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Showing content with the highest reputation on 12/01/22 in all areas

  1. Jetmads 1/32nd scale Viggen. What can I say? An impressive model. Very well engineered and very well presented! Resin is brittle, so careful handling required at all stages. Camouflage, it had to be done in fields and meadows! was achieved with Humbrol enamels and a lot of masking tape! I have always loved this aeroplane and now I have one in 1/32nd scale, well I am very, very happy. Thanks for looking Angelo
    37 points
  2. Hiya Folks, I am a sucker for RAF transports for obvious reasons and one aircraft that I have really wanted to build as an injection moulded kit (as opposed to the 1/72nd Airways and 144th Wesh Models vacuforms which I built, very badly, many moons ago!) ....... is the Handley Page Hastings! So although it wasn`t in 1/72nd scale as I`d really like..... when Mikr Mir added the Hastings to their ever expanding 1/144th scale RAF transport collection I just had to buy one and give it a go. Construction was pretty straightforward, although the tailplane took some work to fit and blend into the fuselage,.....this being because there us now a C.2/T.5 kit available which includes optional parts for the later lower mounted, larger horizontal tailplane fitted to this later variant,.... and of course the kit also includes a radar bulge below the fuselage for the radar training T.5. My model was finished using rattle can silver and white and as the blue in the kit roundels was too light I used Xtradecal roundels, fin flashes and blue stripes for the cheat lines instead. Now I`m not used to working in such a small scale and my eyes are struggling these days, so I missed a few details which now appear glaringly obvious in these large photos,... ah well! Despite this I`m still pleased with how the model turned out. I`d love to do a few more including at least one grey and white Coastal Command Met Recce aircraft,..... so if Xtradecal would like to do a sheet like they did for the 1/144th Beverley & Argosy,...... there are some great colour scheme variations out there for the Hastings, including the RNZAF ones too! Here is the kit box art; And here is the model; Cheers Tony
    23 points
  3. Hello Folks, I finshed my Tonka and wanna show you the result. Building Thread Video: https://youtu.be/J1jg-gT6iOU Materials: Mr. Colour Mr. Paint Vallejo Model Air Tamiya Quick Setting Micro Set /Sol Vallejo Putty Kit:
    20 points
  4. This was a fun kit and I enjoyed building it. Some different plumage than the usual US, which I also like to do--different plumage, that is. Paints were all Vallejo and Vallejo Air...oil paint pinwash...Decals are from the superb Xtradecal Sheet for 19 Squadron. This is the fifth 19 Sq aircraft I have built so far. Some aircraft are in the queue for assorted GB this year and I will be building others along the way. Next up is a Phantom, the last aircraft to be officially used by 19 Sq before they disbanded in 1992 and became a reserve unit. Don't worry folks...I have at least 2 Spitfires lined up...๐Ÿ˜„ Here's some Mustang pics... --John
    20 points
  5. You may have heard the bizarre story about the Mexican Government's efforts - futile thus far - to offload the presidential 787 Dreamliner. When the new President took office, he wanted to sell the luxurious plane in line with his austere image. There was even a proposed lottery to sell it (see the CNN story). So far no luck. It's an amazing plane, but no airline wants to buy it because of the huge cost of turning it back to a normal airliner. No-one else is really in need of a plane so awesome that "even Obama didn't have one", as was said at the time. What's maybe even less widely known than this funny story is that the Mexican VIP jet was previously one of the 787 development prototypes - N787ZA. One of the early words my daughter could say was "Dreamliner" ๐Ÿ˜† At some point when she was 2 or 3 she volunteered to my wife that I should get a Dreamliner model for Fathers Day. I duly received the 1/144 Revell kit with this livery of the second prototype aircraft. In this creative commons wikipedia image you can see the scheme - much less vibrant than the one worn by the original development aircraft. The Revell kit is pretty nice but I have to admit I did a fairly basic job. The best part of the kit, I thought, was the engines. I see in the photos I have forgotten to paint in the windscreen frames. I painted the window with Tamiya "smoke" to give it a tint, mainly because I later regretted not doing anything about a cockpit. It kind of looks better IRL than in these photos. It's a nice kit, if basic, and to me it looks like a Dreamliner. That aircraft has great lines, I think, and having flown long haul on them a few times (China to the US a few times among other routes) I am happy to say I will always take a Dreamliner over other types if I can. The larger windows are especially cool and I do believe the hype about reduced cabin noise and better quality cabin air. Thanks for looking!
    16 points
  6. Fresh off the bench is the Eduard 1/72 Fw 190A-8. This is the Profipack version, with included PE / mask set. Kit markings were used, with 0.047mm elastic thread for the antenna wire. This was my first time doing this aircraft yet somehow I've accumulated 5 different versions of the kit in my stash. The landing gear took a bit of care to get the right angle/stance, but otherwise it was a painless build. Great little kit in my opinion. Time to add it to the airport! Thanks for viewing, CC always welcome.
    15 points
  7. Hi Folks, I'm back in the Hobby with this my first build since 1988. As I am ever since have been fascinated by the WW II Warbirds and then Job and life wise stoped modelling I sill collected almost everything what was related to this Hobby. A couple of Years ago I could get hold on on some relics from the BoB Parts of a shot down BF 110. likely the history of this Plane and and fight is pretty well documented https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/225939 The British Pilot Sargent Rolls took his first Air Victory with this BF110 http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Rolls.htm I did build a case to placed in my Air Force museum Now I did bring even more life to it by building my first Spitfire and even my first Plane since 1988 (btw the last one was P51 1:32 who still exist) Ok I hope you like it an hopefully your are passionate with a com backer ๐Ÿ˜‰ I start with some detail pics of the cockpit section as I already finished the Spit by entering this excellent Forum and super nice comunity I did not follow the instruction due to my worry's of the separation of Interior Green and All in back part I replaced the Gunsight with the PE parts in the end And now here she is I decided to yous heavy wheathering as I like the look and the sense, as a former soldier, heavy filing and no time for cleaning just the necessary maintenance. Ok I hope you like it and as I said be patient I know there is heaps of space for improvement. Btw the next to come will be the Eduard Profipack Adlertag in the Versin of II ZG 26 the Sgt Rolls shot down. Enjoy Tom the Line
    13 points
  8. Hi everyone, so I'm a long way behind in updating my ready for inspection builds, and I'm going to try to catch up over the next few weeks and months. First up, I finished the Trumpeter 1/32 A-10a in late October 2021, took the photos, but didn't do the embedding etc until today. Hope you enjoy the belated finished build. I found this kit to be a bit of a mission getting it to all fit properly, and the decals weren't great, but I've managed to wrestle it into a condition that I am mostly happy with without burning many holes in my wallet with aftermarket extras (although I did resort to the xtradecal cockpit decals, the kit decals are rubbish and there is virtually no detail on the plastic to work with, so this really benefited from the ~ยฃ12 outlay. It's nice to have such a distinct aircraft on my completed shelf with the more regular looking jets.
