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lewis25049

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Everything posted by lewis25049

  1. After what has felt like a long hiatus, I finally have a new build off the bench. This is the Eduard 1/72 Spitfire Mk.IX Profipack Edition, built OOB. After an interstate move and a new job, my time on the bench has substantially decreased, so ironically I had to pick a complex and time-consuming paint scheme! No issues with the build, any errors are my fault. Walkway stencils mostly rubbed off during weathering as I didn't sufficiently seal them, and top roundels are painted. Thanks for looking, CC welcome.
  2. Fresh off the bench is the Great Wall Hobby 1/72 F-14D Tomcat VF-31 Sunset Edition. This kit is a straight OOB build. Fit was great for the most part, with minimal filler required. This was a very detailed kit, with a high number of parts and sub-assemblies. As a result, it essentially consumed my entire modelling area for the last few months, meaning any concurrent projects remained on hold. It was a slow build, but overall was rather enjoyable. Other than an oil wash, I haven't weathered the kit. Maybe down the track I'll make it a characteristically dirty Tomcat, but with an ever-growing stash I'm calling this one done for now. Thanks for viewing.
  3. Fresh off the bench is the Italeri 1/72 UH-1B Huey Not much to say about this kit - a good little build OOB. Work and life has taken priority over bench time recently, so I'm glad to finally add something to the 'completed' pile again. On to the pictures:
  4. Fresh off the bench is the CMR 1/72 Spitfire Mk.22. This kit represents a couple of firsts: first resin kit and first vacform canopy. I got this kit second-hand for a bargain, and is an older CMR kit. The small parts came on a disc of thin resin as opposed to the newer casting blocks, the decals were old and faded, and it came stuffed in a zip-lock bag. A lot of components were warped, with the fuselage halves being the worst culprits. Still, the vacform canopy was clear and it represented a good kit for a first attempt at resin. Despite the kit's age and dubious condition, it was a lot of fun. I made plenty of mistakes (including crushing the fragile vacform canopy) but learnt a lot of new skills too. Aircraft registration decals are from the kit, however I replaced the national markings with aftermarket as the red had faded to a light pink. Criticism / advice for future builds is always welcome! Cheers
  5. Fresh off the bench is the High Planes Models 1/72 Dassault Mirage IIID. This model is part of a twin pack, with options to build a single and dual seater for RAAF 2OCU and ARDU aircraft. This particular build is a 2OCU aircraft, which is a pilot training squadron. The single seater will eventually be built in an ARDU 'Fanta Can' scheme. This kit was a lot of fun to put together. I found the instructions to be a bit vague in areas, but a bit of research and plenty of dry-fitting and it mostly fell together. This is apparently the 'revised tooling' which has much more refined panel lining than previous moulds. The decals were decent and easy to place, but the large 2OCU tail flash didn't seem to react much to Microset/sol. Thanks for looking, cc always welcome.
  6. Fresh off the bench is the Roden 1/72 Fokker Dr.I. The decals were typical Roden - brittle, non-conforming and prone to silvering. I found that applying them over a layer of Tamiya Decal Adhesive (Softener Type) worked best to alleviate these issues for the most part. Getting all the wings lined up was a challenge, but liberal applications of super glue got the job done. I've since fixed the wonky wheels seen in the underside photo. For some reason, I really enjoy these small Roden kits, despite their flaws. They are a lot of fun, and I've got my eye on either their 1/72 Gotha or Felixstowe next to really test my mettle. Thanks for looking.
  7. Seconded. I thought they were reference photos until I saw this comment. Excellent work!
  8. Fresh off the bench is the Eduard 1/72 Fw 190A-8. This is the Profipack version, with included PE / mask set. Kit markings were used, with 0.047mm elastic thread for the antenna wire. This was my first time doing this aircraft yet somehow I've accumulated 5 different versions of the kit in my stash. The landing gear took a bit of care to get the right angle/stance, but otherwise it was a painless build. Great little kit in my opinion. Time to add it to the airport! Thanks for viewing, CC always welcome.
