Leaderboard

Kit - Hasegawa 1:72 Paint - All enamels Decals - Superscale 72-530 Extras - None Douglas AD6/A-1H Skyraider VA-65, NAS Miramar 1958 Had this in the stash for years, so over the post-Christmas & New Year, dragged it kicking and screaming to the bench. Such an easy build like so many of these 1990's era Hasegawa kits, hardy needed any input from me whatsoever. Painted in 'Old Skool' Humbrol and Xtracolour enamels and used decals from a twenty-five (plus ?) year old Superscale sheet which behaved flawlessly. Not much else to say, please go-ahead and ask any questions, make any comments or criticisms. All the very best for '21. Ian.

Greetings Brits- Here is another 2021 Model RFI. This is the Excellent Tamiya Do335A kit in 1/48. It was one of the most fun models I have built. This kit has the Bomb Bay and internal detail and that is very neat... Enjoy and naturally not weathered much as it's on the Ramp at Oberfaffenhofen back in the day...

Kit - Airfix 1:72. Paint - Humbrol, WEM & Xtracolour enamels. Decals - Kit. Extras - LAU-3 pods from Hasegawa Weapons Set. Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier VMA-513 'Flying Nightmares' MCAS Kaneohe Bay 1976 Bought this on impulse from a mate here in NZ just a couple of weeks before Christmas and decided to get it built more-or-less immediately. Hit the bench at the same time as the Skyraider and built side-by-side. Definitely does not 'fall together' in the same way as the A-1, but that's to be expected because of the complex and complicated shapes that need to be 'massaged' into place with some forethought and practice. Like a number of 'new' Airfix kits I've built, I'm still not 'happy' with the soft plastic that they're utilising but that's just a personal gripe. A little smear of filler here and there and some gentle sanding was needed but that's all. Always loved the early 'pointy nose' Harriers and was really liked the in-box marking options, so just went ahead and used them - they're great !!. A little gem of a kit and due congrats to Airfix. All the very best from NZ, please feel free to criticise, comment or ask any questions. Ian.

Here’s my first model started and completed this year - the Bronco 1:35 Comet finished out of the box as “Iron Duke IV” of 1RTR, 7th Armoured Division in Germany, April 1945. My first go with so-called workable tracks (they are a bit wonky, but most of worst bits are hidden), and there was some more complex photoetch than I am used to (the exhaust cowls at the back), but the rest was a pure joy to build. Used brush painted MIG Ammo SCC15 for the main paint job, with Tamiya acrylics for any detail work. Various oil and acrylic washes to make it a little grubby and a final flat coat of brushed on Italeri Clear Flat. Pretty happy with how it turned out. Not sure what to do next - I do have the Tamiya 1:35 Matilda (more recent one) in the stash 🤔 Thanks for looking.

Hello all, long time lurker who has managed to work out how to upload pictures. So here are a few of the whippet I did a couple of years ago.

My real first try at some weathering. Paints used were Tamiya and Mr color along with Mig pigments, AK interactive washes,and Abteilung 502 artist oils. This was a very exciting build for me and at one point I was ready to trash it completely. Thanks to someone's model videos, I had to press on. This builder is really a great modeler. I hope you like my first try at the weathering, I really had fun.