    12 points
  9. Something different for inbetween... ...as a test for the modifications which the kit parts need to come closer to an AGM-129, I built one of the six in the B-52 kit included missiles as inflight modell. The AGM-129 was a strategic long-range cruise missile, successor to the AGM-86 and the first cruise missile with stealth technology. According to the START-II agreement, stealth missiles were not allowed to be carried by stealth bombers, so the weapon was only used on the B-52H. The missiles were equipped with nuclear warheads between 5 and 150 kt. The originally planned deployment time until 2030 ended in 2012 as a result of disarmament treaties. The parts from Modelcollect match the shape of the AGM-129 very well, unfortunately, as with the B-52H, some details are missing. In this case, these are the air inlet on the belly, which supplies the jet engine, and the large flap on the back, which hides the two folding wings. The base shows White Sands Missile Range, donยดt know if any AGM-129 was ever fired there.๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ Daniel
    12 points
  10. Here today I have my build of the hobbyboss TA-152 C-11 in 1/48th scale. This kit was relatively in-expensive but I must say was good value for money. The kit went together without many issues and only required minimal sanding and filling. I used exclusively Mr Hobby Aqueous paints for this build and I must say the paint went down flawlessly. Im not sure about the realistic aspect of the shades but I'm satisfied with the end results. I wanted to achieve a minimal ware and tear look on this build soo only used a dark enamel and then flat coated. I used a mixture of Tamiya's smoke and Mr Hobby flat black to create the exhaust stains effect.
    12 points
  11. Just finished my latest addition to my collection of US Coast Guard aircraft in 1/72 scale. The patchwork finish is because they were war-weary planes converted by the Navy to land-based SAR duty. The old squadron markings were painted over with fresh Dark Sea Blue, and new insignia and markings were then applied. (Shows how much the original color had faded!). The USCG had three of them in San Diego, where they were used for rapid delivery of life rafts and provisions, and to evaluate their potential for post-war use. I must say, the Academy kit is really nice- the current boxing (Operation Iceberg) includes PE dive brakes, if you want to use them. (I didnโ€™t.). The markings for a Rescue plane were only ever offered by Academy in the first Deluxe release of the kit- back in 2006. ( The first boxing that included PE dive brakes.). Fortunately, it wasnโ€™t hard to come up with necessary markings. I used my Silhouette Cameo4 to make masks, and painted the โ€œRESCUEโ€. This was my first attempt at really fading a plane painted in overall Dark Sea Blue. I really like how it came out- the โ€œfresh paintโ€ patches really stand out! The model was painted initially with Vallejo Dark Sea Blue. I then lightened the color by mixing in a little intermediate blue, and applied it heavily thinned. I did this several times, adding a little more of the lighter blue each time. Decals went on near the end- they were โ€œnew markingsโ€. I also tried the Kits World โ€œ3D Seatbelt Decalsโ€, and I like the way they look. I like them a lot better than PE belts in this scale!
    12 points
  12. As I was building the Vulcan I decided to do a joint-build with the Victor in my stash aswell. Here are the results. Victor B2(BS) by Phillip Loughlin, on Flickr Victor B2(BS) by Phillip Loughlin, on Flickr Victor B2(BS) by Phillip Loughlin, on Flickr Victor B2(BS) by Phillip Loughlin, on Flickr Hope you like.
