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Showing content with the highest reputation on 15/12/20 in all areas

  1. Hello dear modellers Another model entered to my IIAF fleet! This time a very special bird , The first ever jet aircraft in Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF) service that started a new era in my country’s aviation history. This is the orange one used to fly as dart carrier with both T and RT versions. Kit is Great Wall Hobby T-33A Shooting Star early version which was superb. Colors are Mr.Hobby Decals come from Modeller decals. Hope you like (pictures taken by my cell phone) Barzin🌹 IMG_8217 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8208 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8210 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8212 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8206 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8218 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8221 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8224 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8220 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8203 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8211 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8223 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8204 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8229 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8209 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8205 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_8222 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr IMG_5879 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr image-1-45-1 by Freddy Pilot, on Flickr
    29 points
  2. Fellow Modellers.. i offer for your pleasure my latest USAAF Mighty 8th offering. Revell's 1:72 scale Little Miss Mischief, DF-F of the 91st Bomb Group based at RAF Bassingbourne, Cambs in early 1945 Built OOB with some unusual options - cupola and different rear gunners tail end.. Hataka and Mig paints used. I must say i found the supplied decals to be top notch with this kit. The plastic was a bit soft and fragile for some of the parts - notably the ball turret which i had to dispense with during final assembly. There was a lot of intricate masking for this. I did enjoy this aspect and had to redo some parts as they weren't in my opinion good enough. My next B17 is going to be the same Revell 1:72 kit but as "Nine-O-Nine". It's mostly OD so will get some practice in with the airbrush. I might be tempted to do this in enamels even! I'd like to dedicate this build to my Dad, Peter, who sadly passed on on October 13th this year aged 87. He taught me to make models as a child and followed my builds and loved the warbirds i've done during lockdown. I started this in September and just finished it now for RFI. Please feel free to ask any questions or suggest improvements. I did a little bit of research in to the engine exhaust patterns on the wings and the correct colouring and deposits on the superchargers. the Getty organisation has many excellent reference photos as well I always do a light weathering approach. I think it looks more realistic especially at this scale? I watched a great documentary called The Cold Blue about the 91st BG and the colour film shot over 15 hours by Hollywood director William Wyler. He flew 5 missions with the 91st to get the footage and it's been digitally restored to 4K. It's worth watching for some pointers in to the colouring and weathering of operational B17s from the models period. One of the cameramen was killed during the filming. I also respectfully offer this build in memory of the brave men of the 91st who didn't make it back. Next build may be something in a larger scale which i do find easier to handle the small parts in lol. Enjoy! Andy Some more Black and White 'period' views
    25 points
  3. This started out as a quick build of a simple enough kit........then I started adding things! The SBS resin engine and cowl that took longer than the actual kit to make but I also added some photo etch from the AIMS set intended for the Roden Gladiator. I elected not use the PE rigging though (I basically chickened out) so used EZLine instead. The Aerocraft decals, which I ended up using, are slightly out of register in places which is a shame and they tended to stick where they landed regardless of how much water etc was on the surface. They looked like they were going to silver too but they settled down nicely in the end. The kit itself is quite a simple kit and would be ideal for a first time biplane build as the top wing slots perfectly onto the struts without any worries. The surface detail is nice and the cockpit is good enough for what's visible so it gets my thumbs up as an easy project for someone who isn't interested in counting Gloster type rivets. Painted using Tamiya AS-12 decanted from the rattle can and some AK Interactive colours mixed for the collector ring and exhaust to give a light burnt appearance (hopefully). The SBS resin Engine and Cowl which was a proper little kit in it's own right. Duncan B
    25 points
  4. Hello all, Here is my recently completed 1/48 Revell Eurofighter Typhoon, marked as FGR.4 ZK306 of 1(F) Squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth in 2019. Part of a QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) double for the Interceptors GB, the build thread is here Extras used included an Airwaves resin seat, Eduard etch, Eduard canopy mask, Phase Hanger Resin FOD inserts and Xtradecals. The spare set of AIM-132 ASRAAM came from the spares as did the rails to fit them. Paints are from Mr Paint - Light Grey for the wheel wells and internals, Dark Gull Grey for the cockpit, Camouflage Grey for the airframe and Medium Sea Grey for the nose and leading edge/top of the tail fin. Weathering is a mixture of Abteilung oils, Flory wash and some Tamiya powders. It's a tricky enough build with some poor fit but looks like a Typhoon in the end. Thanks for looking. Dave
    17 points
  5. E-3D Sentry (AWACS) VIII Squadron RAF Anniversary scheme Airfix 1/72, Combat decals. This is a special build requested by a friend who flew the E-3D as a co-pilot. One of his colleagues recently passed away from cancer in his early 50's, leaving a wife and children behind. This model is for them, a tribute to a husband and father who flew the E-3D as Captain. ZH106 was apparently his favourite, and he shared the nickname 'Grumpy' with it. Enough words, this will be going to his family: Thanks for looking, John
    17 points
  6. This year has definitely been different for all of us, and like many of you I for one will be happy to leave it behind on the 31st December. However, from a modelling point of view this years events have helped to add to the number of completed builds, making it my most successful year since I joined Britmodeller. I hope that you enjoy looking at my achievements so far. As usual the first few are from Group Builds that started at the back end of 2019, but the models were finished in 2020. First up was this 1/72 Revell kit of a Netherlands based Hawker Hunter, completed on January 8th. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr HMS Ajax was my choice for the Film, Fictional and Speculative Group Build (GB), a kit I remember building in my early teens. It was the first time I had used etch and 3D printed parts on any naval subject and included etch for a 1/600 Fairey Seafox. This one was completed at the end of January by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Continuing with the River Plate theme, I had completed this 1/72 Matchbox Fairey Seafox by mid March. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Meanwhile I had also started a series of builds for the Scandinavian GB, and this 1/144 Mark 1 kit of a Norwegian TF-104G was the first completed. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr The next of the trio of builds to be completed was this Airfix Sky King boxing of the Caravelle, finished as a Danish registered aircraft in Scandinavian Airlines System original delivery scheme. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr The final build for this GB would be a 1/72 Airfix Saab Draken. I rescribed the kit, dropped the wing control surfaces and added a few aftermarket parts including an Aries resin cockpit. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Early successes were soon followed by a couple of FTF's (Failed to Finish) in the Lancaster STGB and In the Navy GB, but I was back on a roll in the Spitfire, Seafire GB with this French Spitfire Mk.IX. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Fellow Britmodeller @Hockeyboy76 kindly sent me a Mark 1 boxing of a couple of FW-190's in 1/144 scale to help me through the time that I spent having to shield, here are the finished results. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr For the Kit You Built as a Kid GB I chose the Westland Scout from Airfix, built straight from the box and finished using the Jordanian markings, yes one of the flags on the rear is the wrong way round. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Having tried and failed several times previously, I had my first Blitzbuild success this year too. This Platz 1/144 Lightning F.6 just scraped over the line. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr A couple of builds were completed for the Helicopter, Auto-Gyro and STOVL GB, starting with this 1/144 Westland Wessex... by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr ... and this OOB build of an Airfix GR.7 was the next subject, another kit donated by Hockeyboy76. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr In between the Wessex and the Harrier builds I wrapped up a Buccaneer Trials Aircraft using the old Airfix kit, Neomega resin sets and some Airwaves etch. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr The August Blitzbuild saw another couple of finishes for the year, completing these two Bandai Star Wars snap kits over the Bank Holiday weekend. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr The Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary GB was due to end on the 31st October and I had been working on a couple of aircraft involved in an action over Liverpool. This was a first kill for 312 Czech squadron and Sgt. Josef Stehlik was the pilot of one of the Hurricane Mk.1's (Airfix 1/72) involved in shooting down a Ju.88 A-1 (Revell 1/72). by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr We are almost at the end of the year now and these are my most recent finishes. This 1/144 Revell Tornado GR.1, completed last weekend, was finished in XV Squadron markings when at the TWCU, RAF Lossiemouth. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Then over this weekend I finished this 1/72 Revell Hawk T.1 using Model Decal Set 116 for the RAF Valley Solo Hawk Display 1992. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr So that was my year so far. I still have a second Tornado that I am trying to wrap up for this weekend, but it should be finished before the year end and there may be another couple of candidates that could also be finished - the Lancaster is very close, only needing the propeller blades fixing in place, so there really is no excuse for that not being completed. If you have got this far, then thanks for sticking with the ramblings and Merry Christmas and here's hoping for a better 2021. Finished on 20th December 2020 Here is the 9 Squadron GR4 mentioned at the end of the earlier posting, I scratch built the FLIR pod and the missing intake under the nose and rediscovered a Freightdog resin set that I bought a few years ago which contained a TIALD pod, so that was added along with a Master brass pitot to update the Revell 1/144 kit. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Completed 22nd December 2020 I finally wrapped up this A Model 1/144 Lancaster adding the prop blades and other ancillaries over the previous couple of days, it was built in the main out of the box, the only changes being the replacement of the gun barrels with some brass micro tubing and a few bits of scratch built detail around the cockpit. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Completed 30th December 2020 I have completed what will probably be the final builds for this year. This pair of Armory 1/144 Bf 109E's were my entries for Blitzenbuild 2020, on the right is an E-3 of II/JG 3, flown by Franz von Werra when he was shot down over Kent in May 1940. On the left is an E-7 of I/JG 26 piloted by Josef 'Pips' Priller late 1940. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr
    14 points
  7. This is my final build of this abysmal year of 2020!!!! Having built the ICM 1/48 Do215 & Do17Z-10 with hopefully reasonable results I decided to venture forward with ICM's Heinkel He111H-3. So armed with the Eduard etched sets for the undercarriage bays and cockpit, the Brassin wheels, an older Aeromaster decal sheet for the He111 and references the build commenced. I decided at an early stage to build a He111 from KG,100 partly because I like the badge and I also wanted a 'blackwashed' under-surface machine. I decided not to purchase the etched sets available for the bomb bay or radio compartment as these areas are not that visible when the fuselage halves are joined. So references and a little scratch detailing were sufficient for me. The build was pretty straight forward although by not ( as is usual for me) following the instruction sequence I did cause myself some problems which thankfully were overcome. The glazing does require great care in assembly to avoid clouding them when gluing and to avoid unsightly seams. I added the scratch made aerials carried by these aircraft and also replaced the under fuselage aerial. I used AK Real Colours paints over Vallejo black primer, in order to show the overpainted markings the upper surfaces were sprayed first, then gloss varnished. I applied the decals, an assortment of the kit and Aeromaster decals. The uppersurfaces were matt varnished, I then masked off the and sprayed the undersurfaces and Balkankreuze plus codes with AK Real Colours NATO Black allowing the markings to show through. I gave the black a coat of Mig Lucky Ultra Matt varnish as the original paint was reported as being an extremely matt finish. Panel washes were added and some weathering, which I tend to keep to a minimum were added. The machine I chose to model was from 2./KG.100 coded 6N+EK, Vannes, France, Sept. 1940 :- A couple of errors I noticed 1. I forgot to add the aerial mast under the fuselage next to the gondola. 2. The starboard undercarriage is not vertical but slightly canted to one side, something I will need to fix!!!! Apologies for photo quality not some of my best 😣. Well I'm calling this my final build of this awful year of 2020. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hopefully a much better New Year!! 🎄 Cheers Andy
    13 points
  8. Merit International's X Boat submarine, 1/35th scale. A pretty straightforward kit. I used an aftermarket propeller as the kit one was, well wrong! The control rods for the diving plane on the port side were removed, as they were only on the starboard side. The figure is from Italeri's MTB crew. Painted with Tamiya acrylics and weathered with a number of oil paint filters & washes. Here it is along side a German Navy Bieber, and a Royal Italian Navy SLC or "Miale" Some very brave men went to war in these machines! Thanks for looking Angelo.
