Davetur

Incredibly realistic. You managed to do right the two most difficult things for helicopters: a natural curvature of the blades under their own weight (Mil helicopters' blades are by nature not stiff at all) and seamless blending of the cockpit windscreen and windows into the structure. Congratulations Davide

Hi SouthViper, the Tornado engines are older technology, so no fancy materials... just metal burnt by the hot gases. This was taken just a few months ago at an Italian AF open day. Not the best shot, but you can see that the petals are just simple pieces of solid metal, no ceramic coating Cheers Davide

Hi GeejeeZ, nice reference, however the AW149 is not a derivative of the AW139, and although very similar in general appearance, it is brand new design, longer, wider and heavier. The easiest points to look at to distinguish the two are the cabin windows (4 insted of 3 each side), the main landing gear fairings, and the engine intakes. The civil equivalent of the AW149 is the AW189. AW139: https://www.airliners.net/photo/CHC-Helicopters-Netherlands/AgustaWestland-Agusta-Bell-AB-139/1820693/L?qsp=eJwtjcEKwjAQRP9lzr3UgpDc6g/owR9YksUWaxM2KzWU/rtr8DbMe8zsCGlV/ui9ZoZHYZIwoUMmoVeB3014ryoV/uRchyfXLUk0Atr6wZlakujFOCIpjyFwVo7//iqR5Ye4hLb6sJfeAsutZQxn6%2BNc8kJtg5XmBcfxBZXTMnI%3D AW189 https://www.airliners.net/photo/Netherlands-Kustwacht/AgustaWestland-AW189/7398431/L?qsp=eJwtjDsKw0AMBe%2BiOk2%2BBnfJBZIiFxDah72wsRdJRYzx3SMv6YYZ3ltJ5snx9fdSQT0ZWGWkA1VW/hj1K3HWkqc9dt3pco1ms/pjCZHYcRdBdaS/f2qC7gkm7WaI5TEA%2BmpM51v4lK0Wbh9wzoW27QeI2S0Q Davide

The B-47... one of my first kits when I was a kid was a "box scale" Revell B-47. So I've always been fascinated by it. Excellent work!!! Davide

Very realistic MiG-29! It can be easily mistaken for one in 1/48 or 1/32!!! And I'm sure that if shot in natural sunlight against a natural background, it will be hard to distinguish it from the real plane! Cheers Davide

Amazing!!! Just putting those decals on (if they are decals as I suppose) must have been quite a job!!! 👏🙌👏🙌 Davide

Nothing to say, other than what all the others have said already!!! 🙌🙌🙌 Cheers Davide

Amazing result, very good job Matthias!!! Cheers Davide

Outstanding job, Brian!!! Davide

Amazing... 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗 How many Luftwaffe models have you completed since the eighties, Giampiero? I guess hundreds/thousands, if you have kept the same rate as today! Non ho parole Davide

Well, judging from the final result, it looks like you haven't had any trouble at all! The weathering is very convincing, and the model could be easily mistaken for one in 1/48 or 1/32. Cheers Davide

Wonderful build and paintjob! Very inspirational. Cheers Davide

Exactly my same opinion... very balanced and convincing! Excellent Davide

Incredibile!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

You've obviously studied a lot of Blackbird photos tu understand the variations of the surface sheen between the panels: but being able to replicate them is a real accomplishment. A work of art on my favourite aircraft of all times. Amazing! Davide

Hi Brian, very nice build going on... One thing I would suggest is to correct the curvature of the front fuselage chin, Italeri's is too sharp between the nose radome and the area behind/below the floatation bag fairings. To explain, this is what I did on my Cormorant ages ago, the picture is not very good but I hope you appreciate the difference between the left (untreated), and right (smoothed and rounded with sanding sticks): When I did this, I filled the inside with Milliput, just in case I would eat throught the plastic, but that didn't happen. I think it's the only area where Italeri missed the shape of the model. Other areas are a bit heavy on the riveting and details (the side steps in the above picture, as an example), nothing that cannot be solved by some careful sanding. But the shapes are generally very good. I cannot remember having so many fit problems, maybe the molds have degraded over time. The only documented intervention with a shim was this on the windscreen joint: In the end I was happy with my final result, apart from the colour of the blades which I wrongly painted gray instead of dark green: Cheers Davide

Impeccabile come sempre. 🙂

Wonderful Pig!!! It reminds me of when I was frequently driving from London to Yeovil and back, and every now and then I was overflown by an F-111 at low altitude... though they came from Upper Heyford, I think. I love the colour scheme, I think it's spot on! Cheers Davide

Incredible model! I don't know if I am more amazed by the fact that the model is brush painted, or by discovering that the author is the same that was already a super-expert of Luftwaffe in 1980!!! I still have a copy of the first issue of the magazine Aerei Modellismo, which sported Giampiero's 15-page article on the Me 262!!! All the best, Giampiero.

I'll be watching this build with a lot of interest, Tom, as I did with the DC-8 build... I have given the 727 as a present to a cousin of mine, who is really anal about the lines of the 727 in general, and of the nose in particular. But I'm the one who will have to build it, so I will take note of every trick you invent to make it work. Next time I'll see him I'll check the kit to see if it's warped too. Given the fame of Mach 2, I wouldn't be surprised if the flaw is present there too... Cheers Davide

Yes, I was caught by the Lightning bug a few years ago, and this is the result... A Trio of Lightnings All the best Davide PS: what kind of stuff do you play on guitar 🎸???

Hi Giorgio, excellent progress! Just one small suggestion, if I may, before you attach wings. Since the Sword wings have so little surface to stick to, when I did my T. Mk.5, I inserted two metal rods made from paper clip on one wing and drilled corresponding holes in the other. This allowed me to adjust the dihedral before gluing the wings to the final position, since the paper clip metal can be bent easily. Cheers from Davide

Weathering aside, the natural metal is extremely good! Cold-war Russian aircraft NMF is not easy at all, because it's generally not too shiny but not even too dull, and you have got the right balance. Davide

Really Amazing. It reminds me of when I was a young student (circa 1981) and visited the Cameri Air Force Base with the school. A 104 was there in the hangar, semi disassembled, and it had a big dent into the leading edge. The pilot had been flying, well, a bit too low... and hit some trees! Bel lavoro! Are you going to bring it to the modeling contest in Volandia next 16-17 June? Link Davide

Absolutely outstanding. I have always liked the Bulgarian camo colors, and yours are spot on. Congratulations! Davide