    11 points
  13. This is my Lufthansa 737-500 in 1/200 using Draw Decals. I have a project to build a model of each type of airliner I've flown (as a passenger) in the airline livery I flew it in. I picked 1/200 mainly because this project entails three 747s, three 777s, a couple of Dreamliners, an A340 or two and an A380 plus a long list of 737s, A320 family and random others. Good luck fitting those on the shelf even in this small scale! I flew on the -500 just once, an LH flight from (I think) Frankfurt to Hamburg in very early 1994. This is why I left off the Star Alliance logo on the nose, as SA didn't exist then. As far as the wing colour goes, I'm not sure it's right. When I started this in about 2017, I feel sure I looked hard for images of a LH -500 dated around that time and must have painted the wings white for a reason. Now it seems odd but I decided to get this off the Shelf of Doom the other day and just push on with the decals (which was all it needed). The 737-500 is an interesting creature. As many readers will know, the 737 is one of the most successful airliners of all time. Across all versions it has attracted more than 15,000 orders - not far behind its main competitor the Airbus A320 family. The crashes of the latest Max models a few years ago really hit orders, too, otherwise the 737 would probably be out in front. The family is broken into several groups: the original Boeing 737-100 and the "advanced" -200 (these are the old school ones with the loud engines) The next generation of -300, -400, and -500 - the "classics" The generation after that, the ones you mostly see today, the -600, -700, -800, -900 - the "NG or third generation". Usually these have the big winglets. The newest Max family, presently on hold due to those crashes. The -500 was brought into that second main generation when airlines realized they liked the technological advances of the -300 and slightly longer -400, but still wanted the original passenger capacity of the original -200. So the -500, despite having a higher number than the -300 and -400 was actually the shortest of the the three. By the next generation, the -500 was replaced by the -600, so that the progressively higher numbers again lined up with the progressively higher capacity. Here's a -500 lined up next to my China Eastern Purple Peacock -800 so you can see the size difference: I flew at least once on that Purple Peacock 737 amongst my uncountable flights with China Eastern when I used to work in China. The -500 was not really a successful model. Of the nearly 11,000 737s delivered, nearly half (just under 5,000) have been the -800 model. By comparison, only 389 of the -500 were made (out of nearly 2,000 in the "classic" sub family of -300, -400, -500). Even less successful was the -600, which directly replaced the -500 as the shortest 737 when the "next generation" models came in. Just 69 of those were built out of that generation's total of almost 7,000). Much to my regret, I'd booked a -600 with SAS but a -800 showed up on the day. That was in 2018 and since Covid, SAS has pensioned off its -600s, as did Westjet, the last other main operator of them in Canada. So unless I get a job at Area 51 and have to fly Janet out of Vegas each day to get to work, I will never get on a -600. This is a shame because the -100 and the -600 are the only ones I've not flown on. The kit is also of an older generation. Modern 737 kits from Hasegawa have left/right fuselage halves, while this one had top/bottom. I feel like the -500 kit has slightly less, or softer, detail than the -700s and -800s I have built. I've never got my hands on the -400 kit Hasegawa released, but I guess it's similar to this one. I won't say "toylike" because it's not, but it's just not quite as good. The Draw Decals were pretty good. I see from the photos that one of the wing decals has peeled - I don't know why but it's most likely operator error. Draw Decals are little more finicky than regular ones. The main tip I have, which I got from a fellow BritModeller a while back, is that the longer decals are unwieldy and it's safer to cut them in to smaller parts than to try to wrangle a long one into the right spot without it curling up. Sound advice which I followed. Other than the 737-800 in a few of those photos, the only other model I have completed as part of this project is the A319 I made recently out of the A320 kit - a chop-shop special I did within the latest Nordic Group Build: Anyway, it was a fun project and one I'm glad to have on the shelf at last. Now to move on to the 20+ other builds in this crazy project!
    11 points
  14. Hello folks, just wanted some input on my first build since I was 13 years old, 23 years ago. My father recently passed away and his hobby was RC aircraft, so with me not really having the budget for that and recalling how much I loved building the plastic kits he used to buy me as a boy, I was given a (massive) F14A for my birthday by my wife, to keep me busy over the December holidays. She wasn't aware I'd need glues/paints/tools etc. so I had to make due with my local hobby shop, which in fairness didn't have a massive range. So before I get slaughtered over the model's accuracy, they didn't have gull grays at all, I had to use Mr.Hobby light and dark gray, also no yellow so will need to redo all the orange when I get yellow. I also used an airbrush for the first time and LOVED that! This was more just for fun and to get myself back into the hobby. A lot of details are very incorrect I know, some decal placement was just for the practice, a lot of decals have silvered, (I decided to rather paint the red on the fins as those decals were massive) my weathering is a bit much, but all in all I had a blast and I have already gotten am Academy F4 in 1:48 to start on next. 20220107_155616 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_154953 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_155004 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_155046 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_155144 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_155133 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_155153 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_155229 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_155257 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_155304 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_155337 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220107_155402 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr 20220111_080720 by Eben Rabe, on Flickr Thanks for looking, I have a lot to learn still and will focus on accuracy with my Phantom build.
    9 points
  15. Howdy! My first completion of the New Year is Revell's 1/72 P-47M Thunderbolt. A very enjoyable build OOTB and as is my want brush painted. The main camo is my own mixture of approximate colours as suggested by the instructions. The aircraft represents A 63rd Fighter Squadron Jug from the 56th FG US 8th Army Airforce Boxted England 1945. I have added the rockets and fuel tanks as per the instructions but am unsure if this particular aircraft ever carried them! But they look good to me and i like my Tbolts tooled up, so to speak. Thanks for looking ATB Greg
    9 points
  16. Apart from the centre engine/gearbox mounting I'm calling the pack bay done! Fuel pipes, control cables, fire wire, most of pack mounts, GUE mounting and base tanks all added. I have purposely left out the fire extinguisher pipes as I can't find decent pictures of the pipe runs in the engine bay and I also think it would look to overcrowded with them added at this scale! Anyway here is where it stands at present Thanks for stopping by, your time, comments and likes are much appreciated Stay safe Roger
    9 points
  17. Talking of comparing apples to oranges... Airfix don't make kits for us to like or dislike, they make kits to make money. I assume Eduard's business model makes sense for them, based where they are, selling how they do (I think probably the only model kit company that hasn't had to care much about their business model is Wingnut, and look where that got them in the long run...), but what works for Eduard doesn't necessarily work for Airfix. Airfix has a completely different cost base and distribution model. However much we may deride the "bean counters", beans are why the business (and the kits, like them or not) exists, and no beans or insuffucient beans = no business. Collectively, we know more than Airfix about Mosquitos or Sabres, but Airfix know more than almost all of us about running a model kit business, and vastly more than any of us about running THEIR model kit business... best, M.