I'm calling this done, after a long-ish pleasant build - with some problems entirely of my own making. The WIP is here ........ .......... and grateful thanks to everybody who looked in / liked / commented and contributed, particularly @Anthony in NZ @Spookytooth and @(ex)Sgtrafman who regularly commented and chivvied me along - especially as this was my first WIP. Special thanks to @(ex)Sgtrafman and @DaveJL for providing replacements for the decals I was clumsy enough to destroy. This was a build of the Revell 1/48 Phantom FGR.2 using Xtradecals for a 74 Squadron line jet on QRA. The idea was to stretch my skill set with a bit of resin / etch and to gain a bit more experience with the airbrush. And have fun! Revell base kit. Love it - goes together easily - all flaws seen here are of my own making. Eduard Big Ed FGR2 set - Rather wish I hadn't bothered, as many of the contents are not applicable to RAF jets eg RBF flags and intake FOD covers - most useful component was the Eduard 49262 cockpit set. Eduard Brassin AIM9L's (none included in the base kit) Great set which includes noddy caps and decals. Flightpath ladder and pull-out cockpit steps. Excellent. Aires seats. Excellent. QuickBoost FOD covers and resin covers for nose data probes. Excellent. Home made (RAF!) RBF flags. Xtradecal transfers for 74 Sqn History (set X48080). Excellent. MRP paints - absolutely love them - I'm no longer scared witless of my airbrush - they are simply idiot / Quack proof! W&N oils for weathering - actually doesn't show well in these phone pics - better with the Mk 1 eyeball. What I learned I really enjoyed this project and I feel my builds are improving steadily - still uphill on the learning curve! 1. Must not take shortcuts / rush things. 2. Some seams are still not great eg the step still visible at the intake join above the leading edge wingroot. 3. Also learned to seal decals in quickly after drying as they are more delicate than I thought (thanks again for the replacements guys) 4. Research the aftermarket stuff better, rather than buying the first big bargain set I see..... false economy 5. I learned that I still love doing this stuff! Big Kid again! OK, on with the final pics - 199 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr 200 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr 201 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr 202 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr 203 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr 204 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr 205 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr 206 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr 208 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr 212 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr 211 by Niall Robertson, on Flickr Building this reminded me of just how massive these beasts were - I have dear memories of (FG.1s) lifting off from Leuchars, making my chest resonate with the noise as they went - an amazing sense of power. The base seen in some of the pics is a Coastal Kits 1/48 base which my Hawk T1 barely fill - the Phantom in contrast overhangs all round! Heavy Metal indeed. Thanks to all for tuning in. Keep safe 😷 Keep Calm and Mangle some Plastic Q

Good evening, colleagues! Allow me to present to your court the next model from the Star. Recently, I have seen several models of this helicopter on the site, I don't see any point in talking about a prototype. The model both liked and disliked. I did not like the huge rivet, the "glass" material, muddy and not amenable to polishing. The decals are normal, for the joy of sticking an additional tech from the KA-52. I did not delve into the match much, I added an imitation of hoses, wiring, etc. to the box. I used aluminum tape. After processing the photos, I was a little upset – I did not remove the masks of the side windows, I did not take a photo, but my colleagues will forgive me. Paints Mr. Hobby, Citadel, Vallejo, art oil. Enjoy your viewing. Sincerely, Mikhail

Hello all. This is the Dorawing Bf 109 A/B, completed as the plane of Oblt Erich Woitke from 1/J88 in Spain in 1938. Those planes were painted in RLM63 with RLM 62 irregular patches of green painted on the field. The kit is not easy to do but can be completed as a A or B mark. So the fit of the cowlings is delicate to say the least, and the undercarriage is not a piece of cake. Anyway here are the pics: 6FAF7779-63F3-47DB-8E69-0DF94CCFF128_1_201_a by jean Barby, sur Flickr 672324BC-0517-4ED1-9F05-AF06B0F0BAE8_1_201_a by jean Barby, sur Flickr 85FD5D70-5545-47EE-87B1-712431F2DE7A_1_201_a by jean Barby, sur Flickr 2ECFCBC2-05E3-4703-9AB3-523E28FB1AE9_1_201_a by jean Barby, sur Flickr 7003C9E3-3E68-4488-ADD7-964D1716B3AE_1_201_a by jean Barby, sur Flickr C87BC028-72A2-4E4C-B5D2-CDB12D8A618C_1_201_a by jean Barby, sur Flickr 01C200EB-8422-424F-AE7E-9F740629F411_1_201_a by jean Barby, sur Flickr

First 1/35 kit in about 20 years (I did some tanks as a kid when I was maybe 14 or something :D ). After 1/72 armor, this was SO relaxing. Everything was big and easy to paint, so the weathering was a joy. I'm not 100% happy with the mud (mainly the placement), so if anyone has any tips, I'd be all ears. I followed Andy's excelent tutorial(s) on ModelingNews for quite a few of the techniques, which was really helpful: https://www.themodellingnews.com/2015/12/witness-final-wash-up-as-andy-whips-up.html

The old Matchbox model, which like most of their models, represents relaxation for work. Although my box is from 1979, the decals were top notch. I am satisfied with what has been achieved, the colors are Model Master and Humbrol. I also plan on a Buffalo with Finnish markings, just a Hasegawa model. Here's the picture.

