Scargsy

Depending on how well I go with airbrushing light coats it can give me a shaded look (put more in panel centres), spraying at an angle to leave darker parts in panel lines and any small deep areas I miss / don't get much paint in will look darker / shaded. Though this maybe tricky with the 3 colour camo (the camo masks need the 2nd colour to be the lightest, would work better working dark to light).

So small increments of progress. I had rather a lot of small holes to fill in the body/underside pieces The sidewinders got built up - bit fiddly as they decided to have two of the four front fins as individual parts as well as the rocket exhaust as a tiny piece. Luckily I got them all glued together without losing any bits! The rear fins are a 'slot through' design (so two of the two parallel fins are on a single piece of plastic that slots in at right angles to the others mounted on the main part). I use the mask set, which wasn't a great fit (not designed for this manufacturers kit) but it was easier than doing it from scratch! Then onto priming, with a mix of Mr Surfacer 1500 black and Mr Surfacer 1000 grey, with self-leveling thinners (3:1:4) I had a bit of a paint spillage on the rear vertical stabiliser but hopefully it won't be too noticable once I've got all the other paint coats on (has left a slightly raised part, not really visible in the image).

So onto paint - I filled my window holes/mistake with a bit of sponge for masking... Here's the results, alongside the F-5 build. I primed with a mix of Mr Surfacer 1500 Black (3 parts) and Mr Surfacer 1000 Grey (1 part), that then thinned 1:1 with self leveling thinners. Yes there were a few small mistakes with the filling, mainly along the front section... I decided to try using some Mr Dissolved Putty as filler, since I haven't tried it before and I like to try new things - see if I'm missing out! It seems OK, though didn't shrink back as much as I'd been lead to believe. That's it for now, another coat of paint/primer required when I get round to it, hopefully I can mix a similar colour up since I only roughly eyeballed the mix - though as long as it blends it should be fine!

So I've made a start on the kit, cleaned up the body and attached the wing mirrors (they seemed quite small, so no space to easily drill a pin hole and I want to save myself making a gluey mess post paint). I dechromed the front and rear sections but liquid masked the light sections, which seemed to have worked well. It still has that horrible yellow stuff on them though (what is it primer?) that seems to resist glue! Then onto paint - I've decided I'm going to try a single coat, so it's Alclad Gloss Black Base - which they say can be used direct on plastic as a primer... Other than the texture (orange peel / ridges?) and rather a lot of dust I managed to get stuck in it the paint's not looking too bad, very nice and glossy. This stuff does take a while to dry (can be a little tacky the next day) but I'm off on my holidays for a week, it will be more than fully cured by then and I'll give it some sanding back with Micromesh, though I'm never too sure what kind of grit level to start at with colour sanding and I always worry about going too deep!

The bit that looks like a toilet seat? Seems surplus to my requirements looking in the instructions, you're welcome to it for free if you DM me your address.

With 3 aircraft builds on the go I felt it was time to spice up my workbench with some wheely goodness, so I'll be building this... The kit has its origins in a Monogram 1971 Plymouth Satellite kit (first released in 1984). I'm not exactly a big officionado on US muscle cars but apparently the kit isn't a great representation of the movie car (I think the actual car in the movie had different rear bumper sections from a later model, and the side skirt detail removed, etc.), I'm not planning on going overboard with the accuracy though - just going to pretty much do an OOB build, with the addition of the resin bloke as hopefully a fun build. Here's what greets you inside the side opening box... So the body section is heat sealed into a sub compartment thankfull to stop it getting box-rash, but the other half contains another poly bag? Inside that there are sub-bags for various parts - chrome tree, clears and wheels (though they may have been stuffed into the body shell). Here's all the bit laid out... Kit instructions are the new style Revell colour booklet and the decals seem reasonable, nothing too intense to worry about other than those bonnet stripes. Here's the contents of the aftermarket figure, just some scant instructions on how to form the shotgun trigger from the PE, I might leave that out, the resin looks fine for me. Nothing too stressful looking in terms of the kit parts count, though I need to figure out how much of the bodywork I can assemble pre-paint. I had a bit of a test fit of the body and chassis rails and it's tight without the interior tub and engine getting in the way. I might be able to get the rear sections attached and front grill but the front lower bumper would need to be added separately which is a bit annoying (looks like there'll be a seam line). Maybe I can 'cut and shut' the lower chassis later then drop the engine in through the hood opening? Something to ponder as I cleanup the parts. I'm also wondering about the chrome parts - I'll need to de-chrome with some bleach but I wonder if I could put a bit of liquid mask into the light openings to keep those bits chrome?

