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Hi all. This is the Hasegawa 1/48 F-4G Wild Weasel, my latest finished model. For this build I used an Aires cockpit set, ResKit engines, Master Pitot tube and Speed Hunter Graphics decals. A few underwing parts came from various Hasegawa weapons sets. The pylons were rescribed and detailed a bit as these still have raised panel lines. The same goes for the underwing fueltanks. The intake covers were scratchbuilt from plastic card and strip. The pull handles on the ejection seats were made from twisted yellow and black painted copper wire. As usual, I painted the model with MrHobby paints, in this case H305 and H306, over a black primer from Alclad. Weathering was done with Abteilung 502 oilpaints and Tamiya panelliner. Thanks for watching.

Hey all - here’s my completed Zero from the recent new tool from Eduard. I’ve wanted to do a zero for ages so jumped into this as soon as the kit arrived. It’s a very nice kit, typical from Eduard. The fit is excellent in most places though there are some minor issues. Nothing that can’t be easily dealt with. I had ghost seams constantly reappearing on the alt section of the fuselage so I had to do spot repair them a number of times. I know others have had the same problem so I think this is an issue with the kit. The landing gear was also tricky with no way to get a positive fit so a bit of manual alignment is required. Other than that, it’s pretty solid. The details are great especially with the rivets and cockpit. I added eduard resin wheels and fabric seatbelts from hgw. This aircraft flew from dirt airfields in New Britain near the Solomons so I wanted to portray a dirty worn airframe. The dirt is quite empathized in the photos as I tend to over expose my pictures- it’s not as pronounced in reality. But it’s not a Pearl Harbor airplane which were very clean. Painted with mr color paints with oils and enamels for the weathering - main markings were masked and used hgw wet transfers for the stencils.

After the post related to the general construction (https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235097968-messerschmitt-me-410-eduard-%E2%80%98profipack%E2%80%99-fine-molds-172/&tab=comments#comment-4167868), here is the third of the three 'animals', which required some special changes in the bomb bay area, including the insertion of the 37 mm BK 3.7 cannon. The aircraft shown is one of the two Me 410 A-1 thus modified, belonging to the Erprobungskommando 25, based in Parchim in March 1944; the plane, assigned to ZG26 in the following May, will be lost on its first mission. 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

Here’s my completed F-86 from the Hasegawa kit. The paint scheme on this turned into a bit of a mission - turns out Alclad chrome is v delicate and would chip easily so I spent a huge amount of time doing spot repairs and touch ups throughout the build. Masking and painting yellow on top of that made things even more difficult- I got there in the end but wouldn’t consider it one of my best builds. There are a few issues with the model including decal film showing and minor seams. That said it’s still nice to have a shiny Sabre in the collection. The kit is okay for its age and probably the best option for a Sabre in this scale. I used aftermarket decals some eduard photoetch in the cockpit and a resin seat replacement.

What an absolute belter of a kit. It went together like a dream. This one done up as the mount of Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire, DSO,DFC. 617 Squadron RAF Woodhall Spa July/August 1944. Decals from Xtradecal X72093 617 Squadron, The Dambusters 1943-2008. Primed with Tamiya Nato Black, Painted with ColourCoats Interior Green, Zinc Chromate Yellow, RAF/FAA Yellow, Tamiya Flat White, Nato Black, Medium Sea Grey, Ocean Grey, Dark Green, Rubber Black and Flat Aluminium Weathered using Flory Dark Dirt Wash, Citadel Nuln Oil, Seraphim Sepia, Abteilung Starship Filth, Paynes Grey, Windsor & Newton White, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Green and Ochre Yellow. Finished with Windsor & Newton Matt and Satin varnishes. WIP Here Thanks for looking, Cheers, Alistair

