AnonymousAA72

It took me an awful long time to get used to using Acrylic's Jake. I'd been using enamels - Humbrol and then Xtracolor all of my modelling life - which was a long time!! I tried using Tamiya's on a model I was building for a SAMI article and had awful results - I stripped the whole lot off and repainted with enamels. It was only when Xtracrylic came along I tried again, and even then it took a long tine to get used to them. Even now I'm never 100% certain everything will go okay!!! I think the secret is to try to forget all that you know/knew about enamels!! Your airbrush will clog up quicker and you'll need to clean it out whilst spraying - if on a long painting session. Most people would suggest using avery milky mixture and spraying at 15 psii wih this "formula" I always find that the paint runs too much so I tend to use a thicker mix (i.e more paint than thinners at 75:25 even....), spray on a higher psi (20-25) with the nozzle as closed as possible. Other paints may vary!! Also a couple of tips my old (and sadly late) mate Peter O gave me, spray at an almost flat angle, so the spray extends further rather than in a single spot....and warm the paint up first (not in the microwave or anything daft like that but by placing the bottle in warm water for a short while!!! And YES!! experiment!! The advantages of Acrylic's over enamels are immense!! AND, judging by some of the noises in the industry, It seems that Enamels may well be on their way out within a very few years!! (or maybe its their way of selling their new brands of Acrylic....!!)

I just hope it is too!! The Nimrod is being tooled by Trumpeter, AFAIK the Canberra's are too...bring on the PR9!!!

She is a beauty!! As for the wheel well, PE, I seem to recall that on the real thing the "gridded" thing was a sheet slight flush of the inner skin - and as such looked quite battered.....I never go too mad on undercarriage bays - no-one sees 'em!!! Looking forward to the gloss black application tomorrow, and maybe a coat or two of Alclad tomorrow evening.......

Thats good to know Mike, as I think I can here the roar of twin Avons on a Silver LTF T5......

In nice shiny glossy black?? Luvverley!! Anyhow.....update time Rather than use the kit part, I used Milliput to blank off the blank canon panel Left side of model - now looking like a Lightning Detail added to undercarriage bays. I used P.E (Airwaves?) salvaged from an old build. Added detail from fuse wire, plastic card etc., Another view of the shiny nose ring Canopy has been added and masked off. I've added some plastic card framing + de-misting ducts Ready for Halfords Grey Primer- and then a nice coat of Gloss black!!!

Phantastique workmanship as ever Phil.....however (ain't there always a smartarsed "however"..) There were no F4K/FG1 "Twin-stickers", these were restricted to some FGR2's in the XTxxx range of serials, and it looks like you have the rear tub, thus equipped. ALSO the rear right hand consul was more or less non existant. The side wall was flush (the FGR2 did have a small consul). But..its your model... :whistling:

A bit of both I guess............. Certainly as I'll never build them all......

(And guess who's got a few "in stock"!!!) BUT Dave, the armament is fine for a Fighter - Sparrows & 'winders ( though the latter's of dubious accuracy on the FGR2 I think) and Vulcan...and how hard is it to snip off the links on the nose gear? In fact this is a better option for a 56 Sqn A/C rather than the SNEB pods in the "Sharks Teeth" issue.

Sadly Ant, I understand that Fujimi aren't producing the "tombs" anymore- I suspect those that "Model's For Sale" have are left over stock. BUT...someone, somewhere MUST have the tool's - be nice if someone could get a hold of them.....

Whats the kits number Phil? Early kits had the 2 fuselage auxilliary door's in the wrong place, closed lower speedbrake and dodgy Spey burner cans...whereas later kits had all of these recitified. AND well worth looking out for Quickboost MB Mk 7 seats too.........

I've two in the stash..a B2 that will be a T4 and a T17.....warts and all eh? Having built a few CA meat-boxes in the past I thought that the cranberries shouldn't be that difficult..looking at your pic's I'm not too sure ... What was Jules think abount with those half-arsed extended airbrakes in the wing!! Bring on the Airfix Cranberries....

