Steve Coombs

Looking good! Microsol and Microset are most practical. I recently converted two colleagues to appreciating their values.

Welcome to the forums. SW Germany looks interesting, particularly because I live and work in the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis.

Excellent work here; this kit is fighting you all the way but you are winning.

This is going to be magnificent! I wonder if the lighting at the Science Museum is deliberately poor so it doesn't fade the paint on the exhibits?

Please be careful with the fit of the cockpit assembly inside the fuselage halves. If the rear bulkhead rides too high, it fouls the fit of the wings and the tops of the air intakes.

Hi Enzo, I see you use Lifecolor paints. They're acrylics, right? If so, it might be a good idea to hold off painting the rest of the kit until the Looks Like Glass has stopped smelling/outgassing. If it really does contain ammonia, acrylic paints will react badly with it (which is why good old-fashioned Windolene was such a good paint stripper until the formula changed).

Schöne Grüsse aus dem Rhein-Neckar-Kreis!

It's putting up a fight, but you're winning. Show it who's master!

My Me 410 arrived the other day. I'll have a good lurk on this thread and see if I can pick up a few tips before I tackle it.

Hi Brad, looking good there. It's a bit late now, but Airfix A02067 would have given you the same kit with a two-bladed prop as an option. I have a spare sprue with the prop and a few other bits if you want it. P.M if interested.

Sweet!

Has the starboard ejection seat fouled on the joystick, which is lifting it at the front? And it looks like the starboard console is causing trouble too, causing one of the lap straps to lift.

Looking quite the business there. Perhaps the varnish is reacting to humidity?

The boy done good (with apologies to Mick Channon) Very well done!

You probably could pose the elevators by cutting/sawing along the diagonal and scoring along the hinge line so you can bend them to where you want them.

I wondered if Peddinghaus would do this but sadly, no.

Please be careful with the wingtip lights when the time comes. I don't know if I'm particularly ham-fisted, but I would have much preferred transparent wingtips here.

The new Eduard Bf-109 Fs and Gs are lovely little things. Wunderschöne neue Maschinen/magnificent new planes, indeed.

So far, so good! On every Tornado I've built so far, I've painted and decalled the wings before installing them because I never fancied doing the wing-sweep area (Teflon?) afterwards.

Xtradecal X72286. Hannants has it in stock.

Oh, all credit to Airfix, not just for developing and producing the kit stealthily, but getting it to hobby shops already. One of my online plastic pushers has the kit, and I have just placed my order. The thing I should point out is that this is in good old Germany, where it frequently takes several months for new Airfix stuff to come through. Happy bunny here.

Your black/grey mixture is RAF Night Black. Humbrol 33 is Black, Humbrol 85 is Coal Black (Note it is a satin finish). I am now thinking about Spinal Tap... The green/grey mix is Cockpit Green. Humbrol 78. Steel and rust will have to be mixed to your liking. Humbrol 191 is Chrome, which is rather shiny. You might want to use Humbrol 56 Aluminium instead. The dark green/olive brown is Medium or Mid Bronze Green, which ISN'T Humbrol 75. Not a Humbrol colour, but Tamiya XF-11 is supposed to be close. I expect the real colour experts will chip in where I have erred.

Watching with interest here. I grew up in the Medway Towns, so know well of Short Brother activities in Rochester. I really ought to build a Stirling!

That nozzle with the drooped petals really looks good, and makes a visible difference to the model. Your attention to detail is impeccable.

This gives you the unalloyed pleasure of knowing the hump fits and you can shape it to suit.