Mike

I've used my PS-270 to spray all sorts over the years. It's a bomb-proof brush with very little in the way of foibles. I've also got a PS-770 and the more recent PS-771, which are the fine brushes with .18mm needles. They're almost (read: completely) identical to Iwata, and cost a lot less, even in these inflationary times. I can't get enough of the Gunze Sangyo brushes, apart from their weird names. What's a Procon Boy?

I forgot to mention - there's an A2 calendar included in the box that is folded in quarters, with the box art and all the months of 2024 along the bottom edge. If I had some spare wall, it would be up there!

We got ours yesterday evening, and the review is now complete:

B-26B Marauder (48320) 1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Instigated on the eve of WWII in Europe, the Marauder was a medium bomber developed over two years by the Glenn L Martin company, entering service in early 1942. Due to its high wing and relatively small planform, loading was high, which resulted in a faster than usual landing speed, which could cause problems for an inexperienced crew during final approach, and similarly if a single-engined approach was necessary. Its stall speed would bite the pilots aggressively if they varied even slightly from the documented landing procedures, resulting in excessive losses due to accidents, which earned it the nickname ‘Widowmaker’ amongst crews. To counter this, changes to the aircraft’s aerodynamics and wing length were undertaken, together with additional crew training, a combination that proved successful, and led to the type’s loss rate being amongst the lowest of the Allies bomber fleet. After initial orders, more followed, and improvements led to the B-26A, and soon after the B-26B, which by Block 10 benefited from longer wings and the other improvements that gave its pilots a longer life-expectancy. The type saw extensive service in Europe, flying with the US Army Air Force and with the RAF, where it was known as the Marauder Mk.1 for B-26A airframes, and Mk.1a for the B models. It also saw service in the Pacific, with a total of over 5,000 airframes built, 500 of which were flown by the RAF, with all airframes withdrawn from service by 1947, after which the A-26 Invader was given the B-26 designation, creating confusion amongst many aviation buffs and modellers over the years. Powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine in nacelles under the wings, the rotund fuselage could carry up to 4,000lbs of bombs in a bay between the wings with a range of 1,500 miles at a substantially higher cruising speed than a B-17, giving it a better chance against fighters and flak, which contributed to its low attrition rate. An early adaptation saw the main armament increased from .303 machine guns to .50cals in all four turrets that could take a bigger bite out of any enemy fighters that ventured too close. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from ICM, of an aircraft that has been neglected for many years in 1:48 scale, so there was much joy when the kit was announced, and many of us, myself included, have been waiting as patiently as we can manage for its release. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with an attractive painting of a brace of Marauders braving flak over Europe, and under the lid is the usual captive flap on the lower tray, and under that are eight large sprues in grey styrene, plus one of crystal-clear parts, a large decal sheet and the instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour with painting and decaling profiles on the rear pages. Detail is up to ICM’s modern high standards, with most of the fuselage full of detail that includes the cockpit, bomb bay and fuselage compartments around the turrets and waist gun positions. Construction begins with the fuselage halves for a change, preparing the interior by drilling out some flashed-over holes for gun packs used on two decal options, and adding the outer bomb racks plus other small details, along with the windows and hinges for the bomb bay if you plan to pose them open. There are also two decals to be applied to parts of the nose compartment, one on each side. The nose bay is built upon its roof, adding side walls and details to the interior, then the cockpit floor is layered on top, fitting the pilot’s four-part seat and separate rudder pedals, making the centre console from another five parts, and attaching the instrument panel to the rear, both it and the console receiving decals to depict the dials. The cranked control column has a bow-tie yoke, applying them to the floor in front of the pilot’s seat, and a bottle behind it, plus a single-part co-pilot