This started life as the old Matchbox HP Victor K2 as re-boxed by Revell and I added the Flightpath Victor B1 conversion, took lots of bits away and made a new fin and cockpit transparency. Lots of fun with filling and sanding but it wasn't a difficult conversion. The Work In Progress is here as part of the Big and British GB. The silver is from a Halfords rattle-can, the black and the red stripe are Humbrol gloss enamel. After an overall coat of gloss the home printed decals were added before an overall coat of matt varnish . Back in the early 1950s the Victor must have looked very futuristic compared with the Lincolns and Washingtons in service with the RAF. I think the colour scheme makes it look very menacing as well but was probably chosen to hide a few details from the prying eyes to the East. I couldn't resist a photo with my Valiant prototype from a few years back - the build for that one is here Also a photo with the HP88 which was built to test the Victor's crescent wing - some more photos of the HP88 here Thanks for looking. Steve

Gday All I finished this SHAR last year, but never got around to popping it up in RFI Decals came from the old Extradecals 25th anniversary Falklands sheet for the Harrier. A sheet that has been made somewhat redundant by the superb decal sheet that comes in the Kinetic kit. I liked the look of this jet with its replacement panels so opted for the extradecals sheet and jet 27. The kit has been enhanced with reskit wheels, bomb, master barrels pitot tube and eduard seatbelts. RBF flags are by fantasy printshop. Ladder from Brengun and FOD guards from Flightpath. The Vickers deck tractor is from the Skunkworks kit and was built a month ago. I just need to get a base sorted now. Thanks for looking. Bruce

When I first saw photos of the F-16 Viper Team Demo out of Shaw AFB, SC in 2020 I thought that this was one of the best of many F-16 demo schemes but thought it pretty unlikely I would be able to replicate it. Luckily Model Makers Decals had made this scheme super easy for someone with my patience and I ordered the decals immediately. They provide very clear steps in the instructions to lay all the scales down in sections. The decals were thin enough that the Tamiya surface detail still shows through. I had a few hiccups but overall it looks the part. I added a Quinta Studios cockpit as well, painting the gull gray areas to make it blend in better.

Hello all modelers, It is my first experience with a kit from so called "new generation Ukrainian manufacturers". The sprues in the box seems really amazingly. Unfortunatelly the OOB build was not fully straightforward. Especially the cockpit fitting in the fuselage was not ideal. But I think once you glue fuselage halves together you can enjoy the build onwards without any troubles. I also note that this is one of the first kits from Clear Prop and ever since they made big progress in quality. Let´s hope all Ukrainian manufacturers will keep their business well in that bad time 🙄 The Gloster Pioneer is in camouflage pattern dated in may 1941 when the maiden flight of the first RAF jet was performed.

Recently finished up what is my 2nd armour build. I’ve been modeling aircraft for a while now but recently got into armor and I’m having a blast. I’m still trying to get the hang of the various weathering techniques, especially dust and mud but I made an improvement on my last attempt. The kit is pretty good especially for the cost. I added metal tracks and some stowage. I also added the 2 resin figures.

Total of 12 aircraft built all served in Sicily for the duration. Not a bad kit

I recently completed a fairly involved project to build the unique carrier HMS Indomitable, half-sister of the Illustrious class. I chose to use the Aoshima HMS Victorious kit as a starting point, however there are major structural differences between the two ships that required a lot of surgery. Most notably, Indomitable's hull is 6 feet (~3mm in scale) taller from the waterline to the flight deck. This gives a noticeably different profile to the low-and-sleek Illustrious trio, and this unique look is one reason I chose to build this ship. Another reason I chose the ship, and in this time period specifically, is the unique paint scheme. The camouflage is my best attempt to interpret the pattern from pictures and sources, with the deck colours being a little speculative. The colours are AP507A, B5, B6, AP507C and White. The deck is AP507A and B5. These are my own mixes as I use acrylics, they're probably not spot on, but I think look OK in combination. There's a full build thread showing my kitbashing efforts on Modelwarships: http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=332746 And here is the completed ship:

I started this as a "quick" out-of-the-box build while waiting for a spare part for my airbrush. It holds a special interest for me as my grandfather was a driver with the Army Service Corps in Dar es Salaam during the war, and I remember him telling me how he drove one of the first "American built ambulances, which were left hand drive" and forgot about the spare wheels stuck on the outside on the right. The result was that he turned in to a hospital a little too close to the wall and the spare wheels knocked the wall down! I don't know whether that was a 1917 model or an earlier one, but this is the only one I can find in this scale. It's a pretty typical short run kit, here's what's in the box: 2 small sprues of parts and a sheet of decals covering quite a few options. I had already removed the main body parts when I took that shot, so here they are. As I mentioned, it's a fairly typical short run kit - detail of the body sides... Some nasty sink marks, and if interior detailing is required, a lot of sanding to clean up the inner faces! Those edges should be straight as they for the sides of a box, there's a separate part to glue over them for the front face! The wheels are not bad, but definitely a little clunky, as are all the smaller parts such as the headlights (at right here). Needless to say the first thing I did was design a new wheel and print some out as a test. I think those will work! So what else needs some remedial work? The list is rather long I'm afraid, so I started with the forward body section. There is a large blob of plastic under both front mudguards which needs removing - you can see it here on the left, I had already done the right side in this pic. I scraped them off carefully with a scalpel blade and the result is acceptable. The curve on the bottom of the front mudguards is not right, in fact there is no curve, but I'm going to leave that with just a little sanding to reduce the sharpness of the transition. Getting the curve right and blending it in to the rest of the bodywork would be a major job. Before going any further I fitted the radiator and bonnet panels. The bonnet panels need a little sanding to square up the edges. I glued them to the radiator first, then attached the whole to the lower floor panel and adjusted the back ends of the bonnet panels to get them square before it set too hard. Once it was dry I attached the front cab panel, which again is not correct - the sides should be straight, but the kit parts taper inwards at the bottom, again I'm not going to bother with that as it's barely noticeable. What is noticeable though, is the bonnet. The 1917 model should be curved but the kit has the older angled panels. A little PPP and some sanding sorted that out. Once the cab front was added I could deal with the next issue. which is this. That straight edge, an extension of the floor, should not be there. Some fine and slow work with a scalpel blade reshaped that to get a better curve and blend it in properly. You can also see in that shot the small strip of evergreen that I have added behind the cab front as the floor sloped at the front where the foot pedals are. The rear body parts all needed a clean up around the edges, and I did the same for the lower side box fronts. The upper boxes needed quite a bit of sanding to square them up and get them to fit below the upper framework, but nothing difficult, just time consuming. The result when they are fitted is not too bad, and that was done before putting the rear body together. The instructions would have you build the rear body on the floor section, which also makes up the cab floor. You can see from the pic above that I didn't follow that route and fitted that floor to the front end assembly. This will enable me to add detail to the cab without the bodywork being in the way. To put the body together without the reference of the floor was fairly simple. The front part has the backrest for the driver on it, which extends in front of the side panels and touches the top of the driver's side cutouts, so it gives a perfect reference for the positioning of those 3 parts. Once they were glued together, but before the glue set hard, I placed the rear body over the floor to ensure that the sides were correctly spaced while they dried. Once dried, the rear panel was added. A dry fit of the body looks good! They will be painted separately to ensure I can get to the lower body behind the side boxes. Next up, the chassis assembly. Well, that helps - I don't think! The forward cross member braces to the gear box will be replaced with brass rod, the rear axle braces are missing completely, so brass rod will be added there too. Brass rod will also replace the brake actuators, steering rack, and exhaust, so pretty much all of the chassis/running gear parts will be brass. The drive shaft and rear diff are 4 separate parts! Needless to say they aren't as round as they should be! I thought about 3d printing it as one unit, but may just drill the diff and insert a brass rod all the way through to mount the wheels on. I think that would be stronger so will probably go with that (but I reserve the right to change my mind!). I will 3d print the steering wheel though. Well, that's brought this up to date, it was a very fruitful weekend at the bench! Thanks for looking in, Ian

Finished at last! A kit that may be as old as some of the real thing, a 1/148 scale (yes, 1/148) Kader Vickers Valiant. This was built for the Big and British group build. It's not quite built straight out the box, I did a small amount of improvement to the intakes and shortened the underside of the wing fences. Decals are a combination of Mark1 Decals and home printed ones. Next to a diecast that I repainted last year It's not quite the same size but it's close enough to go on my 1/144 v force shelf. WIP thread below:

Modified and re-painted corgi model made for the lorries owner

I have got the L.48 model ready for decals this week but progress has been slow owing to these two little Herberts' arrival at Martian Towers: They are a boy and a girl and are called Tinker and Nest respectively. Nest is named after one Princess Nest, the daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, the last king of Deheubarth in Wales and renowned as a great beauty in her time. Tinker is named for what he is as he is into everything! The door to the Martian cave has to be kept locked. Nest is the first picture and why Tinker should choose to sit in his litter tray is beyond me! I hope he is not related to @general melchett's Baldrick! Kittens permitting, I hope to have the Zeppelins temporarily mounted on their bases over the next few days and to be making a start on fitting the gondolas to the two Takom builds. Thanks for looking. Broody of Mars 👽

Good day to everyone, I'd like to introduce my latest build. It's the good old Hasegawa kit with a few aftermarket tweaks. Aires exhaust nozzles, cockpit, gear bays and aux air intakes Eduard Sparrows, HARMs, ECM pod and wheels Hypersonic canopy details Master pitot tube QB FOD covers Speed Hunter decals I hope you like it. Greetings from the Czech Republic. Andrew

I've finished the third of my triple Malta builds. "Buck" McNair's Spitfire Vb. The Airfix kit is a great build, requiring only the removal of the reinforcing strips over the wheel wells, Ultracast exhaust, entry door and seat. AB264 was a Vickers built Mk Vb, originally finished in the Tropical land scheme (with Sky lowers), and delivered on operation 'Spotter'. After arrival, the Sand color only was oversprayed with a locally mixed Grey and the serials reapplied in White. My kit was finished in the same way, desert scheme oversprayed with Grey using Tamiya acrylics, and weathered with pastels and oils. Build logs here: part 1 part 2 Hope you like, thanks for looking, Colin

Hi all This is my 4th kit for this year This time I choosed the T-45 Goshawk from Kinetic I taked 3 month to build this kit. Not because they are a great amount of pieces but because, sometimes I haven't the motivation to pursuit this kit They are some flaws and the firts is a fuselage twisted I must take the time to built it and the putty is your best friend Unless that the engraved is very fine and final result very attractive I painted the eagle on the fuselage with the help of a decals sheet And some other pics at this address T-45 Goshawk

My last entry for the GB is now done. Phew! It's been a full on six months and I've averaged nearly a kit a week over the period. Time for a breather before the Revell/Monogram one kicks off. Here's the final entry, Matchboxes PK-125 : Norseman IV/UC-64A built as the Invasion striped option, with nothing extra added, just the box contents and a bit of paint. The paint scheme is pretty dull and the model almost fades away into shadow. I made a shop window type base for it to add a bit of colour and contrast. Build thread, such as it is, here:

Build OOB, 1/72 Hawker Tempest. Nice classic kit from Academy. I enjoyed this simple build.

Recently got this kit from a department store close to my work. Like the Revell Porsche 911 Carrera kit I recently bought, also this one has an imperfection on the windscreen clear part. Will have to write Revell customer service, I’m sure they will send me a FOC replacement part again. If I can work out the decals myself, I was thinking of building it as a Dubai Police supercar. And yet another Stuttgart’er added to the stash! On the side of the box Tamiya is suggesting to do this in their TS-47 Chrome yellow, think this would actually work well. Remember seeing one in yellow in Dubai some years ago (possible speed yellow?), which looked pretty sharp to me.

The kittens are adorable, I’d keep them away from the Zepplins, my late lamented cat used to take great enjoyment from attacking my builds, although strangely he always attacked things with animal names, my pup lost a wing. Bd my Gamecock just wasn’t the same after he snagged it a few times… We got a puppy a month or two ago, our previous Dog died just before Christmas last year and I had forgotten how nice it is to have pets around as company and in the case of our dog, getting way more excercise, the only slight downside ( apart from our lawn and furniture getting chewed) is that walkies cuts into my bench time. but it’s a tiny sacrifice for the improvements in health both mental and physical. And yes she is three legged. We’re probably a bit spoilt as this is the forest across the road from my house where I walk the dog. It is wonderfully peaceful and particularly nice for a walk given the hood weather at the moment.