  9. Fresh off the bench is the Revell 1/72 Avro Lancaster Mk.I/III. I included an Eduard interior detail set and masking set, and used kit markings/decals. Unfortunately there was some minor silvering on some of the walkway decals, but overall they turned out well enough. There were no major issues with the kit - fit was decent across the board, requiring minimal filling and sanding. The design is well thought out in that the wings can be kept off and attached at the final stage, making painting and storage much easier to handle. This was my first attempt at airbrushed exhaust stains instead of my usual chalk pastels. I felt like I had more control using this technique, but less room for error as I can't just wipe it off with a wet rag anymore. The instructions included reference to antenna wire, but attachment points were very vague so I left them off. Clearing this beast off the bench opens up some room to start some new builds - now I just have to find somewhere to display it! Thanks for looking, and CC is always welcome.
  10. Fresh off the bench is the Academy 1/72 P-40M/N. I used this kit as a nice easy OOB build as a break from some bigger projects. This boxing came with RAAF decals, so I've used them to model a 3 Squadron P-40N. Overall, a nice relaxing build - I still made plenty of errors, but the whole point was to just roll with the punches on this one and not worry about any minor issues. Feedback / critique welcome. Thanks for viewing.
  11. Thanks for the kind comments all! No, fortunately the windows/doors were separate - I don't think the canopy would have survived my attempts at hacking it apart. I originally used AK Interactive Elastic Putty to demarcate each colour. However, the two greens were too similar, so I re-sprayed them both using freehand.
  12. Fresh off the bench is the Italeri 1/72 F-111 Aardvark I've decided to (inaccurately) model this as a RAAF F-111C, using some aftermarket decals (Aussie Decals). There is significant silvering evident in the photos, but it is exaggerated by the harsh light - it looks fine in the collection, and definitely looks the part when viewed from a foot or more away. I dressed up the interior with an Eduard PE set designed for the Hasegawa kit, and posed the canopy open to show it off. In the end, a pretty simple kit, which is surprisingly massive compared to the rest of my 1/72 collection. Thanks for viewing - CC always welcome.
  13. Fresh off the bench is the Italeri 1/48 Grumman S-2G Tracker. This is built as a Royal Australian Navy aircraft, using the decals supplied with the kit. I also added Eduard's interior and exterior PE sets. This is a kit which nearly defeated me multiple times throughout the build. There was a litany of issues, both with the kit itself and self-induced. They really sapped my motivation, but I'm glad I managed to power through. The Eduard interior detail set really spruced up the cabin - but my clear parts all fogged up on the inside! I'm not sure what happened there (I always use white glue for clear parts etc). My first foray into 1/48 aircraft, and I found it quite time-consuming, and very bulky and unwieldy to handle and paint. I'm now all the more impressed with what the larger scale modelers achieve, but I think I'll stick to 1/72 for a while! Enjoy the pictures, and any critique/advice is always welcome.
  14. Fresh off the bench is Roden's 1/72 Albatros D.III Oeffag s.153 (late) This kit had a fair bit of flash, questionable fit, nothing more than dimples for the strut locating holes (in some locations, nothing!), and notoriously average decals. Despite the kit's issues, I really enjoyed this build. With 12 liveries to choose from, I can see a few more sneaking into the stash in future. It was painted in a 20:1 ratio of flat red to black, just to dull the brightness slowly, then weathered with oils. Unfortunately I couldn't get rid of the silvering on the decals. Rigged with Uschi 0.047mm thread. I've really enjoyed building the couple of WWI aircraft I've done so far, and am looking forward to the next one... once I've cleared the bench of my other projects! Thanks for looking, CC always welcome.