I recently finished Airfix's new 1/72 Spitfire Vc. After agonising over various Malta schemes I decided to use the kit decals for a USAAF 31st FG aircraft based in Algeria during the Tunisian campaign, flown by Captain Albert Holloway of the 307th FS. I'm not really keen on the sharkmouth, so I chose to represent the aircraft before it was painted on! The kit itself goes together well although I had to fill a fairly big gap at the wing roots. Cockpit detail is excellent - I just added some Eduard etched straps. My one major complaint is the thickness of the sliding canopy so I replaced it with a spare one from an Eduard Spitfire. I may replace this later with a vac-form one as it still doesn't sit properly. Airfix suggest painting out the starboard roundel but photos suggest the Americans often repainted these areas to blend in with the camouflage, so I went with that for a neater look. Hope you like it. As ever, all comments gratefully received! And finally a shot with the old Italeri Mk Vb Trop which I made many moons ago:

Hello Friends! Thunderbolt P-47D-28-RA I decided to do some improvements to the kit Worked with the engine and undercarriage bays Machine guns made from injection needles I selected the serial number according to the reference literature Enjoy watching! I wanted it as best, it turned out as always...

Got a belated Xmas gift from Grandkid Ezra yesterday. It a kinda non-official Lego kit and good for ages 5+. The decals are stickers and as I later found out, they have the sticking power of a frightened limpet to a rock. A quick check shows the kit is a tad bigger than 1:48 and the serial number is for a Mk.IIa built by Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory. P7350 served with 266Sq, 603Sq and 616Sq and is now with BBMF with markings for 41(F) Sqn. EB⦾G From this.... ....to this in about 15 minutes. Sorry about the lack of finished photos but he flew it home right after this shot The builder. This is the worst of three photos, because you know, the internet is forever and he will one day regret this. Build here...https://imodeler.com/2021/01/airfix-quick-build-spitfire/

Thanks Nikolay For me, BM is most of the fun and the modelling - mostly, fun too. Thanks Rob To be precise it's DSG on this one although I have some EDSG plans soon! I couldn't go to bed without doing this: Look at all that tape! I was generally happy until I came to the last piece I took off. Seriously, the last piece: A hoard of rats! It'll touch in, as will this stupid little bit: …and this: The other side was fine: OK, a tiny bit on the end of the root but hey, who's looking? Oh, you lot, right

My Wyvern build has given me a small desire to build some more naval subjects so I've chosen the most challenging kit, this thing: I can't remember where I bought it. It may have been 'abroad'. No wait, (quick search of emails) it was from Hannants. Ordered with some pilots, so obviously to fill up the postage. I wish I'd checked the instructions first. Or Scalemates, which tells me this is a rebox of the 1964 Frog kit. Going to be a challenge then as: …the instructions, especially the scheme, are a bit 'basic'. What's the kit like? Looks a bit thrown together eh? At least the transfers will, hopefully, allow me to search for some reference shots: Looks like some work will be required, but at least there is a crew: Short legged so, hopefully, no surgery will be required. One part canopy: I hope it fits.

