colinlp

Thanks guys, what sort of practical drying time would you allow to show maximum shrinkage?

I would try a couple of test pieces first anyway, perhaps a good idea to add a little gloss to reduce the amount of solids in the matt, definitely worth an experiment thanks

Thanks for that, much appreciated . The Saturns were painted gloss but I think from a distance that replicates the 1:144 scale they appear more matt to me, I was planning on minor polishing of the matt surface to give the slight impression of a shine which photographs seem to show

Hi, I'm new to modelling, I will be building the Airfix Saturn V in the new year. I would like a matt finish to the finished model but I have read that decals don't look that good when applied to a matt finish. I'm wondering if I might be better using a gloss paint then over spraying with a matt varnish or am I worrying about nothing? Thanks

Hi, I'm new to modelling, I will be building the Airfix Saturn V in the new year and would like to know what fillers may be recommended for completing this kit? Also and possibly more useful is if there may be a good tutorial thread or web resource about fillers and their uses

Thanks Eric, I have a couple of resin parts I bought from Martins Models for the Saturn V kit I'm getting for Christmas, yes they are quite heavy. I have a lot of extraction available in my workshops so I'll be sure to use that when crating dust with it

Thanks Thomo I haven't made a kit model in nearly 50 years but I was a high end cabinet maker for a large chunk of my working life so I have good skills with small fiddley bits so I should manage the basics but lots to learn but that's where you guys and the forum come in

Another question, I'm new to modelling, very new actually, is there a problem with resin kits or a complication? I have seen lots of interesting kits made in resin and had thought I'd like to try one or two

Thanks Eric, I'll keep an eye out in the new year The paint looks very good, it conveys the scale reduction very well, better than say wrapping it in foil.

Thread resurrection! That looks like an excellent kit, one to look out for if they still are to be found in the wild. Do you remember what you finished the silver body of the rocket with?

Thanks Other than Corgi toy ones I haven't been able to find one. I have found plenty of Bloodhounds but that's not what I would like

Hi I was wondering if there is or was a kit available for the EE Thunderbird missile? As a child I was taken to watch these things being launched y my father who worked on the Ty Croes army camp whenthey were there in the early 60s. It would be nice to have one as a reminder

Yes that's it I couldn't remember but you jogged my memory, a 4 1/2 litre supercharged it said on the box. It was pre coloured green so I didn't paint it but still looked good, it would be nice to see what someone skilled could make of it now with modern airbrushes etc, it would be a spectacular model. Funnily enough a lecturer at Bangor technical college (as was) had one, he used to come in in it occasionally. I was an apprentice at the time, I actually started out life as a welder so that's what I was doing there at the time. He was an avid restorer of classic cars and was restoring the former land speed record car "Babs" which crashed at Pendine sands and killed its driver. He got our group to rebuild the nose cone of the car (with a lot of help from the lecturer)

Ha, no I suspect that's what probably happened to mine too

Shame, the lighting was special, genuinely spectacular. The Phantoms were interesting planes to watch take off too with the flames from their afterburners looking like concentric rings or the parachutes when they landed which the Lighting had too. F111s were quite common too,I only saw one with its wings swept back once,mostly they were out because they were travelling slowly here to either land or take off. The rarest (for Valley) I ever saw were the U2 and the AWACS which I only got to see once. I suppose I'm quite lucky where I live, I can see the airfield from my living room, this was taken from my living room

I think I might share the same memory of the Lightning at RAF Valley, I live just at the end of the runway there. Of all the planes that ever came to Valley the Lighting was by far the one that was the most impressive, the take off was awesome to watch, just lifting off the ground then the wheels flip up before the pilot put it on its tail and shot up vertically like a rocket. Even today I find myself occasionally watching them take off on youtube videos, stunning planes.

Good to here it's sunny down in the de too. Funny isn't it, Wales isn't a big country but we rarely venture up or down the A480. I think I have only been to south Wales a couple of times myself

Thanks Mike, I think I might have built one as a kid too, I have half a memory of one, the only model I can actually remember building clearly was a big green Bentley which I must have made a half decent job of because my parents kept it on display for ages in the house whereas the rest weren't allowed out of my bedroom unless they were going to the bin

Thanks Dennis, I hope some of my previous experience will help, I did get to fiddle with tiny parts occasionally. I think if I had a real choice I would really like to create a miniature railway and build the houses etc but we don't have the room for that so looking back to my childhood in the early 60s I was fascinated with the space race and followed it avidly so this seems to be the realistic alternative and to be honest will probably create more challenges than a railway which will provide greater stimulation over the years which I think most of us need in our retirement. I've had a good look through the models made on this forum and they are, well, for want of a better phrase, "very realistic"; which I suppose is the whole point and something to aim for

Thanks Gorby, I think I've seen both those, both very useful, I only found the walk around last night, probably the best Saturn V resource I've seen by a long shot. Another cabinet maker, bleedin everywhere they are! Must say I loved my time as a professional maker but my elbows and shoulders are giving up now, got to build some brilliant stuff, sadly not much for myself, only a headboard and a chest of drawers of any real quality. The tower doesn't seem to be that complicated at heart, basically a lift tower surrounded by 4 braced columns with floors eqi spaced up its height. So the basic tower should be easy enough with many identical parts that could be jigged up for. The bit that concerns me the most from the eyes of a beginner would be painting the floors grey, the steelwork (styrenework?) red and the lift shaft green, the floors are at 42mm centres and with those braces it would be very difficult to mask for airbrushing.

Hi all,obviously a new member and to all intents and purposes new to modelling too. I did in my younger days like many build a few models badly but now I've just retired I fancy another go. Amongst other things I have been a cabinet maker for a large proportion of my life so building things isn't an alien concept but there are many disciplines I'm clueless about so I'll be grateful of lots of help along the way. I'm getting the Airfix Saturn V model for Christmas, I'm also getting a few bits from Martin's Models to improve the accuracy and have read a few articles about building it. I'm hoping that will keep me occupied for a couple of months. What I'd like to do afterwards is build a matching scale launch tower for it but the only kit I've seen is a paper version which I'm not 100% convinced about, I've been looking at the idea of building it up from scratch using styrene. To a newbie although it looks complicated it is quite repetitive and possible, am I being a bit ambitious or do I stand a chance of building it?