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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/01/23 in all areas

  1. Hey all, Happy New Year and hope everyone had a good holiday What should have been my last completion of 2022 is instead my first completion of 2023 . After my F-15C, I started work on Tamiyas excellent F-4B. A lot has been said about the design and engineering of this kit and how they've built on all their recent 1/48 releases and it's all true - this kit is as close to perfect in terms of fit and any issues were entirely on me. That's not to say it's all perfect - I am not a big fan of Tamiya decals because they tend to be on the thicker side so instead I used a couple of AM sheets: Furball Aero Decals 1/48 US Navy Phantoms of the Vietnam War: https://www.furballaero-design.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=48-076 AOA Decals 1/48 Phantom Airframe Data (Stencil type): https://www.aoadecals.com/48013/home.htm From the Furball sheet, I chose to build the CAG bird from VF-84s 1965 deployment on USS Independence. AG200 originally had a grey and white tail with a white on black Jolly Roger and yellow fuselage stripe, but seems to have been repainted at some point in 1965 with an all black tail with white markings and a yellow on black stripe. It was a struggle finding images of AG200 in this scheme - most of the images I could find were of the VF-84 F-4Js, or of the previous scheme. I found this image on Wikimedia of a lot of the VF-84 birds in the right scheme: I also found this photo of AG200, though judging by the Phantom in the back I think the livery is the older one: And finally I found this image of AG200 in the right livery: So armed with this wealth of references of my intended aircraft, I set about getting a few AM sets: 1/48 Eduard Brassin F-4B early tail caps 1/48 Flying Leathernecks AIM-9B rails 1/48 Eduard Brassin Triple Ejector Racks 1/48 ResKit MK.82 thermally protected bombs with MK.15 Snakeye fins 1/48 Quinta Studios F-4B Interior 3D decals Now for the photos! The main upper fuselage colour is MRP-098 Light Gull Grey with various MRP colours used for pre/post shading. The underside colour is MRP-004 white with post shading with MRP-257 Clear Doped Linen. The black nose and tail are MRP-005 and the yellow is MRP-142. Various other MRP, GSI and Tamiya shades were used here and there for colour variation, post shading. The weathering was done with with AK enamel panel line washes, Abt 502 oils and water colour pencils. I don't have any evidence that AG200 ever got this dirty and as the CAG bird for the squadron it was probably taken care of more than other jets, but given they were deployed for a lot of time in the Tonkin Gulf on board Independence it's not hard to imagine it getting dirty. I kept weathering to a minimum on the top side concentrating on staining in the walkway are wing root areas, some panel fading due to the sun and modest streaking. The Furball decals turned out great in the end, but I had trouble getting them to conform at first and they shrugged off my usual decal solutions (Mr Softer/Setter Neo) so I used the nuclear option of the Tamiya Mark Fit Super Strong which definitely got them to settle but was pretty much a one shot approach so I had to get the position right first time. The main markings came from the Furball sheet and all the tiny stencils were from the AOA sheet - it was really tedious doing these, but a Phantom isn't complete without them The "shield" behind the Star and Bar on the intake is for the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club - a nickname for the US 7th fleet which spent a lot of time from 1961 onwards in the region The characteristic metal work at the rear was again done with MRP metallics over an LP-1 base. I used a variety of their metallic colours to give some panel variation and then used various clear tones (blue, brown & smoke) for the heat staining on the stabilators and the main fuselage. Finally I applied thin coats of exhaust soot over the fuselage. Final weathering was done with oils. While I try to dip my canopies for clarity/protection - I couldn't get the Future/Pledge to dry correctly and stay on the canopy like it did with the F-15C - I think that something about the shape was causing surface tension issues and causing the Future to bead up and run. So this one has been polished with Novus 3 step plastic polishing compounds and the shine/clarity is still pretty good. I've left the canopy loose to allow access to view the interior which is very detailed due to the Quinta set, but mostly invisible with the canopy in place A closer look at the upper surface heat staining - I wanted to get that burnt metal without flooding the area with colour so I dilute the MRP paints with Mr Color Rapid Thinner The staining on the walkways and the panel fading was done with oils stippled on neat and blended with a soft wide brush. On top of this, darker, more localised weathering was also applied The Quinta cockpit set is remarkably detailed - certainly better than I could have painted The underside weathering was inspired by that first image - mostly streaking with some light staining around the fuel tanks and engines. A closer look at the ordnance - the ResKit and Eduard TERs lined up pretty well and with some brass pins they fit well - the bomb weathering has been kept pretty minimal since unlike 'Nam based Phantoms which had large outdoor weapons storage, carrier ordnance was stored internally. The characteristic heat staining pattern on Phantom rear fuselages was replicated with 0.7mm Aizu tape over the bare metal before the heat staining colours were applied. Once done and the tape removed, all the panels received the same soot/smoke treatment. This was a really enjoyable build and the Tamiya kit is great. I'm also happy with the final result so I'd say 2023 is off to a good start! Thanks for looking
    42 points
