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Hello! Here goes my first model on the forum - an F4F-3 Wildcat. It's one of my favourite WW2 planes, I've built a bunch of them in various paintings but I have a soft spot for the pre-war yellow-wing birds š. That particular 'cat' belonged to VF-41 on the USS Ranger. I didn't want it to be very "tired", it's a rather new machine that hasn't seen any action yet. Enjoy!89 points
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Hiya! It's been some time since I had a chance to share anything here. I started Airfix's 1/72 Beaufort in fall of 2022 but wasn't really feeling it, so it went back into a box for a long time. This weekend I opened it up and realized that the thing which was really irritating me; the poor fit of the glazings - which required CA - which in turn led to stress fractures on the clear parts if you look to closely (please don't look too closely!), wasn't that big of deal. Life is too short to get hung up about some imperfection on a plastic toy. So I added the final details. Did some touchup painting, and here it is. This is presented as a no. 217 sqn machine in 1941. I typically don't weather my aircraft this much, but I wanted to capture the look of similar Beauforts shown in period color photos. This was done with many different thin glazing coats of acrylics. By the way. all weathering and detail painting on this model was hand painted with Model Air acrylics.88 points
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First one off the bench for 2024. This is the first of 2 Gladiators I am building Simply a very enjoyable kit to put together Ive added a Yahu Instrument panel and Master Detail gun barrels. Flaps are from an AIMS PE set. The markings are painted on using a mask set from 1 Man Army out of Belgium Rigging is from EZ line. There's nothing easy about it!! Probably the most frustrating part of the build for me. Thanks for looking Bruce84 points
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Something a little off the beaten track, possibly, and I have fond memories of building the tiny 1/72 Airfix kit of this aircraft when I was a young lad. Here we have the 1/48 ICM kit of the Cessna O-2A 'Skymaster' and a neat kit it is too, with nice recessed panel lines and ample interior detail and of course lots of separate cockpit glazing parts which fitted very nicely indeed. The only concern I had was the main undercarriage strut for the rear wheels, below the rear fuselage, moulded in plastic of course, and not surprisingly for aircraft of this nature I suspected that it would probably sag over a period of time. To avoid this problem I bought the SAC metal undercarriage set for this kit, but soon wished I had not, because it is cast in some kind of white-metal or pewter, and is, sadly, very soft and 'bendy' and is not much stronger than the standard injection moulded kit plastic undercarriage strut! So I binned the SAC set, and ordered the Aerocraft set instead, which is cast in solid brass and is MUCH stronger than the white metal set that I threw away. Problem solved. To stop the model tail-sitting, I added approx 10g of thin sheet lead, cut to shape and fixed to the space inside the roof of the nose leg bay. More than enough room in there to add suitable nose weight. For the cockpit interior I added only seat belts, although I did toy with the idea of adding lots of etched parts, but did not bother with that in the end. Model was airbrushed in a combination of Humbrol and Xtracolour enamels for the main airframe (thinned with Cellulose thinners). Applied some reasonably discrete panel lining/weathering mainly using Paynes Grey artists oil-colour, thinned with White Spirit, and a tiny amount of pastel-chalks here and there. I did not want to go too heavy handed with weathering and such. The noses of the underwing mini-gun pods were finished in Alclad Stainless Steel, giving a nice metallic finish, and the main bodies of the mini-guns and the underwing rocket pods were finished in Olive Drab. Decals used were mainly kit ones, with a handful also taken from the spares box , such as numbers and small stencils, all of which settled down snugly using Micro Set and Micro Sol solutions. After decals were dry, an overall coat of Winsor & Newton acrylic Galeria matt varnish was airbrushed on, to finish things off. Various antennas, aerials and static dischargers on trailing edges were made using fine fishing-line. The final touch were some RBF tags, cut from printed paper, added to the underwing stores and the pitot tube. Quite chuffed with how the model turned out, and must admit I do have a bit of a soft spot for aircraft like this, something of a cute little thing, and slightly esoteric with it's 'push-pull' double-engine layout! Also, I must add a word of thanks to @Mike H for laser-etching the brass name plate on the base board, sets it off nicely. Cheers Mike ........73 points
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Hey All, I found this kit in the clearance bin at a Canadian Tire- overlooked and unwanted, and most importantly for just C$10. I started on it way back in August 2023 as an quick weekend attempt to break out of a 3 year long modelling dry spell. The detailing devil crept in starting with a riveting pass. Having recently purchased a 3d printer, I took on the challenge of modeling and 3d printing out the landing gear, main rotor head, tail rotor, hydraulic winch, sand filter and other bits and bobs around the aircraft. The build thread can be found here. The success of the build is largely in part due to the wealth of reference photos here at britmodeller.com. I also received a lot of helpful suggestions and hints, and even some in-depth knowledge of Sea King operations from user Jonners in the build thread. Hugely appreciated! I initially planned on modelling the helicopter in flight with rotor blur, however main rotor droop was a problem that I was unable to solve despite multiple tries over as many months. I finally bit the bullet, downgraded plans and posed the helicopter on the ground. Decals were from the kit, along with PRINT SCALE decals for the 202 sqn logo, and ZE370 serial number from spares Spring has come early with gorgeous golden hour light, perfect for photography. The (real) grass is still dormant though I used AK's Hyper Thin Rigging line for the antenna rigging. This particular aircraft had sea grey on the port landing gear with a white hydraulic actuator, and white on the starboard landing gear. Painted with Tamiya X-8 Acrylics and weathered with oils. Preshading on the rivet lines was done in brown over a white primed plastic Scratch built rear view mirrors. Antennas on the bottom made using fishing line 3d printed tail rotor, and static discharge rods using fishing line. Ventilation grates on the tail boom were added using wire mesh inserted in cutouts in the plastic Figures posed from purchased pilot figures. Injured woman downloaded for free from cults3d.com Black caulking on the pontoons made using a fine tip marker. Red emergency release tabs on the windows were made using Enamel paints. 3d printed rotor head with cabling and cap. Handles on the air intake hatches made with copper wire. Handles above windows made using copper wire. The grey trim around the cockpit windows was painted with enamel grey that allowed for sharp outlines (using enamel thinner to wipe the imperfections away) 3d printed winch. Hook from kit part. Steel cable from fishing line 3d printed landing gear and wheels/ tires. The landing gear was installed in the un-weighted position due to the 'lofty' plans at the beginning of the build. However, they were glued in place and I was unable to switch to the weighted landing gear after grounding the build. 3d printed sand filter, and wire mesh for the grates installed after making appropriate holes in the plastic. Looks way better than the supplied kit decals. Some images of the 3d printed detail parts: Motion blur effect on the tail rotor tests R What a difference a riveting pass makes. Worth the extra effort. If you've made it this far, here's an image of the rotor blur tests I did: note the warpage in the rotors. It got progressively worse within a few hours. There was a sense of relief in completing this build, more than a sense of accomplishment and joy. Sitting unproductive on a project for months does that to you. Good thing is that the mojo is back, and I've got some other fun projects (albeit without the 3d printing) on the table now. Thanks for watching! Cheers, Alex.69 points