    12 points
  9. Thanks gents, @heloman1 and @VT Red Sox Fan. One of the minor tasks that needed completing was painting the wing roots. I'd roughed in the blue on each side but I knew it didn't actually go all the way to the wing root fairing at the fuselage, there was another colour which my interpretation led me to believe was black. So I took a look a the pics to determine how I'd paint it and noticed something; In the images above the black "cloud" shapes extended all the way to the wing leading edge at the fuselage, but I knew I'd not painted them that way on the model. I believe both pics above to have been taken at the same time, or very nearly, and show 413410 before the the yellow nose was painted. As the wing is painted however, and we can see that the upper stripes were painted, these photos were taken in early or mid July. The picture below was taken on 26th July, perhaps week or two later... ...and it's clear that the panel directly below "Lou IV" must have been replaced as; a) it looks new and shiny, and b) there's no black paint on it unlike the early-July pics above. Also, it explains why the yellow nose looks so pristine - it was! Therefore, based on this I painted the black on the wing root only to the area where it angles out from the fuselage and back all the way to the trailing edge of the flap as seen on the early July photos. I noted also that in the early-July profile pic it's clear that where the flaps have dropped the flap "leading edge" so to speak, was left in bare metal, so I painted mine that way too. Something else became apparent when I was looking at the photos I took for this update; see how the blue in the pics above is quite subdued, even appearing a different hue of green...? Here's another one, taken within a minute of the above in the same lighting but from a different angle... I'd argue that this gives further weight to the blue proposition; one of the detractions from the blue theory is that it can't be seen in the photos (I think it can, but nonetheless) - these pics (though obviously not definitive proof) give an indication that blue doesn't always look blue. And finally, yet another little detail popped out! The late-July photo shows a rear view mirror which not installed earlier. If it was a field mod it would explain the unusual placement on the right side of the windscreen rather than in the centre as would be expected. In the model photos above the wing is not yet permanently joined to the fuselage. I have a bit of finagling to get the fit I want - there's a little to do to make the wing roots better. I expect I'll get that finished tonight though. Thanks for reading, what a lot of effort for a bit of black paint at the wing root! 😄 Cheers; Mark. .
    12 points
  10. It's not easy being green, but then I'm not Kermit. I cut out the elevators, as the reference photos seem to show that these are usually drooped a bit when the aircraft is parked. I'll let this cure for a day or so more, and then we'll get to work with some stickers. Gawd, I really want to put a "Team Lotus" decal on this baby... Cheers, Bill
    12 points
  11. My latest effort. The kit itself is very good but the decals were a bit tired and reluctant to leave their backing paper so I had to source another set from ebay. The markings are for a Pakistan AF F-104A from the Iliad Design sheet. Nice decals and went on very well. z20201215_110228 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr z20201215_110219 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr z20201215_110202 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr z20201215_110150 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr z20201215_110141 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr
    11 points
  12. I opened this kit yesterday, shook the box and some of the parts were built...well, not really but it is going together quite quickly. I had this 215 in my stash as well as a 415, I had thought I could build them concurrently but common sense (I know, it isn't common) suggested that was a really stupid idea (I sometimes have the attention span of a beagle) so I may try building them consecutively. Having looked in both the boxes it appears the parts are nearly all the same in both kits other than turbine engines, extra stabilizers on the empennage, and winglets on the 415. It is a fairly pedestrian subject compared to many builds here. The mess of parts in the box, the shiny yellow plastic is not hard to assemble but difficult to see where corrections may be needed. Some of the assembled components (it should be noted; there are no alignment pins/receivers on this model. Thanks for looking
    10 points
  13. Hi all - my final completion for 2020 is the Eduard D-13 weekend edition. A nice kit if a little tricky in places - I like many others doing eduard’s doras struggled to get a good fit on the gunbay covers which if you want to display closed, requires a bit of surgery. Other than that, things went together pretty smoothly. The scheme is what drew me to this and I was happy with how that turned out. I replaced some of the kit parts with wire and steel tubing, such as the gun barrels and pilot tube -added wiring to the wheel bay and added some pe seatbelts. Other than that’s it out of the box. Painted with mr color with enamels and oils for weathering.