  2. Bristol Type 152 Beaufort MkI, OA-G, L4465, RAF North Coates, April 1940 In 1935, the UK Air Ministry issued a specification for a land-based, twin-engined torpedo bomber and general reconnaissance aircraft to replace the biplane Vickers Vildebeest. The Bristol Aeroplane Company submitted designs for the Type 152, very much based on their experiences of building the Blenheim light bomber. What was soon named Beaufort was ordered off the drawing board, along with a competing design, the Blackburn Botha, giving some idea of the urgency of needing a new torpedo bomber. The Beaufort was larger than the Blenheim, with a fuselage that could accommodate a crew of four. The bomb bay was designed to carry one 1,605lb (728kg) 18in Mk XII torpedo in a semi-recessed fashion, or 1,000lbs of bombs in the bay, plus two 500lb bombs under the wings, or mines. The original intention was to power the Beaufort with a pair of Bristol Perseus radials. It was soon found that even with the more powerful Perseus engines the Beaufort would be slower than the Mercury-powered Blenheim. A decision was made to switch to the larger Bristol Taurus sleeve-valve radials. The first prototype Beaufort appeared from the Filton factory in mid-1938. Continued issues with the Taurus engines overheating during ground running meant the original low-drag cowlings had to be redesigned to a more conventional form. The prototype eventually flew on 15 October 1938. Various modifications were made following flight testing. Unfortunately, it was found the Beaufort was not an ideal bombing platform, being prone to “excessive and continuous roll, which made determination of drift particularly difficult”. This led, eventually, to later production aircraft being fitted with semi-circular plates on the trailing edges of the upper wing behind the engine nacelles, which smoothed airflow and improved directional stability. Blenheim production took priority, and production of the Beaufort was delayed by the engine problems. It was not until November 1939 the new design began to roll off the production lines, finally entering service with No 22 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command, in January 1940. No 22 Squadron was based at RAF Thorney Island, Sussex. The new torpedo bomber was a significant step up from the Vildebeest, and air crews needed a lot of time to familiarise themselves with the type and learn new techniques for dropping torpedos. While working up to torpedo operations, Beauforts were used for general bombing and magnetic minelaying sorties. The squadron moved to North Coates, Lincolnshire, on 9 April 1940, from where their first operational sorties took place on 15 April. Nine aircraft flew out at around 1935hrs, on a “gardening” (minelaying) mission over the River Elbe, off Wilhelmshaven, Germany. The subject of my model, Beaufort L4465 OA-G, ditched after engine failure, into the North Sea off Spurn Head, East Yorkshire. The crew of Beaufort L4465 was sadly lost: Flying Officer Arthur R Fordham, age 27, missing presumed dead, commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial Sergeant Gerald Greenwood, age 23, killed in action, buried Donisthorpe Cemetery, UK Aircraftman 1st Class Joseph Wells, missing presumed dead, commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial Leading Aircraftman (Air Gunner) Edmund W J Picot, age 32, buried Easton-on-the-Hill (All Saints) Churchyard, Northamptonshire A total of 1,013 Taurus-powered MkI Beauforts were built in Britain. The type was in front-line service in the European theatre until the middle of 1943, thereafter used as a trainer, retiring from RAF service in 1946. The Beaufort was also chosen by the Australian government, and parts and the eighth production aircraft L4448 were shipped there in October 1939. The development of the aircraft in the Southern Hemisphere is beyond my interests, sadly, so I shall leave the reader to find out more themselves. The Airfix kit was newly-tooled in 2021, and eagerly anticipated. It does not disappoint. It has superb levels of detail, both inside and out, and I found it a joy to assemble. Very little filler was needed anywhere. I added masking tape harness belts, but nothing else. A washi tape masking set from Eduard was a boon. I decided to forego the provided kit markings, and created stencil masks for markings to suit the Beaufort in early 1940. The camouflage was airbrushed with ColourCoats enamels, the aluminium undersides brush-painted with Revell Aqua acrylic. Humbrol acrylics were used for detail painting. I plan, eventually, to pose the model in a small vignette with a ground crew loading a practice torpedo - one day, anyway. The WIP thread is here:
    32 points
  3. Tamiya P51B, still one of my favourate kits ever, first time using Montex Masks for all the painting of scheme and national markings. Very impressed although there use needs carefull planning to make sure they don't stretch out of shape. SMS acrylic laquers used for all the paint with the OD from MR Color and an eduard zoom set for the cockpit. 3 Airfix P51D's not previously shown on here, built over a period of time. Only decals used were for Prop and Fuel fillers Airfix P51D's Group Hug!
    27 points
  4. I bought this kit many years ago - in fact as soon as it was released. And it had to wait before I decided to give it a go. I was probably afraid of the complicated undercarriage and/or those really tiny windscreens. To make a long story short both were quite easy to solve. I added some instrument panels from decals, Eduard seat belts and hand grips made of thin wire. Metal fuselage panels are painted with Alclad Polished Aluminium, the rest with Tamiya Silver Leaf. The Belgian roundels are frrom a Frrom sheet (🤣) and all three stencils are by Kora. The model represents the only Cierva used by the Belgian Air Force, probably destroyed by Germans in May 1940.
    19 points
  5. Greetings all, I have attached some pictures of my latest build. Out of the box including decals. My first OOB build since the 80's!!! A great build with only minor grumbling around the main landing gear extension struts. Im not sure why the exhaust nozzle looks white, its actually silver to the naked eye. Im considering adding stretched sprue static dischargers but not sure..... cheers
    18 points
  6. this model has been on my to-do list for two years now, I finally got round to making it. It only took a week! It's a decent model, didn't have many problems with it. I'm pretty happy with the result, a good way to start 2023... Next up (probably): RA-5C Vigilante, should look good next to the crusader.
