rafalbert

As expected, stencil decals disintigrated so I bought an Eduard set to replace them. The larger kit decals also fell apart somewhat but I managed to use them with some care (my jigsaw skills are now awesome!). Anyway, she is now waiting for a matt coat to be applied then I will attach the undercarriage.

Airfix 1/72 HS Hawk 151 Sqn RAF

And we are done. I have managed to lose the tiny aerial above the nose and I am going to have to replace the SNEB pods as they really don't look right. The Master pitot looks a hell of a lot better than the stick supplied in the kit so I am pleased I bought it (and will get more for the other Hawk kits in the stash). I have always liked the Hawks in camo and I think this has picked up the general look of the scheme so I am reasonably satisfied. Now to concentrate on the F3! Dave

Now decalled and armed. Surprisingly, the decals really did not like Microsol, with the serials literally dissolving (aftermarket to the rescue). I used the SNEB pods from the original Airfix Hawk which was probably an error, as the heads are somewhat bigger than the body. Undercarriage and aerials next, then a coat of matt to finish.

From quite a rapid build (for me), it has become quite slow progress but she is now all cammed up. There were a few bleed through spots which have been tidied, hopefully they won't stand out when it is finished. My apologies for the state of the bookcase; I hadn't noticed that my wife has been ramming puzzle books etc. in there (I will need to have a word!).

Hi guys, Yet another one which has been sitting in my stash for over 20 years. If this GB had not gotten through the bunfight, I would have built it as part of the Eighties GB. I am planning to build it as a Bentwaters machine, as it brings back many memories of seeing them marauding up and down the east coast of Yorkshire during the eighties (and of course many airshows). I am looking forward to getting started with this one! Cheers, Dave

Zvezda IL-62 1/144 Aeroflot

All cammed up, awaiting decals and weapons.

The airframe is now complete and canopy attached. The windscreen has been slightly short-shot, so I will apply primer and see how much I will need to fill. I have taken the SNEB pods and the canon from the original Airfix tooling of the Hawk (the canon in the newest tooling seems rather undersized) which will be attached after painting.

Well I thought I was almost ready to apply primer, but since some of the cockpit framing is provided in the decals, I have discovered that the decals themselves are shot. I am trying an alternative method to resolve this but am going to have to buy some aftermarket decals to replace them. Annoying but not the first time it has happened. The kit has gone together well (so far), not fallen together as I have seen others state but enjoyable nonetheless. It definitely captures the beauty of the aircraft.

...and done. There have been issues, mainly my errors but some I think due to the engineering and the decals didn't help at all. That said, I have enjoyed building it, and it brings back memories of seeing them on the news in the 1980's. I thought the same, especially when you compare them with the Conways on the VC10. Anyway, here she is in all her glory: And with her western counterpart: To my eye the IL62 looks more "industrial" than the VC10 which is more aesthetically pleasing to say the least. That said, both are quite beautiful, elegant aeroplanes. I have realised that I have knocked off the top antenna so will have to fabricate a new one, then I will upload more pics to the gallery. This has made a change from building military aircraft and has been good fun to say the least! Dave

It may be possible to attach it afterwards but I didn't want to take the risk!

A little bit more done, the fuselage has been closed up and the air intakes added (with a bit of filler). I have added the Tamiya tape belts on the ejection seats as it looked wrong without anything on there.

The fuselage is now assembled with a little filler due my hamfistedness. It is still going together well, and I am looking forward to attaching the wings.

The decals are on. They really do not like Microset/sol, causing the colours to run somewhat. I used Klear as a setting agent which caused a few other issues (mainly due to my errors), but it is starting to look like an IL62 now.