Howlindawg

I haven't added to the stash in ages but this was a Birthday gift from my brother.

Is that the 150 Express? It's a very nice restoration.

I'm going cross-eyed just thinking about undertaking that build in 1/144th! 🤪

I accumulated 20 or so WNW kits over the years. I must admit, given the prices they fetch, I'm very tempted to liquidate some of them. 🤑

So I'm all caught up and looking forward to some paint, perhaps even some custard. A great job (as always) John.

I haven't posted here in a while simply because I had to take a firm grasp of my previously, rapidly expanding stash! 😊 However, I just couldn't resist these goodies from Aviattic. So I guess that's two 1/32 DR1s planned for the winter period... and neither will be red!

And a rather striking yellow one.

Well it was a good plan... The Chinese purchase didn't materialise because the vendor couldn't arrange air freight to Ireland. The local shop has been shut down under COVID so no joy there. So it fell to the ever reliable @Duncan B to hook me up with a kit. Thanks Duncan, looking forward to this one, I just need to pick a scheme.

That's good news. I have one ordered from my local shop and another flying pigeon class from China. It looks like the official import will get here first.

That's just a lovely, lovely build. Great choice of scheme, fantastic paint and well done to Meng for getting the kits out and into punters hands. Well done Guy, it's a credit to you... as usual!

Are you sure? Did it say "Scrumpy" on the bottle?

Well, a pie floater is traditional Aussie street food. Basically a quality pie of your choice served upside down and submerged in pea soup. Absolutely delicious with a dash of Worchester sauce. There was a place called Harry's in Darling Harbour in Sydney that did a great version. Dammit, now I'm drooling on my keyboard!

You forgot the Pie Floater!

That particular IP is long since redone with Micro Kristal Klear. At the time I did wonder whether it could have had something to do with the depth of CA used. Would thinner layers be less prone to frosting perhaps. 🤔

I used CA blobs many times to replicate gauge glass on IPs. No issues with frosting until I used the same technique on the IP of my WNW camel and it was an unmitigated disaster. I have no idea why if fogged so badly on that occasion but I haven't retried the technique since. I don't think it was due to CA brand as I tend to only use Roket. Maybe I'll retry on something 'not too precious' and use accelerator this time but perhaps not a WNW.

I like your Italieri version, will keep my eyes open for one. The Revell looks like a Sci-Fi interpretation by comparison; Flash Gordon's Gripen!

After trying a few options over the years I've settled on Revell Contacta Clear recently. It holds firmly and fills small imperfections without leaving a mess. Nice retrobikes BTW!

All subtly different it seems. -1 had white flashes on the tail with the blue and yellow stripes all around -2 was all grey with the blue and yellow stripes all around -3 and -4 had black nose cones/ radomes. Flown by the same test pilot as the first crash apparently. One thing is abundantly clear, while this early Revell moulding is certainly Gripen shaped it's not an accurate model. What's with all the ninja turtle panel lines that simply aren't there on the real thing? I don't think it's worth correcting but will still make for a nice model in a striking livery.

Thanks Björn, that's good to know. That landing probably explains why there are so few images of it online.

Fuselage is apart without any mishaps, shattered plastic or lacerated fingers! 🕺 I'll be able to clean up the office and repaint it in more appropriate colours. I was worried the blast tube would be damaged but with care it came away and can be cleaned up for painting. The silver finish is actually nicely applied but of course it's the wrong colour, so that's got to go too. Does anyone have any information on the livery depicted in the boxart? I initially thought it might be an early promotional livery from SAAB but I can't find any evidence that it's anything other than a Revell fantasy. Edit: Well what d'ya know. Found an image on SAABs archives. It's the first flight livery from 1988!

I've a few odds and sods kicking around my workbench and I've decided that they're to be tidied up before I move on to any more substantial builds. So I'll be clearing the decks so to speak before choosing the next project. First up was this overdue repair. My wife managed to knock this wee Spad from the display shelf and it nosedived badly. I've been putting off the repair as getting the wings on properly in the first place was an utter chore. Damage was the undercarriage, prop, multiple struts, tailplane and rigging. Brass rod, some careful drilling, and lots of tentative unravelling of twisted rigging and struts got it back together and ready for some touchup paint. I also added some grass mat to the display case base which I think has potential on future displays. The next quick win was to finish up a Father & Daughter build that the little one lost interest in. All that was outstanding was the decals so we polished that off today too. It took a little longer than normal with a 7 year old trying to tease the decals into place. Now to the main event, a Revell SAAB Gripen in 1/72. The boxing dates from 1989 so viability of the decals is an unknown. I picked this up second hand and already started from a IPMS stall a while back. The work already done isn't great so it'll need a tidy up before a quick OOTB build. Normally I build jets unarmed and in flight but this one is going to be wheels down and ready for action.

An impressive and inspirational build Brad. I'll be keeping my eyes open for one of these kits myself.

At my current build rate my stash of WnW will see me into my grave and the remnant will make for a nice heirloom for my daughter. As long as I have the intention and capability of building them they won't be sold off. I'm not convinced that WnW will reappear so even the current silly prices don't make me inclined to sell them off.

I really must try a CSM kit someday, especially now that Duncan is bringing them in. Need to deplete the stash a little first though!

It probably varies per aircraft. Some seem to be blue to match the fuselage and some seem to remain the original Dark Green strie finish.