    18 points
  7. Here's my 1/72 Airfix Buccaneer built as S.2B XW987 of the A&AEE. I've built it as depicted in a few photos I found online of this aircraft in 1992, with a buddy refuelling pod on one wing and a slipper tank on the other. The decals are from 26 and the buddy pod, towel-rail antenna and wingtip cameras are 3D printed. The build thread is in the Prototypes, Racers, Research, Record Breakers and Special Schemes group build here together with my build of a Buccaneer development aircraft, XK527. and one shot of the two Buccs together: thanks for looking Julian
    16 points
  8. This is 1/32 Hasegawa P-47D28 Thunderbolt with the markings of “Frigid Midgit“ 42-28677 from 394th FS 367th FG 9th AF based at St. Dizier France in March of 1945. Cockpit modified with Aires cockpit set, Yahu instrument panel and Eduard seatbelts. I have used Barracudacast main wheels and Quickboost gun barrels. Engine front section is from Quickboost with Trumpeter’s magnetos. Paints are Gunze Sangyo acrylics and Alclad metalizers. Decals have been produced by “CustomHobbyDecals” except for national insignias. Happy Modelling
    15 points
  9. Hi all, new member here (^_^) I've always liked collecting 1/400 diecast models, but unfortunately they come off as expensive and hard to find.. Not to mention, options are extremely limited especially for people like me who fancies classic obscure airliners, particularly a heavily weathered, Merpati 737-200. But it seems that no 1/400 diecast manufacturer has produced weathered models, yet. And so I have started to build my own 3D printed aircrafts in 1/400 scale. First results weren't too good, but once I got my hands on a resin printer, I was very impressed with the workability around it - I can't express how overjoyed I was to be able to sand them down to shape! After years of trials and errors I couldn't hold back to cram as much details as possible into this model.. After making decals, I modelled flaps down on the wings, and made pitot tubes and windshield wipers just for the heck of it ; ) Finally after a month, it's finished! An old, half abandoned and obscure Indonesian airliner. Hope this tiny model belongs here! It's not perfect, but I'm quite pleased with the results (>_<) Cheers, Nico
    15 points
  10. This is was my last build for 2022 built OOB, had a few issues with the decals they seemed very fragile and kept breaking up so not 100% pleased with it but not really noticeable in the photos. Airfix 1/72 De Havilland Vampire T.11, Central Flying School, Royal Air Force Little Rissington, Gloucestershire, England, 1970.
    15 points
  11. Here's my latest: the Amodel 1/72 Kh-55M cruise missile. As seen on TV during the last year, unfortunately. It's a great little kit, with excellent decals. I had some trouble with the staggered wings, the slots in the fuselage sides were positioned wrong, leading to some strange angles in front view. It's painted Revell 371 'almost-white' which was perfect for the model. Tons of decals, with extremely thin decal film. Note the tiny pitot tube under the nose. The model is mounted on a Games Workshop base, with a decal listing the maker (MKB Raduga) and the type designation, both in cyrillic. A full build report can be found on my website, link below. Rob
    14 points
  12. Lol thanks Tony...I probably have tried it before mate, I can never know sometimes....time + solvents = brain fade LOL Yes there are some stunning places around the country, I need to revisit some of them more Thanks, I thought the idea might help preserve the shape better, which it seems to have Hahaha, yup.....except I am obviously not charming and pleasant cos I havent got much LOL Thanks mate, glad you like it. I have been working on the radome profiles today... getting there I think Remember this from earlier, this is the Tamiya nose, see how flat it is along the lower line? Also note how close the air con duct is to the radome edge? Figuring stuff out, overlaying the modified lower fuse to the actual plane taken from similar perspectives And I ended up with something like this. The radome is only temporarily glued on whilst I sort the shapes out Right-O time for bed and tomorrow is final refining and buffing surface, then re-instating lost panels and rivets as well as radome details Cheers Anthony
    14 points
  13. Hello all, Here is my recently completed 1/144 Academy B-52H, marked as 60-0023 of the 23rd Bomb Squadron 'Barons' during their Operation Inherent Resolve deployment in 2017. The build thread is below. Kit is OOB except for a set of Caracal decals. The kit itself is very nice, certainly the best B-52 kit I've built (or tried to build ). Paint is from MRP and the weathering is a mixture of dry brushing (to replicate chipping on the leading edges of the wings, engine nacelles etc), Flory wash and Abteilung oils. Some pictures off the stand. Thanks for looking Dave
    12 points
  14. Here's my 1/72 Airfix Buccaneer built as XK527, one of the original NA.39 development aircraft that was progressively modified throughout its life, ending up in S.2D standard. I've built it as it was in the latter stages of its life as an S.2D used by Hawker Siddeley at RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor for Sea Eagle trials. The decals are from Kits-World and the Sea Eagles are from Air-Graphics, and the nose probe and extra pitot (on the starboard wing) were 3D printed. The build thread is in the Prototypes, Racers, Research, Record Breakers and Special Schemes group build here together with my build of XW987, a raspberry ripple S.2B. thanks for looking Julian
    12 points
  15. Sword Models is to release 1/72nd Republic F-84F Thunderstreak kits. First boxings expected in February 2023. Source: https://www.facebook.com/swordmodels/posts/pfbid02Lnf2uw1V1Cu71NkrjvmQPrfBGNEuvS6nkKjPtAvfn8edpCmnWCVCZ3He2CLaDFojl - ref. SW72146 - Republic F-84F Thunderstreak https://swordmodel.cz/cs/home/171-sw72146-f-84f-thunderstreak.html - ref. SW72147 - Republic F-84F Thunderstreak https://swordmodel.cz/cs/home/172-sw72147-f-84f-thunderstreak.html V.P.