    8 points
  18. This is Fujimi 1/72 F-14A finished in the markings of VF-84 Jolly Rogers as seen in the film "The Final Countdown". Don't know if it is the light or my camera but the first shot is a bit odd colour wise. The kit was hard work in places due to some strange "engineering". I did not use the etch for inside an open canopy or the seperate "rubber" tyre option. Pete
    8 points
  19. 8 points
  20. One of my Matchbox ambitions is to have all of the original 19 aircraft kits done in each of 3 ways: (1) unpainted, (2) out of the box using kit decals, and (3) superdetailed using whatever colour scheme interests me. So I'm going to throw together a quick unpainted Alpha Jet to kick things off. Here is the original kit and box with a later reissue for comparison. The first flight of the Alpha Jet prototype took place in October 1973. Matchbox released the Alpha Jet in 1972. I believe the kit was based not even on the prototype, but on project drawings published before the physical aircraft existed, so there is a bit of guesswork about the original kit release. In particular, the tailfin features a quite extreme sweepback, which was corrected in the later release. I'm pretty sure this is the only instance of Matchbox ever changing the plastic parts of a kit without any change to the PK number. You can see the difference here. So if you intend to build a Matchbox Alpha Jet for any purpose other than pure nostalgia, the later release is the way to go. I'm going with the original here, because that suits my purpose nicely. This shouldn't take long. Cheers! Adam
    7 points
  21. Hi everyone Long time no see. The past few months have been a real modelling black hole where I haven't been bothered to go to my workshop let alone do any modelling. Builds that I've started are as they were with no progress being made on any of them, I think that over my recent modelling history I've lost my way and for some reason felt the need to over complicate my builds with too much resin and etch. Now don't get me wrong I enjoy working with both mediums but they can sap the enjoyment that comes with just sticking bits of plastic together and squirting paint everywhere. I have a little time on my hands over the next couple of weeks (I start a new job on the 24th) I thought it was about time to get back to basics and build a model OOB and just enjoy it, so to that end and as the title suggests, I'm going to build the fairly new Airfix 1/48 Chippy. I started by just gluing the motor together, just because it looks rather nice and I enjoy just gluing things together... ..I'm not sure if I'm going to build the model with the engine exposed but it really is a lovely little thing..well done Airfix! I have splattered some paint around and painted up the cockpit area, I used several different shades of dark grey, black and light grey to try and get some tonal variations because otherwise its pretty boring in there.. I will add some seatbelts in due course and tonight I'll get the instrument panels finished using the kit decals. Thanks for looking and see you all soon Iain
    7 points
  22. PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr This 40 year old Matchbox kit was fun to build. Previously attempted over 40 years ago when my eyes and manual dexterity were much better, but my modelling skills seriously lacking. There was no way nipper me could ever get those wings on, and it was binned. I've felt bad for badgering my poor mum to buy me the kit ever since, but in my defense who could resist that amazing Roy Huxley box art? PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr This particular flying boat, K7297 of 209 Sqn was sadly lost with all hands on August the 19th 1939, while patrolling over the North Sea in bad weather. I have represented her in the Munich Crisis markings she wore at the time of the crash. RMS Empress of Britain escorted by three Supermarine Stranraers by Mike, on Flickr "FLYING ACCIDENTS With reference to the disappearance on August 19 of an aircraft of No.209 Squadron, the Air Ministry announces with regret that, as extensive searches have failed to find the aircraft and its occupants, it must now be accepted that the following personnel lost their lives on that date:- F/O (Acting Flt Lt) Frederick Ernest Royston King; F/O Arthur Frederick Barber; L./AC Donald Fulcher; A/C.1 David George Poeten Ash; A/C.1 Walter Joseph Jeckells; A/C.2 Leslie Samuel Freshwater." <a href="http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/208561" rel="noreferrer nofollow">aviation-safety.net/wikibase/208561</a> Like many basic Matchbox kits, there was room for extra detail to be added, especially to the empty hull interior, and the sparsely marked exteriors. I was very much aided by fellow Britmodellers builds in this respect. For those wanting to check the build thread out here is the link. And for those that just want to see some photos, scroll down now PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr PK-601 Supermarine Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr
    7 points
  23. Brought back from the Shelf O' Doom, I present you with A-Model's Tupolev Tu-134A, done up in custom decals to represent "Zagreb," as flown by Aviogenex in the 70's and 80's. This one fought me hard. The wings and horizontal stabilizers are butt-joined, and you need to take an educated guess at the wing anhedral. Lining up the landing gear is a minor adventure. The paint? Oh, the paint. All those fuselage stripes are painted, touched up with decal painted in the right colors, which was by far the hardest part. Hard to photograph, because it needs a lot of space, it's about the size of a Lockheed Constellation in the same scale, and quite heavy. Yes, there's a flight crew on board--three little Yugoslavs from PJ Productions! Why? Because Aviogenex is probably the only non-Soviet airline to voluntarily purchase the Tu-134 and put it in revenue service. Before they replaced them with 737s, Aviogenex flew the wings off of the Tupolevs for 20 years, with only a couple major (fatal) crashes in-between. They may even have made a healthy profit despite the plane's carrying 30 fewer passengers, and weighing seven tons more--empty--than a DC-9-30. Enjoy! I'm just relieved to have crossed the finish line with it.
    7 points
  24. And this is my elderly Hasegawa 1/72 kit of a F-8E Crusader in the markings of VF-162. An old kit and maybe not the most accurate but it goes together well. Pete
    7 points
  25. Hello There, Here is my last realization, assembled in 4 days, that I absolutely wanted to be completed before 2022, a 1/48 Eduard Focke-Wulf Fw-190 F8. The model is the 2013 edition, excruciatingly difficult to put together without horrible adjustments. The two-component putty has been taken out to fill some gaps. But OK, otherwise the painting went well, and I'm pretty happy with the result. The building : The pics That's it my friends Have a nice day and best regards Vincent
    7 points
  26. Well, this is a weird one which I am really just posting in case some people are interested. This is the Bandai ISS EVA suit in 1/10 but in a manga/anime boxing that includes a dog and a spacesuit for him (it's from a series called "Space Brothers"). I received it as a gift some years ago from some friends who knew I liked models and space and though I was very grateful I didn't know what to make of it at all. That would have been in 2012. In about 2017 over the Christmas break I cracked it out as a project to do with my then three year old daughter. She was heavily into space then (I may or may not have force-fed her space stuff from birth - imagine my pride when we walked into a museum once and she yelled out at age five DADDY THAT'S A SATURN FIVE AND THERE'S NEIL ARMSTRONG BUZZ ALDRIN AND MIKE COLLINS). Anyway, this was great because it is snap fit. We made most of the astronaut over a few days and then she got at it with some grey paint and put the stickers all over everything. It went into storage after that for a long while as we moved countries. Recently I figured out that this kit (the original ISS one anyway) is pretty good and pretty hard to find. So I had a look to see what I could salvage. Luckily most of the paint was easily scraped off. Now older, my kid made a good suggestion when I discussed with her whether I should sand off the last remnants of the grey. "Well Dad, there's no need because it's just moon dust". This made me smile too because we were lucky enough to be living in DC in 2019 during the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and I'd showed her the remnant moon dust on Neil Armstrong's space suit at the Smithsonian. I know this ISS suit didn't go anywhere near the moon, but it was a cool thought she had and I was happy she remembered our trips to the Smithsonian. I wondered about going to town on this model but in the end I think it has more utility to me as a fully poseable model she can play with. All the joints work really smoothly, and the human's visor slides up and down. I will probably get around to painting the astronaut and dog faces and doing a little bit of detail painting. If you can find this kit or the ISS boxing I heartily recommend it. I don't know whether it's hyper accurate (I mean, leaving aside the spacewalking dog) but it is certainly a good addition to my small cabinet of space models. This old link from a Japanese website has a lot of photos of the kit and what comes with it. A quick online search seems to have it priced between $45 and $90 at various places.