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Hi All, I had almost convinced myself that at 74 years old 1/72 models were too small for tired eyes then along comes Special Hobby with this little gem an aircraft I have wanted to model for many years in fact I have the C scale conversion from many years ago squirreled away in a safe place! The kit is beautifully engraved and has amazing cockpit detail as well as wheel bays. It does need very careful assembly and there are small amounts of flash and mould lines to remove. I found the engine bulkheads needed their diameters reduced before the wings would close up flush but generally the parts fit was very good. Painted in a mix of Tamiya acrylics and Revell Aqua then for the first time I used an AK panel line wash, The decals are very thin and settled down well but they need to be treated with care or they can fold over on themselves. Very pleased with the end result so maybe I can dig some more 1/72 kits out of the pile what do you think?65 points
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Throwing my hat into the ring to join in with the recent 1/32 Gladdie posts. This is the Sea Gladiator version from ICM. As has been said already by MODeller and pacificmustang, on their lovely builds, it's a great kit to build. I used AIMS decals to create an aircraft of 802NAS aboard HMS Glorious. Paint is Tamiya Gloss Aluminium with Mr Hobby GX113 Matt to finish. I added etch seat belts and brake hoses. Exhaust and guns were drilled out as well. I was particularly happy with the finish on the collector ring. The heat staining happened by accident. I hadn't noticed a tiny drop of glue on my finger as I was holding the engine/cowl to attach it. On inspection of the damage to the paint, I thought how it looked like localised heat staining. I went on to replicate the 'damage' using the same method, until I thought my luck may run out! Not sure if I would try it again though, sort of got carried away in the moment. š¤ Rigging (which I actually enjoy, at least in 1/32) is Prym Knitting in elastic. The friction pads are discs of thin card punched out and painted leather colour. Really itching to do an RAF version now. Atb, Steve.65 points
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When I first saw this kit previewed on the net over a year ago I said I want it!!! And I was very happy with it, hats off to Airfix for this one, great kit, well thought out construction and well fitting parts too. It took me just under three months to build and it was time enjoyed. I would like to thank all those who followed, commented and liked on the WIP. Paints: Tamiya, Mr Hobby, Alcad2. Varnish: W&N Galeria. Filler: Hardly none. Thank you for looking. Simon.63 points
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Hi all. This is the first model with desert decoration that he has made in many years and the second in total. I hope that the mistakes I have made in this one will not be made again in an Arma Hobby 1/72 Hurricane MK IIC that I have in stock. I would have liked to have placed the ventral fuel tank but I realized that I had not placed it once I had glued the model to the base. Now I think it could cause damage that is difficult to repair and if it were, I honestly don't feel like undertaking it. I really enjoyed this kit from Special Hobby and I can't recommend it enough. Thanks to everyone who has followed the build and encouraged me with their kind comments. This can be seen in the following link. AndrƩs.63 points
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Hello guys and gals, Here is my attempt at building Airfix's 2014 C-47 as a Colombian Air Force machine from the 80's. This build brought many "firsts" for me. First prop in 20+ years, first transport aircraft I've ever completed, first attempt at "chipping", first attempt at casting parts, first attempt at rigging. All in all it was a fun build, I made my life harder than it had to be by spilling varnish, glue and thinner in the very late stages of the build. It's a colorful addition to my display case and it dwarfes all the fighters and trainers I usually build. Here is the project inventory for those interested Airfix A08014 kit Quickboost QB 72 462 Exhausts and QB 72 490 Engines Plusmodel AL7045 wheels Eduard CX401 masks Some scratchbuild parts (anti collision light, various antennas etc. Mr Surfacer 1500 grey primer SEA schemes using Mr Hobby Aqueous H311, H309, H303, H310. Various Mr Hobby Aqueous and Tamiya XF for the rest. Mettalics from the Ammo A-stand range. GX112 for the gloss coat and GX114 for the final flat coat. Decals were sourced from AMK's Kfir kit + generic numbers from USAFline USF72-021 This particular aircrfaft is a 1944 built, ex RAF bird (KN605) which later on was rebuilt as a Basler AC-47T turboprob gunship. What a carreer! Thank you for reading this far, have a wonderful evening!59 points
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Evening all, Am making a concerted effort to clear the shelf of doom. This is Airfix's rather good Lightning in the blue spine and fin of 92 sqn. Great kit to build (aside from the multiplicity of stencils!)-finished with Airfix's stand and in flight for that retro look! Ralph56 points
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Phew, broke my duck for 2024. I was very pleased to finish this one, not least because it was an xmas present from my Dad. The kit was pre-owned and included quite a lot of aftermarket ā the Ali Cat canopy set, Quickboost propeller and exhausts and the Master brass gun barrels set (this being particularly appreciated as the forward-firing MG17 in the kit seems to be a 30mm upgrade from the diameter of the barrel). I had another beef with the kit, in that it seems to be designed to be built with the wings folded and all the engine panels open... as a result the wings seem to be lacking the wing-root fillet at the top if you build them unfolded (it could have been me, but I couldn't find any such part or any part that looked like it might fit the bill) and the engine cowling panels don't fit at all well if closed up. Still, I made it in the end and as it's unlikely anyone else will produce an injection-moulded Ar 196A then you either build this one or you don't build any. I did add the HGW resin seat and fabric seatbelt set, and the Quinta instruments sets, as the kit's moulded seat belts weren't all that impressive and there were no decals for the instrument panel. The model was finished in the Maritime Scheme, with Colourcoats ACLW04 - Grun RLM 72 & ACLW05 - Grun RLM 73 over ACLW03 - Hellblau RLM 65, with the interior in ACLW12 - RLM Grau RLM 02, the propeller blades in ACLW02 ā Schwarzgrun RLM70 and the bombs in ACLW11 - Dunkelgrun RLM71. Detail painting was mostly Vallejo acrylics with Tamiya Clear Red and Green for the navigation lights. I used the kit transfers, they were good but I did ditch the large stencilled laurel wreath marking which commemorated 100 catapult launches from Tirpitz ā I didn't like the way it was sprayed over the hand-hold ropes and there must have been a time when it didn't have that marking applied (the first 99 launches, for example). I finished it with a mix of satin and matt varnishes, it still came out shinier than I expected but them's the breaks. Thanks for your patience, apologies for the verbiage Cheers, Stew52 points