seat, two-part yoke, and a stiff neck from straining to view the instrument panel. In the front of the floor is the bomb aimer’s seat, with a three-part sight for him to look through when the time for dropping bombs arrives. The bomb bay front and rear bulkheads have spars moulded-in and show off the circular cross-section of the fuselage, detailing both with small parts, and joining them together via the roof, which is ribbed for strength. Six bombs are built from two main parts with a separate spinner trapped inside the fin structure, gluing three to each of the central bomb ladders, then mounting those onto a pair of rails that fit into the bottom centre of the two bulkheads during the installation of the bay roof. The completed assembly is inserted into the port fuselage half, hiding the short empty sections of the fuselage by inserting another bulkhead behind the bomb bay and in front, the latter having the cockpit floor slotted into it before installation. Before the fuselage halves can be closed, there is a lot of armament to be built, starting with the rear gun turret, which has two guns glued to a central support, sliding the barrels through the two slots in the rear cover, and adding a tapering bracket to the top. The fuselage waist defensive armament is stowed away inside until needed, mounting the two guns facing aft on a section of flooring via two supports, which is depicted with two options, although I can’t see any differences between the two, but it’s late. The waist guns are glued into the rear fuselage on a flat area, inserting the rear turret in the aft, and fitting an armoured bulkhead forward, which the gunner sits behind on a circular seat that is also included. The top turret has the front section with ammo cans built first, inserting it and the gunner’s seat into the turret ring from below along with the control levers. The twin .50cals are inserted from above with the sighting gear between them, slotting the completed interior into a surround, then sliding the glazing over the barrels and securing it with a non-fogging glue before it is slipped into the cut-out on the upper fuselage. Another ovoid bulkhead with a hatchway is inserted between the rear gunner and waist gunners, suspending a box overhead in the waist compartment, then sectioning off the nose from the cockpit with a horseshoe-shaped bulkhead. If you skipped ahead and prepared the starboard fuselage half to speed through painting and weathering, it’s all good, otherwise the starboard fuselage is drilled out and dotted with detail parts, windows, braces and bomb racks, plus bomb bay hinges if you are leaving the doors open, then closing the two halves after putting 50g of nose weight in the space between the cockpit and bomb bay to keep the nose wheel on the ground when the model is complete. The tail fin is a separate assembly on this kit, starting by gluing the two halves of the fin together, then building the stabilisers as a single unit made from a full-span lower and two upper parts plus two smaller inserts. The two assemblies are brought together at the rear, covering the rear of the fuselage, and adding a curved insert behind the cockpit, covering the nose weight, whilst giving you a last chance to add some if you forgot earlier. The rudder and two elevators are each made from two halves, and can be glued into position deflected if you wish, to add some individuality to your model. The bomb bay has four actuators fitted to each of the fore and aft bulkheads, installing the four doors folded into pairs, or covering the bay with a pair of doors if you intend to close it. Two of the decal options carried cheek-mounted gun packs, which mount on the holes drilled earlier, after building each one from fairing, barrel, and nose cap for each of the four, with the instructions advising to install them after applying decals in that area. The main canopy and tail gun glazing are attached, adding two clear roof panels to the canopy, and making the nose glazing with a rectangular box on one side, and a gun in the centre before it too is glued in place. Two detail inserts are applied between the spars that project from the wing root, with the detail facing inward, so remember to paint those at the same time as the rest of the interior for your own convenience. The wings are each separate, and slide over the spars that are moulded into the bomb bay bulkheads. Before closing the wing halves, the gear bay structure is made, consisting of three parts forming an H-frame, adding two more ribs in the forward compartment, and closing off the rear of the bay with a final stringer, painting everything as you go. A bay insert is also included for the ailerons, and