Phantome

I'm dying to build this kit but it seems way too pricey for a mid-sized jet. Costs as much as their much bigger F-14 which is puzzling. That said, you did a fabulous job. I'll echo a previous question and ask what paints did you use? The AK Real Colors ones suck and I'm thinking of getting MRP which look the spot in the bottle.

Love it, that Airfix kit is quite good for a quick build and you did it justice. What decal set did you use? I just did an admittedly very quick google search but couldn't find those markings.

They have absolutely not given up on 1/72, they have by far the biggest catalogue and turnover of new releases, both new molds and reboxes. If anything it's brand like Revell and Italeri which have given up.

Title says it all. A number of recent 1/72 reissues now include "Neo Track upgrades" which are basically a somewhat soft link-and-length tracks instead of their classic DS tracks. I just received a StuG 42 yesterday and was eager to see whether these were really upgrades to DS tracks and.... no. First of all, I loved DS tracks because they were so easy to make and fit. Link and length in 1/72 is a P.I.T.A. and I actually sold off a big chunk of my Revell collection for Dragon kits just because the DS tracks saved me a lot of time. However, it seems that Dragon is publicizing their Neo Tracks as something that they are not, in the pictures they seem to suggest that that you can fit them on a jig to replicate sag but this is impossible since the plastic, while softer than usual, just bounces back to its original shape. And there aren't enough individual track links to make a full upper row, there's only enough to fit around the idlers and sprockets. So what's even the point of the jig? Also do they not realize how tiny tracks in 1/72 scale can be? Things like their Magic Tracks or workable tracks by other brands make sense in 1/35 scale. But try this on the tracks of a Panzer III or Sherman in 1/72... just no. I don't care if they add these tracks as an "upgrade" but it's annoying that it looks like they will replace DS tracks altogether. I just sent them an e-mail complaining about this and imploring them to keep including DS tracks so hopefully I won't be the last one doing so.

You seem to be right for the newer ones, here's a pic of one and does look like the fuselage color. But I find it hard to believe older Tornado intakes were RAL 7012. That's a dark-ish color and intakes are frequently cleaned of dirt and debris which is why they are typically white/light grey. Can you confirm that this is the case with a photo?

When researching for my colors and camo pages, I was shocked at this, all the more considering that many of these F-4s were not in combat zones (i.e. Vietnam). This was the most egregious one and pretty insane that it was painted just like that: http://www.theworldwars.net/resources/file.php?r=camo_usaf

Light Aircraft Grey (BS 381C:627) is what you're looking for. Presumably should be the same for German Tornados although a similar color in the RAL range is RAL 7035 Lichtgrau.

It's tough to build realistic looking 1/72 kits because of their small size and because things like streaks and chipping often look oversized. This guy nailed it and used some very interesting weathering techniques. Definitely worth checking out and I'll probably be copying some of these techniques next time... https://modelpaintsol.com/builds/dragon-72-t-34-1944-7269#main

That's great but if I'm going to shell an extra $10-15 on photo-etch and other accessories I might as well pay the cost of the equivalent 1/35 kit which will likely already include some PE and have far superior existing detail.

That's literally what we do on this site: judge models on the basis of photos. Not sure how building one myself is going to magically reduce the size of the light guards.

I am near completion of my first 1/35 scale tank, a Border Leopard 2A6 which has been a fabulous experience. However, looking at the size of it I realize a) where would I have the space to put them all if I only worked in this scale and 2) at around 40-50 USD a pop they're quite an investment. I figured Tamiya has a pretty respectable collection of 1/48 kits and so I decided to check some of them out and... I was pretty disappointed. The detailing is surprisingly toy-like with hugely thick, overscaled pieces like handle bars and light guards. I think most Revell 1/72 kits from that era actually look more realistic. I figured it may be because the stock photos are amateurishly built or painted but no. I looked at some completed models from people who clearly know how to paint and weather their kits and they still look bad. Worse still is that most of these kits were built post-2000 by which time Tamiya was making some absolutely stunning kits many of which today remain the gold standard. Such a shame as I think 1/48 would be a much better "small" scale for armor than 1/72. Here's one example, the Tamiya M4 early version. Look at the size of those light guards! The MG is laughably poor, surface detail looks like something from the 1960s yet the kit is from 2004, just ughhh...

So looking forward to this kit. The Italeri became super hard to find and super expensive on eBay. The shots of this kit from the Nuremberg fair looked much better.