... but you did take one (at a Scottish IPMS) didn't you? Or am I going totally doolally!!!

Where's the fun in that? What, No re-scribing, re-working, enlarging, reducing, scratchbuilding, learning new swearwords, losing scalel blades in thumb! A new 1/48th Harrier'd put Milliput out of business overnight!!!

Hmm...Let me have a long, hard think about this one................................ Yeah Okay!!! That said...and any jocularity to one side, many of the early GR1 schemes-certainly squadron markings, would be applicable to later GR3 and even GR5/7 schemes. AFAIK the only early hi-viz markings were worn by no 1 Sqn (plus one photo of a IVSqn A/C), but any other GR1 schemes - particulalry accurate 233 OCU markings would be more than welcome!! And how much space would 3 & 20 Sqn bars take up on a decal sheet!!

Ah!!! my ole favourite XV778 ..........RED "16"; Here she is as she would have looked (more-or-less) in June 1982....... (Photo credit to Mr D. Fleming!!! I think?)

Well...she's taking shape...... Intake trunking added, along with the cockpit tub. Dremel came to the rescue here as I had to remove acres of resin and plastic to get the tub to fit snugly on the trunking... fuselage halves nailed, and fin added... I'm using Aeroclub's white metal nose ring - added weight and I hope to polish it up - nice and shiny!! It is considerably larger than the kits plasticitem, so I've begun to remove excess metal....dremel again. There are a few pot marks in the metal - I may have to solder these holes... I've also added some lead sheet aft of the cockpit - don't want a tail sitter!!

Theres no reliable independently-verifiable evidence to suggest that this wasn't the case! I tend to believe the first hand reports of those that were there-having no reason to suspect them of telling me lies. And one mans "tat" is another man's "treat, and business is business..why would anyone withdraw an item that was selling, and selling well? Just because someone thinks its rubbish? You can imagine the scene at Margate now...."Bill Clark says that Airfix's Hunter FGA9 is rubbish, therefore despite it selling countless thousands of units over a thirty year period, we had better withdraw it". You forget too easily that "serious modellers" only represent a very small portion of the market and that Airfix's policy seems to be fairly clear on this - previously! We shall have to wait to see what the new Hornby regime brings in..

Me like the drilled riviets, trouble is ambition outweighs skill - I buggered them up!! :shithappens: Had myself a nasty bout of cellulitis in my left lower leg a few weeks ago. It Hurts!!!

A good choice! My second build - after the Lightning F3-will most likely be a Harrier GR1 of No 1 Sqn., a good bit of 1/48th GR3 bashing - BUT cautionary note Andy - The Harrier force in 1969-70 were in a high gloss finish with Red/White/Blue markings; The initial scheme had a No 1 Sqn badge above the fin flash, this was replaced by a white code letter......

Ta Mike - stopped taking the anti-biotic's at the weekend - due to some unpleasant side affects!! Don't Ask!! The leg is still sore , still red and shiny!! BUT I managed to get a pair of socks on today!! 1st time in nearly FOUR Weeks!!

Running parallel to Ian's F3 (though it ain't 28 degrees celsius here!!!), progrees of a sort..

I'd be surprised if it was shorter, why would they need to be? But we shall see.......

I'd be surprised if it varied that much from...."195.5", 53.25", 41.5" (T.7) 195.25", 53.5", 41.25" (T.8)". However as Edgar points out..they were "hand-built", so we shall see... I hope to get my hands on a GA11 one day soon........

Neil Robinson built one in MAM last year, just before Airfix went pear-shaped. The original idea was to issue the Mk I, the Mk IX and the Mk 24, as a 70th anniversary boxed set (anyon else remember?). Apparently the boxes are being filled with plastic as we speak, so release is imminent........

Well done Edgar, thats a very reassuring result!