this is fixed to the lower wing as the upper is brought in and the two halves are mated. The two-section flaps are each made from upper and lower halves, as is the aileron, and all three are fitted in the trailing edge of the wing, attaching actuator fairings, detail parts inside the nacelle roof, a landing light in the leading edge, and a tip light over the moulded-in recess, which has a likeness of a bulb moulded into the area. A pitot probe is cut from near the wingtip, then the same process is carried out on the opposite wing in mirror-image, setting the completed wings to one side while the engines and their nacelles are built. Each Double-Wasp engine is made from a layer of six parts, depicting both banks of pistons and push-rods, adding the bell-housing and magnetos to the front, trapping a prop axle between them without glue, and inserting the intake ‘spider’ at the rear, with nine exhaust stubs mounted behind the engine. The completed engine is then locked between two circular carriers, and two exhaust collector parts are attached at the rear next to the cooling gills that are moulded into the rear carrier. The cowling is a complex shape that has a substantial portion moulded as a single part, inserting a curved plate inside to create a broad intake trunk in the base, then fitting two more inserts into the top sections of the cowling that fit into position, creating the familiar intake ‘ears’ at the top. The engine slides into the cowling from the rear until the cooling gills butt up against a cut-out, then attention shifts to the nacelle, which is made from two halves after adding covered exhausts and hinge-points to the gear bay sides on a single carrier per side, then gluing the two halves together with three bulkheads holding everything to shape. Once the glue has cured and seams have been dealt with, the engine and cowling are glued to the front and fitted under the wing. Again, the same process is carried out in mirror image for the opposite nacelle, after which the wings can be slid into position and glued in place. The Marauder was another tricycle gear equipped bomber, and the nose leg is made from the main strut with scissor-links added on both sides, fitted into the bay with a retraction jack behind it. A crew access ladder is provided, and is fixed into the roof at the rear of the bay, locating the two bay doors on the sides after fitting hinges along the upper edges, with a small retractor jack installed at the mid-point to complete the area. The main gear legs are fitted with twin supports at the top and door openers mid-way down, inserting them into the nacelles along with a V-shaped strut, and a pair of bay doors on each nacelle. The main wheel tyres are made from two halves, with two more parts for the hubs, as is the nose gear wheel, but with flat hub caps, all three installing on stub axles so that the model can sit on all three wheels, or the rear two if you forgot the nose weight. I can’t laugh, as I recently did that, but got away with it. An aerial and a faired-in D/F loop are fixed under the belly, and another aerial is mounted behind the cockpit, with just the two four-blade props with separate spinners to complete the build. As is common now with ICM kits, there is a page of the instruction booklet devoted to the masking of the canopy, using the printed shapes on the bottom of the page and the diagrams above to create your own masks if you wish. It consists of only thirty-two elements, some of which are used on the side windows, landing lights and around the cowlings at the front of the engine nacelles. Markings There are three decal options on the large sheet, all of which were European-based, with only one wearing camouflage, whilst all wear invasion band ‘special markings’ due to the period they were in operation after D-Day. From the box you can build one of the following: B-26B-55MA 42-96077 ‘Ladies Delight’, 584th Bomber Squadron, 394th Bomb Group, probably Boreham, England, Summer 1944 B-26B-55MA 42-96214 ‘Coral Princess III’ 494th Bomber Squadron, 344th Bomb Group, Pontoise, France, Autumn 1944 B-26B-55MA 42-96165 ‘The Big Hairy Bird’ 599th Bomber Squadron, 397th Bomb Group, Peronne, France, December 1944 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Like a lot of modellers, I’ve had a soft spot for the Marauder for a while, and I’m now extremely pleased that a new well-detailed model has been released by ICM, with the prospect of more to come in various boxings. The Marauder saw a lot of action, so there’s plenty of opportunities to depict a well-weathered example, and I’m looking forward to seeing them popping up on the forum. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