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Hi Everyone! I would like to present you with freshly finished lovely kit from Eduard no 82101. Pretty straight forward kit from the box. Few bits and pieces to rescribe and rivet, but not a huge amount of work. I have filled the wing panel lines with a mixture of VMS Black Flexy CA and their Filler Powder. That works great as it is fast drying, non shrinking and easy to sand. Only the area around the guns was filled with Mr Surfacer 500. I have also replaced gun barrels with hypodermic needles which improved the look in my opinion. Drilled the exhaust pipes and filters on the lower nose. The kit provides decals for the tail, but I have decided to mask it and paint it and I'm happy with the result. Painted with Tamiya LP-8 over white and Black Mr. Surfacer. Nose red is a AK Interactive RED. Anti glare painted with Olive Drab. Fuselage has been painted over satin black with Mr.Color Super Fine Silver, where the wings are painted with Tamiya LP-38 Flat Aluminium. Weathered with Abteilung's oils and some panel washes from AK. Then everything sealed with satin on the wings and the rest of the coloured parts, and gloss on the fuselage, bare metal surface. I had a massive disaster during the build. Once I painted the tail and nose, I have followed an advice from more experienced friends from the model club, to use LP-11 as the aluminium colour, but that for some reason turned out not nice, so I covered it with Extreme Metal Polished Aluminium which was much better. Then I sealed it with Gauzy Agent pre decaling. This is where I think it went wrong. Well not from the start. Stencils were great, film was easy to remove and I was absolutely amazed with the result. The problem started with the larger decals, where they did not stick properly and despite waiting over 2 days, I still removed the film with part of the decals.. Thanks to club friends for supplying me with their decals from the same kit. I stripped all the paint back to plastic (apart from the nose) and painted it again with the paint mentioned above. This time decals went on better and I also restrained from removing the film. And here we have the result, let me know what you think: Thanks!51 points
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Hello All, so, this is my first modelling attempt in over 30 years. I had to basically learn everything from scratch, as well as shamelessly scouring the forums for similar builds and useful techniques. Some of the Users and threads I took ideas from are named below, but to coin a phrase, "if I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants...". So thanks to all of you who have shared your WIPs & RFIs so the rest of us may learn and improve our own skills. Anyway, enough sentimental waffle. The subject should be well known to most on here. In 1964, XM968 was used as one of the chase planes for the only TSR.2 to fly, XR219. I chose this particular scheme because a) I wanted to do a Lightning, b) I have a TSR.2 on the go and fancied a diorama with the two (but have since changed tack to make it a B1/GR1 scheme, but another in development colours will follow later), and c) I wanted something reasonably challenging to develop my skills. And the NMF and short-run kit have taught me a lot. I've made lots of schoolboy errors along the way. Nevertheless, I think it's turned out quite well; there are a lot of annoying issues with the finish due to handling errors and doing things in the wrong order, but as a first attempt it'll do I think. Kit - Sword 1/72 EE Lightning T4/T5 - comes with etch and resin seats & exhausts Extras - Master metal pitot, SAC metal landing gear, Eduard Lightning F2 External Etch, Quickboost nose ring, Armory resin wheels, decals to create XM968 tag, decals to convert T5 etch IP to T4, 10g lead wheel weight and ball bearings Paint - Alclad II Gloss Black Primer, Aluminium, Polished Aluminium, Chrome for Plastic, Semi Matt Aluminium, White Aluminium. Tamiya X-1 Black, XF-1 Flat Black, X-9 Brown, X-10 Gunmetal, X-11 Chrome Silver, XF-66 Light Grey. Mr Gunze Aqeous 3 Red, 4 Yellow, 8 Silver, , 52 Olive Drab, 77 Tyre Black, 79 Sand Yellow, 302 Green FS34092, Weathering - Sludge wash from Mr Gunze 77 Tyre Black, Flory Models Grime, Tamiya Weathering Master Burnt Blue, Oil Stain, Soot, Snow. Varnish/Finish - Alclad Aqua Gloss Clear, W&N Galeria Matt and Satin So in terms of work to do to the kit (in addition to the fact it just needs lots of fettling): - Quickboost nose ring - convert T5 cockpit to T4 as per @giemme fantastic thread on his T.4 here: It's fast! It's British! It's a Lightning! - front landing gear mounting point scratchbuilt (again thanks to giemme's build thread) - rudder cut and positioned slightly (again, giemme's thread) - tail fin intake drilled - cable ducts shortened and T5 ducts removed as per @71chally fantastic thread here: Lightning, Lightning, now with added Lightning - rear stabilisers pinned with brass rod - 10g lead wheel weight on back of cockpit, plus a handfull of ball bearings in the radome - internal brace between wings as per @Mattlow suggestion in giemme's thread - bit of scratchbuilt detail to the cockpit bulkhead since it was very bare - External Eduard etch to detail the landing gear bays - aerials done with fuse wire instead of etch ..... I think that's it.. In general I've left it in the gloss finish since all the pics of NMF T.4s/T.5s show them as being quite well looked after, and generally clean. I used Galeria Matt for the seats, and Satin for the anti-glare finish on the nose/canopy. I initially cocked the weathering right up, which took a lot of work to recover, but I think its ended up somewhere reasonable. XR219 was a very mucky bird during development, so I'd expect that the chase plane would get a bit more dirty than usual with all the flight time. Annoyingly, when I put the nose ring on it split the front fuselage, but I've spent so long on this (and no one will really see it) that I'm just going to accept it for the time being. Maybe I'll sort it one day, but for now I just want to crack on with some of the other half-started jobs. When painting it I laid way too much on in places, so some of the panel detail is lacking in some places, and I should have painted the yellow first and then done the NMF, lesson learned. Anyway, enough waffle, onto the pics. I appreciate any and all critical comments. I want to improve my standards, so please let me know what you spot and good methods to help me improve with.51 points
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Airfix 1/24 Spitfire MkIXc I'm also aware the crowbar isn't red. It's a long standing joke/bet between friends. Just to save anyone the trouble of "I think you'll find" posts. šš51 points
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Hello everyone, After reading many good things about Armaās 1/48 Hurricane I decided to take a plunge in their Jubilee Operation edition box, and I was not disappointed. Very good fitting parts, excellent surface and interior details, plus some nice resin details. And while on that matter a word about Arma Hobby fantastic customer service. One of the resin cannons came broken and Mr. Maciej kindly and swiftly sent me 2 new sets! Painted with Tamiya colours and the black undersides is my own custom mix. Added a few details from scratch like the details inside the ventral radiator, the light build ahead of the mast or a new gunsight and canopy push handles. Hope you enjoy!50 points
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I tried building this kit 40 or so years ago. I cracked the canopy trying to blend it into the fuselage and that was the end of that. No Falcon replacements back then. Fast forward to a few years ago and I found one cheap and thought why not? A smart modeller would have reached for Trumpeters effort, but I couldnāt get past forward fuselages shape issues. I added Reskit J79 nozzles and main wheels. The J79ās didnāt actually fit and I had to increase the diameter of the rear fuselage by wrapping it in thin styrene then copious sanding and superglue gel. Took forever, and all you can see are the nozzles poking out the rearā¦ I also hacked and detailed the main landing gear legs, then remembered too late I had the SAC replacements which are way more accurate. The vertical fin was modified to the correct shape and the second set of blow in doors added on the intakes. Finally, the whole thing was re-scribed. What crossed the finish line was not what I hoped, but the beast is in the case.50 points
