for one of the lifts and the area to be cut out for the associated hangar opening but I won't be cutting the opening just yet. Eventually, the hangar opening sub-assemblies "should" slide into the holes and the edges of the gaps will be overlapped by the edges of the outer opening: Pic 059: Sections of the Enterprise bow have been glued to the underside of the flight deck. This has been done mainly for strength as the bow section will get a pounding when it gets shaped: Pic 060: Today I managed to get some sanding done on the hulls of both builds. Here is the aft section of the full-hull build. Once all sanded, filled and sanded again, I will make and fit the keel. Rudders, props, bilge keel and stabilisers will be made and fitted towards the end of the build: Pic 061: When I made the HMS Queen Elizabeth, I fitted the bulbous bow before I had shaped the stem and had problems getting it to the correct slim profile. As a result it ended up with a stem that was too rounded. This time I will be shaping the stem first and fitting the bulbous bow afterwards: Pic 062: I can't do too much each day due to the effect the vibration from the sanders has on my hands so the sanding will take many sessions. Here are both builds after the first sanding session. The progress on the full-hull build is more advanced than the waterline version with the latter having a lot of plastic still standing proud of the hull where the cutaway begins: Pic 063: I had another long sanding session today and apart from the bow of the full-hull version, it is almost ready for filling over a large proportion of the hull. Here is the aft section which will probably be filled first so that I can complete construction of the sponsons, insert the hangar openings and clean up the of the flight deck in readiness for the walkways: Pic 064: Last night I managed to get most of 05 Deck installed on the Forward islands of each build. The front bulkheads haven't been fitted yet as they are not straightforward (not that anything seems to be straightforward with these islands): Pic 065: I have done a little more sanding on the hulls but I am not happy with the waterline version. I have ringed a problem area where the cutaway is too angular on both sides. I will need to get the razor saw and cut a chunk out and construct a more rounded profile. I am much happier with the full-hull version though: Pic 066: That is all for now. Dave

#29/2019 End of year factory clearing 😆 the next one finished. Eduard kit with Avalon decals, EZ Line for the antenna wire, plastic rods for brake lines, AK Real Color RLM76, Gunze and Tamiya for the upper RLM 75/83 camo (75 was lightened up a bit). Build thread here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235062358-end-of-war148-messerschmitt-bf109g-10wnfdiana-2jg52/ The model shows an aircraft of II./JG52 that was found at the end of the war on Czech territory. DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0002 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0003 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0004 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0005 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0006 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0007 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0009 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0010 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0011 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0012 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0013 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0014 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0015 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0016 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0017 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0018 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr

#28/2019 And another one finshed. Hasegawa kit with Authentic Decals, AK Real Color AMT-7 and AMT-11, EZ Line for antenna wires and brake lines, Eduard seatbelts Build thread here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235061405-lend-lease148-curtiss-p-40k-warhawk-soviet-airforcevvs/ The model shows an aircraft of the 760th fighter regiment, 261st composite division in Karelia winter 1943-44. DSC_0002 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0003 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0004 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0005 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0006 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0007 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0009 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0010 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0011 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0012 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0013 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0014 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0015 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0016 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0017 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0018 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0019 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0020 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr

Since I know you've all been waiting with bated breath, I can divulge that my boss took me out for lunch at Jimmy John's, thereby obeying the letter, if not the spirit of Mrs P's enjoinder not to buy a lunch.

Progress of sorts. Windscreen, empennage braces, float braces and exhaust stubs. Stubs were the most difficult. I wasted several lengths of tubing trying to get the correct diameter. Everything else pretty routine, stretched spru, etc. Nacelle next and then dealing with those pesky numbers. Thank for looking in. Dennis

No, I think it was something to do with brewers. Martian 👽

There’s static droop, too; are you sure it wasn’t that?

Wibble. It seems all my Dorniers have slightly wonky seats. It’s very difficult gauging straight and true in half a fuselage. Will it even notice with the canopies in place? Who knows? Will I even try to reset them? Debatable. By now, my sanity is up the street and round the next corner. Primer time? It’s nearly warm enough in the paint shop.

