salmo G

thanks for all the kind words Hi Wez I plan on scaling back the weathering on the walkways as mentioned above, just got a bit carried away when I started chipping....... just got back from a festive trip to Edinburgh, if i get a chance i am hoping to put the masking on for the stripes tonight/tomorrow, when i paint the black stripes will try and knock back the walkways at the same time. As you suggested I will be adding chips to handholds etc and the next few layers of weathering once the satin/semi matt layer goe on in a few days, only about halfway through the weathering process so far but having fun!!

Final update before crimbo officially gets underway......... Got the bulk of stencils on (serial number excepted, will do that after masking the stripes next week) and made a start with the weathering by getting a quick panel line wash on, some oil streaks n discolouring along with some light chips, away for the weekend so this should have a chance to dry and then next week I can tackle those dreaded stripes! Enjoy your weekend!

Been working on the truck mainly today, got the bulk of the main camo pattern painted up, did a little bit of work on the tempest by adding the walkways (over AK worn effects) after sanding the inner wings down a little to reveal the alclad I had earlier placed there. think I may have overdone the erosion on tne walkways! may need to see if I can add alittle back later on........

Hi Dave Plan is to complete the paint scheme first (tick!) do some weathering then apply the stripes last just like in real life, plan is to laydown a layer of hairsprey and chip the stripes along the leading edges and undersaides to add abit more interest, if I wasn't bothered about wanting to chip them slightly I would have painted them first as getting a decent coat of opaque white over the camo scheme could be interesting...... watch this space!

I have managed to get the main paintwork including the roundels/codes complete, now need to leave it a few days to dry completly then I can touch up the odd area and give it a gloss coat and polish before applying the walkways and stripes (possibly using the hairspray technique) What has become apparent is that there are some quite noticable sink marks on top of the elevators and ailerons which at certain angles/light conditions are quite obvious. These would be very awkward to eliminate whilst maintaining surface finish which is a little disapointing, hopefylly this won't eggect every kit? can anybody else confirm if this effects theirs? I have also got just about all the smaller bits n pieces painted and the modified spinner looks quite nice under a coat of paint even if I do say so myself!

Hi Christer I have tried masking both before and after the main paint scheme and both have benefits, in this case I chose to do the roundals/codes first as the lighter colours are easier to cover on the light colour primer as opposed to ocean grey/dark green and I am trying to keep the number of layers of paint to a minimum to save the very delicate surface detail. The roundal masks will stay in place untill the main scheme is in place (but before I put the DD stripes on if I choose to do one of those options) so no need for any complicated masking for at least that operation!

Made a start painting both the Tempest and the refueller, for the Tempest i am using masks for as many markings as possible ( a combination of Montex and home made) i have also dug out an old base and plan on re-using this once i've added some height and a different layout (plan on having at least some area of concrete on the base to cut down on grass which I have never been able to master successfully!) plan is to use my spare time this weekend working n the base as well as getting a few more colours on the Tempest.

Hi Tidied up the joints and primed the airframe, need to try and re rivet the flaps but otherwsie its ready for painting to begin (one thing I did do was knock back the raised rivets ever so slightly, its hard to tell without paint just how prominant they are but under primer they become more visible and I felt that I needed to sand them jusr a fraction) unfortunatly showing it in primer dosn't really look any different to previous so no more pics of the Tempest, what I have however got pics of is the Accurate Armour refuelling truck, Spent what spare time I had at the weekend cleaning all the parts up and pretty much got it assembled ready for primer, its not a bad kit, little simple in places and if you wanted to superdetail it theres plenty of chance to add brake lines and extra stuff to the chassis etc but it all fitted together pretty well and I am happy with it so far. I plan on representing a micky mouse paint scheme so looking forward to that and some weathering!

yahoo the weekend beckons! Managed to get the major assembly work complete, it all went reasonably smoothly, theres a few areas that need a touch of filler (the gun insert and cockpit coaming areas i think are my issue not Eduards, pretty sure a bit more fettling would have sorted these without the need for filler) the joints on the flap mean i've lost a bit of surface detail so plan is to spend what spare time I have at the weekend to tidy up all joints/surface detail and hope to be in a position to start painting by Monday.

Hi Zac I actually think the one in your pic is also incorrect, not sure why but just about all the preserved airframes have much larger openings than wartime shots show. If you look at some of the wartime shots of Tempests (the imperial war museam has quite a few on line for example) you will see the actual slot for the blade is surprisingly narrow and quite steeply angled, Hi Christer thanks for the kind words, now that i've assembled the complete cockpit and installed it in the fuselage I can confirm VERY little of the floor is actually on show and with it being painted black its effectivly invisible, I totally endorse eduards decision to use it and think the end result is superb for an OOB kit, quite possibly the nicest 1/48 cockpit I can think of! and even if I do say so myself it actually looks better in the flesh than it does on these c*** pics off my phone.