I made a start... the cockpit has internal side panels and rear and dividing bulkheads making a kind of 5 sides of a box (including the floor), I wasn't overly sure how the pieces needed to align together so as the glue was drying I used the nose section halves as a jig to help ensure everything would fit (seat is just placed in here to help ensure the alignment). The main fuselage parts were fixed together, after assembling the intakes, no massive dramas so far, though the instructions have you remove the small part between the exhaust nossles, the kit includes a tiny filler piece but this will later need a hole drilling in it (for some kind of sensor probe I think that sits between the exhaust nossles). I'm not sure if this is common to all these F15J kits or due to the kit supplied nossles? The cockpit was painted and assembled. The instructions suggest either sanding off the instruments and using the decals or painting the raised detail. I decided to be lazy and apply the decals over the non-sanded instruments which didn't come out too great but will be passable for my usual standard! What would be the usual rear seat compartment, the instructions have you paint white with no callout for the quite nice detailed insides, however this will be hidden by the cover plate (I'm going to model it in flight) so I just gave it a quick thin coat of white Vallejo primer with a brush. Speaking of the cover plate, there is what looks like a gas strut to hold it up (when open) which attaches to a small cross bar, I can't figure out where that crossbar should go (across the top of the front/rear cockpit bulkhead or in the floor of the rear section?) The nose section was fitted to the fuselage, this was possibly the worst join so far - annoyingly it only connects on the lower curved segment of the nose section and the very far end of that extension piece on the top (see above image), however that section seemed just a tad too long to allow the lower section to connect, so I had to sand it back somewhat. With the nose finally on I added the airbrake, as it was helpful for alignment and may add a tiny bit of structural integrity. before adding the wing sections. I've also made a start on the drop tanks - I'll be building it as the box art (with two tanks) however the kit includes parts for 4, so I'll build them all up and select the best looking pair.

A small amount of progress - seemed to take me an age filling and sanding this thing before I've added the tail fins, though I've now notices some sink holes in there too! Still need to fix those rear control surfaces, work out how to mount the skids flush in flight position then a bit of cleanup and onto priming!

So small progress is being made... The undercarriage doors were fitted flush (I like to do planes in flight)... I had to cut these doors (I think the extra bit is hinged to fit flush to the body. The interior holes I then backfilled with some plasticard sheets for rigidity and some filler before adding some plasticard strips along the fuselage and sanding them back to better profile the top edges. That's it for now, I'll need to fill those pylon holes. Most of the images of the actual aircraft show it fitted with only one sidewinder (a blue bodied one - which I guess is a training one).

So here's the box contents - rather more parts than I was expecting for a 1/72 fighter, hopefully not everything is needed (I've spotted at least 2 seats and the sprue map does show not everything is used). The duplicate spures had managed to interlock themselves in the bag, but I hope I got them apart without any damage! The black things are the so called 'high detail nozzles', the instructions seem to suggest they're 3D printed. The decal sheet is pretty huge though the markings look much more grey on the sheet compared to the box art (which makes them look slightly blue), I've no idea what the actual colour should be! I've also got some aftermarket camo and canopy masks. Instructions are a fairly standard black and white folded sheet, hopefully nothing too suprising in here.

Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 1/24 Hasegawa kit Build thread here.

