Tweener

Now that I'm more or less done with some builds that took far longer than they ever should've, and appear to be on the near edge of done trying to figure out whether or not I owe my school or am owed for a term I'm already 90% of the way through, I broke into the old FROG Swordfish I had thrown in with a Blenheim and Firefly a while back. I've got the new Airfix Floatfish, but I don't dare tear into that just yet before I end up with another 4 month project. @bigbadbadge gets the credit for inspiring the topic. First, the boxart - It's quite honestly one of my favorite box tops, though I don't think much will ever pass the Matchbox Siskin or Fury. So far I've gotten most of the interior together and painted. By that, I mean I added both interior parts - Ok yes, there is still a gun mount and gun to attach, but otherwise it's a fairly plain. I may just have to paint up a few figures for once. The lower wing has also been assembled, though this was notably difficult as the tabs were somewhat smaller than necessary. With any luck the fuselage will be joined to it tomorrow morning. More soon, Tweener

I've previously tried the Shark once and it ended up in the bin for a number of reasons, almost all my own fault. I've got another stashed away somewhere that I do need to get to eventually, both it and the Swordfish will pair well with my old Seafox. For the Swordfish, I'm rather leaning towards a pre-war silver scheme, quite likely an HMS Glorious scheme. Of course, that would mean buying more decals... For now I'm happy just to get it together; it's a larger plane than I had guessed. I'll post it soon, Tweener

Chris, Chris, Chris... Continually excellent work on a wide variety of ever-appealing subjects! I've said a few times these builds have tempted me to start more builds I shouldn't but I finally ended up starting an old FROG Swordfish last night so I can work up the courage to build the Airfix Float Swordfish. It's a surprisingly nice little kit, but I can't decide on a scheme, which isn't helped by my total lack of FAA paint colors. Do you have any idea which scheme you'll go for with yours? Looking forward to more, Tweener

Right, an update... Work and the resumption of Uni have taken up a fair measure of time lately but I've managed to: Finish the PRU Hurricane, bar the landing light I've managed to lose, Make good painting progress on the standard Hurricane, using new AK paints Finish the cockpit framing for the Wellington - this has been pushed off indefinitely, however Finish painting a 1/72 P-40N Finish decaling a 1/144 P-40N Finish painting a 1/76 Sherman Find and apply replacement roundels for a Defiant NF Finish painting, decaling, and sealing a 109G Construct 2 Blenheims and complete about half the painting on each No photos tonight, but I'll create a WIP for the Blenheims tomorrow, as those 2 are among 7 I plan to build this summer. The P-40s will get an RFI by the end of the week with any luck, and the standard Hurricane should not lag far behind. It isn't spring anymore, but the shelf still needs clearing. Onwards and upwards, Tweener

I do know that some of the Finnish aircraft had a partially 'bulged' bomb bay, in that the forward 1/2 or so was deeper than the rear half. CMK even produced a replacement door panel for the Airfix kit that caters to this. My understanding though is that this modification was exclusive to the second series of Blenheims produced in Finland.

In the reading I've done in the past few days, it appears as though there is a moderate amount of variation in regards to the shape, depth, and doors of the Finnish Blenheims - is there a definitive source regarding this? Mainly I am interested to learn what is meant by "doorless" bomb bays, given I have seen some photos of Finnish bombers loaded up without doors, but the serials fall outside the range of what I understand to have lacked the doors (though perhaps I'm too bold when I assume doorless means "lacking in doors") Thanks all, Tweener

Thanks all! I'm having a lot of fun finding less common schemes lately. There's plenty more to hit RFI soon! I was surprised how many types Italy used just following the war, including some prewar types like the Ro.41 that served into the 50s. I was surprised by how it came out but I'm uncertain if I'll stick with it. Perhaps I could spray the first coat and paint over it for a better finish? I'll try that next

Good evening all, Tonight I have for inspection the well known Airfix Mustang. I won't run through the build process as everyone should be aware of it by now. As usual, I wanted to pick a less common scheme - this often proves to be the most fun part of model building (the research and gathering of pics). Accordingly, I used an Xtradecal sheet to build an Italian Mustang from shortly following the war, while Italy was awaiting Vampires. They also used P47s, Spitfire Vs, P39s, and heavily modified P38s in this time. In a break from tradition, this one was brush painted instead of spray painted. I think the results are slightly better, as the finish looks a little tired, but in the future I may stick with the rattle cans for the sake of expedience. Right, the pics - Next up will be a Gladiator or 3, the PRU Hurricane (Honest! I just need varnish.) and a 109G. A Defiant may sneak in as well if I get around to finding a spare roundel. Thanks all, Best, Tweener