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Hi All, Here is my effort on the ICM kit but Revell boxing of the Gloster Gladiator an absolute joy to put together even if the instructions would have you put the lower instrument panel on the rear bulkhead! Only aftermarket used is the seat belts although a decal is supplied in the boxing. I have rigged this one in "stretchy beading thread" bought of off ebay and very cheap compared to the "modelling" alternatives. The lower upper wing had the holes drilled and the treads were super glued into them and left to fully harden . The inner fuselage strut holes were drilled right through the top mainplane and those wires glued into the fuselage. The lower wing holes were drilled right through and once the upper wing was attached I pulled the wires through, tensioned them and held in position with tape. when all were secured I then glued each wire to the wing and trimmed the excess off. I found this method worked very well using this 0.4 mm beading thread. paints used were from Mr Hobby Aqueous , Revell Aqua and Tamiya acrylics first time I've used the Pledge alternative to Klear as a decal setting solution and found it works fine but is not so aggressive to the decals as Klear. I can fully recommend this ICM kit only downside I missed getting another for Ā£25 in the Jadlam spring sale they are now out of stock! Looks like I need to trim that aerial wire! MODeller45 points
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Hello all from the shed. First finished model of 2024. So, there I was making Chinook HC1 BN for a friend when crack went the canopy while I was giving it a little polish š§. Nothing for it but to buy another Chinook model for the canopy. As the HC1 was the Airfix kit I thought I would get the Italeri kit for a change. However, it was remarkably similar (in fact identical) to the Airfix one apart from the decals. Just as well I suppose as I was swapping bits between kits. The HC1 built in parrallel has lots of Black Dog resin on it, as I enjoyed using those parts I bought Black Dogs snow shoes for this Italian cab build. I also added a little bit of scratch work in the form of aerials and the decals are a mix of Airfix, Italeri and Model Allience. Its finished using Xtra Color paints and varnishes and is panel lined and weathered using Flory wash and Tamiya powders. Not the best fitting kit but I do like doing a helicopter (two in fact) for a change. I'm looking forward to seing how the new Airfix moulding of the Chinook is in comparison to the old moulds. The model depicts a Chinook CH-47C of the Italian Army. 1 RGPT. āAntaresā based at Viterbo in 1992. Here are a few pics. Hope you like it. Thanks for looking. Bravo November soon. Pete44 points
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I've built a few of Black Cat Models and I can honestly say this is one of the best. So any mistakes are purely mine. The kit is supplied as she was during her time at Pearl Harbour (I think) and when she fired the first shot of the American involvement in WW2, if I'm wrong please correct me. Now, in her WW2 paint scheme, she was an overall grey, but I found some pictures of her just after her launch in 1918 and these showed her in a dazzle scheme, which I thought would make a nice change from the ubiquitous grey. The first problem I had was what were the colours, black and white were easy, but the other two shades were a problem. Until that is I was pointed towards a FB page......Warship Camouflage Research Group.......and a really fascinating book......The Easter Egg Fleet: American Ship Camouflage in WWI by Aryeh Wetherhorn by another very knowledgeable BMer @dickrd. In this book are pictures of USS Ward in her dazzle scheme AND the colours of that scheme. So that clinched it, now to figure out the actual shades. I was pointed towards the grey shade by another fellow BMer, (my apologies to you, I can't remember your name)that this colour was actually Thayer Blue (Colourcoats US09). Now I just had to figure out what the darker blue is, I had a look at @Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies and found that Jamie produced a colour called True Blue (ACUS28) which looked just about right. Paint sorted now to start applying it. To mask the pattern as close as I could, I expanded the above pictures to as close to the model size as I could, covered the picture with sellotape (so the masking tape would come off) applied the masking tape and traced the pattern. I could then put the tape on the hull and spray and bobs your uncle. How accurate she is physically, I don't know, remember this kit is of her in WW2. I'm portraying her as she was soon after her launch in 1918, so I guess she might have looked a little different. But the paint colours and pattern are as near as makes no odds. The rest as they say, was simples.......just build it. Anyway enough of this blather, here she is, I hope you like her. Jon43 points
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Hello my friends and Corsair Junkies. As I promised from my first aircraft posting, "Why I Hate Building Airplanes!", I have taken on the challenge of completing my first Corsair. A subject and aircraft that I know many of you love and respect both as a modeler and history buff. I am no corsair expert. Not even close, other than loving the sleek and unique lines of the plane and the incredible pedigree of the plane in the time period. It really is an impressive machine and now having built it, I have come to love it even more. Of course, I assume many of you feel the same. That being said, I have completed this great Tamiya F4U-1 Birdcage Corsair to the best of my ability and have tried to offer the Corsair the respect it deserves. I'll let you be the judge if I have at least come close. The Build There really isn't much to say, it's Tamiya. I know so many of you have built this exact kit or another of the many Tamiya permutations of the Corsair over the years. In general, it goes together well. Thew wings are a little tricky, but workable. I had some tips from many of you, so thank you. I still have lots to learn on building aircraft, in particular the seam lines. Yah, I got them out, kinda, but there is a lot of room to improve. I will try the super glue and filler technique next round I think. I decided to spice up the engine with ignition lines ( at least I think that's what they are). I did the best I could with what I had. The lines are a little thick, but workable. They can be seen from the front of the aircraft, so that's cool. I also splurged and decided to detail the cockpit with Red Fox. I guess they're considered, what? 3D parts? I don't know. But, they were fantastic. Easy to get on there after shaving down the kit parts. They look great and well detailed. Again, they are kinda visible in the finished product with the canopy open, so that's nice. The Painting If you haven't figured it out yet, I really like the painting part of the modeler process the most. Although I can build and even scratch from time to time, my real passion is painting. I love tones, hues, saturation, shading, highlighting. In particular the airbrush. So everyone knows from now on, I use a $35 Master Airbrush for all my work. Yep, that's it. Always have. Anyway, this is where, to me, the model comes to life--the painting process. Even though the weathering process is most modelers favorite part, for me the painting makes the weathering effects possible. Even weathering can't overcome a bad paint job. I usually always paint with Tamiya. Solid. Easy to mix. Great to spray. This model, after I "mottled my work" as I usually do in B&W (after an Alclad black primer)... Yah, that's a Scharnhorst turret I'll finish here soon. Also "mottled". Anyway..... I decide to take a risk and try new paint on this bird. I decided to try MRP paints, in particular, the Intermediate and Navy blue. When I got them I could not believe how thin they were. Like water color. I thought there would be no way they would get good coverage. I was wrong. Not only do they get great coverage out of the bottle, they mix well with Tamiya paints, which was great as I had nothing else really to use. This allowed me to both darken and lighten the tones. I used the navy color as a very thin pin wash for the panel lines. I did this with my airbrush, at low psi and lots of lacquer thinner. Check it out... You can see in this shot, overall it's a little dark. I later came in and began lightening the tones and leaving much of the shadows where appropriate. I also began the chipping effects of the zinc chromate yellow. Look, I doubt I did this correctly and did the best I could. I did NOT want to hairspray chip this as I would usually do with the effects I wanted. The reasoning is because of the new MRP paint. With it spraying as a lacquer, I had no idea how it would react with hairspray