    11 points
  16. Hi all! I normally hang out over in the aircraft section but my last build was out of my comfort zone and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Built the kit out of the box and used the kit's decals. Painted with MRP. Thanks for looking! Rich
    11 points
  17. Late last night, after watching the Poseidon Adventure (dreadful) with friends over Zoom, and swapping out a plate in the 3D printer*, I wandered over to the Lightning, and sanded it for a good ninety minutes around the tail. Excuse the blurriness, it was almost 2AM. My goal here was to thin down the exterior of the plastic to fair the Reskit engines into it. I had to use my scalpel a bit as well. Before: And after: There's obviously going to be a bit of cleanup and sanding (and then more cleanup) still to come, but I think it's much improved now. I also opened up the box of a 1/48 (I know...) Airfix Lightning F1A/F2/F3 boxing, and whoever was selling it must have been either doing so on consignment (in which case, they did a bad job), or as part of an estate sale (which, given the number of sex toys and lingerie -- used? -- they're apparently selling right now, suggests a modeller with a fascinating inner life), but clearly they didn't know anything about models, because the box was packed to the gills with aftermarket, all left unmentioned in the product description, and I paid less than retail for the kit to begin with. There's a second Aeromaster decal sheet, two or three resin cockpit sets...unreal. * I'm making some Space Marines for Winston, with the ulterior motive of forcing him to do some reading (of stat lines) by playing a bowdlerised version of Warhammer with him, with dear old dad taking a dive. "Why are some missing hands, Edward?" Look, I get left and right mixed up sometimes, okay?
    11 points
  18. Right, you 'horrible (though very patient) lot. Real life issues have declined somewhat, so it's time I pushed this one back to the top of the pile; work will recommence very shortly. It's been a while, so here are a number of photos (in truly nasty close-up that shows every horrible detail!) to remind us of where I'd got to with the hull - a few minor bits to be fixed, but mostly OK; the port side is not yet as far advanced as the starboard. So port is likely to be what you see next. More soon - yes, really Crisp
    11 points
  19. Hi everyone. I intended to build this model last year, but never got round to it. This group build gives me the stimulus (kuta) to get it under way! I've had a couple of Revell/Monogram 1/48 Catalinas maturing in the cellar for some years. One is a PBY-5 and another a PBY-5A amphibian. The idea to build a "MAD Cat" came after I visited the very interesting air museum at Dunkeswell airfield, just east of Exeter, where four of these aircraft operated during 1945. The museum chairman, Brian Lane-Smith, sent me further information and my hope after completing this group build will be to give the model to the museum for them to hang from the ceiling to display the weaponry on the underside. "Mad Cats" was a nickname given to USN Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB-63 after they were equipped with Catalina's installed with a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) and retro-firing rockets for searching out and destroying submerged U-boats. The subject chosen for the model is PBY-5A Bur No 48318 that was flown by Lt F G Lake which sunk U-326 using retro-rockets whilst based at Dunkeswell. <USN photo> The snort spray of the submerged craft was sighted near Brest from an altitude of 2000 feet and Lt Lake flew up the wake and delivered a retro rocket pattern using the MAD contact. This was the last time (April 1945) the retro rockets were used in combat, although of course MAD continues to be used. The idea for MAD came about due to heavy losses in merchant shipping from U-boats along the USA eastern seaboard early in the USA's involvement in the war. The USN were exploring solutions to overcome these losses. Initially greeted as a promising solution, it was only with later experience that it was found limiting when searching open waters. The method looks for localised variations against background magnetic fields caused by the steel hull of the submarine, but the insensitivity was such that it was necessary to fly at low altitudes (at least below 400 ft, typically 50 to 150 ft). A group of four aircraft flying line abreast was used to get a wider sweep, but even so, the likelihood of finding a submarine in open water still remained remote. There was a greater chance of success where the area needing to be searched was smaller. The entrance to the Mediterranean proved to be a successful hunting ground. VPB-63 aircraft based at Gibraltar patrolled along a search path (known as "the fence") crossing the Straits. When first detected, the position of the submarine was marked on the surface by dropping a smoke or light float. Further would be dropped over a number of passes so the course and speed of the submarine could be seen. This was followed by the attack pass. <US Navy photo of MAD boom & float> (Edit: I now think this is not a float, but another type of MAD. See my later posting for details) The MAD contact signal was produced when the aircraft flew over the target submarine, so any ordnance released at this point would overshoot the target owing to the aircraft's forward speed. Caltech were assigned the task of solving this problem. They built upon some earlier work on a shipboard anti-submarine rocket called "Mousetrap", a 7.2" rocket developed from the Hedgehog spigot bomb, to have it launch rearwards to counteract the forward motion of the aircraft. The rocket motor had to be increased in size from 2.25" to 3.25".to produce the thrust to counteract the aircraft speed; indeed three motors were developed to correspond with different aircraft speeds. The explosive in the warhead remained at 60 lb, but was uprated from TNT to Torpex by the time the weapon was put into service. <US Navy photo of Hedgehog bomb> The Catalina was fitted with launch rails beneath the wing, just outboard of the struts. A heat and blast shield was positioned above the rails to protect the wing from the rocket exhaust. There were 12 rockets beneath each wing, later increased to 15. The rockets were launched in three salvoes from an intervalometer to produce a box pattern over the target. <US Navy photo of retrorockets under wing> Thanks for looking, and I'm looking forward to getting this build under way next week, Pat