This kit used to belong to a fellow kit Modeller called Donald John MacKay, who lived locally in Oban and was a good mate of @Scimitar. Donald passed away recently leaving his family with an extensive stash of both books and models from a lifetime of collecting and @Scimitar real name Richard was a great help to the family in enabling them to get proper value for the items. This kit and others Donald never finished were rescued from the rubbish bin as the family were clearing the house. I asked Patrice @TEMPESTMK5 for special permission to join the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations III GB with this kit to finish it as a tribute to Donald. Patrice was kind enough to allow the kit to join the GB, for which I am especially grateful. I hope you like it, and as importantly really hope that Donald would have liked it too. Many thanks Pat

Good evening everyone. Plenty done today. I spent a good bit of time messing with colours But I think progress has been made. More snow was had so apart from speeding and snow ball fights later on the first part of Sunday morning was spent bench side. The last bits to get primed were the fuselage halves. aaand I had to get the cargo seat belts on. Now all that is out of the way I can get on with a pre shade. 🤩 The main office. Cargo hold. And roof. I did the engine bay even though you won’t see it. 🤪 The fire wall. The gear head Both seats. Although apparently I only took a snap of one. 🙄 and the fuselage halves. While that dried I made the hens some porridge. 🐓🐓🐓❤️❤️❤️ As mentioned I spent a bit of time messing with paint for the main fuselage of both hind builds. the big one says XF-80 and XF61 this looks different to the green color in the drawing but matches photo ref I have found. For this one I might go with XF-51 and the mix on the left. What do you think? I might go and stalk some of the other hind builds to get some pointers. When dry I gave the lot a base coat of the internal blue color. I could have done grey but I like this blue. 😍 office. Cargo bay. The roof needed a few colors so a bit of masking . And reveal. Side walls. Cargo bench with folded belts. Gear head. The last thing were the engines. Now I’m closing up so you won’t take see these but I have learned from the other build that I should have added the pipes so I did that here. Before painting. Almost seems a shame to hide them away. Everything that got base painted got a gloss coat. Ready for PE, decals and weathering. The seats got secondary colors and PE. just have to bend those lap belts when they’re dry. 👌 The cargo ones too. The office roof panel got some little PE parts. And the main office got showered with Etch. And that my friends is where I left it. 🤩 looking forward to the weathering and decals soon. Thanks for looking in and for all the help with this build. Hope you’re all having a fun snowy weekend. ❄️❄️❄️ Happy modeling chums. Johnny

Well this will be my 5th and last build in this amazing GB. Yes compared with some of the Superheroes on here that's pathetic but it is a personal best for me in a GB. This was the classic impulse buy but let's face it when I am ever going to get a chance to build one of these otherwise ! I hope you like it Cheers Pat PS Cat not included

I've gone for a mixed picture of Semetex on the decks and Corticene remaining on superstructure floors I used hawk decals fro the stern as The Atlantic models Decals don't contain 3 x "H"s. Miinimal silvering - so far, so good I then used the Atlantic decals on a well prepared and fully "Kleared" surface forward Port hull side Massive silvering Despite my usual Mr Hobby Softener - Irrecoverable, so I scraped them off before they truly set, nd off course took the paint off right down to the resin I have since tried the Atlantic decals on a test surface - same result. Either my set is dud or they are poor decals. I've sanded the area back and tried to fill in which is not easy - any imperfections will be magnified by any new decals - in many respects - letter masks are an altogether safer option. The remedial work needs layer upon layer of primer and sand down - tedious!! In contrast the Modeldecal roundel sat beautifully I have @Michael M to thank for this tip shown in his Fuyuzuki, Rainbow build - Corticene brass tie-down strips - it adds visual interest The guns and Splinter bags have received a grey wash The Control Director tower is crude and Black Cat Models have just released a replacement - just ordered - we'll see how it compares. The torpedo tubes look even more impressive after a wash More soon Thanks for looking Rob

Hello everyone, I have been a long time lurker, but I've just plucked up enough courage to post one of my own builds, H.M.S. Cornwall by Trumpeter, and Eduard's Big Ed kit, chinese barrels and wooden decks. I know there will be discrepancies and mistakes made not just by me, but Trumpeter and Eduard too, but this I'm not here to discuss them just now. Oh and this is the first model I have made for about 15 years and the first time I've ever used P.E.! I have to say I did really enjoy building it, even though, at times i found the PE kit incredibly frustrating and fiddly ( sausage fingers, shaking hands and complete ineptitude when it comes to rigging😁.)

