Panos86

Thank you Wez for your response. I voted and wishing good luck for the GB. I would like to take part and if i do, i'll have to visit my workbench more often as i am having a couple of WIPs sitting for several months. Can't be sure about participating but thinking of a 1/48 Italeri Mirage 2000C, not much complicated kit, in dessert camouflage. Either way, i'm looking forward for the GB announcement and rules/deadlines.

This is an interesting GB, really tempting me to participate. Just a question, do i have to take part in order to vote?

Thank you James! Not much progress during last months, but managed to finish the exhausts. Or i believe so once haven't applied a primer. After completing the interior nozzles, i proceeded with the feathers for which i used evergreen styrene that i placed and tightly taped around a marker and then put it in hot water in order to get a cylindric form. I then cut the plastic sheet into smaller pieces and having previously scored a few lines of equal interval with a scriber before the water dipping, sanded to final shape. Added a bit more detail on the afterburner fans And finally, an overall dry fit. In the meanwhile, worked on the Martin Baker Mk16a seats. Don't have a before pic but the detail added can give a clue. Still to make cushion covers and seatbelts before painting. That's the progress to date, very little but hope short modelling periods may boost pace! Kind regards.

Thank you phildagreek. I had applied the old enamel Matt varnish, the one in the small square bottle, but not thinned and was sticky for a quite long time. I didn't have any bad experience with the new 28ml in the near past, once it's been stirred and diluted with Humbrol thinner. I have also tried the Vallejo acrylic matt varnish from the Model Colour range and can say i am satisfied, fair brush application and beautiful finish. Some progress on the exhaust nozzles. Scored a few lines on styrene sheet strips and glued them round the inner part of the rings. And started adding the inside nozzles, first 12 pieces (left) and the remaining 12 (right). Once the glue has dried, trimmed the top. Still have to add the exterior nozzles. I have also added some detail inside the kit part, evergreen plastic on which glued a strip of styrene and lengths of heated and stretched sprue. Thanks for watching. Kind regards.

Hello all, managed to get most of the work on the cockpit done, added some panels and screens from thin styrene sheet and using a photo of the Eduard PE as a reference for the lay out. If you are wondering about the styrene glued on the tub sides, there are some gaps indeed that made me spend a lot of time sanding and dry-fitting. Glued instrument panels in place along with the back cover and made throttle sticks, still have to add a few switches wherever possible. Assembled most of the intake parts; lot of work must be done here. The exhaust, provided with closed nozzles and plain interior. Thought of making an attempt scratching a pair of open nozzles, not sure about final result. A 1/72nd F-16 exhaust from the spares box seemed promising for the job and sliced a couple of rings where i am planning to add evergreen strips. Thanks for watching! Kind regards.

Thank you Darby. That bluish shade they got is also interesting, either way don't have any decals yet! Thank you Gary. I am not fully aware of accuracy issues but don't mind. Not sure if the kit depicts a prototype judging by the decals. However, i'll try to do my best and maybe there's some room for a single seater in the future!

Hello everyone! Second WIP along with my Mirage 2000, a delta wing as well but a reset. It is the Italeri ref. no 862 kit, built it almost 15 years ago and decided to start it over while reading the reference thread over Typhoon's here in Britmodeller. Haven't decided the scheme but thinking of a Royal Air Force grey Eurofighter. Here's the finished model, with several thick layers of enamel paint and varnishes! Top coat (Humbrol matte) looks bad. First step was dipping the entire model in bleach and water, let it close to an open window and after one day i was able to detach glued parts for which i used cyanoacrylate and PVA glue. I then sprayed an oven cleaner, placed painted parts in a sealed plastic bag and let them overnight. With an old toothbrush i started rubbing the model; had to repeat 3 times but still some paint couldn't be stripped off, especially the black colour. The process though, made easier fuselage and other parts to be seperated. Not all parts shown in pictures but lost a pilot's stick in the sink. Sanded and smoothed fuselage and wings parts with wet and various grids of sandpapers, 400 to 2000. On some spots had to scrub with a hobby knife or toothpick in order to entirely decolour pieces, yellow stains i guess is liquid poly!. Here are the cockpit parts.. will try to add some detail. I think the front IP seems a bit small. Thanks for watching! Kind regards

Thank you Johnny and Don!

Thank you for your kind words! The camo is free-hand painted. There will always be flaws regarding brushpainting but this is my way: I add around 30% or more thinner and make sure there's not much paint on the brush, i drain it on the side of the container (i find very useful those small milk portions) where i seperately pour and dilute a certain quantity i believe is enough. I then paint a layer of all pattern colours, starting from the brightest; they usually require 2 to 3 coats each depending the shade, using a small fine brush to paint colour limits and a bigger flat one for larger areas, without clumsy moves and towards one direction. After i get the proper coverage, i brush paint a coat of floor polish in order to protect the paintjob, make a last inspection and fill with a fine brush wherever is necessary. Hope it helped!

And that's why i am planning to build more of these, in other schemes e.g. desert, blue/grey e.t.c.!

Thanks Johnny! A modeller wishing for a such display would have the same question, maybe landing doors are not designed for a closed position.

Thank you Glenn! Many years ago i've visited a modelling shop in Cardiff and remember a shelf full of Revell kits, took a F-117 as a souvenir!

Thank you gentlemen! It's the three-tone "ghost" scheme similar to the aggressors.

Thank you glatisant! Totally agree, especially the Mirage 2000 is my favourite and thinking of building earlier series of French delta wings as well.

Thank you Periklis! I'm more than happy to read such a comment from a modeller like you. First reason is i didn't handle clear parts in the best way, i somehow managed to get them a bad look and that's why they're painted and secondly, haven't glued the cockpit tub as the back IP got damaged by my fault trying to modify its cover. Overall, a lot of detail gone due to sanding and made it this way as a last resort.