    7 points
  27. After digesting the Buccaneer release news and reading the comments on here, and for what it's worth, I do think the price tag is a tad on the high side but I guess that is the going rate for a new tooled 1/48 model in this post Covid, post Brexit, high oil price, high container price, high inflation world that we are living in. Airfix have listened to the UK modeller though so what more can you ask?
    7 points
  28. Thanks Craig, The kit detail was pretty good but the separate mesh screen and the presence of the canopy locking hook details tipped me over the edge. As for the damage I think I got off lucky Thanks WU. I actually briefly entertained building an F/A-18L when thinking of a subject for this GB but it had mojo killer writen all over it. It was marketed at non-Navy air arms but it ended in an acrimonious argument between Northrop and McDD and was eventually scrapped, which was a shame as it would have been lighter but with a similar payload. Fortunately the RAAF did not opt for it as it would have been left operating an unsupported airframe with no development prospects and would likely have to transition to Hornet anyway Guilty your honour! Got the 'zorsts inners done The jets are both getting towards painting time cheers, Pappy
    7 points
  29. Having seen the original computer drawings, CAD and photos of the 3d printed development model (no I can't post the photos here) the amount of work that has gone into this kit is fantastic and the detail, including the surface detail, is way beyond any Airfix kit up to now, it really has been a work of passion for the team.
    7 points
  30. Tuesday. Just been out admiring the sunglow on the clouds: Llive somewhere long enough and you can tell the month by where the sun sits on the horizon... ๐Ÿ˜ That would be an ecumechanical matter! I'm pretty sure I remember reading somewhere Pete - it might have been Jared Diamond's Buns, Germs and Steel - that homo sapiens ceased their northward migration from Africa upon reaching the territory of modern-day Portugal and developing the technology of Pastรฉis de nata. Outcasts from various tribes were banished to the cold North, where they lived a bestial existence feeding upon moss and Mr. Kipling products. I know my audience.... Thanks Anthony. Things went surprisingly well this time around and I'm pleased withe the results. (see below) Thanks Bill: it does indeed sounds contradictory but there really is a material difference in the quality produced on long tapering parts like a wing camber. In time this shouldn't be a factor when resolutions get much higher but for now - as with any technique - I'm still coming to appreciate the limitations that distinguish one tool from another here. Now if only brass-capable laser cutters can get affordable enough to be able to avoid photoetching.... Agree entirely Alan. In fact it was sometime back on this thread when we were having a similar discussion that I significantly altered the way I use the Mercury curing station to take into account exactly these factors. When I first got the station I made the mistake of following what many people tell you to do on Y-tube which is to set an overall time and let it rip. As the station allows you to cure in 30 second intervals I'd early on stopped setting a total, instead doing 30 seconds at a time, then placing the part in the opposite orientation on the turntable for a further 30 seconds, and so on - the number of changes of position depending largely on the shape and thickness of the part. For very thin parts like the rudders I'll actually stop the cure after about 10 seconds and rotate the part at shorter intervals - as you talk about with your rotor blades. You know yourself that after while you get enough experience to make an educated guess about the overall curing time for a particular size and shape of part. I'm pretty confident in this instance though that the culprit was print orientation due to the fact that in neither my original vertical test print or in the latest one did I end up with such a deviated wingtip as the penultimate one, despite curing times remaining consistent. I also added a larger number of drainage holes this time around just in case the speed of resin draining from the interior was an issue - whether that helps I've no idea... Oh the fun figuring all this stuff out on the job eh?! It's funny you saying that David - there are times I get incredibly nervous about painting, thinking that I'm going to ruin the thing... ๐Ÿ˜„ Glad to have you back online Simon - hope the new machine is working out ok for you? Progress report then. Sunday's new and improved wing print went off without a hitch: As well as the vertical orientation I'd added a robust layer of buttresses to either side for stability, as well as a thicker population of mini supports along the leading edge to maintain a consistent line all the way along. For people not familiar with the kind of cleanup on prints of this nature, this is what such a part looks like in the initial stage with the supports snipped off: Along with the drainage holes needing filling, these things can look pretty brutal in their raw state, however the cleanup is time-consuming rather than complicated as that forest of support stumps disappears rapidly with a small file. You can faintly make out the striations on the wing surface above that I'd referred to as an issue previously when printing a tapering camber like this in the vertical orientation. It takes an extreme lighting angle for them to really pop out but such 'ripples' at their deepest are only about 0.1mm at most and easily planed smooth. On a large curving and flat areas like a wing I find the most effective tools are craft blades like these: Being more rigid than scalpel blades, these are highly effective when held at an angle to the surface and planed across said striations - about 10 mins on each wing is enough to return you to smoothness. Once sanded and polished you're good to go. Most importantly though this time around - the wing is straight (and retains the correct dihedral on the underside)! Test fit of the