Dave A

*sob*... [Looks at hands, wonders why they are so clumsy...] Really, sensational work, as usual.

Some of us would probably have just turned the drillbit by hand... But well done on the fearless option!

Very nice clean build.

Now that IS bonkers...

If you can do that with a brush, you'll amaze yourself with an airbrush - I did!

Righto, it's finished, won't put it in RFI as I've only got some pretty poor iPhone snaps, but for the record I think it turned out OK:

Superb end result, well worth the pain, I'd say.

A couple of quick snaps, post-decals, pre-weathering...

Awww, you guys! I did the white as very pale grey to get coverage, and a final light coat of pure white to bring it up a bit. The black is actually 'deep cockpit grey' from Lifecolor. This morning I've masked off the 'swerve' and stippled it in lightly with a dry-ish brush - looks both straight and 'hand-finished' now!

Thanks! It's more of a swerve, can't imagine it getting past a sergeant's eye!!

I'm not much of a WIP-er, but I've just got the masking-tape off my first attempt at these, and nobody else at home cares.... Italeri Typhoon, 1/48: Bit wobbly on the starboard fuselage, might tidy that up in the morning... But, generally, chuffed! The masking-tape in question: And the companions waiting for their centrepiece to be finished (she is, obviously, also waiting for him to shut up about that 109 she's heard about 20 times before....)

Brilliant! Breathtaking!!

Just unboxing this kit, noticed the instructions call for a sort of 'faired-in' set of exhausts to be used. Box art and everything I can find online suggests a simple row of individual pipes [which are also included in the kit]. Are the instructions wrong? Cheers!

Well done, and welcome!

Looking very fine indeed!

Hey, he asked!

That is a sweet job! I would think about just a little filter, the panel-lines are a bit over-emphasised at the moment, but that might depend on how you're intending to do the weathering stages?

If you're stuck trying to make a plastic lump look like a light, then silver + clear colour is probably the simplest. If you're daring, you can cut/sand the lump off & replace it with an artfully-shaped blob of PVA glue, which can be coated with clear colour once it's dried... That method is pretty effective, but does take a dab hand at glue-dabbing...

Thanks for all the kind words.

OOB build, cursing all the way the lack of clear mounting-points or positive attachments for almost anything... I am proud to say that there is not a drop of unmixed black anywhere on this 'black' nightfighter. The weathering takes inspiration from the box-art, combining the fading of tropical sun and the grime of tropical rain... This is also a bit of a tribute to my Dad, Robert, who passed away after a short illness last week. He got me into Airfix and Matchbox kits when I was a kid, giving me a hobby to return to in middle age. All the other things he did for me I won't trouble you with, but he was a great Dad, and I hope I'm doing as well as he did... Anyway, the plane: Thanks for looking!

Just for the record, the "Flying Saucer" term comes from press reporting of this 1947 sighting... clearly *cough* captured German equipment on long-range test-flight from Groom Lake...

Nice job. A purist might say it's far too clean for such an oil-spewing monster, but I do admire the moral fortitude of a modeller who can see all those pylons and not want to hang the kitchen sink off them!

That's a great battered-looking plane.

Was having a look at this & wondering about buying it, but as far as I can tell from the preview pics, every sentence in it ought to be preceded by "If you're an artistic genius, you can..." Not so much Modelling Tips, as Look on My Works, Ye Not-So-Mighty, and Despair...

Lovely, really well done. Enjoyed the WIP too.