fightersweep

Have to agree Greycap! I've been buying up loads of old Airfix, Humbrol and Gloy paints off of Ebay, and I love them. Some are easily 40 years old and still perform perfectly. I especially love the Gloy paints...smell great too! Regards; Steve

Hi John/Hardtarget; I have to agree. I do use an airbrush, but I also get a lot of mileage out of my hairy sticks. I usually build 1/32, but enjoy a lot of 1/72 builds too, and for these I prefer to use a brush. It's all very well formulating paints for airbrush use, but I bet the majority of users are still using brushes. As you rightly say, perhaps we need two different formulas for both applications. Regards; Steve

Guys; I've fired off an email to Humbrol, so I will let you all know how I get on. I have tested all of the colours I bought now, which was RLM 02, 70, 71, 74, 75 and two tins of 76. The results were all the same with a brush. Good brushing qualities with a good drying time to a matt finish. The problem was with the colour. They all looked like clear varnish with a hint of streaky colour...very translucent. All colours were mixed thoroughly with an electric stirrer. I managed up to five unthinned coats of 76, and I still don't have a uniform colour. Surely a problem? Regards; Steve

Hi Seahawk; I have to say that the batch I just bought are pretty dire. Unbelievably transparent in their coverage. It would seriously take a lot of coats to get a uniform colour with the paints I have. Like you, I spent £12 and did a 40 mile round trip to pick them up, so a bit miffed too. I'm a big Humbrol fan. I've always used their paints, but if this how the new formula is supposed to be, I'll have to look elsewhere. I will contact them though as the batch I have just doesn't seem right at all. Regards; Steve PS...Please do let me know how you find the paints yourself. I'll be very interested to compare notes.

Just thoroughly stirred the RLM 76 and RLM 70 colours. Same issues. After brushing the paint out smoothly the colour was so transparent that it could be barely seen. Is there any pigment at all in these new paints? Regards; Steve

Hi Beetcleaner; I think Montex do some Hurricane Mk I masks, but I recommend Ad Astra Masks. They can produce a custom set of masks for you at a very reasonable price. For example, they did a set of custom 1/24 BOAC Mosquito masks for me for £15.00. That was four sheets with everything needed. All you have to do is supply some photos or art work of the subject you want. Hope this helps.. Regards; Steve

Well, I've been waiting for these to arrive for some time, and had to do a 40 mile round trip to collect them from my LSP. So far, I've only had time to try the RLM 02. It was stirred thoroughly with an electric strirrer, my favourite gizmo. Consistency seemed ok, and it flowed ok off a brush without thinning, but, the transparency of the paint was a big surprise. I can only compare it to the sorts of results obtained with DayGlo Orange or Yellow. I'm really not sure how many unthinned coats it would take to get a good finish. I was a bit surprised at this. Recently I've been using a lot of old Humbriol Authentics, and generally, they cover beautifully with two thinned coats giving a lovely smooth, even finish with a brush! With new formulas being as they are, I wasn't expecting that sort of perfomance, but I was hoping for a lot more than what I've seen so far with the RLM 02. I need to try the other paints that I picked up, but reading the above, I'll not hold my breath. Are these brewed just with airbrush users in mind? Regards; Steve

Hi Vicarage Vee; Can't disagree about that He-111! There are, however, a lot of people buying these kits out of nostalgia. I know I shift enough on Ebay! I build mostly 1/32 scale, but after being bitten by the nostalgia bug, my recently collected stash of 1/72 kits that I built as a kid is now the biggest pile I have to tackle. The He-111 and B-17 are among that pile! Secondly, there are a lot of collectors of old kits out there now, particularly for Airfix. They mostly collect specific box types, say for example Red Stripe or Type 5 boxes. They pay big bucks for nice, pristine examples of these boxings and usually they are not for building either. I've gone both routes. I wanted to build my favorite kits from my childhood, so I've bought one of each. A nice boxed condition example to display and one to build. Yep! It's a growing collectors market. Regards; Steve (Currently having a laugh with a bagged Novo P-40!)

Despite a 1/24 wishlist as long as my arm, I have to agree with Dr Dave back on page 1. Purely from the point of sales, and running with their policy of replacing old moulds, a state of the art re-tool of the Spitfire Mk I would be awesome. Especially if it had the options for an early Mk I, Ia and II in the same box. We do have to be realistic here. Additionally, the same treatment applied to the Bf-109E would also be great. As far as a completely new tool. For me, with my realistic head on, a Mk IX and Mk XIV Spitfire would be popular with the masses. I know it's more Spitfires, but they do sell. I'm hard pushed to think of a subject that will have a sales appeal wider than us enthusiasts. Regards; Steve PS..OK, how about a Gladiator. After all, it was seriously considered before? Or maybe a Hawker Fury?

Hi all; Just to add a point to the original post... I don't think the fact that this kit is 1/24 will make any difference to the sales. I was the buyer at Midland Counties before it went t*ts up. The Airfix Mosquito and Tamiya Spitfire came in around the same time, and I was told time and time again that the Spit would totally outstrip the sales of the Mossie...mainly because the Mossie was too big. In the first month, we sold 120 Mossies and 32 Tamiya Spits. The sales remained that way. I imagine the Typhoon will do just as well. Regards; Steve

Hi Dominik; I don't have a copy at hand, but I am certain that there is a full, in flight photo of Sheen's Spitfire in Osprey Publishing's Spitfire Mk I aces. If I remember rightly, it is taken from the port side. If I can find it, I'll scan the photo for you. Regards; Steve