control surfaces: With the slightly Gothic shape of those ailerons I like the way they look when deflected: Only thing is though, for a static aircraft on the ground for engine maintenance, would these ailerons ever be in such a deflected posture or would the controls be locked flush with the wing? Any advice on the matter greatly appreciated! In terms of cleanup along the face of the wing rib you can se the work in progress here removing the mini supports necessary on hinges and recesses: Despite being a fiddly location, these too cleaned up nicely: Looking at those recesses reminds me I have to print up replacement hinges for the ones I broke off of the inner wing folding mechanism. I need to replace the FEP on the Mars 2 as my initial print of these replacements on Sunday stuck to the film. My fault for letting it get so dirty before deciding it needed replacing. Soon my pretties you shall be together... In terms of securing these two major parts at the wingfold, I'm not going to be relying upon the main hinges as being resin and small they simply won't be strong enough to support the upper wing in place on their own. My plan is to use brass (for strength) in two places: the obvious one being the jury strut providing a load bearing support toward the back of the wing, the other being the cable tray at the front holding the wings firmly in place at the correct angle. You can see above the vacant slots for this tray top and bottom of the wingfold, just forward of the front-most hinges. Julien has a nice shot of said tray here in the forum walkaround. Lastly the inboard main gear doors have been permanently added now: A final flourish with the file on the wells in a couple of places was all that was needed, and that's them done now: A quick look in the parts box revealed that apart from the 150 gall. tanks, I've run out of Vixen bits needing prepping! Canopy! Bloody hell, how could I have forgotten that? More importantly, where the hell did I put all the vacforms from a few months back... I'll ask Mrs. B - she always finds things. Thanks for looking in and hope all of you are having good weeks so far. Take care until next time. Tony
    7 points
  31. Hi folk's,look at ten different pictures of this aircraft's cockpit you get ten different colour and layout combinations so for me a typical fifties type of finish will do so sprayed dark gray seats picked out in olive green headrests in red.Add some spare decals masking tape belts with detail drawn on with a very sharp pencil and I'm happy with the busy look. A dry run of the glazing shows a decent fit so by the time the framing is painted and the tinting done I think the cockpit should suffice.
    7 points
  32. Looks like I have plans for this.
    6 points
  33. As my first participation in a BritModeller group build, I figured that I should do something big and impressive. And if it could be an ungainly interwar aircraft in 1/72 scale, all the better. Having recalled that there were a few old Matchbox kits tucked away in the back corner of my local hobby shop, I ran up there today and came home with this: IMG_4622 by Evan Bailly, on Flickr A big spindly Heyford still sealed in its original 1980 plastic wrap. IMG_4624 by Evan Bailly, on Flickr Even though I'm not quite ready to start mangling plastic and flinging glue and paint, I decided to break the seal and do a bit of inventory: IMG_4625 by Evan Bailly, on Flickr IMG_4626 by Evan Bailly, on Flickr All the parts 'n pieces are present and in good order. Nothing apparently bent, warped, short-shot, or anything else nasty. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of the decal sheet. Apparently enough moisture got trapped inside the sealed box to curl the transfers and fuse them to the protective sheet. Its not a big deal, since I have an aversion to building models to the box art. Time to start hunting the spares box and elsewhere for markings. I've got a few projects on the bench that need to be finished before there is room there and in my brain to devote time to the Heyford, but those should be done in the next few days and construction should begin in earnest.
    6 points
  34. Hi all last Heller Sabre from the stash, quick and old school build, this time in SAAF colours. Unfortunately after market decals went quite transparent, very visible on the tail....maybe i will try to correct them. All other out of box, colours Humbrol.... Another oldie saved from the oblivion, hope you like it Best regards, Djordje
    6 points
  35. This is a 1973 Kit and was in the first batch of kits released by Matchbox. It was probably the 2nd or third Matchbox kit I bought, I'm sure the first was the Zero. Less than a 100 yards from where I lived there was a row of neighborhood shops. Supermarkets as we know them were a new concept and the range of local shops included drapers, hardware, grocery, pharmacy and newsagent. The local newsagent was also the sweetshop, toy shop and tobacconist. We had two locally and one of them, Martins, had the ubiquitous spinning rack of Airfix and Frog Baggies, Behind the glass counter were the Airfix boxed kits. One Friday myself and my cousin who lived locally, headed to Martins to spend our two weeks pocket money (2 shillings which had recently become 10p but was always called a florin here in Ireland). This was a little more than we needed for a baggie and the shopkeeper wanting to get all our money showed us this new range of product from Matchbox, which was in coloured plastic and only moderately more expensive than Airfix baggies and it was in a box.... we were hooked. The biggest drawback was that there was only a very limited range and we quickly ran out of choices over the following month. We still built Airfix but Matchbox became a big part of those years. When I dabbled again in kit building in the early to mid 90s the whole industry was in decline due to the developments in computer games. I bought a lot more than I built back then and managed to accumulate a few Matchbox along the way. The kit plastic in great condition, not confident about decals, canopy will be dipped in Gauzy glass agent.