    10 points
  14. This is the AZ Models DH Hornet F.4 finished to represent WF897, Q of 80 Squadron based at RAF Kai Tak in the mid-50's. Thanks for looking. Original photo courtesy of F/O A Whitson. Complete WIP thread here:
    10 points
  15. I originally had in mind to do these for the recent P-51 Mustang Gb, there was no way I was going to get a start for these before Christmas but from memory, it was about mid January I pulled them out, even got around to taking sprue photos for both of them. Plenty of time, right. Nah. This is, I think, the original Hasegawa P-51D, I'm not sure if I'd assembled the wings years ago or bought it thus. I tend to choose older or lesser kits for GBs so I don't feel the pressure to make them too good. Yeah right. I still couldn't resist opening up the radiator & oil cooler ducts & doing seat belts in the cockpit. This in the Intech kit reboxed by Smer, I chased it down for the decal options & I should have just kept the decals & binned the kit, it really was a stinker, fairly obviously a copy of the Hasegawa P-51B/C kit but not a good one. The only time I mentioned my intention was when @stevej60 showed keen to have a crack at a Mistercraft boxing of the same kit. I can only assume he looked closer at it & saw the light. This didn't have any representation of the radiator & oil cooler ducts, barely even lines to follow & of course stupid here just couldn't resist fixing that. The plastic in the belly of this kit was close to 2mm thick & really took some hacking out. The Propagteam decals were beautifully printed but oh so thin & after fluking the first underwing D-day stripes decal into place first go I felt confident we were onto a winner, the next one fixed that notion hence the ones under the starboard wing area are painted on. The rest got some Microscale Liquid Decal Film & went on just fine. Anyway, thats where it stayed, for pretty much the next two months, I didn't even register a thread for them, for a couple of reasons, it just wasn't happening, we had a new cat in the house, a totally manic wee Burmese tom, as daft as a loon, mad as a box of frogs type manic, so any chance I had of using my temporary modelling roost, a tray on the dining table was sunk. Eventually I managed to cobble together a corner in the basement, in front of some shelves that will eventually become a display case, with a folding wooden table, the sort of thing you might eat your dinner off in front of the TV, & a fold down chair, so as I could contract when finished. & so I began. Progress was slow to begin with & I became aware I wasn't taking WIP shots, that had been my next plan once the GB thing passed by, I managed precisely one, at quite an advanced stage of construction. So about a week ago, I finally decided they were done as much as I could be bothered, there is some more to get on with & hopefully, now I'm set up, sort of, I can make progress on these. Thus without more ado, a pair of Mustangs from the group known as the Blue Nosed Motherless Children of Bodney. The eagled eyed among you will see they're both coded HO-M. The P-51D is Petie 2nd flown by Colonel John Meyer of the 487FS 357th FG, the P-51B Little Anne from the same outfit but flown by Lt Glenn Moran. For those who might think the latter shouldn't have its inner gear doors down, see here. The Hasegawa kit, old that it was, went together, as one would expect, quite well but required a fair bit of filler, the Smer kit like wise but only after a lot of dry fitting, scraping sanding & pfaffing around. After gluing the fuselage I then found the canopy was too narrow so I broke out my 2/3 scale sihrsc file to thin the rear razor back till it fitted & then rescribed some of the major panel lines. The blue nose on the P-51C was Humbrol 14 straight from the tin, the P-51D got Humbrol 25 with about 20% 14 added to it. I've no way of knowing how correct they are but they look about right to me. Steve.
    10 points
  16. Hello to all of you.I present you my Israeli 1:72 Valom Fouga Magister Tzukit.A nice kit to work on if you dont consider the awfull fit of the glass parts.I painted it in gunze paints.Here is a youtube full video build of the kit so if you want to see more of the build process I reccomend you watch the video. Regards,Dragan
    10 points
  17. Thanks Steve Hammer at the ready… Thanks for your maths help Thanks Bill I've been using your build as a reference, of course, with the bar lowered so that I can reach it. I saw the wire but a ) I don't have any like that and b ) I'm happier with plastic and c ) I thought the wire would be even fiddlier! You're welcome True Mark, true. I had a period of molding pilots and may need another session - sometimes it's the only way. You're right though - pulling a nasty result from the mould is as frustrating as pulling a nice one is rewarding (fnaar!) 'tis done: But wait, what's this: Two spare vanes? After all that measuring what could possibly have gone wrong? Plans, that's what. Best laid and all that. Punch in the mouth too (Mike Tyson quote) So, the answer? Steve has it: You're not counting, are you? Desperate for something simple for relaxation I looked at the instructions. Tailplane next. This tab isn't going to fit is it? Slice the slot and dry fit. Up a bit. Back a bit. The Lego was brought out to form a jig: … but I don't have enough hands, so it was time to 'trust the Airfix struts': Look OK? I still have the hammer… Of course I could have left those off to make painting easier, but where's the fun in that?
    10 points
  18. I still cannot quite believe that Airfix was sufficiently audacious to release a Gloster Javelin in 1/48 scale. As a teenager in the 1970s it would have seemed an impossible prospect and when I returned to the hobby a couple of years ago, I was amazed to see what Airfix had done. A few weeks ago I psyched myself into building the Javelin and just to add a little fun, I decided to convert it to a Mk.7 using Alleycat's conversion set. I must confess that I was a little nervous converting such a beautiful model - in my opinion, Airfix have made a superlative model, easily of Tamiya quality, and to take a saw to it was a little daunting. One piece of work I nearly 'bottled-out' from was replacing the kit vortex generators with Alleycat's photetch versions. At first I considered it a bit beyond me but in a moment of madness I trimmed-off the kit parts and, using the etched brass template, drilled the holes and then attached them with cyanoacrylate. It worked perfectly and was by no means as tricky as I feared. I was glad I did the job. Alleycat's resin tail section fitted very well and with a modicum of filler it is difficult to spot the join. I did take the easy route and model a Firestreak-fitted aircraft but my next Javelin will be an earlier gun-only model. The model was painted with Tamiya spray silver on the undersurfaces and Mr. Paint DSG and DG. I used Montex masks for the canopies and a Czech Master pitot tube - only one as only the Mks. 8 & 9 carried two. Here are a few shots. The full set can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/26690797@N02/albums/72157717279401248 The modified back end, courtesy of Alleycat. In addition to replacing the vortex generators, I replaced the stall sensors with a spare vortex generator and a pair of hoops made from brass rod. Next on the bench, a Canberra! Kind regards, Neil
    9 points