    10 points
  20. Here is the first of three P-47 Thunderbolts that I am building as a project. This is the venerable Monogram kit, which I remember having built as a teenager long, long ago. For it's time, it was a great kit with lots of detail. The kit is showing it's age, now, so I've done some updates/improvements in this build. In particular, I sanded down all the raised detail, added an aftermarket resin cockpit & engine, and scratch-built other details. Enough talkie-talk. On to the photos! First, Francis Gabreski's "Jug" Plus a short newsreel video: And, my representation: Aftermarket engine, with added wiring and pushrods: Aftermarket interior, with various 3D-printed panels and placards. Seat harnesses are from HGW. Scratchbuilt position and identification lights using clear styrene and UV-activated gel: And that's about it! For more details, check out my WIP here: Also, I've posted an RFI for my second P-47 build (Robert S. Johnson's "Lucky") here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235119874-robert-s-johnsons-p-47-thunderbolt-lucky/
    10 points
  21. Here is the second of three P-47 Thunderbolts that I am building as a project -- Robert S. Johnson's "Lucky", in which he made most of his kills. Whereas I used the old Monogram "Jug" for Francis Gabreski's plane, here I've gone with the excellent Tamiya Razorback kit. To make it even more interesting, I "electrified" it using a motor and sound kit from Magic Scale Modeling, and added LED/fiber-optic lighting for the wingtip and tail position lights. Let's get straight to the photos! First, Robert Johnson's "Jug": plus, a short newsreel video: And, my representation: I used HGW resin rivet decals on my Monogram build, but they were lost under the camo paint. For this build, I applied the rivets after the main color coat was on, and followed a highly-thinned final color to "blend" them in to the surface. I'm very happy with the result! Rivets going on: and after blending-in: Position, Identification, and Landing lights: The three position lights are illuminated by LEDs, which attach to fiber-optic cables that run to the wingtips and tail: The Magic Scale Modeling kit includes a circuit board, motor for the prop, and speaker for engine sounds. The circuit board is programmed to go through an engine startup, runup, and shutdown sequence. Power is provided by external batteries and is run through spring-loaded contacts inserted into the main landing gear: Here's a short video of the engine startup sequence (click to play video, and turn up your sound): That about wraps it up for Jug #2. For more details, check out my WIP here: More photos of my build for Francis Gabreski's P-47 can be found here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235119866-francis-gabreskis-p-47-thunderbolt/
    10 points
  22. tb-f30 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0463 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0461 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0454 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0443 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0439 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0428 by Tomasz, on Flickr IMAG1821 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0481 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0485 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0515 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0504 by Tomasz, on Flickr DSC_0479 by Tomasz, on Flickr
    10 points
  23. The Airfix MiG-29A 9.12 built in Ukrainian markings dating from the mid 2000s. Not the simplest build, but builds up ok. Airfix made the same mistake as many other manufacturers with the missiles in that the MiG-29 can only carry 4x AA-8 or 4x AA-11 and not a mixed load. Used Eduard AA-8 missiles and pylons for the correct load of 4x AA-8 missiles. Not the biggest fan of resin though. Underside is SMS PL27 grey and topside is SMS PL80. Used Linden Hill Decals sheet No LHD72036. No issues with these decals. Build Progress Video
    10 points
  24. Hi there. I received an Italeri Hercules C130J 1:72 for Christmas. It's the first model I've built in about 30 years, after building loads of basic kits very badly in my childhood! I've never done anything other than poorly glueing kits together and slapping on a coat of paint before, so I wanted to do it properly. After reading a lot of posts and watching Youtube vids, I started with some paint thinning, light coats etc. I've slowly painted most of the parts with an initial thinned coat of Revell Aqua Color paints and it's far from perfect, but clearly better than slapping on a thick coat. I think it all needs at least 1 more coat. The only parts not painted are the main fuselage and wings which I have a grey Tamiya aerosol for. I know the standard isn't anywhere near some of the fantastic work I've seen posted on the forum, but I'm sure there will be loads of mistakes and learning opportunities along the way; and I'm looking forward to getting this one together. Italeri C130J Hercules 1:72 by Isca Steve, on Flickr Italeri C130J Hercules 1:72 by Isca Steve, on Flickr Italeri C130J Hercules 1:72 by Isca Steve, on Flickr One of the big surprises was how much bigger it is than a 1:144 kit like the B737-800! Italeri C130J Hercules 1:72 by Isca Steve, on Flickr A first pass at correcting the windscreen screen area. I still need to sort the nose. Italeri C130J Hercules 1:72 by Isca Steve, on Flickr Thanks for taking the time to read my post!