Love the mud effects! Especially in this scale. Great job.

Awesome build, and the color looks spot on. I've considered using the Eggplant purple/gray seen on many modern Russian aircraft as a close approximation of this color.

What on earth is your problem with yet another snarky remark? Give it a rest pal. Nobody is asking you to participate in this conversation if it is no use to you.

Ah in that case true. Also I should have noticed the '27' was white whereas in the Atlantic scheme it would be black. Well it can still be the standard tri-color scheme with very faded colors. For example, the intermediate blue looks very light but it is certainly not white when you contrast it with the white star and white '27'. What's still strange is that by the time that scheme was adopted most aircraft had switched to the roundel & bar national insignia and this one is still using the older roundel. All in all, it's a strange photo that doesn't seem to fully match camo and marking standards. That said, oddities like this are not non-existent and I wouldn't make too much out of it.

I think most of the more recent limited releases have included it. The Desert Storm and Farewell release have them. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/hasegawa-02256-f-117a-nighthawk-desert-storm--1093146

You don't have to take my word, take Der Führer's. This is far less contrast that many modelers take it to be and it's already accounting for some likely fading. More evidence: The contrast from the chips also shows very little contrast. A lot of German camo schemes in WW2 were very low contrast, like RAL 8000/7027 which were virtually indistinguishable in black and white. To say nothing of modern grays like FS 36320 / FS 36375

Because that looks like the Atlantic Scheme colors. Same demarcation style and topside color definitely looks like Dark Gull Gray.

I would go for Gunze Mr Hobby. Just note that the formulas have changed since 2020 and there's been a few differences (some good some not so good). Supposedly the new formulas now match Mr Color. RLM 02 - Decently accurate, new formula is slightly less beige but shouldn't bother most people. RLM 65 - Accurate (to the Merrick version) and no major formula change RLM 66 - Accurate and no major formula change RLM 70 - Accurate, new version is slightly lighter meaning there's less contrast with RLM 71 (in real life they were very close). Some modellers might prefer the old version as it made the camo stand out more, though. RLM 71 - Accurate and no major formula change RLM 74 - New version is a proper gray-green and more accurate. Older version was a grey. Less accurate vs the chips but still looked good. RLM 75 - New version is too dark IMHO. May be closer to the chip but I've seen preserved samples which were considerably lighter. RLM 76 - The old version had a grey/greenish tint whereas the new version is a brighter blue. Note that there are two interpretation/versions of this color, the old version is closer to the Ullman color the new version closer to the Merrick color RLM 78 - Accurate (to the Ullman version) and no major formula change RLM 79 - Accurate (to the Ullman version), also note there are two interpretations of this color RLM 80 - Accurate (haven't seen the new formula though) RLM 81 - Doesn't have the brownish tint that many people believe it to have, looks like a greenish olive drab. I personally do not like it. RLM 82 - No major formula change, on the lighter/brighter side of this color's interpretation. RLM 83 - Not a real fighter color, so inaccurate off the bat. Basically a forest green which might work as an RLM 82 replacement if you think the other is too bright, but there won't be much contrast with Gunze's RLM 81. Note that RLM 65, 76, and 78 have various interpretations and some manufacturers produce more than one version of them (AK Real for example). Some comparisons here: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/luftwaffe/colors.html All in all, I'd say only RLM 75 is suspect and not necessarily because it's inaccurate but because in practice RLM 74/75 showed more contrast than the chips would make you believe. The old RLM 75 was much better in this regard, and old formula RLM 74/75 just harmonized better IMHO.

Quite easy to mask given that it's straight, unlike a roundel.

You're absolutely right, got them confused.

A completely different color though, which only recently was "discovered" what it actually looked like (IIRC a maritime color). EDIT: Confusing this with RLM 83 which indeed turned out to be something completely different that what was believed for a long time.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, compares to their Bf 109G though, quite possibly the worst kit made by a major manufacturer in the 21st century 🙃

Saw your build thread and I must say, that's some incredible patience to work on all those panel lines to make them look good, I've been tempted to do the same on the Airfix GR7 or that fabric detail on the Hasegawa Hurricane. Definitely ends up looking like a more recent Airfix kit. I'm a bit puzzled over your choice of Vallejo colors though, especially since they offer RAF Dark Earth and Dark Green equivalents which are relatively accurate. The color you used for Dark Earth looks way too light if you don't mind me saying...