Got the cockpit tub together and have to say its one impressive assembly straight from the box, superdetailers could go mad adding cables n bits and bobs but very little will be visible through that teeny little opening..... radiator tommorow then I can think of getting the fuselage joined and the airframe put together.

Hi all I am enjoying this! cockpits painted and ready for assembly, got the wing together and started tidying up the awkward seams along the flaps. Decided to try and make an intake cowl for the radiator (not a dust filter) as i've found a few pics of early tempests with them installed also made a start painting the undercarriage and doors, few more observations of the build so far. I used the plastic rudder pedals suitably thinned as they include the top bar and I couldn't be bothered to add this to the brass ones, anyway they are deep in the cockpit and unlikly to be too visible. I've already noticed that the bar accross part F8 wont allow it to drop in place now that ive added part E9 and the seat belts, it did fit previously in dry runs, no big issue I will seperate it and replace it once F8 is in place, strange how it got past the design stage however? I know i've mentioned this once already but the tubular side frames are very fragile, managed to snap a few more tubes through clumsy handling...... I've removed the hydraulic rams from parts E79 as I am convinced they would otherwise get snapped during the build, no problems painting these seperatly and adding them at the end. There are a couple of nasty ejection pin marks on the main U/C doors, awkard to easily fill these and they will be visible once assembled so bit more mr surfacer work me thinks. You need to do a little fettling along the flap line to get a better fit between wing halves before joining otherwise theres a little step which would just make the los of surface detail to sanding even more noticable. Plan to work on the radiator and its cowling next to get it ready for installation with the cockpit and hoping to get the fuselage joined up tomorrow, ohh and just spotted that the top inner cowling piece E45 looks like it should have two holes drilled in it! Overall I think the cockpit is first rate for a kit and personally don't see the need for a resin update even ignoring the solid nature of part of E46, the only thing I could be tempted to add is a brass or resin seat which would be a bit thinner and more detailed than the kit part though to be honest it does paint up very nicely and with a bit of creatice paintwork the quilted backpad dosn't look too bad. Well done Eduard!

managed 3 hours in this afternoon and made a good start. Got the spinner just about sorted, still needs a bit of polish/tidy up but the gaps now look much more prototypical. Cleaned up most of the cockpit parts and a few others beside, detail is excellent! Got the wheel wells completed, again detail is excellent, you could go mad adding pipework etc but what's provided is a great start and as I never turn my models upside down intentionally when complete I left alone... Cut open the handhold just below the cockpit for a bit of variation (thinking of also dropping the radiator flap, will think that over tonight) One correction to yesterdays observations is the canopy handhold, Eduard have included it all along, just my duff eyesight couldn't spot in on a first glance. The way Eduard have moulded the wings/fuselage joints is going to cause some "interesting" joins right down the length of the flaps, maybe I should have invested in a set of brass flaps after all! looks like a round of filling/sanding/rescribing could be in order here. I have thinned the seat slightly but otherwise the cockpit will be OOP, the only real issue is Eduards decision to add a "floor" beneath the foot boards when in reality this didn't exist, don't see it as a big issue as the cockpit opening is small and don't think a lot will be seen, will try painting it black to disguise it. Couple of sink marks in a few places and some very minor flash, worst sink mark is on the rear of the radiator but its unlikely to be readily visible on the finished model even if I do drop the radiator flap. Lovelly kit, I am enjoying this! also had a better look at the AA refueler, quite a bit of clean up needed and some mishappen parts/air bubbles to content with, looks a bit rough in places but sure it will tidy up and compliment the Tempest well. Apologies for the quality of the pics they're just off my phone.

Hi Troy Thanks for that, I hadn't seen the build, seems full of usefull stuff, will go through it properly tomorrow and see what I can take on board. thanks!

Hi Dave Tempest knowledge? whats that..... all i've done is look at the kit parts in relation to some pictures and identified a few things that may/may not be right and that I may/may not change, please don't confuse the results of a happy couple of hours "research" with knowledge lol. Bill Not a clue, not got the fuselage parts off the runners yet and tbh whilst I am aware of the Barracuda replacement parts for the SH 1/32 kit I could never really see the issue....... Hope to spend a few hours tomorrow cracking on so will try and post some progress pics soon. Gary