aboard Ian. Better late than never

Gloster Gauntlet Mk.I (AZ7866) 1:72 AZ Model by Kovozávody Prostějov The Gauntlet bears a family resemblance to the Gladiator from the same stable because it preceded it, entering service earlier after an extended development process that would be worthy of a modern defence project. Its development began as early as 1929, but it wasn’t until 1933 that it was given the name Gauntlet, and another two years before it started to enter service with the RAF in small numbers. It was intended as a replacement to the Bulldog, which it outpaced by 50mph thanks to its Bristol Mercury engine, with heavier armament that included two machine guns in troughs in the fuselage sides, firing through the cowling and propeller. Only twenty-four of the initial airframes were made before there were improvements made, which were give the designation Mk.II, resulting in the initial batch being retrospectively named Mk.I. The Mk.II made up the majority of production, with over 200 manufactured in the UK, plus more built overseas. At its peak there were fourteen squadrons equipped with Gauntlets, but as the storm clouds of war began to gather, it was already outdated. By the time war finally broke out, only one squadron was left in frontline service, the rest having transitioned to more modern fighters such as the Hurricane, which was created by Gloster’s new owners, Hawker, still carrying over some design traits from the Gauntlet through the Gladiator to the Hurricane, particularly in the rear fuselage and tail areas. Happily for the Hurricane pilots however, the speed and armament of their new aircraft was much improved and gave them a fighting chance against the enemy. The Gauntlet lingered on as a trainer in the UK and abroad for a while, with a single Mk.II preserved in airworthy condition in Finland, one of its former operators, although the engine has been replaced by something a little more modern for practical reasons. The Kit This is a reboxing of a 2008 tooling from AZ that has been re-released with new decals that depict the Gauntlet in RAF and Danish service. It arrives in a small end-opening box with a painting of a gaggle of Gauntlets over rolling fields on the front, and profiles for the decal options on the rear of the box. Inside are three sprues of grey styrene, decal sheet, a small sheet of clear acrylic with two windscreens printed on it, plus the instruction booklet that is printed on a folded sheet of A4, with a series of rigging profiles on the rearmost page. Detail is good, with just a wisp of flash here and there, and a good representation of the fabric covered framework over the majority of the airframe. Construction begins with the simple cockpit that is based on a well-detailed flat section of floor, onto which the seat, control column and rudder pedals are fixed, applying four-point decal seatbelts to the pilot’s position for a little extra detail. There is cockpit sidewall detail moulded into the insides of the fuselage halves, and once these and the cockpit are painted and weathered, the fuselage halves can be joined together, adding a two-part instrument panel at the front of the cockpit cut-out. The engine is supplied as a single part with nine cylinders arranged around the core, which is surrounded by a three-part cowling due to the teardrop fairings around the perimeter, finishing the cowling off with a separate lip at the front. The tail fin is moulded into the fuselage halves, adding the individual elevator fins to the sides in small slots, and a tail-wheel with moulded-in strut underneath. The lower wing is a single part that is inserted into a slot under the fuselage, and once the seams have been dealt with, the landing gear can be built, made from two triangular struts that are linked by the axle that has wheels mounted on each end, positioning the assembly on the underside of the fuselage using the small recesses that are moulded into the model to locate them accurately. Four cabane struts are similarly fitted to the fuselage in front of the cockpit using more guide recesses, which supports the upper wing that is also moulded as a single part. Four interplane struts are fitted between the wings, and a scrap diagram gives details of the tensioner rods that are suspended in the rigging, which is dealt with over the page. A pair of exhausts are mounted under the cowling, cutting the windscreen from the acetate sheet and folding it to shape before gluing it to the front of the cockpit, then slotting the two machine gun barrels in the troughs on each side of the fuselage. The final task (if we ignore the rigging for now) is the two-blade propeller, gluing a spinner to the front to finish it. Speaking of rigging, there are four diagrams on the rear of the booklet, detailing the location of the wiring, which should assist with the process along with the box art for a three-quarter view. Markings There are three options on the decal sheet, two RAF, and one in Danish service, the latter having a more interesting scheme, as the RAF were heavily invested in silver dope in the 1930s – perhaps someone had shares? From the box you can build one of the following: The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion The Gauntlet was a well-used interwar fighter that in its day was an impressive improvement over those that it replaced, but was soon to be left in the wake of the next generation of fighters due to the speed of development at the time. The kit depicts its fabric covering well, with a detailed cockpit, and it comes with some interesting decal options. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I had that done on both my wrists either side of my son being born, so almost 14 years ago now. It makes life difficult for a while being one-armed, but it hopefully won't slow you down for too long. It'll take about a year to fully heal, but after a couple of weeks things will gradually start getting better