    10 points
  25. Just completet this row Spit's, build out of box with aftermarked decals from Aviaeology and Techmod. Cheers Jes
    9 points
  26. It's that time of the year where members of the South Australian Plastic Modellers Association present each other with an unwanted kit at the December meeting and have it built for the first meeting of the new year in February. So this year I ended up with this Academy F4F Wildcat. Quite a simple kit, so no real issues apart from painting the propeller what drove me nuts. Undercarriage was a little bit fiddly. Overall SMS PL163 blue. Wasn't expecting much from the kit decals, but they went on without any problems. Build Progress Video
    9 points
  27. Ah January, the month of mists and mellow credit card bills. But it's a new year and a new day and boy do I have a surprise at the end of this post! More on the engine. Airfix do a pretty good job on the water coolant system and an OK job on the oil system. Where they fall down is on the intercooler coolant system which is self contained and necessary. This Mk IX from Airfix has a RR Merlin 66 engine which means it has a seperate header tank for the intercooler cooling system (the Packard built 266 had an integral one I believe). They give you the header tank which goes on the firewall port side and it looks like this: It needs to finish up looking something like this: So, the two holes need drilling out and it needs to be painted interior green to start. Then, the rubber union halfway along isn't very well defined so I stuck in a bit of shrink tubing and shrunk it on. A bit of dry brushing and pencil chipping on the tank and the feed pipe can be painted a brassy colour (in a lot of photos much of the pipework is interior green. I don't think either is wrong its purely the modeler's choice) Very thin strips of foil to simulate clips and a painting in rubber black if the other unions that I'm unable to replace and we're not a million miles away. I'll add oil and dirt when it's in situ. Now the headache begins. There's a pipe from the bottom and top of the header but no pipes into the supercharger which is where the coolant needs to go. Thank God I found these: So, not being a mechanic, these were invaluable. Airfix give you the delivery pipes from header tank to pump, pump to radiator and the intercooler to header tank YEEY. We just need to add a return pipe from the radiator to the bottom of the supercharger and then one from the top of the supercharger to the bottom of the intercooler. Easy, circuit complete. OK onto the main coolant circuit. Again, the coolant pump is there and the wide bore coolant pipes that return the hot coolant to the radiator down either side of the bearer assembly. They just need a few rubber unions and clips adding to make them accurate. If you remember, I said I thought they might be a tight fit? Well, the starboard one looking forward is fine but the port one won't go in. I had to cut the supporting strut shown below to get it in, then reglue it after. After that glue them onto the supports after checking the connections to the coolant header tank are OK. Lastly on the engine today, the oil system. There's an oil tank, there's supply and return valves... and that's about it so I painted, tarted up and fitted and dry fitted all together. So to the big surprise. Peter Castle the owner of Airscale who produce the best cockpit upgrade sets bar none, contacted me last week to update me on the dates the cockpit upgrade kit may be ready. He also offered me the test kit he'd had made up so I could get started on the cockpit which is an itch I'm dying to scratch. As always with Peter, the quality is stunning but this time I think he's really surpassed himself. The kit itself is beautifully detailed as it is but this upgrade is going to send it through the roof, I think. There's upgrades for the seat bearer ribs, undercarriage raising/lowering gear the list goes on. Engine on ho;d now while I get started on this little beauty As ever thanks for looking. I have done some work on the wings as well so I might get that uploaded while I'm watching a bit of telly tonight
    9 points
  28. Hello all! This is my new model. I think last in this year. In the assembly it was an easy set. As additional sets i used photoetchet set and exhaust nozzles from Eduard, pilot tube from Master, TER, AIM-9 and Mk-82 from Reskit. Painting MR.Color
    9 points
  29. Hello folks, Happy New Year, whish you all the best in 2023. Sometimes, you have to indulge your masochistic needs, and I think that this kit is perfect for the job I've heard stories about Ark Model kits and how disastrous they are, but I wanted to check that myself. And I can say that stories are true Here it is. It's the cheapest kit I ever bought (don't remember exact price, but it was definitely bellow $10), but I'll throw so much AM parts and time in it that it will probably end us as the most expensive . And here are some goodies that I'll use for this build: Those pin marks... Tracks are single link, but they are almost impossible to clean up and not much details. I'll replace them with Friuls. Some more "details": And of course, everything is warped: No comment on this. Had to sand the seam lines on wheels completely, because they are off-center. And the fit is... well... not perfect: OK, so everything is there for an exciting and challenging build 😆 I'll ignore the accuracy, especially dimensions, because I can't do much about that. But 'll try to fix some details and at least make it look not that ugly. There are quite a lot of reference photos around, which is surprising having in mind that there were only 12 of these vehicles built (all of them sent to North Africa). I am aiming to something like this: That's it for now. I'll stop ranting about the kit, I promise Cheers, Nenad
    8 points
  30. Hi, today I would like to share my Avia B-534 in the markings of the plane flown by Captain Jan Pernikar, 44th Fighter Squadron of the 1st Air Regiment, Czechoslovak Air Force, 1936. The plane's serial number is B.534.81. On June 19th 1936, Cpt. Pernikar suffered an accident in this aircraft at Uzhhorod. He later flew Hawker Hurricanes in No. 245 Squadron RAF in 1941, and participated in the Slovak National Uprising in 1944. This was a charming and well-designed little kit that took me about a week to build. It is brush painted and the rigging is EZ Line .003" elastic. Thanks for looking and enjoy the pictures!
    8 points
  31. And a rather quick update. I put 2 shims in for the engine hatch just to see how much work and fettling would be required. And as you can see I got lucky again. Levelled up nicely there will be filler and blending work necessary but I'm much more confident seeing this. Thanks for looking, Cheers, Alistair
    8 points
  32. RFI ahoy! Thanks for following along, and to Dave @Rabbit Leader and Chris @dogsbody for their help with research and so on, and to Adrian @AdrianMF for working over the old Frog Beaufort that kicked Airfix into making the new kit! What's next? I haven't decided yet. I have a lot to choose from.