straight from the Panther group build: a Panther in unfamiliar French colors: Tamiya Panther V, Ausf G 1/48 French Forces decals by Brachmodel, but actually provided by @Foxbat - thanks a lot buddy! metal tracks by Friul model by the way, the group build voting is still open until feb1 to everyone, many a great Panzer Vs to vote on! go on! https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235081199-panther-stgb-gallery/ WIP here: have fun: thanks for looking, leaving a comment or some criticism! cheers, Werner

This kit has been part of my life for a long time, it seems. I started the build thread back in September 2020; it's been a challenging journey in places, partly because of the design of the kit and partly because of the decisions I made during the build process, but I think the end result was worthwhile. Why did I get this kit? I've always loved 1960s GT cars - Jaguar E-types, Ferrari Lussos, Aston Martin DBs and the like - but I'd sort of forgotten about the Maserati until different examples popped up on Jay Leno's garage, Fantomworks and Chasing Classic Cars all within a couple of weeks. That prompted me to see if anyone made a kit and there were a few available on eBay. This kit was slightly incomplete but much cheaper than the "vintage" sealed in box examples. I didn't know what exactly might be missing when I bought it but I could see that all the major stuff was there and apart from the things I fabricated to enhance the kit I think I only had to make four bits; the tail piece of the gearbox, the two front wing grilles (I had one but it would have looked odd if they weren't a matching pair even though you couldn't ever see both sides at the same time) and the fuel filler neck in the boot. In terms of additions the biggest was reshaping the front grille, and that provided a convenient excuse to replace the solid moulded grille itself with something open. I'm not sure that the grille shape is entirely correct, but it's more correct (at least to me) than the way the kit was designed. I wasn't brave enough to tackle the windscreen shape, which is also slightly off from the real cars. I also added wires to the spark plugs (12 as this is a twin-spark straight six) and a few other under bonnet details. On the interior I slightly reshaped the seats and gave them runners, changed the steering wheel and indicator stalk for aftermarket metal parts, reworked the door cards, tweaked the handbrake placement and added seat belts. The colour scheme was inspired by a real 3500 GTI (body is Tamiya TS-58 Pearl Light Blue, upholstery is TS-33 Dull Red). Anyway, you didn't come here for a load of waffle, how about some pictures? A quick "before" a bare shell, if you like, pulled out of a barn and ready for restoration. Technically the script is wrong, the typeface should be slightly different and read "Maserati 3500 GT" while the spear through the trident badge should be script spelling out "Injetzione" (or something like that), but I had to make do with what I could get from eBay. Apologies for the improvised boot prop, not many people will ever see this view but it's quite pleasing to know that the boot is nicely finished. Build thread is here, if you're interested and haven't been following along. Thanks to everyone who has liked or commented on the build thread.

Hi, just finished....

Some part so this build are a challenge I enjoy, making the guns is one of those, at least now they are both complete. Over 100 separate brass parts later, the 40 mm Bofors is ready to prime I'm really pleased to have that bit done in a way I'm happy with, it makes or breaks the model Ammo cartridge will be printed btw, there are limits..... Steve

Thanks Keith Thanks Roger I'm waiting for things to dry before the gloss coat so, continuing the Naval theme, have opened the box on this: Come on over! Thanks Giorgio Touch ups done: Sky bits painted on the racks: I'll let all that dry overnight then gloss coat for the transfers.

I quite agree, I really like his translations. I've built a few of the Sword Vc kits (including Seafires, I think four or five), so I feel like I can weigh in a little here. The interior detail of the Sword kit is finer, but the fit is substantially worse in every aspect. It's a kit that requires a lot of sanding. Tonight I put the belts on and closed up the little cockpit sabot: Then cemented it into place: And closed up the fuselage. Then I put the wings on. Here I encountered the first substantial gaps so far in this build, at the wing roots. And where the underbelly gull-wing effect meets the rear fuselage: I added the Vokes filter. And some Mr Dissolved Thinner and Perfect Plastic Putty for the fuselage seam and the wing gap, respectively: And some Mr Surfacer 500 for the underbelly:

Tamiya is to release a new tool 1/48th McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II kit - ref. 61121 Sources: https://www.tamiya.com/japan/featuredreleases_early2021.html#Static https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/61121/index.htm Price is not cool https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/TA61121 V.P.