Time to retire the hood and tripod affair and get an Olympus Trip Keith? 😁 You'll be perfectly placed for the lavish auroral displays of Climate Armageddon though Simon. The satisfaction level was off the scale Giorgio. 😄 Funny how such a small part can seem so, well - pleasurable to get right. Thanks P. I managed to break an aileron hinge off last evening whilst repainting the front of the port Cheetah so need to head home tonight and gussy a new one up from some scrap brass. Luckily I've the design saved for the Silhouette cutter so can etch a replacement onto some thin sheet and cut out. If memory serves this is the third time I've had to build replacements due to my clumsy handling but at least I seem to get quicker at the fabrication each time around! 😄 What are you working on yourself these days if I may ask? Can't beat a good bit of Expressionism in the morning I always say! Beginning to think our Cabinet of Dr. Caligari bathroom motif may have been a bit overdone though, judging by the unearthly shrieks from visitors spending a penny. I guess not everyone finds it easy to go being watched from the corner by a Zombie... 'No-one would have believed.....' No sweat Alan- though I suspect you'll be sorely disappointed at how few adjustments I made to the defaults aside from setting up the printer to Elegoo from the output list. I think the only value changed here was 'layer height': Anti-aliasing @ 4: Because of the thinness of the vane shapes I changed the contact diameter and depth at the top to about 0.12mm (default being 0.3 iirc) to avoid to many artefacts to trim off later: And that was it. Like yourself still feeling my way around the tolerances but in general extraordinarily surprised at the level accessibility to be able to produce quality better than the vastly more expensive (and complicated to calibrate) filament jobs they have in the materials lab at work. 🤞for your weekend output - no doubt that it will prove another milestone. Somebody's not getting a personalized Nativity scene this year... You can tell the ones that are going to buy one next can't you? Thank Christ you didn't say 'oven-ready' Terry. I would have had to have gone on Twitter to comment. Hopefully I'm coming out of the comical 'two-steps-forward-one-step-back' routine of the last couple of days. I mentioned above to Pheonix that I'd managed to ping to oblivion an aileron hinge that I'll have to replace and repaint later. In addition, in touching up one of the props I'd also managed to break off and lose the locating stub that I'd soldered previously onto the rear as an axle. That has had a new one added now , which serendipitously let me make it longer and stronger to match the modified engine. One interesting thing I noticed was that the Powerflux paste I was using didn't do well soldering tube to the prop hub (which was modified salvaged from my box of watch innards) due presumably to being a different alloy of brass (?), but the liquid flux, although not perfect, was far more tenacious. Still learning when it comes to metal! Aerials Propellors Rudder Pitot Windscreen wipers. Repeat after me: get these on and break nothing else in the process or the crowd'll become restive... Coffee break over. Better get back to work and simulate a drone bee again. Tony

Steve “Impoverished Man of the People” Fritag, eh? You can join this elite for about 20 minutes’ of your fees

Oh, hello. I think this might just work. 😁

Hi folks, this is new addition in my IAF collection. Special Hobby made a fine job on this elegant French fighter and it is excellent kit just of ouf the box; in addition I used Eduard etched mainly for the flaps air brakes. This re-engined Sambad flew with no.105 Scorpion squadron in early 1970's. Cheers Libor

