Ventora3300

Some more progress on the Golden Hind. Thinned green is being applied over seascape as per the Instructions.... Lots of touching in of the hull wood colours and a suspicion of white at the waterline added. Sails have a first coat of 'dirty' Linen - looks very yellow but at least any yellowing of the transfer backing will not show. The crows nests are on the masts and I tried to 'level' the one on the foremast to cater for the slight forward cant but missed that the mizzen mast appears to lean backwards! Must check the Roy Cross artwork for reference...

Topside camouflage is on the Javelin now and the underside will get a re-coat next - I've decided to go for the Light Aircraft Grey rather than Silver. Then black for the radar nose and engine intake lips. Hopefully some of that shading on the Dark Sea Grey will disappear when the paint fully dries out. I'm surprised there is any surface detail still visible on this model due to what has felt like endless painting! Time also to finish off the crew painting. Here is my reference pic. Also, armament of Airstreak air-to-air missiles to paint. Wiki says it was 'a rear-aspect, fire and forget (heat-seeking) pursuit weapon, with a field of attack of 20 degrees either side of the target'

The broken stern staff has been stuck back on and getting some paint on the Golden Hind now (literally!) The sea is Humbrol 25 (as I thought that would have been the available bottle/tin at the time) and the Instuctions say to overpaint with thinned green. The wooden hull etc. is Humbrol 10 lightened slightly with some 63. I was so pleased with the shade that I painted as much as I could - the masts are only dry fitted at the moment. Some touching in will be required. Some grinding out work required on the Crow's Nests - two before and one after.

Hey, ho - still plenty time for another coat! I should have believed the Airfix Paint Guides!

A bit of a fraught period there as the Medium Sea Grey went on the underside of the Javelin - I decided to use enamels but halfway through mixed a runny tin with a thick one and found it had solid blobs in it which would not mix in. Couldn't lay my hands on any Humbrol 165 enamel so changed to Revell 43 Matt and several coats later... Now masked up for the upper surfaces. Because I always put on the DSG as a background and paint the DG camo over the top, my paint supplies run down accordingly. So this time, I'm going for a Dark Green background. Variety is the spice of life, eh? I must say that I am impressed with the way all the aerials, doors and pylons are staying on as this Javelin goes through the brush painting process - the cementing of the MisterCraft plastic feels absolutely solid. (A warts and all 'first coat' pic, now using flickr).

Looking at a sort of my home made stash list, it shows these options... Junkers Ju 88A-4 1/72 Frog F292 Green £2.00 Spin-a-Prop parts missing/Spares Albatros D-III 1/72 Revell H-629 £2.41 Frameable Box Top Focke-Wulf FW190D-13 1/72 Airfix 01021-0 Series 1 £2.75 Type 4U Blister Pack

While sitting down, I had a good read of the Arthur Ward book on Airfix - listing the Golden Hind kit as the first of the many, starting at 1952! There's a good build shown with seascape! Also showing the entire 'small ships' range. ..and finally, the Roy Cross artwork in all its glory.

Thanks @Marklo - I've been reading up on the Golden Hind and Drake - I enjoyed this link: https://www.indrakeswake.co.uk/Artefacts/goldenhind.htm Thank you @Corsairfoxfouruncle - it really is small to work with! I've had to change back to Flickr from Imgur to get pictures posted so here goes. The main structural parts have been snipped off sprues where attached and attachment points cleaned up - a sitting down activity so all on my favourite Tin Tin tray. The dry fit of the deck to the hull sides is pretty bad and a fair bit of scraping of hull internals required. Also, the crow's nests will require the side walls thinning (I think this was fixed in later moldings). I feel like that seascape part is what this build is all about! The Instructions say to paint all the parts before assembly and this was certainly an attractive option, to lay the hull sides flat side down while painting the colour details. However, thinking about the amount of abuse the hull and deck will take while persuading to stick together put me off that so after much squeezing and taping together, here is the hull assembled. Was there really that slope on the decks? There is an area at the stern (poop deck?) that will need filler plus some runs at the deck/gunwales joint.

The missile pylons are on now with a little filling now required. Main undercarriage inner doors are on, set at a slight inward angle and the last aerial is on under the port wing. I'm impressed with this plastic - the glue really seems to weld it together so I am not too worried about losing any of the protrusions during painting. Front view to check alignment. Some paint next!

However, nostalgia jumped out and gripped me and I remember my Dad showing me his build of this kit in the 1960's and it sat on the 'escritoire' in our front room for many of my early years. I was hoping that I would come across it again when eventually clearing out the family home but no such luck. What always struck me about my Dad's build was the sea green base with frothy waves upon which the tiny tubby ship was sailing! I also remember the 'dirty sailcloth' effect created on the sails which I tried to reproduce on the Santa Maria build I did in one of the Airfix Classic GB's. I always wanted a 'sea base' version of the kit but could never see one on the well known auction site, until recently. I could not resist..... ....and there is some main rigging included! How many of these bags have I opened (carefully). Too many, according to some.... Scalemates says this bagging is from 1964 so may have been the one picked up by my Dad. There is a small breakage - the horizontal pole that projects from the top of the stern. (The later moldings have this as a seperate part). Also, the Instructions say that the two L-shaped pieces are brackets for wall mounting!

After much deliberation, I'd like to join this GB with the venearable Airfix Golden Hind - it's certainly a small subject in a small scale! I already had this boxing awaiting me in the loft. This is the Roy Cross artwork with all the attendant action. Also an excellent painting guide - I wonder what research material was used? The Instructions are the type being used in the 1980's and and the parts in white plastic look crisp. Some colour details such as the flags are included on paper.

Thanks @Mjwomack, all this filling and sanding are taking a while, especially around the wing seams. I have cut out the slots for the wing pylons now so that is a bit of forward progress. Also, the nose wheel doors and other intakes etc. on the underside are on. In the main, they match up to what is on the FAW.9 reference photos I've managed to source.

Good luck with the ‘black lining’! There are a few interesting articles on the colour schemes of the ships of that era - looks like there was an attempt by the Navy to standardise but adherence was patchy! Apparently, Nelson tried to introduce the yellow/black scheme so that if gun ports (on the yellow strips) were open then you got a chequer effect and your intention (to open fire?) was clear to anyone you were approaching. Anyway, we all recognise the Victory when we see it and feel privileged to receive maximum broadside! All the best, Mike.

Never mind like it, that's a beauty, Pat. Did that handsome little aircraft come out of that tatty old box? Another school day for me in terms of it being an unknown aircraft type to me. Great work! All the best. Mike.

I just caught up with this one , Dermot. A fascinating subject and its design and superb 'tiny' build. Lovely work. All the best. Mike.