chipping. I did not want to risk it, so went with post color chipping. Yah, it could be better. This is where my shortcomings as an aircraft builder come out. I'll work on it. The MRP paints did great. HOWEVER, I found out later that they are SUPER DELICATE. At least how I used them. I found this out when I went to go and airbrush the markings. Yah, I bought aftermarket decals (NO TAMIYA DECALS!), but they got delayed and I didn't want to wait, so I figured, make the stencil yourself and paint them. At least you won't have to worry about Tamiya decal issues again. Yah, it was a good call, except for the paint getting peeled up all over the place. I used Tamiya tape, as I usually do, and even "detacked" it further. No go. It peeled up huge panels of paint. I was shocked. Fixing was NOT going to be easy. Mostly because I had already toned, modulated, highlighted, shadowed, mixed, and went all freehand. Yah, reduplicating that on bare plastic was NOT easy. I'll be honest, I think it was not just the MRP paints, but mostly the Alclad primer. A new primer for me as well. It's great, super black, thin. BUT, it does seem fragile. Maybe more curing time was needed? Anyway, I got the markings and paint fixed. NOTE: I am aware (now) that there are some "mistakes" per se in the depiction of this F4U-1 on a carrier deck as well as "Gus's Gopher" which was a Marine plane, that would fly off off Atolls and islands. I had bought the carrier deck for display and the decals at different times and didn't know these little gems of knowledge. I was NOT going to not use the decals nor the carrier deck, so....there it is. Wrong and all, but it still looks really cool, so grab your beer, take a sip and enjoy. The Weathering I did most of my weathering with the airbrush. Some white here. Some dark there. Nothing over the top. Mostly because I'm out of my depth here. I've seen them really beat to heck and gone. I've seen dome pristine and museum like. It did the maximum I felt comfortable with and the minimum to keep it from being overdone. Zinc primer. Aluminum chipping and wear here and there. I'm sure many of you know how to do this much better than I do. I'll get better as I learn. Again, I did a pin wash with the airbrush with the navy blue, heavily thinned. Like really heavy. I did NOT use any enamel or oil washes on this. I was going to. But after all the pre and post shading, the airbrush pin wash...it was done to me. Sometimes, more is not better, it's just more and I did not want to risk more paint issues with adding different things like oils, enamels and such. I could have done more on the undercarriage, but again tried to stay in my realm and kept it pretty basic and clean... Not much more to say really. I LOVED building and painting this model. The corsair is just beautiful and I hope, given my lack of knowledge, that it at least entertained you and made you look. I appreciate any feedback, insight, and thoughts you may have. Cheers, Graeme PARTING SHOTS...42 points
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Hello all! This is my new model. The set is old and well known to everyone. With its advantages and disadvantages/ As an addition I used pipes from Quickboost, barrels and pilot tube from Master, 3d decal from Kelik and wheels set from Reskit. Painting AK Real color. Weathering oil paint washes and watercolor pencils.39 points
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After much effort I managed to finish another kit - 1:48 Atlas Cheetah D, no 859, 2 Squadron of South African Air Force, Makhado AB, 2007. Kinetic kit "out of the box", painted with Gunze Mr. Hobby C series. Thanks for watching!39 points
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#2/2024 One of my dadĀ“s more rare excursions in the modern jet world. IMO still the most bada$$ ground attacker and CAS aircraft. As IĀ“ve read it is declared dead once again in a few years....letĀ“s see. Hobby Boss kit, mostly oob. HB did the same as Italeri and used their A-10A kit and added some things. But like Italeri also HB did miss some. For example the wing tip detail, found a solution by using 3D decals from Quinta Studio. On the original aircraft all is yellow, but kept the decals grey to keep the nice detail. The kit seat comes with shoulder belts but no lap belts, added them from the sparesbox. Ailerons and flaps can be positioned as you like, kept them in neutral position. Also the gun bay can be displayed open if you like. The racks come without "clamps". There would be aftermarket PE ones from Eduard but this is a bending nightmare for sure . Kept the pins on the racks, so they somehow look like the "clamps" from a distance. Painted with a selfmixed tone. Looking at the original aircraft, depending on the light it sometimes looks more green, then more olive. One little decal detail HB missed, the "O" of Norris includes a front view of the gatling. Build thread here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235132035-centennial-brrrrt148-fairchild-republic-a-10c-thunderbolt-ii-104th-fs-fightinĀ“-oĀ“s-maryland-ang/#comment-4806011 For the centennial anniversary of the Maryland ANG in 2021, one of their A-10C received a special livery. Later on, some green painted areas on the belly and underwings have been washed off again. DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0002 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0003 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0004 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0005 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0006 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0007 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0009 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0010 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0030 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0031 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0013 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0032 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0015 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0033 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0017 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0018 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0019 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0020 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0021 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0022 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0029 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0024 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr38 points
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Iāve been focusing on small scale armour for the last while, so thought it was time to do an aircraft for a change. This is Airfixās 1/72 Jet Provost. I added some missing details like the scoops on the upper fuselage and nose, as well as the landing, navigation and anti collision lights, and the Eduard PE interior detail set. This particular aircraft seemed to be kept quite clean, so weathering was kept to a minimum, and was largely washed out anyway by the lightning when taking the photos. Hope you like. Wayne37 points
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Kitt from IBG. Photoetching from the kit. Rivet rows and some details have been re-made. Alex.37 points
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37 points
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Here is my 1/72 Rita from old Hasegawa box. Familiar green plastic, large rivets and non-existent cockpit, which had to be built. Clear parts, engines, spinners, exhaust I made myself. Weapons was left out on purpose. I don't see very many of these planes as models so I hope you like it.37 points
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My first surface ship and first go at an ocean. I'll be doing more, a nice break from a lifetime of aircraft. White Ensign PE set. Inspiration for ocean and technique credit to "Studio Blue Ocean" of Youtube Things I have leaned from this project 1) rigging is hard 2) I still hate photoetch 3) creating the sea was as satisfying as the ship, but I unsealed her, ripped her out and repainted the hull and the entire sea 3 times before I was happy. I know she is supposed to fly a black flag from the rear mast but I forgot. I will get around to it! Shot against white card outside with sun dipping in & out of cloud, the white balance was doing odd things but you get the gist. Thanks for looking!33 points