This build thread describes the construction of a 1/350 scale model of HMS Prince of Wales (R09) which was displayed by Airfix at SMW 2019, Telford where I am shown with Darrell Burge, Hornby Brand Manager: Background to this build In April 2014, the Royal Navy contacted Airfix to commission a model of HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) that was under construction in Rosyth Dockyard. Airfix asked me to scratch-build a 1/350 model which was subsequently displayed at the naming ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth in Rosyth on 4th July 2019. Thereafter it’s permanent home was the Wardroom of HMS Queen Elizabeth: Pic 001: In April 2019, I was again commissioned by Airfix, this time to scratch-build a 1/350 model of HMS Prince of Wales, the second of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. It would be shown at SMW 2019, Telford and thereafter it’s permanent home would be the Hornby Hobbies Visitor Centre in Margate. I hope that you enjoy following this build which may seem a bit unconventional in some parts. There were some problems to overcome but the worst difficulty was having to cope with severe concussion that I suffered five weeks before Telford. It was touch and go as to whether I would complete it in time but I only managed it by leaving off photo-etch and some other small details. To use an old Chinese proverb “a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”. This is the first of many sheets of plastic card used in the build: Pic 002: Although this build would be constructed mainly of plastic card, I would be using a Tamiya 1/350 USS Enterprise hull to give it some inner strength. The hull was shortened in length, all sponsons removed and keel removed and openings blanked off with plastic card. Plastic card was used to fill in the missing parts of the sides and clamped. Note that I have used the cut out section of hull to brace the new join of the midships and aft sections of hull: Pic 003: Forward section (bow excluded) glued in place: Pic 004: Putting aside the hull to dry, I cut out the Flight Deck. Being 80cm long, it would be a right handful in the confines of my modelling den: Pic 005: This situation was made worse by the fact that I was building two at once (a waterline version for myself) Pic 006: Once the hull had dried, I drilled four holes which were fitted with four 80mm M6 bolts epoxied in place. The model was then secured to a temporary chipboard base that would be used until the final day of the build (the Flight Deck hasn’t been glued in place yet): Pic 007: The most complicated part of this build is the construction of the Forward (Ship Control) and Aft (Flyco) Islands. Because of this, I decided to build the islands for both ships at the same time. Here are the Aft Islands: Pic 008: The plastic card is rather thin (0.20mm) and requires plenty of framing to prevent "dishing" of the panels: Pic 009: Pic 010: Here the two islands have been placed on the Flight Decks of the two builds. You can see the full-hull version to the rear: Pic 011: Bit more work: Pic 012: I do like using lots of filler: Pic 013: Sanding of filler was completed and then I moved onto the assembly of the Flying Control Rooms: Pic 014: I did consider having acetate glazing but after some experimentation I decided that it would not be easy to do a good job: Pic 015: Another view showing the multiple facets of the Aft Island: Pic 016: View from ahead: Pic 017: Having applied filler to the Aft Islands again, I started construction of the Forward Islands (Ship Control): Pic 018: I just can’t leave the Aft Islands alone. The filler around the Flying Control Rooms (FCRs) has been sanded and I have been adding some of the many platforms: Pic 019: Filler applied and sanded again. You can see that I have also added window wiper boxes above where the FCR windows will go: Pic 020: I then cut some "T" section plastic strip to go around plastic card discs to represent the platform for the Type 997 Artisan 3D Radar. Hopefully, when painted the ends of the "T" will look like thin rods like on the original: Pic 021: They were then glued in place and I started on the platform on the starboard side of the Aft Island: Pic 022: Once the platform had been sanded I started on the overhang of the Bridge on the starboard side. As you can see, I have glued strips of plastic card to the bulkhead first and built the overhang around them: Pic 023: One of the islands once the overhang has been completed: Pic 024: Green blobs on the Aft Island denote the locations of watertight doors: Pic 025: WEM watertight doors have been glued in place on the Aft and Forward Islands. Note that the watertight doors do not sit flush with the bottom of the bulkheads but are raised slightly: Pic 026: Taking a break from the island activity, I turned to the stern. The transoms for both versions were fabricated and the various openings cut and drilled: Pic 027: Turning to the hull briefly, I screwed hardwood dowelling inside the hull to give it some rigidity, a necessity as the plastic card is more flexible than the original dark grey plastic. The silver fitting at the stern is only temporary and supports the stern ensuring that the top of the hull remains horizontal. It will be removed once the ship is bolted to a temporary base: Pic 028: The full-hull version will be permanently mounted on a base 800mm long and here I am drilling the locating holes for the 80mm M6 bolts. The base won’t be fitted until the very end of the build: Pic 029: I have started to apply mahogany stain. So far I have applied three coats but I will need another two coats. Once finished the base was stored safely until needed: Pic 030: Now the base has been fitted I turned my attention to the Flight Deck and here I have marked the outline of the hull: Pic 031: I glued pieces of plastic card to the underside of the Flight Deck which ensure that the hull will be correctly aligned: Pic 032: First piece of Flight Deck glued in place. Note the plastic card "tab" glued to the front of the Flight Deck that will support the midships section of Flight Deck: Pic 033: The midships piece of Flight Deck glued to the hull and clamped. I couldn't resist putting the Islands on: Pic 034: Bow section of the Flight Deck has been glued in place: Pic 035: That's all for now. Dave

Hi guys, I have finally finished my first 1/48 build, Tamiya's A6M2 Zeke, OOB. The kit was ok, old and did not have much detail, but it was cheap and that suited me because I wanted to experiment on it. As some of you out there know I tested my complementary pre-shading technique for the first time on this little guy (dark yellow primer followed by purple pre-shading before IJN Ash Gray base coat), as well as first time salt technique for color variation (slightly overdone in my opinion). As I said, the kit is poor in detail and there were some fitting issues (canopy, landing gear and the cowling) but nothing that put me off. I also lost the small bit on the right aileron. Never to be seen again. I am satisfied with the result. You be the judges. Comments and criticism are much appreciated! Thanks for looking guys! Cheers, Nikola

Here are a pair of Sweet 1:144 General Motors FM-2 Wildcats I built back in 2007. Builds were OOB with just the wing probe being added from wire. They were both painted by brush with the final varnish being airbrushed. First: "20" of VC-93 on USS Petrof Bay (CVE-80), US Navy in May 1945. Second: "20" of VC-93 on USS Core (CVE-13), US Navy, in the North Atlantic. As always, thank you for looking Miguel

And at all times keep an eye on your Nr. Wouldn't want any transient droop, now would we?

What I was thinking was don’t just take the format for the movie and just change the gender and leave it at that. So no Jemima Bond please. Find something new and write a whole new storyline etc. Eg don’t turn the male character in Raiders of the List Ark into a female but instead create Lara Croft. Women deserve their own stories and roles.