Hi everyone! I used to do be an air modeler till teenage but now I haven't built anything for about 25 years. So, please, be understanding for imperfections. Recently, I decided to make my modelling dream come true: I built the Monogram B-52 in the SAC 50s livery. The model is built out of the box with just minor adds like the replacement of the rear gun machines with 4 "Mini World" Cal 50 machine gun barrels. The colors used are: Dull aluminium areas: "Tamiya flat aluminium - XF-16", lightly buffed (to reduce the glitter aspect) and then covered with "alclad Klear Kote Matte - ALC313". Shiny metallic areas: gloss black, nicely polished, covered with "Alclad Chrome - ALC107". Anti flash white: "Mr Surfacer 1500 White". I know, this one sounds odd but due to the covid, the Testors colors I ordered took ages to arrive and I just used what I had. I'm anyway quite happy with the final result. Even though it's an old kit, I had fun with it. I hope you enjoy it.

Hi folks, I built Aeroclub's lovely little Gamecock about 20 years ago, finished it in 43 Sqn markings from the kit's superb decal sheet and rigged it with invisible thread. Three house moves later it was looking very sorry for itself, relegated to a cardboard box in the shed and with parts broken off. I recently decided to salvage it, especially as it fits right into my current interest in between-the-wars RAF biplanes. It was stripped to its component parts and restarted almost from scratch. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the kit, it has injection-moulded wings, tail surfaces and fuselage with white metal nose, engine, prop and detail parts: The soft white metal interplane struts were replaced with brass strut stock and the one-piece kit wheels were replaced with Aeroclub hubs and rubber O-ring tyres. The windscreen was cut from acetate and brass tube was used to represent the guns: I was able to salvage the 23 Sqn markings from the tattered remnants of the original kit decal sheet but had to print my own serials: I used Humbrol aerosol Polished Aluminium and Tamiya Ocean Grey for the finish, matted after decal application by a brushed, thinned coat of Humbrol Matt Cote. The prop was given a wood effect using burnt sienna oil paint over a tan base. The rigging was made using EZ Line. Some parts are a bit agricultural - a competition model it certainly isn't! - but I'm satisfied with the result, especially as it's less than 3 1/2 inches long. I've also just realised that I haven't finished the tail skid! Oh well... Jon

Hi All! Another item from the madhouse Hobby-Boss 1/72 easy assembly kit Colours RLM 74/75/76 Paints Gunze Enjoy watching!

Hello Everyone Adi here . . . I wanted to make a Snowy Base for the Finnish AF Hawker Hurricane which I just completed. To make the base I use Plywood and cover this with acrylic putty. I use baking powder to sprinkle the base for the Snow Effect. I make trees using wooden kitchen skewers and single strand wire. For the branches I used dried grass as I did not have access to Woodland Scenics Sea Foam. I make my own flocking using a sponge and I churn it in the mixer. I make two different shades of green. I spray the trees with diluted PVA Glue and sprinkle these trees with baking powder for the snow. The whole base was completed in a Day using basic and simple steps . . . Best Adi

Box art

One of our boys in Oliver Twist mode this morning He'd already been fed at 0700 but was hoping that by 0830 when this was taken we had forgotten. Nice try. Hope you're all staying safe. John

Well, I know what my first build will be

Thanks for the feedback folks. I'm a BIG believer (in modelling) that 'less is more', I almost always 'under-arm' any aircraft builds. Not saying that presenting your build with a full loadout is wrong, just that 90% of the time I prefer to keep the build looking relatively clean. A couple more here that follow that idea: All the best Ian.

Well I'm calling this one done turns out much better than I thought, completely different for me but that what's makes these GB's so special Hope you like it cheers Pat PS; @JeroenS that's 100% completion rate for the ⛵️ Sailing ships section of this GB !