SS-100 Gigant Update sets (P48010 & 8068 for Tamiya) 1:48 CMK by Special Hobby The Hanomag Gigant was a German WWII prime-mover that was originally a pre-war civilian tractor that was impressed into military service to tow aircraft, Vidalwagen V-2 rocket launch transport units, and Meillerwagen V-2 erector systems. Tamiya released their 1:48 kit in 2017 as an aircraft tug, and re-released it in 2019 towing an 88mm flak 37. These sets are intended to upgrade the detail on these kits, addressing the slightly simplified hollow tyres, and adding extra detail to the prominent radiator at the front of the vehicle. As usual with CMK and Special Hobby's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar clear vacformed box, with the resin parts safely inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the header card at the rear. Front Radiator Mask (P48010) The name of this set is slightly misleading, but it supplies a new radiator grille and the core behind it, both 3D printed in orange resin and consisting of two parts on a single print base. The two parts are liberated from the base and are glued together, inserting the radiator core behind the grille after painting, and removing the raised nose section of the kit’s bodyshell to fit the new assembly, which locks in place thanks to a block on the rear of the radiator core. It should massively increase the realism of the area, as the individual grille louvres are printed separately, so the radiator behind it will be visible in good light. The grille also has the word Hanomag in raised letters above it, and a filler cap on the top. Wheels (8068) This set replaces the kit wheels that are a little simple, particularly in the rear twin-wheel axles, which have hollow inner sides. The single front wheels are drop-in replacements for the one-part kit wheels, giving much more finesse to the detail, while the rear wheels are mounted in pairs, correctly rendered with both sides of the tyres, and the particular hubs that permit their mounting in tandem, as per the real thing. A separate hub part is also included for each part. The spare tyres is moulded with a larger cut-out in the centre along that is flashed over on the casting block plus bolt-holes around the circumference, and comes with a pair of clamps that attach it to the rear wall of the double cab of the vehicle. Review sample courtesy of

"Soon" is one of those 'how long is a piece of string' type statements. Galactically speaking, the sun will turn into a red giant relatively soon, but that's several billion years in our tiny short measurement scale.

Terse? Moi? In fairness John (Martin), it says in moderately sized letters "Introduce yourself to the members here." at the top of this area, and we also have a rule about people engaging in Buy/Sell/Want ads, which is they must have 100 posts before they can use the specific area set aside for the job, which you can find here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/39-buy-amp-sell/ There's a thread at the top of each of those areas that gives you the reasons and rules. You might want to have a read if you're able. I've removed your want ad, and as you're the topic starter, you can edit it to say hello to the members instead. N'kay?

Handley Page Halifax – Early Merlin-Engined Variants Photo Archive Number 27 ISBN: 9781908757395 Wingleader Publications The second of the RAFs famous four-engined heavies to enter service in WWII, the Halifax was originally designed to meet the same Air Ministry Specification as the Avro Manchester. In common with the Manchester, the H.P.56 design was developed from a twin-engined design into the four-engined bomber that we are all familiar with. Although overshadowed in popular culture by the Avro Lancaster, the Halifax was built in substantial numbers and served with distinction. The type’s first operational raid was on the French city of Le Havre on 11 March 1941, but by the end of the war it was reckoned that the Halifax had dropped 224,207 tons of ordnance on Hitlers Fortress Europe, at the cost of nearly 2,000 aircraft lost. The Halifax was a versatile design and it could be adapted for a wide range of roles including anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare. The Halifax continued to serve after the end of the Second World War, and examples of the type were still in service with the Pakistan Air Force in the early 1960s. The B Mk.III was the main production variant and utilised the Bristol Hercules radial engine in place of the Rolls Royce Merlin. It featured a glazed nose with single machine gun and apart from the first few examples, extended wingtips. This twenty-seventh volume in the series details the early Halifax, covering with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engined airframes that were initially built after the cancellation of the ill-fated Rolls-Royce Vulture, which proved to be too advanced for its time, using an unusual X-24 piston layout that was so complex and laced with pitfalls that it was only perfected by the end of WWII after extended development efforts. Some of the photos are staged of course, but there are also many candid shots, a very few of which are in colour, without much in the way of battle-damaged aircraft, other than two aircraft lying wrecked on the airfield after a post-mission landing with a damaged engine resulting in asymmetric thrust that drove it off course into another parked aircraft, effectively cutting its victim in two. There are a great many photos taken of development aircraft that were used to improve the performance and durability of the aircraft in subsequent guises, and there are dozens of differences noted between the early variants that are called out in the captions accompanying all the photos. A visually impressive book with plenty of reading material into the bargain that will have you coming back to it again and again. This is the first of a series of volumes that will detail the history of the Halifax, although they’re currently a little vague about the number of volumes there will be. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