    6 points
  36. Hi all In the latter part of last year I asked a question in tge Cold War section of the forum re the above aircraft and was very pleased with the results, I have always wanted to model one of these but been wary of all of the differences etc and could not find too much on t'internet etc, so was very thankful to @72modeler @mick b @Our Ned @Junchan @Seahawk @Harry Lime @Troy Smith and a special thanks to @71chally. Thanks guys you helped turn something I was scared I would not be able to do justice to, into a very enjoyable project. So armed with the info I needed I started the build. Thank you also to those who have supported and encouraged me on my build too. I really appreciate it. This is the Sword 1/72 Skyraider AEW kit and it is a really nice kit, it's a short run kit bit the fit is really nice. The Aircraft modelled is WV106 which was attached to HMS Centaur during the first 6 months of 1959, as part of 849 Squadron D flight. My Dad was aboard Centaur during this time and loved the look of these and would often mention them , hence why I wanted to build one really. I was fortunate enough to locate a Model decal sheet which contained the WV106/427 option so was able to complete. Some extras have been added to tge model such as Radome support braces, static Discharge Wicks, tail aerial from stretch plastic cotton bud tube over some .33mm brass rod, the underwing aerials are bristles from SWMBO's toothbrush , just checking she's not looking over my shoulder!!! Otherwise the rest is included with the kit. The model is brushpainted with Colourcoats and Humbrol enamels and chipping with a pencil and staining from tge exhaust is with powders. Anyway enough waffle from me here's some photos. Build thread is here part of a multiple build thread I apologise for the photos I even waited until it was sunny this morning to take them but they still came out this way. I hope you enjoyed them I certainly enjoyed this model. Thanks for looking in Chris
    6 points
  37. Hello everyone A model of a Chinese MBT built from a simple Hobby Boss kit without any extras and with minimal modifications. Tri-colour camouflage painted on a black and white base. I hope you will like it. "When China wakes up, the world will tremble." Napoleon Bonaparte
    6 points
  38. Happy New Year! I have only one resolution this year - to never build a kit like this again. It's not often that I dread going to the workbench, but it happened on several occasions with this project. Obviously, this is the old Matchbox PB4Y-2 Privateer re-boxed by Revell which is in itself not a bad kit except for its glaring errors. Specifically, the turrets, cowlings and props are a bit on the, er, wrong side. Being the fruitcake that I am (notice how I worked in some holiday cheer?) I decided to go rogue in the aftermarket store and procure the old Cobra resin correction set. This is where most of the problems came from. Read the WIP and WEEP, the link is below. Boy, am I relieved to get this one off the bench. Not my best work by a long shot, but I suppose it looks good enough to stick in the display case along with the old Revell PB4Y-1 that I built a few years ago. Project: Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer Kit: Revell Kit No. 04292 Scale: 1:72 (anything larger for this aircraft is a crime against nature) Decals: White Dog No. 721003 for "Ol' Blunderbuss" from VPB-121 Resin: Cobra Company PB4Y-2 Detail and Correction Set No. 72019 Resin: HPM Hobbies Corrected Cowling & Engine Set No. 72010 Resin: Quickboost PBY-5 Catalina propellers No. QB 72 006 Resin: Eduard M-2 Browning Guns No. 672092 Resin: True Details B-24/PB4Y Wheel Set No. 72016 Photoetch: From the Cobra and Eduard sets, as well as the spares box Vacuform: Squadron (Falcon) sets 9145 & 9146 for all the clear parts Paint: Mr. Hobby H11 Flat White, H12 Flat Black, H18 Steel, H54 Non-specular Sea Blue, H56 Intermediate Blue, H58 Interior Green; Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black, Alclad ALC-101 Aluminum, ALC-314 Klear Kote Flat Weathering: Post shading with various uncontrolled mixtures of the primary colours Cursing: So bad at times that the air raid sirens went off Improvements/Corrections Replaced all turrets with Cobra resin parts and Squadron vacuform clear parts Window framework on waist and tail turrets made with strips of 0.005 inch thick styrene Added bulletproof glass to bow and waist turret stations Replaced all guns with Eduard resin and photoetch Replaced cockpit with Cobra resin, detailed with CMK photoetch from the spares box Detailed the bombardier station, never to be seen again Replaced all fuselage windows with clear styrene Reshaped the kit's inaccurate vertical tail profile Replaced kit wheels with True Details resin Scratchbuilt a new nose gear mechanism and reshaped nose gear openings and doors Added various antennae and aerials Replaced kit nacelles, cowlings, and engines with resin from Cobra and HPM Replaced kit propellers with Quickboost resin The remaining errors were left in intentionally Click here for the WIP. It's a long, tragic tale and only for the stout of heart. Now, let's see this beast. Cheers, Bill EDIT: Here are some shots of the cockpit and scratchbuilt nose gear leg which you can't see in the photos above. A bit of putty here and there...
    6 points
  39. So I haven't had much spare time to spend on the Spitfire today but I have managed to finish off the post shading on the upper and lower surfaces. I only wanted a subtle difference in the paint shades and I'm happy with the results and the overall effect so far ๐Ÿ™‚ Next job when I get the time is to apply a gloss coat over the entire model ready for some washes and oils etc. Thanks for looking back soon ๐Ÿ™‚๐Ÿ‘
    6 points
  40. I've been debating with myself for a couple of days now over whether I say something about all the posts moaning about the prices, or the renderings, or the multiple other little gripes that people have had about the various things on the thread directly or indirectly related to the fact that Airfix have decided this year to bring us a 1/48 Buccaneer. I for one am glad that they have decided to do so. Back in 2007 when I got married, I was fortunate enough to be able to buy and build one of the original mould Buccs, which was used in the centre of the table for our guests, and to represent a time in my life when I was stationed at RAF Lossiemouth. It went together without any problems. No resort to any aftermarket products, no resin cockpit, no resin engines, nothing. Sadly, It didn't last for very long as the kids attending got their hands on it....... But that's not the point. It was built to a reasonable standard, at a fairly reasonable cost at the time. Fast forward 15 years, and multiple things have changed. Cost of living has increased dramatically, fuel, transport, RPI, CPI, wages, etc, etc. Containers that would have cost ยฃ5000 to get from India, or China 2 years ago, now cost upwards of ยฃ15 to ยฃ20 Thousand EACH and you may have to have 3 or 4 at a time to fulfil an order. That's no small increase on your base line. Those costs need to be recovered somehow. That's just one increase. Tooling costs, manufacturing costs, everything has gone up. Airfix/Hornby still need to pay their staff, pay their bills, pay their suppliers, keep the lights on, heat their offices (and we all know those bills have gone up substantially even in the last 6 months, and will be going up further in to the near future). They cannot afford to keep prices stagnant. Prices need to go up for multiple reasons. And sadly all the extra costs that they incur have to be passed on, it's a reality we have to face in ALL facets of our lives. I know that for myself I will have to save to enable me to afford this years releases from the various model companies (Airfix, Revell, etc) that I wish to buy. But I I want them, that's what I will have to do. I won't moan about it, because I know that is what I will do. I am looking forward to all these great kits that Airfix are releasing this year. Especially the Bucc. I'll leave you with one final image. This is one I built last year in tribute to a Lossiemouth Aircrew that lost their lives whilst I was stationed there. Only 1 was lost in the time I was there, and had to do some digging to find it. this was my 1/72 tribute to that a/c and crew. I was on the funeral party that provided a full military funeral for the Navigator, I was actually a member of the guard that provided a firing party/gun salute at the funeral.