  19. A wee bit of fun following the mega hangar diorama over the summer. The lovely little Airfix kit which is an absolute gem and just falls together - cockpit detail is superb! but....the canopy doesnt fit if opened so you need to sand down the spine (I learnt after painting it) or crash mould a vacform though the clear part is commendably thin. It was inspired by this photo of Sywell from around late 1939 - These Anson Is are most likely from No.8 Air Observer & Navigator School which had 12 machines and was based at Sywell for a brief period in late 1939 before moving to Squires Gate. The nearest Anson N4934 was destroyed in a mid air collision on 7th November 1943. The Hurri is an early one obviously with a Watts prop and the markings indicate it was visiting from 1 Sqn. Decals from the spares bin and yes, I know the fin flash is wrong on the model - its all I had - but as you cant see the flash on the photo.... Painting is brushed Humbrol enamels- the silver is Humbrol metalcote aluminium acyrlic spray, the white is Rustoleum plastic primer which is SUPERB and knocks Tamiya FSP into a cocked hat. No real weathering as she would have been almost brand new at the time of the photo.... I need to do the Anson(s) to go with it to complete the dio but the Airfix one is ancient and whilst I have finally found the Special Hobby one I fear it is beyond me - wafer thin tubular framing in resin anyone? Bonkers. Am praying to the modelling Gods that finally Airfix retool their Anson and we get a nice announcement in January! Merry Xmas! TT HURRI1 by Ben Brown, on Flickr HURRI2 by Ben Brown, on Flickr HURRI3 by Ben Brown, on Flickr
    9 points
  20. Once flipped over, the N struts are glued in position: Meanwhile the seaplane version is getting the last touches: all the remaining struts, two lengths of rigging wire, the two sockets for the navigator instruments, that cylinder I mentioned before to the right of the pilot on the fuselage side, the gizmos on the wing fuel tanks, prop and radiators. Perhaps soon I could be posting the completed model of this maritime version:
    9 points
  21. I'm pleased to share with you the last of these RAF Hornets produced from the new 1/72 AZ Models kit. F.4 ready for inspection here:
    9 points
  22. Scientists have deciphered the message on that monolith found in the American desert:
    9 points
  23. Hi all You wait ages for a D-13, then two turn up at the same time This is my attempt at D-13 '>>' - photographed at Pilsen, Czechoslovakia at the end of the war, unservicable, partially stripped and (I believe) with the engine/power egg removed. There are two (possibly three) recorded D-13s, one is 'Yellow 10' and this is the other one. There is also a pic of a burnt-out wreck which was identified as a D-13, but doesn't really give much away. Considering that 'Yellow 10' and '>>' had consecutive W.Nrs (836016 and 836017), the differences in finish are quite stark, even without Yellow 10's field-applied camo. Anyway, here we go. Bonus cat picture also included for free...
    9 points
  24. Hi guys, another batch of machine that flew during the Indonesia-Malaysia conflict, this time four British transports. I should say that all were beautiful designs, showcasing the level (and scale) of the post-WWII british aircraft industry. Sadly there is not much of it left today (and equally sadly only handful of these beauties survived till today) Twin Pioneer CC.1, Valom kit with my own decals (as is often the case) Blackburn Beverley C.1, MikroMir kit with aftermarket decal Bristol Britannia C2, F-RSIN kit DeHavilland Comet C4, modified Airfix kit:
    9 points
  25. And you think YOU are different because? Eddie baby we are all having vast holes in our modelling mental/actual spaces. The nearest to different for you is that most modellers I follow are here in Europe and the UK and few of us give me the lift in spirit I get from seeing the much lamented hedgepig who is your American avatar. You take adversity, (I think you are taking too much by the way, you should leave some for the rest of us) deal with it and let it burden you not us. Always have a friend or two hundred here Ed. When you are ready...
    9 points
  26. Don't want to look back too far as 2020 has been a horrible year in most respects, but I will remember it for the most prolific modelling year of my life, and hopefully never to be surpassed! First completed build was a bit of a shelf-sitter which was finished in February: 1/32 Trumpeter Bearcat, nice kit and an impressive model! Next came this very colourful Mustang, a much-modified 1/32 Revell P-51D for the Mustang STGB Following hot on its heels came this ancient Monogram 1/72 F-82G for the same STGB The 1/32 Hunter FGA.9 was finished soon after, a build I'd botched a couple of years ago but I managed to finish successfully. A beautiful kit by Revell and highly recommended. Then came the lockdown in March - 9 weeks of beautiful weather and enforced modelling time (boohoo!) I was lucky enough to keep my job and went back to work in late May First completion of the lockdown was an Airfix Vulcan B.2, a commission build for a work colleague who flew it into Duxford for its last flight. I spent the rest of lockdown in the Britmodeller groupbuilds - first, In The Navy: Probably my favourite build of the year, the 1/32 Kinetic (Academy) F/A-18D Hornet. Loved building this, and it came out really well! Straight after that came its big brother the 1/32 Revell F/A-18E Super Hornet, a surprisingly satisfying build given its terrible rep (it's not that bad!) I then switched to the Spitfire GB: This was the gorgeous Airfix Seafire FR.47 in 1/48, a real peach of a kit i can't recommend more highly. Next up was the Kit You Built As A Kid GB, which was this forgotten gem of a kit: 1/72 Airfix P-51B Mustang, using the original kit decals (dating from 1977!) Lovely little kit for a fiver from Kingkit and worth twice its age in nostalgia for me! The 24-hour Blitzbuild GB came next with the ambitious project of building a 1/48 WW2 kit with a resin cockpit! I was very proud to finish this excellent HobbyBoss P-38L Lightning in 24h and 36m of continuous building. It has a full resin cockpit and didn't need a single bit of filler anywhere. Unfortunately the groupbuild wheels came off when I went back to work, suffered two hand injuries including one nasty one with a drill bit and the rest of the year ended in fits and starts with a much-reduced build rate! Discovering I suddenly love P-38s, this 1/32 Trumpeter P-38L was next to be finished, one of the best models I've ever made. Very proud of this one! Somehow I still managed to finish three more models just working odd weekends: This NHS-themed 1/32 Revell Hawk was built for a competition, including hand-painted rainbow stripes and self-printed decals. Another super little kit, the 1/72 Airfix Sea Harrier FRS.1 And finally...! The old but still very good Monogram B-25J Mitchell, finished as the PBJ-1J warbird Devil Dog from the Commemorative Air Force. It's been a helluva year, but the one really bright point has been the unprecedented completion of no less than 14 models in one year - 5 more than my previous record! Hoping you all have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year, and much to look forward to and enjoy in 2021! All the best, Alan
    8 points
  27. I haven’t built anything in ages, my last completion being back in April. So while scanning the shelves at the local hobby shop on Saturday I saw a whole bunch of kits by IBG, a company I haven’t heard of. The price was reasonable to take a punt, so I grabbed the Crusader Mk 1. The plan was to do a quick build over a few days. While my skills have atrophied somewhat, it was a nice relaxing build. Brush painted with Tamiya acrylics, build thread can be found here. Thanks for looking!