    8 points
  33. Oh yes indeed it does!!!!! Hopefully - still lots of the fiddly bits to get done but the end is in sight. Thank you! It's certainly been a bit of a journey, this one. I think, if I'm not mistaken, they call that "Sods' Law". Thanks indeed! You must excuse the poor quality of photo which was hastily snapped in the kitchen, but work still progresses on the Halifax. Decals are now done, with a flat coat applied. A bit of oil and muck has been added to the wings, and the collector rings painted matt black as per references. Masking on the canopy has also been removed without drama: Still lots to do: - Make and add the bomb load - Make inner wing bomb cell doors - Paint and attach propellers - Paint and attach main gear doors - Prepare/make and add the remaining transparencies and turrets - Make and attach the array of aerials All the best, Tom
    8 points
  34. Queenstown was nice thanks, but it squeezed every cent I had in my bank account out LOL.....beans and potatoes for meals until payday! Ok so I got home late last night driving home from Queenstown and was so excited to wake up this morning and get to work on the Phantom again...everyone else in the house is still asleep LOL Here we go... 1.5x1.5mm Evergreen strip glued around the front frame station. This still needs a lot of sanding and blending etc, but it is my base to start You can see there is a bit of tidy up and a few panel line tweaks and slight relocations Radome is being prepared for shape and fitment. 3 cuts. One at 6 oclock position and other 2 between 3-4 and 8-9 O'clock positions. This slightly increases the radome dia and being on the lower half I can manipulate the lower line better As I say, still a fair bit to do, but this is a better starting point without having the nose full of fillers (similar to Michael Jackson's nose ...oops sorry, that was a bit mean....I couldnt resist!!) So dont look too closely at the lower profile just yet, there is a lot more work to go, including the slight (2deg???) bulkhead angle giving a slight nose angle down. Lots of sanding dust again soon I think! Thanks team Anthony
    8 points
  35. I gave myself the excuse to complete things today, as it was one of our "bitsa" days. In and out, doing this and that, so no point trying to do "proper" work. So, I managed to touch in a bit of the varnish, mend some paint damage, fit the turret, paint the wheels and props. Oh, and remove the masking on the clear parts. My word, that nose is clear. You can actually see inside. It was worth detailing stuff after all. This is where things are. All the sticky out bits have been attached and painted, the undercarriage is fitted, and the propellers are on. They won’t spin, sadly, so I’ve used canopy PVA to attach them. All that remains is to fit the antenna wire. I think I’ll do that with less tired eyes. I need to work out much (or little) weathering I want to do on what I think of as a fairly new airframe. Then, on to portrait shots.
    8 points
  36. Hi everyone. I bought this "what-if" kit from Freightdog at the Telford show. It looked like such an amazing aircraft and a fun build. Also, as a new recruit to the IPMS Hawker Typhoon, Tempest & Sea Fury SIG would give me something new to put on their display table next time. Freightdog's resin parts are packed inside the KP Tempest V kit box (but are also available separately I believe). It also includes an A5 sheet containing historical notes, recommendations for builders and instructions cross referenced to the kit's instructions. Thanks are given for contributions by Paul Lucas & Dominic McEvoy, with a dedication to Mike McEvoy. The historical notes read "Proposed in 1943, the Hawker P.1027 was a Tempest development using the then unbuilt Rolls-Royce 46H Eagle. Changes to the Tempest design included a longer nose cowling foro the powerful 4,020 hp Eagle engine, contra rotating propellers and relocation of the radiators from the nose chin (or later wing leading edges) to mid way on the underside of the fuselage, similar to the Martin Baker MB.5. The P.1027 remained a paper project that, if built, could have seen service into the early post-war period." I think it was intended that the aircraft would be a long range fighter. Here are some shots of the parts.... A decal sheet is not provided with the conversion, but there is the one supplied in the kit itself of course. I'll go ahead with building the model and hope I can decide on a scheme and markings by the time I get to apply paint! Any comments during the build would be most welcome: also any thoughts you may have on suitable schemes! Thanks for looking, Pat
    7 points
  37. Hi All, finally GI from Panzer Art is painted (AK acrylics for clothes and W&N oils for face). Now Citroen vignette is really completed. Feel free any comments. Ciao Filippo
    7 points
  38. An odds & ends day today. Not much to report. I forgot to deal with the cockpit hatch airbrushing, and caught up with a few other things. Out came the masking tape to recreate doped covers for the 0.303 machine gun ports. I know it's not to scale as the tape is too thick.... ...However, it's just a bit of fun and looks neat and effective. I like doing it this way, rather than use the kit decals - or paint - which seems even less authentic somehow. Keen-eyed peeps won't have failed to notice the pink Pledge effect has also already created 'by default' panel lines. I didn't ask it to 🤫 The effect wouldn't be ideal if you wanted a clean look. However, it is a welcome bonus for this project. I'll maybe carefully select parts of the model that require an extra panel wash. However, this one isn't going to get a universal Flory's Wash. That's a quick sum-up of todays progress. Next step I'll fit the remaining parts still left on the sprue, the undercarriage, apply decals, and do some 'minimal' weathering. However, the issue with the sub surface reacting to brush painting on white paint in the previous stage definitely got my attention. It was unexpected chemistry. So, I'm a little wary. Before applying a final matt top coat over the entire model, I'll definitely test an area underneath on the tail plane first and let in fully dry, just to see if I get a similar reaction with the red paint underneath. Thanks for dropping by today. Your comments have been -and are- great for motivation, and much appreciated.