Thanks Keith, much appreciated Cheers Erwin, thank you - glad you like it Detailing job continues on the engine and firewall, here's what I did over the WE: the engine and cowling framing received a Tamiya Smoke coat I also airbrushed a coat or two of W&N Galeria Flat Clear, on the engine only I then added the engine bearers Then I added this big pipe, using 1mm solder and alu tape strips for the fasteners; some fasteners added to the oil an cooling fluid pipes too Almost time to fit the exhausts - but first I had to paint them A base coat of Model Master Exhaust Metallizer After buffing and after some weathering: I first painted the rust effect, using a mix of Lifecolor Tan and Matt Red, dabbed on with a small sponge; then a Light Gull Grey drybrush, followed by a black tempera wash. And here they are in place, along with the cowling framing (which also received a heavy black tempera wash) More piping added to the firewall too, using various copper wires and cables coming from an old SCART TV cable That's it for this report, all comments welcome Ciao

Hi Folks, apologies for the posts today, I’m playing catch up. This is the Merit 1/48 kit. It has its foibles but it goes together okay if slightly basic in detail. It represents an a/c flown by Flt Lt L.G. Schwab in Paramythia, Greece, 1941. After a holiday in this area I knew I had to model some of the aircraft that operated out of this beautiful valley. I have a Blenheim and a Swordfish to add to this. Sprayed with Colourcoats and Maketar custom mask. If anyone knows the serial, please let me know and I will gladly add it. If it was sprayed out then happy days! https://flic.kr/p/2ktENUJ

Good day to all, I wanted to try some new techniques for weathering so I started this Airfix Spitfire Mk.II as a test bed. I learned some lessons that I will and will not apply on subsequent projects. While most everyone knows this kit, here are my thoughts........... 1. Paints used : A. Mission Models RAF Dark Green #MMP-077 B. Mission Models RAF Underside Sky #MMP-080 C. Tamiya Flat Earth #XF-52 D. Model Master Medium Sea Gray E. Various other colors for the exhaust, cockpit, wheels, tires, etc. 2. Seven different colored washes used 3. Dry brushed other colors 4. Simple construction / assembly. Nice fit of parts. 5. Used kit supplied decals which are excellent 6. Uschi bobbin thread for antenna 7. Chalk pastels used 8. Built entirely out of the box with no additional items. Thank you for visiting and checking out this early version Spitfire from Airfix. Thank you in advance!!!!!!! Respectfully submitted, Mike

Hello again, time for a long-overdue update... I've had a few minor issues to sort out, one of which was down to my own stupidity (), and other which took a while to sort out. () Firstly, in my infinited wisdom, I thought it would be a good idea to paint the various main elements separately, before gluing the lot together. The fit of the Tamiya kit is so good, I thought I'd get away with it. So, engines, wings and tail planes pre-shaded and sky'd: And spot the (non) deliberate mistake - I seem to have two starboard horizontal tails. I'd even marked them P and S on the clips holding them. Easily sorted, and fortunately before I've done the dark grey uppers... Engines and wings were united, and another slight issue cropped up - the fit of the upper trailing egde of the wing to the upper part of the nacelle on both port and starboard wings wasn't great, and took a fair amount of filling and sanding to get corrected. It almost got the best of me, but I heroically struggled on... So, once that was sorted the wing uppers had a mixed coat of MSG and EDSG added to make it looked a bit weather-worn: The fuselage was also painted, then the wings and tailplanes glued in position, and trussed up like a Christmas turkey: And here we are at the moment: Some minor filling along the tailplane to fuselage and wing to fuselage joints needed, but fit is pretty good. The other thing that had me scratching my head was how to paint the spinners. RS504 had black spinners with very small white circles on the front. I tried masking tape, but that was a right faff-on, and I considered white decals but the curve is too sharp to get them to bed down. I then came up with the idea of painting the white tips, then masking them off with short section of plastic tube, with the inside whittled and sanded down to a very thin edge so it gets a nice snug fit, and held in place with Blu Tack: It worked pretty well, and I'm happy with the results: So, all the major painting and construction done. Next up decalling, I think, then some further weathering for the airframe before adding the underwing gubbins, the undercart and all the other bits and bobs... More soon, Simon