Just noticed that myself as I was going to post my final photos

OK so I managed to get it finished... I added a bit of Flory wash to get some panel lines, could have done with something darker but at least it's another kit/GB finished! Wheels could also have done with a wash but are just AK Xtreme Aluminium (didn't have chance to clear coat them, so no idea how it would have taken an oil wash). Still a few nasty seam lines visible under the headlight. I could have also attempted to pick out the Mitsubishi badges and boot lid text but decided to shy away as knowing me it would have ended up in an unholy mess! Still it's now finished, glad I've cleared it off the workbench, onwards and upwards!

Would this kit be eligible? Apparently it harks back to a Monogram Plymouth Satellite kit from 1984, though Revell updated a few parts (GTX logos, spoiler, door cards) in 1995 and again for the movie tie-in around 2020. I also have a resin bloke in an overly tight t-shirt to go along with it (aftermarket allowed?) so would be doing the F&F version. I may not get around to it, I have far too many aircraft GBs on the horizon but would like to try squeeze something else in.

With the deadline quickly approaching it's time I got a wiggle on (I thought I had another week spare!) I have been doing a few bits and bats - the interior I painted up and carpeted with some Humbrol enamel (slow drying) I think it was 126 grey but it seemed to have a greenish tint? With it wet I applied some Micro Balloons (I think it's little glass particles, used as a glue filler) as it adds some micro texture (much more subtle than flock). I gave the carpet a grey acrylic wash (to help tone down the greenish tone and also help seal in the Micro-Balloons) as well as added the other bits and pieces. I could have done with some washes and picking out details on the dash, etc. but time is limited and I probably won't be able to see anything of it once it's closed up. With the deadline looming I spent most of the day rushing to get it finished, luckily I'd already given the window rubbers an initial hand painted coat of Vallejo Air Panzer Grey, though I needed to add a second one. Annoyingly I didn't get chance to seal in the decals on the sides and the paintwork really could have done with some more attention. Hopefully the GB finishes at the end of tomorrow not the start as I only have a few bits left to finish : add a few window decals, the wipers and number plates and maybe some panel lining. The front brake discs/hubs seemed not to want to stick very well so I've left it alone for the moment, hoping it will solidify overnight, though I get the feeling the front wheels may no longer turn on the poly caps given the extra glue I added (no big deal though).

Fw 200 and Ju 290 would be eligible in maritime reconnaissance / patrol bomber roles. Yes more than welcome, scouting troops, forward observers, etc.

So I managed to get some more parts together... The rocket motor assembly is supposed to just fit onto the back (not be glued) but I'll be gluing it, along with the control surfaces and parts of the tail plane. In my excitement to get it together I glued the canopy in, then the fuselage together without fitting the clear glass! So I guess I'll either have to omit the glass or attempt to create some (I've seen videos of people using Microscale Krystal Klear to make windows so hopefully I can manage without making too much mess!) The horizontal control surfaces at the rear are currently freely rotating (as the instructions suggest) but sit at odd angles compared to one another, so I'll fix them in place once I've cleaned up the seam lines. I'm not sure what to do about the skid pads - I'm going to model it 'in flight', the scant instructions just say to not fit them in that case, I can't really find any good reference material about them though (should they be in pods folded up or do they shoot out of the body, meaning the skid surfaces should be exposed on the exterior?) I did find a video on YouTube and they seemed to shoot out pretty fast rather than hinge down but it's hard to tell.

I'll be attempting to do justice to this kit, once the build gets underway: I really like the look of the Japanese graphics, let's hope the decals work well! It will be a straight OOB build (seems to have some resin exhaust nozzles), with the addition of some paint masks.

Tamiya 1/24 Subaru Impreza WRC '99 (Tour de Corse) Build thread here. Zero Paints Subaru paint (blue and gold for the wheels).