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This is an old kit from Heller. All panels have been redesigned, many details have been made anew. Regards, Alex.32 points
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Hi, so I've never completed an F-15, ever. Had no desire to do so until I stumbled on this E-Bay kit less instructions and decals. I needed a 1/48 F-15 centerline fuel tank to complete my Hellenic F-4 and was about to buy the $20 Reskit part which i have been very happy with on prior builds. I saw this chap selling the whole F-15 for $30 U.S. Of course the kit comes with 2 tanks so it was a no brainer. The way I saw it was for another $10.00 i get a whole new aircraft kit. So I open the box and saw quite surprised. My only Revell memories are of the horrible 80's kits. This was quite nice! Very crisp detail, nice cockpit, nice detailing throughout. I then noted I would have to deal with conformal fuel tanks which don't look like they fit on the real thing. I said this will be a disaster. Nope, they fit very nicely. Not having an Israeli subject and wanting to add something to my 1/48 jets in their beautiful camouflage I had previously ordered the paint for my AMK 1/48 Kfir. I decided to shelve the Kfir and kinda rushed into this kit. Here is where I went sideways. I said rushed which means I did not research my subject matter and the mistakes began. I had assumed to much, assumed the F-15 Strike Eagle was pretty much the same as the Israeli F-15I. Its not. I was too far into this and had already painted the jet, glued in the wrong engine exhaust nozzles when I realized my errors it was too late I corrected some antenna but could not get the exhaust nozzles out. I thought i only tack-glued these in but i guess i cemented them for good. The Hammer squadron Eagles that go on the tailfins were left off. As I had as mentioned painted to wrong pattern on both fins. I found several pics on the internet of "267" showing it just had the squadron crest and plane number without the Eagle so that's how I left it. In the spirit of what this hobby is about, I completed the kit as best I could. I'm very happy with the Revell kit and super glad they are producing fairly inexpensive but good-quality kits. On my radar is their F-18 Super Hornet I think lists for about $40, Meng, GW are about $100? Here it is. Thank you for lookiing. Just showing how well the wings, conformal tanks and pylons fit, well done Revell!! Nice Size comparison to my recent Flanker. I thought the F-15 was large, it still amazes me just how big ( in scale and real life) the Flanker is.32 points
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I re-made my 1/35 Ryefield Models Challenger II that I finished a year ago as a Ukrainian version. Might add some more weathering. I designed the lower front hull bar-armour and 3D printed - also the Ukrainian-style aerial and mounts. (They are available on Cults 3D if interested - littlebitsnz)32 points
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Hi All, My third completion for 2024 is SH's Barracuda, finished as LS503 of 815 Sqn FAA, flying from HMS Indomitable in August 1944. Although I have not been able to find a photo of LS403 here is a Barracuda from Indomitable from around the same time: The build was OOB - here is the WIP if anybody is interested: And on with the photos: I couldn't resist a couple of companion shots, both with 3-crew FAA brethren: And one with a stable-mate: I have to say I've really enjoyed this build, and it's nice to have a Barracuda in the collection. Thanks to all of those who have added kind words and encouragement along the way - it has been much appreciated! Thanks for looking, Roger31 points
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Thank you, everyone! Your fingers and toes did the trick - I dodged the bullet. The remaining three tests came back negative, which means everything that was identified in the first round of tests can be attributed to the crazy sinus infection that I've had for so long. Good news on that front as I mentioned previously - the surgery opened everything up nicely and I am not currently experiencing any symptoms of an infection. I'm not a guy who tends to worry about stuff, but I can't tell you how much stress I was feeling. I've gone through cancer twice and I've never felt this stressed out. Ugh. Now, where was I? Cheers, Bill31 points
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1/144 X-Scale HS Trident 1C - finished, a great wee kit, always wanted a model of this since I first read Tintin! Crisply moulded, great fit and lovely details for 1/144 scale! Great decal options, the decals are very thin - they tended to break apart if Micro Sol was used but no issues with Set alone and gentle handling. The kitset also included masks for windscreen, wheels and paint scheme!31 points
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As my own rule dictates, the next topic can be made when the previous one has disappeared from the first page.:) And soon my arsenal of finished builds will be empty too. But in the meantime, I offer you an elegant bird. Farman F 223 1/72 from Azur box. Mostly straight out of the box, with a few small details added.30 points
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Tamiya's lovely Panther G. The kit goes together with no problems at all. I added Aber's etch set for exterior details and their etched side skirts. The figures are from Miniart and are very nicely sculpted. The panther was painted with Tamiya acrylics and the crew with Humbrol enamels. Thanks for looking Angelo.30 points
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MIG-21 PFS, 1/72. Kitbash from two Eduard kits: - fuselage and canopy from PF kit; - tail is a mix of the two - mostly PF with lower part removed and replaced by parachute container from PFM; - wings and almost all the rest - PFM. Eduard resin cockpit (PF), resin engine, modified MF resin speedbrakes, resin missiles (R-3S). Small alterations to jetpipe cone (thinned walls, added internal structure). Roundels and fin flash from PFM Profipack kit, tactical number airbrushed with homemade viny masks. All comments are welcomed, Iulian work on the specific PFS Tail detailing the jetpipe Eduard resin engine30 points
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Here is my General Aircraft ST-25 Monospar 1/72 Special Hobby. This plane was in Estonian service. ES-AXY "Vahur", in the service of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Markings is paint using masks which is cut with a vinyl cutter.30 points
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It's always a big risk to bring out something like Lancaster. Especially if it was built a long time ago. But I'll take that risk. This here is from old green Revell mold and it was made 2006 right out of the box in and you can see it too. But it still has its honorable place in the history of my builds. It's time to do the next one.30 points