Alun and mick, thank you for your kind comments, and Alun that sounds a remarkable feat to manage the entire war on one ship, she certainly had a remarkable life, as I should imagine did your father ! I never imagined that one day I would be inviting people to look at pictures of my chopper online, but now I have, I feel that I am now at least partially qualified to enter Parliament ! I now have an embryo airwing, the first of many little aeroplanes (I believe that Victorious had a permanent deck park of 14 aircraft at this time, so this is the start of a major job in parallel to the vessel herself). This is one of the lovely little (about the size of a large insect) Whirlwind HAS 7s that Wotjek Benzinski supplied me with, with markings for 825 Squadron circa 1961, there were 8 aircraft embarked, numbered from 310 to 318, with no 313 (it was felt that making anyone fly in an Alvis Leonides engined helicopter, (that also was renowned for a dodgy clutch) was bad enough, but painting a big 13 on the front was asking for trouble). And in its natural habitat, down aft on the Port side !! One interesting thing that I found out was that due to the lack of power, weight was a major issue and many aircraft were flown without side doors to lighten the aircraft as can be seen below, whilst the winch was normally only bolted on for SAR/planeguard duties. Anyway, the first of many, I may do a Sea Vixen next, it’s quite nice to divert oneself with the odd aeroplane, and I’ve got a lot of odd aeroplanes to do !! Thanks for looking Cheers David

Hello all Today I would like to present you my elephant, which is made by Tamiya just like Stef's model. However, I decided to use Friul tracks, because I think they fit better to this big giant because of the weight. The Zimmertit I have treated with damage and some parts like the front armour of atak not used. I am not really a Zimmerit fan and therefore less is more 😁 Have fun! MD processing of the Zimmerit edges modified clamping screw dremel tool as lathe pistol port was closed by the crew some simple modifications for better details a lot of flame cut marks and weld seams my welding tools the rear and the jack with more details Ciao e a presto 😎

Well, this giant has finally risen from the pile of scrap that came out of a skip. It was enjoyable (if somewhat large) project. I think I'll stick to little stuff such as 1/8 in future...

Not my first build but it is my first post on this forum! Being a watcher for years it's now time to post my builds! Fisrt one of 2021 is the Tamiya Toyota Supgra GR in 1/24th scale! Used a Hobby Design PE upgrade kit with went on ok. Didn't get the windshield wipers to finish because of my big fingers... Some small dust particles in the paint as usual

Still cracking the wip.... Endeavoring to keep bases to a minimum I've cut up a sheet of hardboard to make one. Little groundwork created with cheap homebargins filler, even though I "planted " the M4 into the soft filler it still looks as if its sat on it rather than in it but never mind with a little creativity I'm sure it can be overcome.... Royal mail delivered a bunch of figures today so they can potentially accompany the Tamiya chap that will be in the drivers position. Thanks for looking Darryl

First completion of the year is in the books! This model was actually started in the spring of 2020 but it was relegated to the Shelf of Doom until I pulled it out after the start of the New Year and finished building it. It's almost all OOB save for the Masterclub tracks and Aber metal barrel. It was a fun build that allowed me to try some new techniques. Comments and criticism welcomed as always!

Just looking at the pics of "Tiki" the Kursk Tiger. Looks like the Fiefels are still fitted. I read somewhere that the filters were a pain to maintain and they were left off after the very early Tigers and I was going to leave mine off. I looked back through the thread and found Longbows pics of 505 Tigers at Kursk complete with Fiefels. One cannot always believe what one reads. (Or thinks they remember reading..........) A little progress. The joint with the front plate needed sorting both sides . The tyres needed finishing. Don't look too close they need a lot of tidying. Just couldn't seem to put the paint where it was supposed to go this very frustrating afternoon. Still mustn't give up........................ The turret bin was open at the bottom. And that would let all the crews' kit fall out so I stuck a patch on it. Then tried fitting the engine access panel and pinged the deck off the rear plate and down into the hull. As I said a frustrating afternoon. Fitted the pistol ports, the cupola and dry fitted the turret bin and access panel. Beginning to look a bit tigerish if you don't look too close.