Ah! Thanks! That's useful to know as I didn't get around to picking up the Matchbox offering. I checked Hannants, and they only claim that this mask set is for the Revell kit with no mention of the Matchbox kit. I guess the answer lies in when this mask set was produced, as Revell re-released the Monogram Dornier a couple of years ago and this set may have been produced for that particular kit. I only want to make doubly sure before buying, as the Frog and Monogram Do-17Z canopies are quite different! Regards; Steve

Hi all; Just a quick question if I may.... I've just seen on Ebay a set of 1/72 Eduard masks for the Dornier 17Z. The description says that the masks are for the Revell/Matchbox kit. Would this be for the ex Monogram kit or the ex Frog kit as Revell have re-popped both kits in the past. I'm hoping they are for the ex Frog kit as I have three in the stash. I have previously made my own canopy masks for this kit, but it almost drove me mad doing it! Thanks in advance! Regards; Steve

Hi Scratchbuilder; Having done this myself, can I suggest the Hasegawa 1/32 Spitfire Vb plus this conversion set from Grey Matter... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GMAA3223-SPITFIRE-MkXIV-E-CONVERSION-1-32-HASEGAWA-MkVb-REVELL-MkI-II-/320949025250?pt=UK_ToysGames_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN&hash=item4aba0d79e2 It's a fairly straight forward conversion and certainly looks the part once done. It will also be a lot less of a headache than back-converting the Matchbox Mk24. Hope this helps... Regards; Steve

Hi John; To be honest, I think that there is a strong chance of Silver Wings putting out a Gauntlet sometime in the future. I've certainly dropped enough hints with Simon! It would also fill a gap in their pre war RAF range, and of course, coming from Silver Wings, it would be a cracking kit. I'll keep my fingers crossed with you as I have a hankering for a 74 Squadron machine! Regards; Steve

Wow! You've inspired me to actually do something with that Trumpy Spit that currently resides in the "Pile of Shame"!! I have about a dozen Airfix 1/24 Spitfires in the stash, some which are on the way to completion, most are conversions. I've always loved the Airfix kit, but was happy when I heard that Trumpeter were going to produce one in 1/24. Of course, that only lasted until I got the kit in my hands. YUK! Ok, the wings seem fine, but that fuselage is a mess. My kit was thrown into the garage in total disgust! Must admit, it had never occurred to me to cross kit these two kits...and I've hacked up an awful lot of Airfix Spitfires, so thanks for the inspiration and I'll be watching this one closely! Regards; Steve

Hi All; In a continuing fit of nostalgic modelling, I've started the second Tamiya kit I built when I was 13 years old. It's the Damiler Scout Car, and I have a couple of questions as I'm usually an aircraft type who's a little rusty in the armour department. The instructions suggest either white, cream or the exterior colour for the interior of the vehicle. Are there any hard and fast rules as far as this is concerned, or is it a case of take your pick? Also, as I want to do the 7th Armoured option, was the desert sand colour painted over green, or were they generally supplied in the desert colour from the factory? Maybe both apply. I ask from the viewpoint of weathering, as I suppose I could have green showing through the sand colour? Blimey! I might have a lot to learn! If I enjoy this, I might have to build my first and third ever Tamiya kits again...the Harley/MP set and the SdKfz 222. Thanks in advance! Regards; Steve

Silver Wings are producing a Bulldog in 1/32. It should be their next release, along with a Hawker Demon. Here's the linky... http://www.silverwings.pl/planned-releases-for-2013-14.html Regards; Steve

Here you go Mick...available for pre-order... http://www.relishmodels.co.uk/pacific-coast-models-1-32-hawker-tempest-mk-vc.html Regards; Steve

Pat C; From what I read over on the Flypast forum, they were seven French Army helicopters ( 6 Gazelles and 1 Puma ) travelling from Middle Wallop to Duxford. Hope this helps.. Regards; Steve PS: Aeronut: We must have posted our replies at exactly the same time!

Hi John; Many thanks for the additional info. I think I may have to source some Tiger Moth reference. I realise that I don't have anything on my bookshelf at all! Regarding the Anson...if I want to order one, do I contact you here? Regards; Steve

Ah! Thanks John...I knew one of the seats were different. Just couldn't remember which one! Shouldn't be too difficult to scratch build that. Great photo too...some useful details to be had there. The structure supporting the seats and controls is interesting. Regards; Steve

Hi John; That's brilliant! Thanks! I'll amend the kit as necessary and hopefully, that should do the trick. I must say, that looking at some builds I found by Googling, the dihedral problem appears to be quite apparent on un-corrected kits. The other ommision from the Matchbox kit that puzzles me is the lack of bucket style seat for the pilot. Having said that, I'm no Tiggie expert, so I'm not sure which airframe Matchbox based their kit on. I am looking forward to tackling this kit though. I was fourteen last time I built one! Regards; Steve PS John: Is the Avro Anson 19 still available??

Hi Carlos; Many thanks for the offer! The scan would be great, unless you know which magazine the article was in, then I can have a look through my stash. The Tiggie plans would be very helpful...thanks! So it would seem that there is an issue with the struts then? Regards; Steve

Hi All; Just a quick question regarding the Matchbox 1/32 Tiger Moth. Lost among my ridiculously large pile of old magazines, I seem to recall there was an article about the Matchbox Tiger Moth. This was possibly in a copy of Scale Models. The part I'm trying to track down regards the outer wing struts. I seem to recall that the article suggested that the outer wing struts were too long, effectively reducing the correct dihedral of the lower wings. I've been trawling the internet for reviews that point out the same observation, but I've yet to find one. Is my hazy recollection correct? Does the kit need a bit of modification in this area? Unfortunately, I don't have any good Tiggie plans at hand at the moment. Thanks in advance; Steve