That's an impressive age.

Nice work. The boot leather looks good - what did you use for that? I dabbled with the speed paint/contrast stuff, but couldn't get the effects I wanted for the most part. When I have time, I'm going to have a go with glazing. Seems to be what the Eavy Metal painters use, but they also have talent, which is something I'm looking forward to acquiring some day

That's not a nice name to call your wife!

Thanks for the kind words and likes folks

It was supposed to be chucking it down here today, but all we've had is a quick smattering at about tea time. For early April Oop North (other locations are available), that qualifies for good weather Good job too, as I kept having to go back and forth getting different screws to hang a shelf on what I thought was plasterboard, because you never get the right ones the first time, or the second, third or fourth time It all worked out well in the end, but I certainly got a few extra steps in. I needed a lie-down after

That's purdy

Clear Box (100-Box01) Special Hobby Storing your models can be just a case of putting the finished work on shelves in a cabinet or on an open shelf, but that leaves them open to damage by incautious hands/paws, and of course, the dreaded dust. Dust has a habit of resolving itself over time into a self-adhesive layer that’s best not thought too deeply about, in case we realise what it consists of. Display cases are usually some combination of quite expensive, heavy or not of the required size, so it’s hard to find one to fit your modelling output. This new clear-topped display box is about to change that, particularly for 1:72 or smaller armour builders, or anyone that needs a display box with 5cm of headroom, measuring 13.4cm x 7.7cm at the base, internally, tapering to 12.8cm x 7.6cm at the top of the box interior. It has a clear upper of course, or you wouldn’t see much, and a black plastic base onto which the top fits neatly, although not tightly. If you grip the clear upper, it will come away without effort from the base, so to keep the atmosphere out, you’d need to glue/seal the two halves together with an adhesive that won’t mar either component. The black base has a lip at the bottom on which the top rests, and a bevelled edge around it that extends diagonally 8mm into the base. This gives 12.1cm x 6.5cm of useable flat space on the base, which is ideal for 1:72 armour, 1:43 vehicles and other such reasonably-sized models. The box arrives in a clear shrink-wrap film, with a sticker on top telling you what it is, and in the process it protects the case from scratch damage in transit. There is nothing stopping you from adding ground works to the base, the diagonal section adding a separation between your diorama/vignette and the clear sides. You must ensure that you don’t use any solvent-based adhesives or putties to create your masterpiece however, for fear of melting the base, and you should also ensure that all paints, glues and potions have fully cured before you drop the lid on your model for eternity, as it’s possible that off-gassing could result in partial melting, or frosting of the clear top, ruining your case. That’s for you to look out for however, as most cases are plastic, and the same rules apply unless you can afford glass cases. Conclusion A simple, effective and cost-conscious way to protect your creations from dust and ill-advised touching from fingers or paws. Fingers crossed that some larger boxes will arrive in due course. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Russian Fighters Version 4 Acrylic Paint Set (02.112) Jim-Scale via Hobby Colours Jim Scale is a Russian-based brand of modelling supplies that concentrates heavily on painting and finishing, with a great many products aimed at the modeller of Russian Federation or Soviet subjects, but with a broad range that will suit almost any genre. Their location might cause concerns for some of our members at the moment, but these products have come to us via Hobby Colours from Greece, and might appeal to some of our members around the world, providing that supply doesn’t eventually become a problem. The range contains products that are water-based and alcohol-based, the water-based product codes beginning with 01., and with the colour or product number after the full-stop. This