I feel this is no longer a safe or suitable place... 😕

It seems I'm stuck with props. I liked it much better this time, though. Masking and painting the underside was a bit exhausting but it came out better than I expected... Famous (or notorious?) Dora here, in 32nd scale from Hasegawa. The kit needs no introduction but the aircraft does I think. The entire squadron JV44 have their aircraft painted red with white stripes underside, and it is really amazing to have spared the time and effort for that in 1944-45. This is Red 1 flown by Leutnant Heinz "Heino" Sachsenberg in 1945. "Verkauft's mei Gwand, I fahr in Himmel" reads on the fuselage, which is a part of lyrics wrtitten to a Johann Strauss melody. All-black Luftwaffe crosses underside are also of note... Thanks for looking. I will return to my jets now

Hi all moved from the stash to display case finally, after many years in box. Will not take lot of your time explaining the model, classic old italeri, quite good fit, not many details, and in overall a nice model. I always liked more this prototype version with big crazy looking tails and sharp edges, which somehow disappeared on production model. Colors Italery acrylics, minimal weathering, i cut some surfaces on the wing to make it more interesting....and that is all. Images....and best regards

Another build completed that's been on the bench for over a year. Airfix BF109E Kit with Euro Decals ED72109 completed as DG200. First time trying MRP paints 108, 110 & 122 Primed with Mr Surfacer 1500 white followed by pre shading with Mr S 1500 Black Rest was Humbrol enamel. Used MRP Super clear gloss before decals set with microscale Set & SOL followed by MRP gloss then Matt clear and but no weathering. Found that even after those layers some of the paint rubbed off exposing the primer. Not sure if that's normal for MRP but I'm still impressed with how sooth the finish is. Only Decal not from the sheet was the tiny swastika on the tail. this was a 2mm circle punched from microscale white decal stock then overlayed with an inkjet swastika. It was done that way to get the image central on the circle. Tried by printing on white inkjet sheet and stamping out the circle but couldn't get it central enough. Ended up with a tiny bit of silvering on the serial no. Couldnt get it bed down despite copious coats of microsol, just wouldn't do it. Overall I'm quite pleased with the result. From pictures found on the internet DG200 had lost its canopy and was test flown without also does not seem to have an antennae mast of wing guns so have left them off. Thanks for looking. CT. CT

ALM_4630 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_4631 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_4633 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_4634 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_4635 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_4637 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr ALM_4639 by Alexey Matvienko, on Flickr

This misty morning at Lelystad Airport, G-IRTY, the Silver Spitfire started her final leg on the tour around the world. Luckily, at around noon the fog cleared and a soft winter sun came through. After final checks were completed, engine start for the last leg. The escort on the way out of Dutch airspace was provided by Trusty Rusty, a P-51D twoseater. Heading out to the runway Take-off run And a well-appreciated farewell fly-by.

Aileron = single piece of brass folded in half lengthways - I'm not a complicated man Steve! Mrs. B has a thick dossier on the subject by now. (My simplemindedness, not ailerons, obvs...)

This is absolutely spot on John. There is no way I would dream of changing the lead in the Alien franchise from a female to a male or the Sarah Connors role to a male one in Terminator, these roles were written for and work fantastically with female leads and should not be messed with. The same goes for the likes of James Bond, written for a male and been acted by a male for decades and as you say it would be cheap to just have a Jane Bond when a properly written role for a female agent ( such as Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde ) would make for a very good film or series of films. Women most definitely deserve to have new good quality material written for/about them.

Isn't it funny how a coat of paint makes everything look so much better?

Luggage rack Luggage rack V2. Probably won't do this one and try using brass mesh on the rack above Main window. This version requires that I cut individual panes of glass to fit in the openings - with a land of about .25mm! I've also done a second version which has a slit along the length so if it all goes well, I just need to cut one rectangle of glass and it will just slot into the frame, without having to be so accurate in my cutting. The new diamond window is on the right, old version on the left. I noticed that the top of the vent (on top of window) should be in line with the top edge of the main windows Provided there are no distractions this weekend, I should get some printing done.

I think that issue depends on context. Female Dr Who ? Maybe, why not. Female James Bond, shurely not Monneypenny. Strong female character as a double O agent , yes. Female Sherlock Homes, ridiculous Watson. It’s context and of course a reaction against changing well known characters to be trendy pc. It’s also lazy as it stops writers inventing and developing strong female roles which is to be deplored (stopping creating them that is). So no female James Bond please but yes to an action movie about a female MI6 agent.

Were you the man who just returned to the hobby recently who i talked with? here are a few i took and i leave out the ones you allready posted👍 Cheers, Jan