    8 points
  28. Hi mates! I've finally finished a project that I originally started as part of the Obsolete Kit Group Build. The kit I chose is the old (and very obsolete) kit from Revell USA of the PB4Y-1 Liberator in glorious 1:72 scale. This kit first saw light of day in 1965, and I can remember my brothers and I building this (and blowing it up) several times in my errant youth. To pay for such past injustice, I was sentenced in my adulthood to think this would be an easy, quick project. Yikes! Project: Consolidated PB4Y-1 (B-24D) Liberator Kit: Revell Kit H-205 (1965) Scale: 1:72 (The Only Scale That Matters) Decals: Iliad Design Sub-Hunting Liberators No. 72001 Decals: Aviaeology B-24/PB4Y-1 Stencils No. AOD72S01 Resin: CMK B-24D Cockpit Set No. 7234 Resin: Quickboost Liberator Antisubmarine Radar No. 72170 Resin: Quickboost B-24 Propellers No. 72329 Resin: Quickboost B-24 Oxygen Cylinders No. 72319 Resin: CMK B-17 Waist Gunners Detail Set No. 7205 (used for the 0.50 Brownings) Resin: True Details B-24/PB4Y Wheel Set No. 72016 Photoetch: Eduard Big Ed B-24D Set No. 7252 Paint: Tamiya XF-2 Flat White, Gunze H54 Non-specular Sea Blue, Gunze H56 Intermediate Blue, Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black, Gunze H95 Smoke Grey, Alclad Klear Kote Flat Weathering: Pastel chalks Swearing: Loud and often Improvements/Corrections Removed all rivets; re-scribed all panel lines (they were already engraved, but inconsistent - not sure I improved it!) Replaced kit flight deck and nose gunner/bombardier station with CMK resin set and details from Eduard PE set Added all guns (resin stock and PE cooling jackets) and equipped with PE ammo belts Eduard PE colour seat belts in all stations Added port cheek window (not in kit) Scratchbuilt front landing gear structure from plastic rod and PE Main landing gear wells made from Eduard PE Scratchbuilt entire waist gunners area including fuselage structural members, floor, and gun supports Waist gunners area detailed with PE and resin oxygen cylinders PE ammo belts realistically draped from overhead ammo box into waist guns Added relief tube to port waist gun area (really!) All guns have PE gunsight (and I no longer have any eyesight!) 83 grams added up front to prevent tail-sitter! Waist gunners window panels made from film sandwiched in PE pieces Modified engine housings so propeller would be in correct position; replaced kit props with Quickboost resin Replaced wheels and tyres with True Details set (had to make the resin tyres not look flat) Added main landing gear retraction strut; detailed all landing gear with PE brake lines and oleo scissors Added radome in place of belly turret Scratchbuilt interior of top and tail turrets; replace kit clear parts with vacuform Replaced kit canopy with vacuform; added bulged side windows; added vacuform astrodome Replaced Fowler flap actuators and posed flaps in landing position Lowered elevators slightly; posed ailerons in off-neutral position Added PE deflectors forward of waist gunner windows Used decals to represent tunnel gun windows (because I forgot to put holes in the fuselage!) Added radial panel lines on both sides of each vertical tail with pencil Weathering by post-shading with paint and pastels; chipping on props with silver pencil Gear doors from Eduard PE Scratchbuilt forward pitot probes from styrene stock and hypo needles Added all antennae: Marker Beacon (underside of bomb bay catwalk), Command, Liaison, ADF, Sense, and one more that I have no idea what it is! 0.005" Nitinol wire used for aerials. Elapsed time: Approximately five months (too freaking long!) You can find all the details in two WIP threads, Part One in the Group Build, and Part Two in the normal WIP section. On with the pictures! I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed this crazy obsolete kit build! A few in-progress shots: Cheers, Bill
    8 points
  29. Woof, snort I can black cat that; when I was a very young & callow Sub/Lt in HMS Boxer (pre-flying) I had a Killick TAS-Ape [sorry, a Leading Seaman (Sonar)] in my Division who was straight out of central casting for the best kind of experienced matelot. He quietly saved me from many a jolly good telling off with his unassuming efficiency. Anyway, one morning in Devonport he came on board looking ashen-faced. I knew his wife was expecting, so asked him as gently as I could whether everything was OK. “Oh, nothing horrible, Sir. We already have two lovely boys & thought we’d try for just one more.... and it turns out she’s having triplets!”. She duly did, and a few years later he turned up - to my delight - as the Chief Petty Officer (Sonar) in Broadsword when I was Flight Commander. We laughed a lot about his sudden need to acquire a bigger house, bigger car and triple baby clothes on a Killick’s salary... but he wasn’t laughing at the time!