    6 points
  41. Rob, I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. I had a quad bypass ten years ago. Hopefully some of my memories might help you. As said above, the bypass is indeed a modern medical miracle for which I am very grateful. Post op, the patient needs to have a positive (survivor) attitude, rather than a woe is me, I'll never get better viewpoint. Imagine your chest hitting the steering wheel in a 30mph collision. That's how 'bruised' it will feel for at least two weeks. The Sternum has to knit back together. I spent less than a week in hospital. During which a walk twice daily was carried out. breathless and exhausted after 100 feet, but an achievement! Lying down was very painful so I slept semi sitting up for a month or so. Two or more months until I could lie face down. Very aware of wanting to eat fat free for quite some time! So good healthy meals are the norm. Gentle but regular exercise. I used to walk one or two miles a day. Stay upright, bending exaggerates any breathlessness. For the last six years I've done very heavy work as a drayman. An 11 gallon barrel weighs 63kg. Recovery to a normal life is possible, But it takes time (expect several months) and you have to want it and work at it. Again, positive thought and encouragement works.
    6 points
  42. There's just a little work still needing done. Filler has been applied. Now, while I was sanding this bit Mr. heavy-handed and clumsy here cracked a seam on the top. So, as the filler was out it was re-glued and then filled for sanding later. Not much more I can do at the moment so I got the top piece off the sprue for a dry fit to see how bad it was going to be and, well, insert Blackadder Fishfork moment here............... On perusal, if I get the rear part glued first and when dry get the front part in with a little clamp to spread it out a tad it looks like all the panel lines will line up and just a smearing of filler around the edges. That's the plan at the moment. It could change when glue is involved. Thanks for looking, Cheers, Alistair
    6 points
  43. After the post on the general construction (https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235097968-messerschmitt-me-410-eduard-โ€˜profipackโ€™-fine-molds-172/&tab=comments#comment-4167868 ), here is the second of the three 'animals', which required some changes in the compartment for photographic equipment, with the addition of an R b50/30 (OWL R72047) and the transformation of that supplied by the kit (horrible) in a Rb 20/30. The aircraft shown is a Me 410 A-3, belonging to the 3.(F)/122, operating from Perugia (Italy) in April 1944. The model, totally brushpainted, is in the classic RLM 74/75/76 (mixes of Humbrol Enamels). Finally an image of the lower surfaces. Hope you like. Thanks for viewing. Criticisms and suggestions welcome. Giampiero Piva
    6 points
  44. A little bit of progress. Got started on the PE set, and managed to bend and join tiny pieces of metal into something resembling the Type 965 radar aerial. I pre-coated the PE sheet with automotive etch primer, which helped a lot.
    6 points
  45. For the stowage bins, I wanted to depict one or two of them with the lids bent a little. To do this, I again resorted to the Tamiya kit, as the bins in that kit are easier to modify as the front is a separate piece (Airfix is moulded all in one). The photos show the sequence of the modification. The Tamiya stowage bin assembled. Lid removed with razor saw. A piece of backing card glued in place. New lid, complete with etched latches. The new lid is made from pewter foil with the indentations impressed from the back with an old ball point pen. And finally, in place. Sadly, on the three etched sets by Eduard that I have for the Cromwell, I have used up all of the latches for the stowage bins, and the ones on the Aber set require a degree in nanotechnology. So therefore, I thought, beggar it, the other two will have to make do with what Airfix have moulded on them. On the forward one, I slid a knife blade under the corner of the lid and scored it down the leading edge to give the impression of a separate lid. More in a couple of days. Thanks for watching and for any comments. John.
    6 points
  46. PK-038 Aerospatiale Dauphin SA 365N. First on my build list not a difficult kit but it's the first time I have done this scheme.
    6 points
  47. No story here, Its in the stash and was one of the kits not being built. Decals look very dodgy and my available spares lead me towards the Swiss NMF finish.... Not a two colour kit....
    5 points
  48. No, folks I haven't forgotten or given up on this one. I've been stuck in the fill, sand repeat loop. I've now got the fuselage to where I think it's ok and have put the keel insert in this morning. Now I had heard that this was problematic but Oh Dear Bod. I appear not only to have a warp in the fuselage but a twist as well. I'm fairly sure this isn't all operator error but you never know. Oh yes I did break various small bit off due to my cack-handedness. They can be sorted easily though. Now, the keel. I've got a thin file holding the piece up on the starboard side until the glue dries and I can then shim the offending gaps and get it filled and smooth. I'm going to have to reprofile the piece slightly to get things to line up so that it doesn't have a kink that's worse than the Kinghorn Tunnel. If I'm sounding a little negative I'm not. I knew this was going to be a bit of a bear but if the keel is that bad then I'm in for bother on the top fuselage piece. All good fun really. Thanks for looking, Cheers, Alistair
    5 points
  49. So here we go - another trip down nostalgia way! Matchbox_Lysander_contents by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Matchbox_Lysander_contents_2 by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Scheme will be standard RAF dark earth/dark green and light grey undersides with Irish Air Corps Celtic boss and tricolour under wing. Matchbox_Lysander_scheme by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Six Lysanders were supplied to the Irish Air Corps in July 1939. While intended for an Army Co-op role, they served with 'B' Flight, No.1 Fighter Squadron. Three were written off in accidents between 1941-42 and the remaining three were replaced by Hurricanes in 1943. Converted to target tug duty in 1944. they remained in service until late 1946/early 1947, Thanks for looking and good luck with your builds. All the best,, Dermot
    5 points
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