    7 points
  39. I've re-done the rear fuselage demarcation and lots of touch ups. Also added the exhaust blanking plates. Happy now:
    7 points
  40. Big moment the UC is on after painting of the black scallops, this was done freehand. The cracked and broken decals have been touched in too, quite pleased with the way it's turning out. Oil wash next , rigging then engine and cowling. Thanks for looking Chris
    7 points
  41. I sprayed the red crosses tonight. There were only 2 cross decals supplied, for the sides of the unit. I didn't use them, I have a Silhouette cutter which I use to cut vinyl painting masks. It's quite easy, you can draw the shapes in the "real world" size and cut them. The vinyl applies really easily and can be readjusted, it keeps on sticking. Also, the edges are nice and crisp. This was the easiest one to apply and it came out nicely. This side needs some touching up, the part where it went over the door handles was impossible to mask so there's overspray. The bonnet was the tricky one to mask but it came out well. The box art shows part of a big one on the roof, there's no top view in the colour callout section so I made it up. The size made sense to me but what I didn't take into account was that the cross goes down the sides of that top so those "legs" should have been longer. I will do another round of masking, this time with regular tape, to fill them out to the sides. There's a little battle damage from when I removed the mask. I found out that you can't wait too long before removing the mask, as soon as the paint starts to dry against the mask's edges you will pull the paint off. So I always remove it when the paint is still wet. Some overspray along those windows, there's not really anything to mask against. A little bit of touching up should work fine.
    7 points
  42. Happy New Year! My resolution is to get more modelling time… we shall see! Thanks Giorgio, Mark, Jont, Hendie and Bill. Hope you all had a restful and happy Christmas and New Year and here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2023. Some progress. Tailwheel chopped: …and fitted: That's the end of the non-sticky-out bits so, taking advice from the wise, gloss coated the flat areas in preparation for the transfers:
    7 points
  43. So here we are then, my first scale model on Britmodeller. This one is a classic, the Airfix Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Ia in 1:72 scale. My workspace before starting the build. I always try and keep it neat and tidy. The first part of the model is the iconic cockpit or "office." I thought to paint some of the parts before gluing them together... Whilst waiting for the green paint to dry, I decided to start painting the pilot, he will be quite a tribute to The Few... That's about as much as I've done for today. So stay tuned for more! 😀
    6 points
  44. First time for a yearbook for me, as I actually finished some models in 2022! First up was Airfix's 1/72 de Havilland Vampire T-11, finished as a Swedish J-28C: That was followed just a week later by Revell's 1/72 Arado Ar (E) 555: Next to make it across the line, Italeri's 1/72 Northrop F-5E, finished as a Brazilian machine: After that, a switch to 1/48 for the Airfix Canadair Sabre, finished in Golden Hawks colours: And the finial models over the line were a trio of Revell's snap-fix TIE fighters, built for the Blitzenbuild: Hopefully I'll finish a few more in 2023! James
    6 points
  45. Like in 2021 I forgot all about the yearbooks until now. Unlike 2021, I remembered it in time, so here's my builds from 2022. As the title suggests, I achieved my average of 3 builds for the year. None of them are terrible, but equally none will trouble some of the (very modest) creative geniuses who reside in the vehicle section. 2022 got off to a good start though, with a Jag XJ-S almost completed. It only took a few days to finish this one, so I got off to a flying start completing Hasegawa's excellent Jag kit: By Easter I had gone to the brown side and completed another piece of British automotive engineering, this time Aoshima's MGB. The rubber bumper cars were about the only ones on the road when I was young, so I had to go with that. And being a '70s car I felt I had to go with the most '70s colour imagineable. The wheels were a real sanity test - I ended up spreading them over 4 weekends to avoid going cross-eyed. And then things slowed down... a lot. Revell's VW van goes together surprisingly well for a multi-part body, but the paint scheme took quite a while as the green and orange needed different colour primers, not just colour coats. It's also not the simplest kit around, so this one took me until October to complete. As I'm only halfway through the next kit, there is a possibility already that 2023 may be below average. But I hope you all like 2022's offerings
    6 points
  46. After reading intro etc, and having an Airfix Ligtning in Stash #1, I thought that a metal nose ring and shock cone would be a good addition to the bits n pieces, so I pinged a request off to Mini World. I didn't realise that they are based in Kviv, and are probably freezing their B******ks off due to the situation over there. I have been humbled by the fact that they are able to find a small bit of humour as they included a Mr Packy flier in with the order, this describes standard working practices for Ukrianian farmers and the best way to see off unwelcome ships in the Black Sea. For those that haven't used this company before I would strongly recommend reaching out to them. They are producing niche consumer items under challenging circumstances and on first inspection the parts look well made, so as the TESCO Supermarket advert says...Every little helps I note that there was fighting over the recent models, I hope that you have recovered and are not too badly roughed up Anyhoo Box on Strickers
    6 points
  47. Another waypoint reached; it's on its feet. Oh wheelie? What about the weathering? And the Schwarzlose MGs? Yeah yeah... hold your horses.
    6 points
  48. Evening everybody The engine has been placed and glued in the chassis, and of course connected to the transmission shaft. Don't pay attention to the dust and stains on the bodywork at wheel arches level, I know I've to tidy up the engine bay ! I've tried to make a test fit with the radiator and it appeared that it's not possible to position it vertically for two reasons: - one: the fan is too protruding and hit the rear side of the radiator - two: the lower edges of the radiator hit the wheel arches, what prevent it as well to set vertical So, I've had to make a delicate surgery: - cut off the fan, and decrease the thickness of its hub, on the rear, from about 1 mm - trim out the lower edges of the radiator And now, all's OK, or so (on the photo below, the radiator bend slightly forward because it's not glued and the weight of the horns is unbalancing it) However, the radiator won't be glued immediately, because my hands need room to place easily my tiny spark plugs and their wiring ! Stay tuned for next episode 😎
    6 points
  49. Fortunately, cutting the supports down to size was no problem. Reattached to the torpedo body along with Detail Associates (2304) .021 inch brass wire, the new rudder controls provide a more three dimensional look.
    5 points
  50. It’s Alive! (Click to play, and turn up your sound) And finished at last. RFI coming soon . . . .
    5 points
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