Hi all and I'm going to take the plunge with this one. Trumpeter_172_F107_Box_top by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr I love how they put a sticker 'a' on the box to fix the spelling of 'Ultre' 😬 (I peeled it off) Quick look inside. Trumpeter_172_F107_contents by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr I've read a couple of other build threads on this one so know what to expect - build will be OOB so! You can read more about this fascinating aircraft here. Thanks for looking and good luck with your builds! Happy modelling, Dermot

I actually finished this a couple weeks ago, but this is the first opportunity I've had to upload some proper photos. My goal is to have a capital ship from each navy in WW2, and next up is an Iowa-class battleship. Overall, this one took a couple months, but it was a pretty fun build. I'm still learning a lot, which is one of my favourite parts of this hobby. I haven't built many ships yet, so the learning curve is still pretty steep. I documented the build here: Anydangways, here she is, all finished:

Built from the box except Aries cockpit door. Decals from the Kagero Topcolors Spitfire XVIe book, which suggested this particular example was quite stained & dirty. Thanks for looking. and buttoned up…I’m still blown away after so many years how well these cowls fit

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-61821093 Do you think she will just get a suspended sentence?

Not many updates from the Sywell Aviation Museum update for the last few months as I’ve been busy working on this! It’s a model of The Northamptonshire Aero Club clubhouse c1936 (now The Aviator at Sywell Aerodrome) but as ever there is a back story! In 2021 I made contact with an ace master modelmaker called Clive Hardwick who was well known for making scratchbuilt models of Northampton’s buildings. I asked him if he’d consider building a model of the Aviator for the Museum… he didn’t usually do commissions but as his grandad Freddie was the steward at the NAC and worked there in the 30s he got very enthusiastic! He scaled up his own plans using a course of bricks as a measurement then he and I crawled all over the current building taking measurements. We had to rely on old photos which showed how it had developed over the years. He was an excellent person. See more about Clive here: https://nenequirer.com/.../the-man-who-recreates.../amp/ Clive made a start in September 2021 but sadly passed away suddenly in November 2021. Having spoken to his family in March there were two options- leave the model as it was, part built, or complete it for display. His family were happy with the latter so I took on the rather daunting task of finishing it off. This is the main NAC clubhouse, three wings were added C.1936-1939. See photos - I've also added some as to how it looks today. I had never built anything like it before and it’s very difficult to take on someone else’s project- it’s a bit like a half finished painting not knowing what the artist planned next, how to do it or even what colours they had or intended to use. Anyway, here it is. It’s to 1/76 scale scratched from plasticard with laser cut windows, 3D printed chimneys and drainpipes etc from Models2u which are superb. if you look carefully there are four animals …. Also . Freddie is in the reception hall, Clive is at the back with his notebook. The figures are Bachmann railway ones, the animals cast white metal, the Austin Seven (note the Tiger Moth rudder!) and Jaguar SS saloon are Oxford diecast modified. The stone balls took a head scratch til I came up with using 6mm airsoft pistol pellets! After assembling it it was just a case of weathering and making the display board- the gravel drive is sandpaper. Humbrol enamels throughout. It has an interior! It should be on display in the Museum shortly in memory of Clive- blue skies mate hope I’ve done it and you justice. TT a1 by Ben Brown, on Flickr a2 by Ben Brown, on Flickr a3 by Ben Brown, on Flickr a4 by Ben Brown, on Flickr a5 by Ben Brown, on Flickr a6 by Ben Brown, on Flickr a7 by Ben Brown, on Flickr a8 by Ben Brown, on Flickr a9 by Ben Brown, on Flickr

Completely hideous...?! 🤣 Keith

Seeing as how @Martians threads meander on an industrial scale ( that’s half the fun of them) is that even possible. There is also usually some extremely good modelling too.

I really thought I was done. All the bits that required painted had been done, wheels and landing light fitted. The last bit done was the whip aerial which I did out of stretched sprue but I'm not happy with it as it's just too thick so I'm going to rip it off and then try a bristle from an old toothbrush. More later, Thanks for looking, Cheers, Alistair

To keep them clean? I didn't know Martians kept cats as pets. I thought they were kept as snacks. Or was that ALF? 😁 On a serious note, pets can keep you poor, but they're worth it. We got our first cat a year or two before we got married, approaching 40 years ago now, and our first dog not long after. Since then we've always had both. Regards, Jeff.

