Cheezburger

Although when buying something like that from Germany one has to take into account the risk of not getting it when you will need it. Since weapons exports are such a touchy subject in Germany not even allies can be sure to have contracts fulfilled (latest example is the travesty between H&K and the US contractor for an advanced grenade rifle - someone found some 1860's treaty that US didn't sign about not shooting grenades "at" people). So with the general situation of the UK planning to leave the EU and Germany being sad about it - well, I wouldn't sign a contract like that.

Interesting vehicle. Had the chance of seeing it back in the day when it came out. Surprisingly small inside though.

I think you did especially well on the tires. Pretty impressive in that scale. Don't worry so much about the camo. Usually the surfaces are in such bad shape (and even patched up over and over again) that they pretty much look like your model in real life too.

Just to make the thing complete, here is the plane.

Thanks jean! Well, yes, the wheels are "melted" into place. Was not that easy since the soviet PS got very sticky in the process. If I would build another one I'd even attach the wings in folded in position, as I think this is easier than filling and sanding the big step that is there.

Being currently struck by the flu I have some at home time that can be used for finishing some projects. Something I wanted to build for a long time was the Blackburn Skua (which sounds like Stuka but doesn't guarantee it!) I got hold of the old bagged Novo kit. Unfortunately the decals broke apart once immersed in water, so the spares box had to come to help. Lack of any instructions was not so problematic as there were only few parts to begin with. Fit of the outer wings was a bit iffy. Otherwise a basic model that leaves off some unimportant parts - like bombs. Why Frog did that is beyond me I have to say. I especially like the shape of the canopy and the tail section which I think makes this type outstanding in its design. Displayed with the original card ("Made in USSR").

That's nice to see something brush painted! I am just sitting at a Revell Hien Tony and brushed on the camo pattern. Good looking 262. And great job on that tricky canopy!

Nice one! I also just built this kit and have it ready for painting on the bench! Those small HobbyBoss kits really just fall together in no time. And your choice of decals is really cool!

Finally I can declare another built finished. I bought this kit second hand at a local show thinking I'd get the Frog molding. Turned out to be something a bit different, a kit by Monogram. It's not all bad. I messed up the canopy (right before the finish line) by spilling some extra thin on the inside after I removed the masking and then wanted to glue on the antenne. This is a 1990's boxing of this kit and it features some pretty attractive nose art (a bomb-pooping devil with a revolver). That's some decent 6-year-old humour and my kids loved it. Paints are Revell and Vallejo.

Thanks a lot Greg! I'll definitely have to try that out myself!

Nice and clean built. Perfect for an executive desk! :-) How'd you do that magnetic stand? Mind posting a detail picure of your solution?

Interesting to hear! Well, I started the kit already now. Mainly to get some distraction. I was about to put the decals on my 1/32 Ju 87 A today. Not only did the mark setter dissolve the paint a bit. The Trumpy decals I wanted to put on just curled and wrinkled together with no way to disentagle them. I have no idea what to do now.

I dug up another classic kit recently. It is the first molding Airfix had created of the Ju 87. The kit was in production until 1976 I think. As I was looking online to do some research I found almost no proper images of the kit and its contents. So I thozght before I get some glue and paint on this badboy, I take some pictures for posterity. I hope that's interesting for you guys, either if you are a classic kit fan like me and enjoy having a look or you are not and need some affirmation in your decision to not spend money on this kit. As soon as it is built, more pics will follow. I used Revell's H-149 kit for some comparison shots. Especially the canopy and the wings are substantially smaller than Revell's offering.

Great! I'd really like to find me a Matchbox B-17. They are quite rare to find. And if they are pricey!

Beautiful result. Very neatly built and painted to factory standards! Especially impressive since yellow is not a very easy colour to paint.

Thanks! The 6W+KK comes from the sheet of my recently finished Revell Ar 196! Lower wing crosses are Revell Ju 88 (old kit), upper wing crosses are from the Revell/Italeri Hs 123.

Probably. Since the first 1/72 planes by Frog were intended to school people in aircraft identification. The decals would fall off the models, leaving the British unable to identify the type as a German plane. During an airborne invasion of the islands this would lead to longer identification time, giving the Luftwaffe a tactical advantage when landing in England. Talk about planning ahead!

Thank you! I'll keep 'em coming. Still have a little He 177 by Airfix in my stash.

When I first got the kit I did a little online research for camo schemes for the Ju 52 to get some inspiration (first I wanted to do something more complicated, like Spanish Civil War). I was not able to verify the solid dark green overall finish combined with the markings provided in the kit as an actual plane. I suppose it should be the standard 70/71 pattern. Going by other older Airfix kits and their decals (like Ju 88 or the Ju 87) I think the combination of livery and markings are bogus/fictional (a Ju 52 1Z+LK did it exist). Would be interesting to see though I someone could prove this wrong.

Thanks! I did some research and it seems there are only three Ju 52 kits in 1/72. The Italeri, the Airfix and the Heller. The Heller is its own thing and seemingly the most accurate of them.

Thanks for the kind words! A true classic it is. Interesting about it was also the fact that it still had most of the instructions written in prose rather than diagrams. So it also came with a German translation of the instructions. What's kind of cool about that is that this names the individual parts by their proper designation (and function) so provides a more in depth understanding of the whole affair. E. g. the little "Y" shaped stick on the lower right front of the fuselage is the "Anstellwinkelgeber" - go figure! Also interesting: the historical description in English starts off with attributes like"slow, ungainly and obsolescent" while the (more in depth) German history boasts about the international success of this plane and its legendary ruggedness, reliability good flying characteristics.

For your consideration the old Airfix Ju 52 in an early 1970's boxing. Built OOB in the recommended, ahistoric livery. My original plan was to use the original decals as well, but there was no way they could be made to snug to the textured surface of the plane. With a fair amount of softener they finally curled up and fell off. So decals from the spares box it was. Only the little Berlin bear badge could be used as it was placed on a flat surface. I originally had two kits of this Ju 52 and wanted to build the floatplane option too. But after finishing this one and finding the fit and appearance only so-so, I decided to sell the other kit. Counting the one Italeri Ju 52 I built as a kid in the early 90's, this was only my second Ju 52. Probably my last as well, since I never found that Wellblech-look so great. Maybe I get a Mach 2 Ju 352 in the future. Here the finished plane with it's original box (retail price at the time 9,50 Deutschmarks!)

Thanks! Actually the first time I built a plane all-black. It's definitely easy! Maybe I should get an F-117

Very nice build. Looks like a flying proboscis monkey. I'll have to try out a Modelsvit kit at some point.

Still something that had had to be finished but started in 2016. The kit came together well and I find it pretty detailed cosidering it entered production in 1979 IIRC. Colours are Vallejo model Air and some Revell Aqua Color for details. Fit of the clear parts was a bit problematic, especially the fit of the windshield to fuselage and to the first component of the canopy. Everything else went together well. Have a look.