So another build finished! Here are some shots. The windscreen and glass I dipped into some clear floor polish to help seal in the decals but had a bit of an issue when inserting the windscreen, getting super-glue everywhere over the screen. Still it's finished now, not too bad - a nice little Tamiya kit for the money!

Not quite but after I finished another GB build I made a start on Sunday and in a couple of hours I'd knocked this together... With this and the old Revell GB kit being pretty low parts count it's quite refreshing to have things go together so quickly. The decals seem quite flimsy, I only managed to get one of the interior ones on, the other two folding and crumpling up into mess. The kit does come with a pilot figure but he's missed out of the instructions, he seems quite out sized but then so does the whole interior - feels like the floor should be somewhat higher unless the F5 has a huge roomy cockpit (maybe that the pilot is a bit on the small side too). Fit seems pretty good so-far but there is a large gap between the mounting points for the twin exhausts.

OK so I guess I should post a few photos before I start. Not too many pieces - a couple of main sprues and a small clear one. Instructions seem fairly clear - a black and white booklet and separate double sided colour markings sheet for the 4 versions. I have some aftermarket camo masks and a canopy mask (though for a different kit - hopefully it will fit without too much alteration).

So I'll be building this... Not a huge amount of parts, originally appears to have been moulded in 1959 it would appear from Scalemates, in a rather odd 1/64th scale. This is a recent (well relatively) reboxing, using the box-art from 1961 - this is the 1994 reissue, judging by the copyright notice on the side of the box. After opening up the contents (it was still in the shrink-wrap) it does have a bit of a musty odour but the decals don't look too bad, might be serviceable if not too brittle (I have some decal film solution so hopefully that will help). Not much in the way of parts, though I noticed this date mark on the wing (1982), the parts have had a bit of rashing from rubbing about in the single poly bag (all the black parts were in a single bag, randomly the single clear part was just loose in the box). You can also see the underside slot in the image, used for the stand, a few sink marks (where the locator pins are on the other side) and the odd raise circle (not sure if that's meant to be some detail on the wing)? Well I couldn't help myself and decided to make a start - the cockpit is a very minimal affair (though the windows are tiny TBH) consisting of a single floor piece and a separate pilot figure (already moulded into a seat). By way of contrast the engine/rocket is a multi-piece affair though only a tiny part will be visible when finished (exhaust nossle interior). Hopefully it should be a simple, quick and fun build!

All the body decals applied I gave it a once over with Mr Topcoat Gloss and started building up the interior parts. Still need to decide if I'm brave enough to have a go at hand painting those bonnet pins. For the seatbelts I decided to try something new, I applied some masking tape to kitchen foil then applied the decals. Before applying more tape to the reverse sides and cutting them out. It didn't turn out quite as well as I expected - I could have done with sealing them in with some clear first and also cutting them out before painting the tape, but it's not too bad (shouldn't look too bad when in the car). I was attempting to get some lengths for the straps beyond the seats and maybe give them a slight '3d' quality rather than flat decals melted onto the seats. Anyhow - the interior tub is now complete... I'm not too sure what the big black box with two hemispherical cutouts is behind the seats (possibly just something for the crew to put their helmets in?) but fitting it in was a bit of a pain as I'd prebuilt and painted the roll-cage. I needed to place it in approximately the right position (behind the seats which I'd attached), then glue in the cage before manoeuvring it into position with a couple of sets of tweezers! After the clear had dried I gave the body a second coat, this time using Mr Topcoat Premium Semi-Gloss, I generally don't like my race car models looking super-shiny anyhow. My first time using this and it seems to have done a good job. First a quick mist/tack coat from the rattle can, wait about 5 mins or so then a nice heavy coat.

Here's my entry into the Harrier Falklands GB... Airfix 1/72 FRS.1 kit, recent reboxing, though seems they omitted a few instructions (so check the old ones on Scalemates, etc. for info on the smaller pieces). Quick OOB build other than some canopy masks, build thread here, painted with some Mr Color 333 'Extra Dark Sea Grey' and a bit of Flory wash.