Does anyone by chance have a clear enough cutaway of the wing gun bay on the Blenheim, or better yet, a photo? Thanks, Tweener

I won't be tempted to start my Fulmar, Swordfish, or Mark V Blenheim in a CC Scheme... I won't be tempted to start my Fulmar, Swordfish, or Mark V Blenheim in a CC Scheme... I won't be tempted to start my Fulmar, Swordfish, or Mark V Blenheim in a CC Scheme!!! They're all looking fine Chris, keep it up!

The first thing I did when I chose to order this kit was buy the SAC white metal cockpit replacement and landing gear legs, and it looks like it's a good thing I did! I think that the set adds about 20 grams of weight in place of existing parts, so hopefully the last little bit can be added behind the engines, as you've done. Great progress so far, I'll be following this one through!

@JOCKNEY @Rabbit Leader Would it be possible for either of you to count me out of this GB? I'd have been fine to finish if not for testors spraypaints being worth less than the cost of the label on them as of late... Two cans of the same red, from different sources, with poo-poo-all gas in them. Even better, it usually took 3-5 days to dry enough to not leave fingerprints. I'll note not to both using them again, but in the meantime it's far too close to the deadline to have a hope of finishing the Gnat. I may try to sneak in a Gladiator, but the odds of that are pretty low. Maybe the 3rd GB will prove the charm... 🙃

A second RFI from Tweener in under a month? Today I've got the 1/72 Academy P-47 Bubbletop in the markings of "OH JOHNNIE", as flown by Lt. Raymond Knight in some of the last days of the war, before the final action that cost Knight his life. During a strike on a German airfield in the Po Valley. Knight's aircraft took heavy damage during several strafing runs that brought about the destruction of a large number of enemy aircraft and supplies. Knight was known to fly the first run over enemy airfields alone in order to put together the most accurate plan of attack, and to ensure his fellow pilots had the highest chance of avoiding dangers while making effective runs of their own. On his last flight, Knight repeated this process and managed to escape safely. His aircraft, struck multiple times, seemed unlikely to make it back to base on the far side of the Apennine mountains. Despite this, Knight was aware that his unit was keenly short of replacement parts and aircraft, and so declined to bail out over friendly territory. Knight was killed when his aircraft slammed into a mountain on the return flight - only 2 weeks before the end of the War in Europe. More here - https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/oh-johnnie/ I decided to build this P-47 after obtaining the DK Decals 350FG decal sheet, which contains markings for assorted P-39s and 47s flown by that group and their compatriot Brazilians, as well as decals for a Hurricane squadron hack, captured BF-109G, and a Brazilian Cub. I'm currently working on one of the 39s, as well as the 109, and I have the Cub in the stash too. For now, here is the P-47 Note that the Neutral grey is undoubtedly too dark - I don't understand how Vallejo got this so wrong in their model color range, and fairly spot on in their Air range, but in any case, I painted this before I had the latter paint or the knowledge to do better, and I don't think it looks too bad. Wings were sprayed with TS-17, and the OD is Model Masters. I believe it's Vietnam Era land vehicle OD, but I like the look of it and miss MM dearly. The build itself was entirely pain free, though I expect my next Jug will be the Tamiya kit. I've got about 10 options for markings and 100 other projects first, so don't hold your breath for that one. A Hurricane, Skycar, and JU-52 next. I'll leave you with a shot of the business end - Best, Tweener

Well, this one wasn't on the list... But bar a hint of weathering, this one is done and any completion is most welcome at the moment. The paint touch ups on the Mustang are done, the serials for the Hurricane arrive tomorrow, and the Sherman tracks are currently drying. I may yet have to add 2-3 to the list. Proper photos of the 47 tomorrow, provided the weather holds. Best, Tweener

