AdrianMF

And finished: Fairly happy with it, propeller needed more finesse and less contrast, and maybe I will give Chechoslovakian inter-war biplanes a bit of a rest for now. Anyhow, more pictures in RFI. Thanks for looking, Adrian

Here is my KP Avia B.21, more or less OOB, with seatbelts and rigging. I painted the insignia instead of using the decals, which were a bit out of register. Anyway, here it is: ...and just one grumpy ex-Dapol railwayman crew member this time. This is completion number five this year, so I'm off to a cracking start.For more details about the kit and the build, here's the WIP. Thanks for looking in, Adrian

And rigged: Using EZLine ( black, fine). Unusually, the landing wires go to the fuselage shoulders rather than the top of the cabane struts. Regards, Adrian

The plane looks a bit less pristine now, ready for varnish, and the prop has had a dose of laminated wood effect: I will add a dark grey band where the propeller is marked on each blade. (Forgot to save the edit) and here it is, with a coat of gloss too: Bizarrely the item on the left suddenly appeared at the edge of the clear zone on the workbench/office: This is the propeller shaft bearing that I thought was missing a fortnight ago when I first opened the kit! I have since fettled the replacement on the right, so it's going in the Useful Spares Box. The perils of reading instructions: for the early version that I am doing, the instructions tell me that the cockpit is grey. Not wood with silver seat then. Oh, well ...

Decals! Left side: Right side: Doesn't wanna know. Right side #2: Freehanded with Revell white and a touch of Hu 94 to match the off-white of the decal. Close enough - I want this done!

Finally, some bench time! I had unfinished business with the insignia; I added a "waffer-thin" extra stripe of red over the white on the insignia above the wings after trimming off the slight ridge at the edge where it had been masked. Then I could paint the blue bits: The red and blue are a bit darker than the colours provided by KP but I'm ignorant enough to get away with it.

Your PC 10 is certainly in the feasible zone Ced. I've never seen two the same so I reckon you're safe! Regards, Adrian

That's coming along a treat. You have nailed the wood effect. Very nice! Regards, Adrian

Big catch up just had. Smashing stuff Bill: nice Lynx and a lovely rotor head. Looking at the croman jobbie I would have thought Big Yellow Taxi was a more appropriate Joni song. And I was thinking Morgantown not Chelsea too so I was all at sea anyway. FWIW I have had no success with plunging or vaccing clear polystyrene sheet but I hope it works for you! Regards, Adrian

Thanks CC! I'm having a bit of an inter-war biplane start to the year. I'm on number three now, with a couple more lined up. No, I don't know why either. 🤷‍♂️ Seemed like a good idea at the time... Regards, Adrian

Some smashing Whifs there Steve! Regards, Adrian

I just can't resist a high tech bargain: Delivered for well under a tenner all in from the 'bay. A Latvian manufacturer from the 1990s. Set aside for the lesser known manufacturer GB later this year, if I can resist it that long! Regards, Adrian

Oi! Pegasus kits are all right. ..well, the later ones anyway. I've built early (bagged with green header cards) Pegasus kits of the Albacore and Miles Master I, which were definitely all kinds of "interesting" but turned out (after a lot of wrestling) as nice representations of the real thing. The later ones in the white boxes are pretty nice short run kits with crisp detail. I built the VG.33 recently and thought it was a really enjoyable build. My latest purchase arrived at my front door less than an hour ago: Originally released in 1992 according to Scalemates, rebagged later in the 1990s. Well under a tenner, including postage. The plastic looks pretty nice, like old KP kits, so the scariest thing so far is the packaging! Oh, and the decals... Regards, Adrian

Smashing Spitfire and I'm looking forward to your diorama! I have to echo the thoughts on the 3djson figures . I only have one set but they are fabulous! Regards, Adrian

Thanks Stuart - I would say "a bit thicker than milk", thinned with water (London hard water tap, nothing fancy). The aim is to get it smooth enough to settle in an even coat while being as opaque as possible. I do mix a bit of either Future-alike or flow enhancer into silver or aluminium, and if I'm doing a wash for cockpit or wheel wells I will add either medium or matt varnish to avoid over-diluting. Most things (i.e. not white, yellow or red) cover in 2-3 coats. Revell paints take an extraordinary amount of thinning, as they are often barely liquid in the pot; I don't mind as it means the paint goes further! I am at the stage where I've used acrylics for about ten years, and I need to have a refresh - some pots are running on empty, and others (mainly Humbrol) have become exceptionally gritty or gelatinous over the years. I also need to chuck away the colours that I liked as enamels but haven't gotten on with in acrylic form. I am still amazed how fast acrylics dry. I painted the four colours and the masked areas in a single late afternoon/evening session on Sunday. I think the fast drying time (and the consequent inadvisability of reworking colour once you have got it down) was the hardest thing to come to grips with in switching over, but it can be a blessing. Thanks Chris. It will be once I've evened up the red and white stripes on the upper starboard wing. The white is less than half a mm wider than the red, but once you see it, you can't go back. I also need to give it a bit of dry-brushing to break up the colours a bit. That's so much easier with a single colour finish! Regards, Adrian