is good to know, as the packaging is written almost entirely in Russian, which isn’t a language many native English speakers are familiar with. Fortunately, our mobile (cell/handy) phones are becoming more competent with every generation, and translation from one language to another is the work of moments, simply aiming your phone’s camera at the text and tapping translate. This set provides three colours often seen on Russian fighter aircraft, particularly the Su-34, which is mentioned on the rear of the set, along with a profile and a few details about the aircraft. It arrives in a bubble package with a cardboard backing card, a clear vacformed front holding the paint bottles in place until you slide the card out from behind. Each bottle contains 18ml of paint, and is topped off with a dropper tip and yellow cap that screws onto the nozzle, preventing leakage. There is also a hefty shaker ball inside each bottle to assist with mixing the paint before use, and we are told that the paints can be sprayed or brushed just as easily. The 01. code tells us that this is a water-based acrylic, and there is little to no aroma from the bottles, unless you place the nozzle just under your nose. The three colours are as follows: 01.189 Light Blue (Su-34) 01.192 Light Blue 01.193 Green Blue (Su-34) As is usual with my tests, I used plastic spoons that had been prepared by a light roughening with a very fine sanding stick, and the bowl was sprayed with primer to prepare and harmonise the surface. Based upon the results of other tests that I have run with this system, the paint will adhere equally well directly to the spoon without primer, with no discernible difference between the finishes. I can also confirm that the paint brushes out well, reaching opacity in 2-3 thin coats using a flat brush to minimise brush-marks, which were negligible and could have been a result of my inexpert application, as I’m unused to painting large areas without an airbrush. Spraying was carried out by first laying down a medium coat now that I am more confident with the system, which was given a few seconds to gas off before adding another heavier layer, repeating extra layers as necessary to improve vibrancy. The paint went down very well with no spluttering, stoppages, or other issues, and as it dried the surface became very smooth with a slight sheen visible from some angles after initial drying had occurred. The patterning I had experienced previously during the mist-coat stages didn’t occur this time, as I had brushed the surface to remove dust with an anti-static brush by Tamiya, and was more aggressive with application. After several hours of drying, the paint had taken on a matt sheen that is pleasing to the eye, across all colours in the set. Two days after spraying paint on both primed and un-primed sides of the original tests, Tamiya tape was applied to all surfaces, burnished down firmly, and torn off 20 minutes later, with absolutely no caution whatsoever. This paint is as tough as old boots, and there wasn’t any lifting of the tape, regardless of priming or otherwise, so you can paint and mask to your heart’s delight and it won’t let you down if you prepare your model’s surfaces. Conclusion Now I have tested their primers and two paint sets, this system is really growing on me. It goes down well, doesn’t lift on removal of masking, the finish is excellent, and the sets aren’t expensive. I can live with the slightly longer curing time for the paint, as my modelling is sporadic anyway, and there is always something else to do in the meantime. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

You might have to change your "pickled Wings" blog to "Sober wings" then

So a girl farted, and they got mad with you? You should sue for Nostril anguish or something

It's already forgotten. No, really. I can't remember a damn thing about it!

Don't worry about it. It caused a wry smile at this end, so it's all good. You can go about your sensible thread now without me interfering

If I wanted to take photos, the Canon would be best, but for shooting down aircraft, I'd recommend guns every time

Looks good from what I'm seeing, but some closer pics would be better, as my old eyes can't make out the details. Crop the background out too, and it'll help focus down on the model