So much for 15 days... Adjusting to being back home and a new job took a moment, and losing internet for a week meant that even though I was building some, I couldn't really get around to posting. I decided to change spring break to spring time entirely, and created a list of 6 projects to finish before the start of summer: Stout Skycar PR Hurricane II (Just needs a Serial and a clear coat) Italian Mustang (Just needs a clear coat and small paint touch ups) T-6 Texan (Spanish, for a GB) 1/144 L-29 (Why is this one not done?) Airfix 1/76 Sherman (A change of shapes is nice!) I've ordered a set of RAF codes and serials for the Hurricane which should arrive on Monday or Tuesday, as well as some paints for 2 projects that will replace these 6. This first image contains one of them - the Ju-52, and part of the second one as well, as can be seen in the second image: I bought the Whitley for a great price (I almost bought both of them, as together they'd've been less than single ones go for in my area), and I plan to build either the BOAC option or a Mark IV prototype. In either case, I can use the radar array for something else: I don't know if this is a GR XI or XII, nor do I know the differences between those types, but I do know I have a spare MB Wellington I'd meant to use with the Unicraft MK V/VI resin nose, but that was little more than a 1/2" thick blob of vaguely distinguishable, hard-as-rocks resin. This is the only clear pic I could find of a French Wellington sans tail stripes other than one that looks to be a mix of black, silver, and white portions. That one may still win me over; time will tell. Right, clocks ticking. Best, Tweener

Actually, I could combine wings from the Vildebeest and a Blackburn Shark to account for the swept sections at the point of attachment to the fuselage, doubly ensuring I can get a correct span and wing shape... Who knows where I can get a good shrink?

Given that the 253 wing is only three feet wider in span, I figure the width of the Wellesley fuselage itself will account for the difference. Split the wing down the middle, attach, and reshape the top of the fuselage to match is my thought process. Now I gotta go find my Vildebeest...

Having made good progress on my Wellesley this last weekend, I started to think... Could the fuselage of a Valom Wellesley be combined with the wings, prop, torpedo, and landing gear of a Special Hobby Wildebeest to create a Vickers 253?

At last, an RFI thread from Tweener. This is the tried and (mostly) true Airfix 1/72 Spitfire 1, with decals from AML replacing the kit scheme I'd never have been able to do. Overall the kit is fine, but losing a few small parts during a move and having to try 4 different dark greens before getting a worthy result did plenty to test my patience and kill my interest. Then my family managed to drop it while I was off at Uni, hence the awkward sit of the landing gear after correction. In any case, it's done. Photos are typically mediocre - I tried 3 different indoor spots before settling on taking them at my back porch. Even these aren't satisfactory, but they're what I've got. The AML decals are rather nice, if very thin. I have another set of theirs for my Airfix Hurricane, which will be the focus once I finish the Airfix Italian Mustang and PR Hurricane from Heller. Oh, and the GB Gnat. Who knew red paint would be so miserable? Onwards and upwards, Tweener

It took a little longer than I wanted to get around to this one, but now that I've wrapped up 2 other builds it felt right to get this one towards the finish line for a change-of-shapes. Tonight I installed the tracks. I didn't realize that some of the smaller links had different details on each side until I was finished, but I obviously won't be correcting them now. The photo is quite poor as I'm only using my desk light (it's past midnight), but I'll make an effort to take better ones tomorrow when I look in to what paint color I need to finish it with. More soon, Tweener

A beautiful result of a very interesting airplane - am I remembering wrong, or were there 2-3 different versions of the 28?

Lovely as always Chris, keep them coming!

I've just spotted this pic on another forum while doing some 'research' for a kit that I definitely didn't pick up after promising myself not to buy anything new... To my eye, it looks like the underside has a few different colors - perhaps reflecting touch-ups over time or replaced panels? There's also (de-icing?) on the leading edges which I don't think I've seen before on a Whitley. But of course, what really catches my eye are the canisters. I read a few weeks ago about some variety of an experimental rear-facing launcher for depth charges - could this be those? Like I said - just research. Thanks all, Tweener

Pete, you've done an excellent job on this. I agree with you on the squadron marking as well. I do feel for the pilots of these - that drop tank is uncomfortably close to the ground!

The New England Air Museum is every bit worth the effort to go - I've been twice and I'll almost certainly be back this summer. Be sure to bring a hundred dollars or so if you do, as they have a bookstore filled with amazing reference material at as low as 10% the typical costs.