TallBlondJohn

Great stuff. its fun to use 1/700 to build your own navy - i.e. you have to build a balanced fleet. Each model presents a unit (battleships/carriers) a cruiser squadron or a destroyer flotilla. If you use PE then it doubles the number of ships in the class. So if you want to add to your battle line, you have to get a flotilla of destroyers and a cruiser or two to balance it out. Right now I'm short of ASW...

Looking at my playing card RNAS camel, the top wing looks very bowed down from the front but bowed up from the side - as Paul says its an optical thing. I used the Revell wings and tail (which are nice and thin) with the Academy fuselage which has more detail. The Roden 1/72 is much better but harder work, you really need a jig.

Totally agree with all of this. RFC/RNAS is usually simple to paint but tough to rig, while German are more complex to paint but usually easier to build. The Roland CII Walfisch is a great place to start, you can go to town with interior detail and fish-scale paint jobs, or just not bother. The 1/72 Airfix is a great little kit for practice. The key secret with biplanes is to build and paint the fuselage, tail and lower wing, then add the top wing and complete the rigging. Then fill, sand, paint and decal the top surface.

Nice job. As a kid I always admired the box art (Roy Cross of course) but never got one. It just wasn't 'cool' - she didn't have anything to play with. Which is probably sadly why Airfix did no more WWI - it wasn't a big seller. I notice he has most of the errors you list but not the notorious flared 13.5" gun barrels.

Superb. How did you paint the linen affect? Is it Tamiya smoke?

1-3 were abandoned early in construction, and IV was pinched by Commander Sinclair for the first Shadow War... Superb work on a tough kit. Almost worth the terrible crime of glueing lego.

If you haven't done the propellers then correcting one can be done, just use a very sharp scalpel to cut the blades off and glue them back on turned around. I've done it in 1/600, though my props were plastic not resin which made adjustments easier.

Airfix Saturn 1B in the stash - my record with GB's is poor due to very slow build pace but it should be simple - right?

Well that's easy - build the Vulcan, coz its Airfix, RAF camo, and a Vulcan. But I've voted Viggen its in splinter. Baby V-bomber.

Hmmm. I suspect G45 is correct. This photo looks rather over-exposed in bright sunshine and there is still a contrast between the ensign, the sailor's cap (white, obviously) and the conning tower (not quite white...). Add in scale effect and I think a conventional white will look wrong.

All Eagles should have this scheme. When I take power, its on the list.

Hmmm - I use future, which the manufacturer says "doesn't yellow" but that doesn't mean its UV resistant

No I'm not starting the pre-shaded debate again. I've moved a display case into a bay window - but is it safe to put models in it? I don't think they will deform in strong sunlight - I'm in Scotland - but will the paint fade over a period of years? Most of them are Humbrol painted, but there are a few Xtracyclics and Tamiya Thanks

Nice build. I remember when this kit was state of the art - separate guns and gunshield!

Build, weathering and photography all look excellent to me. IMO most people over-weather wartime aircraft, they usually didn't last long enough to look tired. Just one thing - are the serials meant to look like that or are they out of register?