Decals on!

Finally done. Miniart 1/35 - Grant MkII plus metal barrel. Painted with MRP. Great kit, although - as Miniart is - over-engineered. Built more as a training ground, for various techniques. But overall I guess it turned out quite all right. Thanks for all comments! Appreciate any tips. Bart.

Hi everyone, here's my build of the excellent Tamiya kit - this was also my first kit using a PE set and friul tracks. Its sprayed with Tamiya acrylics and weathered with a combination of oils and enamels. Eventually I'll get around to building a base for it, but for now let me know what you think!

Snort! Next week children, diorama modelling with cat litter and the best match in available RLM 02 paint. 😸

I'm calling this one done. RFI Here I would like to send out my heartfelt appreciation and thanks to all of you who took the time to follow, comment and react to this build. It really helps to keep me motivated to carry on with things. A special shout out to @GrzeM and @Wojtek Bulhak for bring this jewel of a kit to us. Next up Thanks for looking, Cheers, Alistair

Big progress on this build today in spite of the damn heat, when will it ever end?

Morning all, My third completion of the year, Trumpeter's MiG-31. I finished this model back in March shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and thought it prudent to hold it back given the timing and sensitivities around the war. Hopefully I've not jumped the gun even now in that respect... The kit itself is pretty nice, although it became a bit of a slog, with lots of mistakes along the way, including snapping one of the fins off during decalling.... The decals themselves were largely useless, so I ended up purchasing a Begemot sheet to use in their place, otherwise what you see is how it comes from the box. Finished using MRP for the main grey with the details picked out in Hataka Orange Line and Alclad as usual. Trumpeter 1/72 MiG-31 Foxhound by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr Trumpeter 1/72 MiG-31 Foxhound by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr Trumpeter 1/72 MiG-31 Foxhound by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr Trumpeter 1/72 MiG-31 Foxhound by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr Trumpeter 1/72 MiG-31 Foxhound by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr Thanks for looking, comments welcomed Shaun

Kind of got carried away and forgot to take pictures, sorry guys, but the Hun is definitely looking much more Hun shaped. The fuselage went together without any fuss and only a very small amount of filler was needed, mostly on the undersides fortunately, and before you know it the canopy was fitted in the closed position, I chose to do it closed as Trumpeter don't give you the proper parts to pose it open and it helps to keep the lines of the aircraft. After that the wings went on, again with minimal fuss and only a smear of PPP in a couple of places and when that was dry and tidied up it was off to the spray booth where she has received a coat of Tamiya semi gloss black as a base for the upcoming metallic coats and this is what she looks like now; I might give the surface a gentle polish to get her a bit shinier before the metallic paint goes on. So thats how she stands at the minute, I promise not to miss out any more photo stages in the future. Thanks for looking in and as usual all comments and criticisms are gratefully received. Craig. 🇺🇦

Good call! I did it with plasticard and filler using pictures and drawings as giudes: HTH, Jens

I don't want to worry you too much but this is what happens when they grow a tad. The box and contents were claimed 5 minutes after it arrived. Cheers, Alistair

My previous F-100 is in my build thread. F-101 Voodoos. Hasegawa Matchbox F-102 Delta Daggers Hasegawa. One with the XtraKit two seat conversion. F-104 Starfighters. Hasegawa, Revell And two Matchbox: F-105 Thunderchief. Airfix F105G Wild Weasel F-106 Delta Darts, all Hasegawa

I follow Drach religiously but why he'd want to keep cats in his washing machine is beyond me. Possibly, I regularly have to fish Baldrick out of the bins after a particularly heavy night on the Turnip and cabbage soup...

Last bit of building for this kit.... the mesh air intake guard over the engine trumpets. The kit part is a bit rubbish: The stainless steel filtre screen mesh arrived. This is the 120mesh: Here is a close up to show the size of the mesh: It cuts with scissors or a razor blade and is similar to bend to thin photo etch With the top edge bent over I folded it around to form the sides of the guard: Thin CA glue holds it nice and secure and I then added the top piece to form the finished guard: Here it is on the car after I'd trimmed the bottom edge to the right size: For comparison here is a picture of the real thing (not my image). the join should be on the back edge but other than that I'm really happy how this came out.