Well Telford is over for another year, had a great day down there on Saturday and all credit to the organisers this year as the huge que we joined at 9.50 evaporated almost as quickly as my excitement did when I first saw it! First stop was the Eduard stall and I managed to pick up Eduards latest kit along with a set of brassin exhausts, plan is to create a diorama based on some of the pics taken at Newchurch in June 44 with a Tempest being refuelled by the accurate armour Bedford, I did think about the flaps and gun bays as well to make it a little more fussy but in the end thought a simple build of the kit was in order and maybe my second will include these? Spent a few hours today comparing the parts to some references and the kit looks superb in the box, surface texture is well upto Eduards latest standards and even includes raised rivits on the rear fuselage (applicable) along with recessed ones elsewhere. Detail everywhere looks great with the cockpit and wheel bays being standout areas. There are however a few issues i've spotted (I never compare models to plans, my view is if i cant see the problem by comparing the kit to photos its not worth worrying about!) The spinner openings for the blades are much too large and totally the wrong shape, in my view ruining the look of the part. I am guessing Eduard based it on some of the museum examples that exist most of which seem to have odd looking spinners but compared to any wartime shots the difference is very obvious. Dosen't look like a huge issue to rectify and will work on it through the week ahead. Presumably the AM guys will be offer something suitable in the not too distant future. Most if not all series1 airframes have bumps on the upper wing fillets, these re missing in the kit, again looks like an easyish addition. I could be wrong on this but I think the lower surface bumps covering the wing attachment bolts need removed on series1 aircraft (not 100% sure on this, I am going to remove the ones on this build however unless I can confirm it either way?) There should be a handhold in one side at least at the rear of the canopy, may have a go at adding this just need to be careful with it being a clear part. Again not sure at the minute I need to find a few more pics but it looks like some of the early Tempests at least have cone shaped guides on the front face of the radiator, i know there are some available for the typhoon kits out there which given more time I may have tracked down, will see how I go with this one. There are rows of slots on both wing undersurfaces where the future tanks fit, I can't see any evidence of these in the underside shots I have so will probably fill these, may also fill or at least reduce the points for the rockets as not sure if these should be shown on these early aircraft? If the above sounds like undue critism its not meant to, the only deal breaker for me is the spinner the rest are just small details and easily overlooked, the kit really does look good and I cant wait to start cutting plastic tomorrow! Slight update, started cutting plastic tonight and one word of advice, be careful when removing the cockpit frames from the sprus, they are very fragile, don't ask how I know.... you have been warned!

superb! love the paint finish, wish my Hunter had turned out half as good!

This was my choice for a quick build between finishing HMS Muskeeter and whatever I pick up at Telford, unfortunatly it rapidly turned into a nightmare............... no fault of the kit which is great (no Hunter expert this is the first i've ever built but it seemed like a very nice kit, if there's any real issues with it I didn't fix them!) Right from the off things went wrong Paint finish is a mess..... white turned yellow, masking was crooked, red overspray on grey areas, the red wingtips should extend further inboard (should have looked at pics instead of just relying on the xtradecal instructions) I then managed to place the two upperwing roundals assymetrically which meant positioning of the scratchbuilt pylon lumps on the upper surface were wrongly positioned..... and to round it all off I managed to pull the starboard serial number off with an errant piece of masking tape just before finishing up.... ETC Arrrhhhh really glad this ones behind me, may well build another in the future as the subject and kit look good (won't bother with the flightpath detail set as it proved to be a bit of a fiddly pain in the A***)

That's one very impressive f-16 there and then you realise there's another 3 equally good ones next to it! I like it (them) a lot.

will do, give me an hour or so to work out how to first!

Hi Jamie Yes I will be at Telford, will pop by and say a quick hello as I dash about on Saturday, for a start I still need to pick up a couple of pots of paint to complete my new line up of your colours! So far i've unearthed between 20-30 reasonable quality pics spread accross books and the web, it seems obvious that when she was first completed at Rosyth the o/a tone of the pattern was quite dark (bit like your interpretation of POW) then as she went to the mediteranean things started to change, patterns changed slightly and some colour panels were clearly repainted in different colours. My initial thoughts are to go with how she looked at Rosyth as I have a good number of reasonable quality images that cover both sides (but TBH I prefer the more extreme contrast look she had in the MED!) FYI Kostas Katseas has built a very inspiring looking model in just the scheme I plan but suspect the colours are a little suspect, its still excellent inspiration however! Time will tell but I have got a few smaller builds planned in first before i ease myself back into another battle with one of Trumpeters finest............ so far got a list of 50plus issues I need to possibly address, some are backdating work and some just improving detail so no issues with Trumeter there but its obvious just from looking at online pics of the parts (I havent got the kit yet) that I have another 6 months fun?$*8? ahead next year!

Hi Johnny I know what you mean it does look a little odd from some angles but i've also notced the wing underside seems perfectly flat and from some angles i can just make out an element of anhedral in some pics.... i think! either way i loved the kit and will make another along the lines with a full exposed sabre, but first lets see how the new Eduard 1/48 mk v looks in a couple of weeks.

thats beautiful! superb finish wish i could get close to that standard with the hunter i am on with at the mo, well done!

Looking good! I do like destroyers and think they suit a rough sea better than some of the bigger types (they tend to look more animated generally all things being equal) looks like your nearing the final stretch on this one now.

Superb model of a slightly offbeat subject, love it!