    8 points
  30. Cheers for the comments folks,.... much appreciated! Well having looked through some good references for SEAC Spitfire Mk.Vc`s; I masked off the canopy and gave the model a couple of coats of Humbrol Dark Earth. Following Beards advice I have test fitted one of the exhausts and I see what he means, they do stick out a lot,.... I`ll check out some more photos though before I trim them back slightly; Hopefully I`ll get some Dark Green on tonight? Cheers Tony
    8 points
  31. Thanks Steve - great stuff! I need 10 'posts' though in the gap… Still too hard for me - I get a brain freeze about it - so I resorted to (software) tools, as usual. See below Always too early for me Giorgio Thanks Roger So doing it 'by eye' won't work. Although I can roughly gauge a gap, I can't spread 10 vanes at the same time and I'm worried I'll get to the edges and think 'Rats, the last ones don't fit. How about 'physical modelling': That doesn't work either. These things are tiny. A sense of perspective: See? Bottom middle. There may be 10 vanes there still, although I may have brushed / sneezed / got one stuck on my hand, again. Silhouette Studio I can cope with: Right hole, vanes correct 0.2mm thickness. Gap measured at 0.6mm. Now I have the numbers, how do I implement them (as the mathematician said to the actress. Never) Aha! First one stuck in the middle: Now I just need to wait for steady hands. I may be some time… I've also been thinking about masking the nose. Giorgio will be pleased to see this:
    8 points
  32. I have completed a HS.780 Andover C Mk1 in early RNZAF (ex-RAF) livery Untitled by Harry Follas, on Flickr IMG_3346 by Harry Follas, on Flickr IMG_3349 by Harry Follas, on Flickr
    8 points
  33. This is ICM's recently released AC-40 Firetruck, which is a re-tool of their previous Zil-131 truck. The real thing dates back to the early '70's, although the 137A upgrade represented by the kit first appeared in '84. They're still in extensive use in Russia and the former bloc countries, and the marking option I went with is for a fairly current vehicle based in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. It's a pretty good kit overall, although a few errors with the parts and instructions seem to have crept in during the re-tooling from the basic Zil truck. The only really weak point are the vinyl tyres, which I had to essentially melt to remove the ragged moulding line around the tread. They'd be much better swapped with resin replacements. The real things seem to be quite patchy and faded, so I tried to represent that with the paint job and weathering. Thanks for looking Andy
    7 points
  34. Hi All When Amodel released this duo-boxing of the 1970 JT-1 and later 1990 JT-2 I just had to get it! One of their better models - its a tiny wee thing and it was very bold of them to kit it! Mind you there is a maverick Amodel department who do seem to be smoking something when they pick their new releases - not that I'm complaining! Assembly was dead easy, fit was good, decals were impeccable - you have a choice of canopies including a full bubble which YK wore at one stage. The JT-2 is too late for the diorama I have planned but looks just as good. I didnt bother with the PE as I hate the stuff so straps are tamiya tape. There is a second boxing of this with some different markings too! I havent seen a single build of any variant online yet! Thoroughly recommended! The Airfix Hurri is there for a size comparison! Thats a one pence piece BTW.... Happy Xmas all and thanks for sharing your inspiring projects this year TT JT2 by Ben Brown, on Flickr JT by Ben Brown, on Flickr JT3 by Ben Brown, on Flickr JT4 by Ben Brown, on Flickr
    7 points
  35. Hiya Folks, Been looking forward to this one for ages,.... especially as I submitted and researched both decal options for Airfix and they also asked for my advice on aspects of the kit,..... but I was disappointed upon buying it to discover that my (freely given!) help did not even warrant a credit or thank you,...... ah well! Airfix are not the first in this respect! (EDIT- Airfix have since contacted me and apologised,..... so fair play!). The kit arrived this afternoon and I started it straight away while watching a double backed 1980`s TV fest of `The Professionals' with Bodie & Doyle,..... before I knew it I had painted the interior, assembled it and put the fuselage together,.... the interior is lovely for the scale,.... Here we see the model with the fuselage together and the lower wing fitted with the wheel well interior walls in place and the optional full span or clipped upper wings alongside,..... both have the larger, wider early bulge above the cannon bay. The optional De Havilland or Rotol propellers can also be seen; Next,.... the full span upper wing halves were added along with the taiplane and rudder, the optional Vokes filter and the Rotol propeller was dy fitted,..... note the absence of tape or clamps apart from a small piece to help keep the wings aligned,.... the fit is gorgeous and the fuselage actually clicks together! Optional open or closed canopy hoods are supplied and although I usually opt for an open canopy, I felt that this looked too large and bulky due to the thickness of the plastic, while the closed option looked nice,..... so I went for that instead. I will definitely be buying more and I may opt for a vacuformed hood on some of them; Although both decal options look great, I already have them in 1/48th scale so having recently bought the DK Decals SEAC Spits sheet I dug that out and will do the model in these colours,...... a 607 Sqn AF coded aircraft is looking favourite but I also like the 84 Sqn `snooper', so we`ll see; So that is it for now! This is a lovely little model and I hope that it sells well,..... the Spitfire Mk.Vc has so many possibilities markings wise from Australia, the Middle East, Burma and NW Europe,..... so much scope, Cheers Tony
    7 points
  36. OK being as my bus attracted so much attention elsewhere, rather than hijack Perdu's thread, here it is. For those who were asking about the paint I use Hycote car sprays. I can't remember exactly which ones they were, but basically a cream and a dark blue! And yes I know about the typo! I'm not from Brum even if my mam is.