1/35 Academy M10 pretty much oob except for the camouflage scheme. Probably the most complicated kit I’ve ever built.

I ordered my An-225 from Modelimex in the Czech Republic on February 25th as I wanted to do a Ukrainian tribute build, and the Mriya seemed the best subject I could think of in the "One True Scale". It arrived a month later at my home in Auckland NZ. I estimate that I have put in about 280 hours of work over 40 days straight. To be honest I'm glad to have it finished as it's been a painful build for me, literally, as I'll explain further down. I have made some mistakes, including getting the layout of the striping a little off, and I decided to leave out some of the 650, yes that's not a typo, 650 parts that make up the undercarriage when I realised they would not really be visible. I found the fibreglass components to be easier to work with than might be assumed, but obviously a lot harder than styrene when it came to sanding seams. Some parts fitted well and others not so. For example, 14 of each engine's 16 parts need much filing and grinding to fit. The instructions were not the easiest to follow in respect of the undercarriage which accounts for 66% of the parts. The 32 wheels were the least impressive parts, there being four to a wheel and not fitting well. I didn't fancy cleaning up 128 parts so I used resin replacements by Reskit. I did make a cradle to sit between the rows of main wheels from clear plastic as I did not trust the plastic undercarriage to take the model's weight. I have also now fitted the pitots that I overlooked when taking the photos. I'd rate the decals as some of the best I've used. For those interested, I bought a litre tin of high opacity white car lacquer for NZ$53 sprayed with an el-cheapo car touch-up spray gun (just a big airbrush), compared to 40 or so modelling paint bottles costing $240 I would otherwise have needed. Having built one I could do a much better job on a second one, although in my case I'll apply my knowledge to its little brother I also have to build, Modelsvit's An-124. I underestimated how much I would have to work around the model rather than be seated at my modelling bench. Four spinal surgeries have left me unable to stand for more than a few minutes before pain forces me to sit for a minute to relieve the muscle spasms. So I worked in bursts of 2-4 minutes, maximum, standing bent over a model. The other problem I had with this build is that for most modelling I can brace my arms against my bench to help control my Parkinson's hand tremors and spasmodic jerks I experience, but this build had me standing over the model and working with my arms unbraced. Consequently, there are errors due to uncontrolled movements, plus lots of flaws I have chosen to ignore rather than work standing to fix them. I mention these things because they have led me to accept lower standards than usual. I think to do justice to this kit would need close to 1,000 hours of work and an able-bodied modeller. This is far more time than I can justify for one project as I try to build as many of my kits whilst I still can. As such this is a genuine "3-footer" - that is it's not to be viewed closer than 36 inches (or a little more at one metre), which as it happens, is about the distance needed to take it all in. The model's length is 1,167mm (46") and its span is 1,228mm (48"), which is far too large for any of my existing display cabinets, the largest of which can take a 1/72 scale B-36. So for now I have embedded wire loops in the leading edges of the wings and tail-plane to attach nylon fishing line and suspend it from the ceiling of my modeller's lounge (a room off my office with just display cabinets and chairs), but first I must locate a couple of firm suspension points in the ceiling. That's the plan for now, but yet to be tested. Here it is with some well-known Boeings and a T-72 to the same scale... Well that's Build #12 for the year completed, everything else I have in mys stash, even my unbuilt An-124, seems small! Slava Ukraini!

I've wanted to paint for some time now, so that's what I did tonight. Red chassis. Because I figured it would go really well with the cab colour, and I think it does. The bin and its chassis will be light grey. The radiator will be black. I wasn't happy with "gunship grey" from the Italeri instructions so I went with Cockpit Green for the Scania engine. It's rather bright in this picture but in real life it's somewhat darker. I painted some other bits and pieces, of which the exhaust was the most important. This is greenstuffworld chrome, really nice stuff. Of course, it will not stay this bright but it's a good start.

Dragon 1/35 M4A2, backdated to initial batch, USMC 2nd Battalion, C company, Peleliu 1944.