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In late December 1941 the Kamikawa Maru, a seaplane tender of 8,600 tons, cast anchor near Saigon. She was part of the 3rd KÅkÅ« Kantai (Air Fleet) commissioned with supporting the Japanese Army landings in Malaya. The four Aichi E13A1 floatplanes aboard were unloaded at Cape Saint Jacques (VÅ©ng TĆ o) and prepared for action. Sailing off to Indochina The ship and her compliment of 'Jakes' participated in several offensive operations during the first six months of the Pacific War. February 24, 1942 saw them heading for Batavia as part of the Java Invasion Force. In May they were dispatched to Deboyne Is. in the Solomon Sea for the planned seizure of Port Moresby where the ship came under heavy attack by US bombers. With Operation MO called off they sailed back to Rabaul. The Kamikawa Maru soldiered on until May 29, 1943 when she was sunk by the submarine USS Scamp (SS-277). Hoisted aboard for the passage south The Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplane as it was termed by the Imperial Navy was produced in larger numbers than any other Japanese floatplane and served throughout the entire Pacific War in a search, escort and attack role (It could carry two 60 kg bombs internally and a maximum of 250 kg). Despite its omnipresence there is surprisingly little documentation and even less model options. Reportedly the 1/72 Hasegawa kit has dimension issues and the 1/48 release by Nichimo is actually Marusan's prehistoric 1/50 product of 1963. With no 1/48 offering in sight I embarked on upgrading the 'Jake' that I built in 1991. The Nichimo kit is indeed very basic with many flaws - just the type of challenge I like. A cockpit set from Lone Star Models helped to improve the bare interior. For the complete modelling journey please visit here. Severe work it was, but I enjoyed seeing it progress, and I'm happy that a fitting 'Jake' has now joined my floatplane collection. I hope you share my excitement. Michael In Deboyne Lagoon on May 6, 1942 REFERENCES CARRIER OPERATIONS IN WORLD WAR II, VOLUME II, DAVID BROWN, SHEPPERTON, 1974 TYPE 0 RECONNAISSANCE SEAPLANE, MARU MECHANIC NO.12, TOKYO 1978 IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY RECONNAISSANCE SEAPLANES, FAMOUS AIRPLANES OF THE WORLD NO.47, TOKYO, 1994 IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY SEAPLANES, MODEL ART NO.565, TOKYO, 2000 SOUTH PACIFIC AIR WAR, VOLUME 3, MICHAEL CLARINGBOULD / PETER INGMAN, KENT TOWN, 2019 TYPE 0 RECONNAISSANCE FLOATPLANE, FAMOUS AIRPLANES OF THE WORLD NO.207, TOKYO, 2022 WWW.AVIATIONOFJAPAN.COM/2010/04/AICHI-E13-JAKE-INTERIOR-COLOUR.HTML CORRESPONDENCE WITH NICK MILLMAN, 2019/2021/202329 points
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Finally finish this little model, the kit's fitting is a nightmare, the shape of the model is questionable. I hope you like it.29 points
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G'day Pals, it's been a while since i posted a Model in the Aircraft section, i started this build already in 2021 and for some reasons i completely lost interest after i started with the engine and cowling section.... After a complete break in 2022 i exclusively built Tanks in 2023... I went on with Kate this year but to be honest when i looked at the parts i realized that i also had started to rivet the model which didn't really increase my motivation... After a while i brought myself into a ZEN mood and took the riveting marathon as a lesson in humility...and once started it surprisingly went on quite fast. I build the model OOB except for the engine which was a donation from Vector Models, which by the way was significantly larger than the kit engine, so a good amount of work was necessary to make it fit into the cowling..... Thanks for watching & comments! Cheers Hans Kate's Belly....28 points
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Airfix 1:72 Mosquito in the kit scheme of No. 571 Squadron from the Pathfinders. Airbrushed with Vallejo Model Air, weathered with Abteilung 502 oil paints and varnished with Tamiya matt and gloss varnish from a rattle can. Overall the kit went together well. I used a masking set from ASK for the transparencies and CMK resin flaps and elevators. I did a fair bit of scratch building of parts in the interior (such as new radio set replacing the unit supplied with the kit; new bombsight, seat belts with tape and wiring and various gubbins. I also corrected the bomb bay doors, redrilled the red, green and amber lamps and added brake lines to the wheel hubs. I also modified the tailwheel to the anti-shimmy version and added ice guards to the Merlin second stage intakes (though they are a bit out of scale). i also drilled out the wingtip lights to add the green and red bulbs. What went well? Canopy transparencies and masking, learning how to fit aftermarket resin control surfaces (though in retrospect I didnt thin the trailing edges enough); redoing the bulged bomb bay. What could be improved? Interior painting was too thick, my scratch built radio set was not accurate for the airframe in the end (despite spending weeks pontificating on reference drawings in Richard Franks Modellers Datafile); the paintjob could be improved e.g. brush painting the u/c legs was a disaster; i was too heavy handed using the spray can and had to redo the camo template several times resulting in a poor paint finish with dust and hair all over the place. also over did it on the weathering underneath. anyhow thanks for looking Neil28 points
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#3/2024 The second of three I-16 my dad finished since the new year started. Eduard kit, decals are a mix of Begemot and Blue Rider, painted with AK RC AII Green and Blue. Used 0,4mm plastic rods for the landing gear retraction cables. Build thread here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235134162-sino-japanese-war148-polikarpov-i-16-type-10-chinese-nationalist-airforce/#comment-4850636 After the signing of the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact on 21 August 1937, 216 I-16 fighter of various types were supplied to the Chinese Air Force. The most numerous among them was the Type 10. Aircraft of 24th Chungtai, IV Tatui, Chinese Airforce. On Sept. 13th 1940, I-16s of this unit were the first to engage the new Japanese A6M Zero in combat. DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0002 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0003 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0004 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0005 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0006 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0007 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0010 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0011 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0012 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0013 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0014 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0015 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0016 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0017 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0018 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0020 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0021 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr26 points
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Iāve recently updated the operating system on my home PC and along with a new remote hard drive, I have been compiling images and archiving as many of the kits Iāve attempted to build since I first started sticking my fingers together in the mid seventies. Itās been a fascinating look at the progress Iāve managed. There is a recurring theme, and that is they are amost exclusively WWII axis AFV builds. Why that is I really can't explain! In 2012 I hadnāt purchased a kit or built a military vehicle since 1982. I had no tools and absolutely no idea how to start all over. The hobby had obviously come a long way in the intervening years, but I had no idea at the time how it was going to suck me in and captivate me again. As I would imagine a fair few fellow modellers on here have, I loved the LEGO and built model kits as a youngster, and incredibly I do have some surviving remnants. Amongst them is a late 1970ās Tamiya Tiger I (I must dust it down and snap some pics of it) and some Airfix 1/32 figures, along with a motley assortment of other 1/35 chaps. Sadly, the countless 1970s Matchbox 1/76 kits I built have sadly long since vanished! There were a few surprises looking at these old builds after all these years. For one, although I still remain intimidated and have yet to paint a figure since, looking at the figures I finished back in the late seventies and early eighties they really wern't that bad! The Tiger I however, was finished in a pretty shocking glossy Austin Alegro beige colour My good wife bought me a large-scale Tamiya Yamaha bike and a few white metal fantasy figures in the late nineties and early noughties which I did finish, but they didn't suck me back in. In 2012 all that changed. Killing time in a WH Smiths bookstore I picked up a modelling magazine and ending up purchasing a few publications to take home. Some of the work on show was incredible and it inspired me to give it another go. My first kit was the cheap and cheerful Tamiya 1/35 Panther G, and it was a blast to build. Painting it was a little more complex. I didnāt have