    7 points
  37. Evening all, The second of my recently completed builds is this Academy B24D Liberator, bought as the "Blonde Bomber" variant and finished in Coastal Command colours. A few extras added, including Quickboost engines, propellers, gun barrels and turbo chargers. Some aftermarket wheels where bought but later realised they didn't fit! The scheme represents a unit based at Thorney Island around 1942, courtesy of Xtradecal, although some poetic license has been applied to the actual livery for ease of masking. In my haste to complete, I neglected to add nose weight, hence the set of steps propping up the tail. The build itself was simple, but some fit and sanding issues developed with the join seams, partly as a result of failing to line up the nose sections properly. Otherwise a subject I have wanted on my shelf for some time, painted with Tamiya acrylics, with XF2 Flat White being thinned with Mr Hobby Levelling Thinners as find this is the only solution to softly laying white paint.
    7 points
  38. After building the Kinetic A-6 Intruder (terrible fit, large gaps and rubbish instructions) this kit lived up to all the hype and l can safely state " no filler was harmed in the making of this model". Brilliantly engineered it mostly clicked together with only a wiff of glue needed and some parts needing none at all. Built up as one of the options in the box, l chose VF101 Grim Reapers because what Farmer doesn't like a sythe! Paints used were Xtracolor plus Tamiya for the tail fins and spine, decals were the only negative as the are quite thick and despite plenty of Set and Sol would not settle into panal lines, so painted as much as l could. Grey flory wash and Humrol satincote to finish. maybe a bit shiney for some tastes but hey-ho l had a ball building her so l'm now a very Jolly Farmer. Stay safe boys and girls, Merry Christmas! F14 by peter crossman, on Flickr F14 by peter crossman, on Flickr F14 tamiya by peter crossman, on Flickr F14 by peter crossman, on Flickr Untitled by peter crossman, on Flick
    7 points
  39. Hi, So here is my last build, a very nice model from Airfix that I always take so much pleasure to make. Hope you like it. Joel
    7 points
  40. Hi all, here some pics of my latest model: 1:48 Gladiator Mk.II by I Love Kit (ex Merit from 2016). Simple but nice detailed model with less parts. Add some Eduard PE`s, the rest is OOB.
    7 points
  41. Martin B-57B Canberra Serial: 53-3915 - 'J' Operator: United States Air Force 8th Bomb Squadron 'Yellow Birds' Based: Da Nang, South Vietnam. Summer 1965 Kit: Italeri 1/72nd Martin B-57B Canberra IMGP4087size by Ghostbase, on Flickr IMGP4089size by Ghostbase, on Flickr IMGP4088size by Ghostbase, on Flickr IMGP4090size by Ghostbase, on Flickr IMGP4091size by Ghostbase, on Flickr Michael
    7 points
  42. Hiya Folks, Hving just built an Airfix Spitfire Mk.I,..... and indeed built the first one in the country back in the day for Airfix magazine,...... yes the panel lines were thick,..... but the new owners had just taken over and many of the designers had been used to designing diecast models,...... since then they have come on leaps and bounds and the current Spitfire Mk.Vc has very nice panel lines. Anyway,.... not the best photo,.... but I`ve got the first coat of Dark Green camo on now. I`m in two minds whether to paint the spinner Dark Earth or Black,.... but I`ll stick with white. As far as I know the only photo of the aircraft that I have chosen to replicate, LZ975, AF-J of 607 Sqn, flown by Aussie Flg. Officer. Colin Doudy DFC si the one seen underneath the model?; Cheers Tony
    7 points
  43. Cheers All, So a bit more done , not much though so don't get too excited Running gear just placed to see if I have any mud effects binding up the bogies, give an idea on the final look (ish) Tracks primed and the first layer of track colour done. Loads more to do with these yet . Grey primer was just good old Halfords And the first crack at the acrylic mud on the running gear, I have to get used to this but as a first attempt it's not bad, easy to blend and build volume. Best get used to it as its going to be used on the bogies. Other bits n bobs have been going on but i'll show them later. Cheers for looking in. Dan
    7 points
  44. Calling the Typhoon done. The canopy was fiddly to attach so just take your time. More pictures in RFI: In other news I've sprayed a coat of primer on the Tornado. It's not as bad as I'd feared but I will need to tidy up a few areas of filler, including those dastardly wings. Thanks to all who have followed and commented on the Typhoon and Tornado to date. Stay safe Dave
    7 points
  45. Just to prove that hand held is fine but proper clamping is essential, Bench The Vise is in situ with a monumental task ahead. It is as if we have had an early snowfall around the vise, do not even look at the floor below it. I am getting there but it is still a vast distance between this and the finished items, I am beginning to regret making the wooden mount blocks at the same time as the springs, too late now to worry. Still A little further to go now but this is the bulk of the 'damage done' I did an overhead that didn't take very well look But you can see the pair of springs is slimmer than it looked in the 'flashy shot'. Now then, where is that little dustpan?
    7 points
  46. I was inspired by this video to build two Hasegawa RF-4E's Couple of caveats: First post in the RFI thread Fist post to include images My modelling skills are, at best, that of a B+ standard And my photographic skills mirror my building skills Both models were build "out of the Box", using only canopy masks, metal probes and DXM decals for the tan/green Phantom. The SEA camouflage Phantom was from the Hasegawa kit 02316 which came with the decals to finish it in the "blue SEA" scheme. The "tan/green" Phantom was from Hasegawa kit 00862 with the DXM decals.
    6 points
  47. Quick build straight out of the box. Kit decals, MRP paints. "Black 8" from JG27 in Libya 1943. Thanks for looking
    6 points
  48. Disaster has struck. Finished spraying the Olive Drab (ANA 613) using my cut out vinyl mask and the glue from the backing stuck all over the model!!! Arrrrhhhhh!!!!! I manage to use IPA to get off most of the glue. Then light sanding to further clean up. Resprayed the light grey, topside "ocean grey", cut out new mask on painters tape this time and sprayed the OD green. Gloss coated, and applying decals.
    6 points
  49. 11:00 AM Tuesday Started a bit later this morning, had some chores to do. First step In making it look less pristine, an overall wash of grey and burnt umber oils.
    6 points
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