a dedicated space, so some lovely Tamiya rattle can olive green and dark yellow was liberally cascaded about out in the confines of a dimly lit shed! I was pleased with it but it looked absolutely nothing like the finished articles in the magazines. Kit two was again a Tamiya kit. This time I had a go at the tri-tonal camo scheme on a Tiger II. Using rattle cans once more, you can imagine how that turned out. Did it deter me? Not one bit. My next mission was to absorb as much online info as I could and give another one a go. The Scratchmod and Little Norway online sites were the first that I encountered, and I joined a few online modelling sites too, most of which are now sadly history. I do remember I received some really great encouragement for a newbie starting out. Sadly, something I rarely witness on FB these days. I really did appreciate the assistance and help I received, much from senior modellers, many of whom are no longer with us š„ Although I donāt get nearly as much time to browse the tinterweb as I used to, it is definitely the reason I still like to be involved with existing modelling forums such as this. Scratchmod Rob created a lot of abandoned and wrecked vehicles and for some reason that really appealed to me. He also cited the Panzerwreck series of publications, and this was the first time that it dawned on me that many of the modellers in magazine articles were re-creating actual vehicles from period images. This encouraged me to spend a little more time on researching the vehicles I was creating. I still love an out-of-the-box build just as much as a more absorbing re-creation project and Iām still absolutely terrible at starting new builds before finishing up on existing ones. I really do wish I could focus on one project from start to finish without getting distracted, but it really is only social media and a local hobby club that reminds me to get my man-cave in order every now and again. Iām having fun so who cares. Looking back at the year-by-year incremental improvements has been rewarding. I really didnāt have a clue when I started out on my journey again to where it would take me, or indeed how much time I could devote to it. Iām not getting any younger, but itās been a wild ride and have met some genuinely nice folks along the way. Iām so glad I still get amazed, enthused and inspired by fellow modellers work and company. Please have a chuckle at some of the many creations Iāve started and occasionally finished. * Some older model pics captured in RAW have since been updated in Adobe Lightroom Airfix 1/32 German Infantry vignette built around 1979 Some of the many 1/32 and 1/35 scale figures that have survived from the late seventies and early eighties Metal fantasy figure Tamiya large scale bike That very first Panther G kit from 2012 ( still used occasionally as a painting and weathering mule) The Tamiya rattle can dark green remains on the lower hull sides Tiger II again painted with Tamiya rattle cans. Pretty sure i used masking tape forming up the camo My first two attempts at artillery pieces Scratchmod Rob influenced my decision to mash up this new (but fortunately inexpensive) Tamiya Opel kit. I can still remember the dust cloudsš¤£ Tamiya Schwimmwagen photographed in natural light Zvezda L4500 still languishes unfinished after ten years! I think this is the Dragon kit. Rubber tracks, much like Alan Partridge's running shorts, have long since perished š«£ Hint of a Tamiya Sherman too My first Tamiya Steyr 1500 build with a pile of aftermarket stowage. Recently re-mastered in Lightroom minus its steering wheel and half a width indicator A Dragon 251 variant. Looks like tiny individual links on this one! Those width indicators must be brass to have survived this longš ICM's Opel kapitan. First dabble with Mission Models paints if I recall AFV Club Pak 40 Tamiya's Opel Blitz that looks to have been driving on some chocolate cake! Bronco Opel Kadet, which now sits in the back of a Fiat 626 on a small vignette Dragon Panzer. IV Ausf H. I left this too near a blower heater and the bow plate has a big kink in it! Pretty sure this is the first time I came up against serious photoetch. Pigments and salt too by the looks of it Second Tamiya Steyr 1500 attempt. Looks like I had discoved green stuff! Another wrecked kit. This time AFV Club's Sd.Kfz.11 Cyber Hobby Kugelblitz. First attempt at hairspray technique using Vallejo paint didn't turn out great with big chunks randomly peeling off! Rubber band tracks don't look too shabby though ICM Ford V3000 and an Italeri trailer. First competition I entered. OnTrack in Folkestone 2014 or 15 Tamiya's ubiquitous Citroen Traction Model Victoria Fiat 626. My first resin build and what a lovely kit it was Quick out of the box Italeri Sd.Kfz.10/4 . Look how thick that Notek light bracket is I was obviously on a roll with the Flak guns. Tamiya's Mobelwagen Cyber Hobby Sd.Kfz 251 Ausf C. If I recall this had a Verlinden interior set (way oversized) and was my first time using Friul tracks. I also went a bit daft with the scenics! Two Sd.Kfz.8's Both by Trumpeter. First is an early DB9 variant and the second is an armoured DB10 prototype (my oldest shelf queen) Another Flak. This time Trumpeter's armoured cab Sd.Kfz. 7/2 with an exquisite little 3D printed trailer Another unfinished kit. This time Riich Models fugly but excellently moulded and engineered RSO-Radschlepper Ost Tamiya's tiny little Marder I Wiener Modellbau's Sd.Ah 56 resin Flak ammo trailer. A bit crude and bendy in places. Azimut cargo trailer. Very basic so went to town on the camo Another shelf queen casualty. Tried out some colour modulation and oil rendering and still unsure where to go with it. Yet another shelf queen. Meng panther A. Took for ever for the aftermarket zimm to arrive. When it eventually did I popped a base coat on it but then the mojo took a dive! Another Meng kit. Jagdpanther G1 has been on and off the bench for the last four years. Needs some love again Kitty Litter dio. Abandoned Panther A kit with oodles of aftermarket including Atak zim, Masterclub tracks etc etc. My first real multi-media build and it took forever to completeš³25 points
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Hello, I was struggling with building a rather unpleasant T-26 kit (Hobby Boss 1/35) and at some point I decided that I didnāt have the heart (or the stomach) to complete it. So the best way was to cut it half, drown and hereās what I got š. A Soviet T-26 taking ostentatiously a bath in some Finnish pond plus an obviously displeased host (let's place it in Karelia, Summer 1942, why not?). Itās not really a diorama but a small vignette inspired by a famous āpanzer of the lakeā photo/meme with some inspirations found on yt. Probably it should go to AFV section but since there's actually no much left of that AFV, I decided it fits here better. Quick job that I really enjoyed all the way (I mean āall the wayā after cutting that !@#!@$ tank in half). Enjoy!25 points
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Firstly the X-scale Trident 1, finished in the BEA markings of G-ARPA. Not a bad kit but some details are a little too small for 1/144 scale, certainly for 60 year old eyes and fingers! The decals were OK but there was an odd gap on the right side of the nose where the stripes didn't meet the windscreen decals. z20240312_125727 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr z20240312_125720 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr z20240312_125718 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr z20240312_125732 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr Next the F-RSIN Trident 3B, finished as G-AWZK of BEA, the aircraft preserved at Manchester airport. A totally different prospect to the X-scale version as it's a bit crude and lack detail but with a bit of sanding and tidying it doesn't look too bad. The decals were good though and I matched the BEA "blue" on the fine with a mixed colour of olive green and turquoise. The red wings I painted rather than use the kit decals. z20240312_125752 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr z20240312_125801 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr z20240312_125808 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr z20240312_125825 by Derek N.Ferguson, on Flickr25 points