  15. Fresh off the bench is the Eduard 1/72 Spitfire Mk.VIII. This was one of Eduard's ProfiPACK kits, which includes a PE set and canopy mask. Kit was built OOB except for a few bits of PE gobbled up by the carpet monster. There were a few niggles during the build, but nothing a bit of putty and patience doesn't fix. I can definitely see why this kit is so highly praised - the end result definitely looks the part. Some off the decals were slightly offset, leaving an unsightly white edge around a section of each roundel. This was carefully touched up by hand with some dark blue. I hadn't been entirely pleased with the results of my previous builds, so I really tried to slow down and focus on each step as I went along. Rushing the weathering stage is the usual culprit, but here I've tried to add some chipping and oil rendering to give it a more weathered appearance. Overall I'm quite pleased with the result, and I hope the photo's give it justice. Critique and feedback welcome as always.
  16. Fresh off the bench is the Hasegawa 1/72 UH-60A Black Hawk. This was built as an Australian Army Black Hawk in operation by the RAAF's Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU). Kit was built OOB with Hawkeye Decals for the ARDU livery. This model is not entirely accurate, as Australia apparently operates the S-70A-9 export version Black Hawk, which is more akin to a UH-60L. I'm a 'close enough is good enough' kind of model maker, and it looks like an Australian Black Hawk to me. Those that care can pretend it's a UH-60A on loan to Australia for user trials. This was my first time doing a helicopter, and won't be the last. I tried to add some tonal variation to the camouflage using pastels at the end of the build rather than during the painting phase. It mostly disappeared under the final protective dull coat, and is not noticeable at all in the photos. I'll stick to doing variation as part of the painting from now on. The Hawkeye decals included a full range of stencils, and really added some life to the sparse panels of the Hasegawa kit. Rotorblades were drooped using near-boiling water and bent to shape. I'm not a photographer, but I've tried to touch up my dodgy phone pictures with a bit of basic Photoshop as they were originally very dark. As always, CC welcome. Thanks!
  17. Fresh off the bench is the ICM 1/72 Pfalz E.IV It was a decent little kit, but there were definitely some fit issues. Most of those were overcome with copious amounts of super glue. The fuselage and wing tape is actually black electrical tape! Doesn't look too nice in the photos, but looks pretty good from arms length. The borders on the tail were done with a black sharpie, with mixed results. Rigging was done with 0.047mm elastic thread. Painted in acrylics, with oils used for wooden components. This is my 2nd WWI fighter, and was very easy to rig. Overall, a fun little kit to keep the mojo going. Thanks for viewing.
  18. Two for the price of one! Fresh off the bench are both kits from the Eduard 1/72 Hellcat Mk.I and Mk.II Dual Combo. The Eduard boxing comes with plenty of cockpit PE and a masking set, which worked fantastically. Both models were built OOB. I rushed the weathering just to get them finished. I really need to learn to slow down for this final phase, but the longer they stay on the bench the bigger the backlog gets. CC welcome. Thanks,
  19. Fresh off the bench is the Sword 1/72 F3H-2 Demon. This is my first completion for 2021, but I started it late 2020. This is a short-run kit, with resin seat and exhaust and some PE parts all included in the box. Installing the PE wing fences required hacking into the leading edge of both wings with a razor saw. The fit of the kit is a bit tight, with minimal locating tabs and just small nubs for the wings. The main landing gear is delicately butt welded with super glue, and I was surprised it has handled the weight of the model so far. The cockpit is built up first, with the fuselage halves then joined around this section. I did not align the cockpit very well in this process, which required some forceful manhandling to straighten it up, which left some significant gaps between the fuselage halves. This was treated with melted sprue and sanded back to remove (most) seamlines. The decals were excellent, and conformed well with the panel lines. I was going to do add an external tank and weapons load, but lost focus and just wanted to get it finished. Overall, despite being a slow and sometimes frustrating build, I quite enjoyed the process and am happy with the end results. Thanks for viewing, feedback/criticism always appreciated!
  20. With a couple of hours at the bench today, the cockpits have been completed. There's a fair bit of coloured PE involved, with 25 pieces for each cockpit. This includes individual levers, which at 1/72 scale they are almost microscopic. Thankfully I only lost 1 in the process. Tonight I'll hopefully have the fuselage halves buttoned up for both kits. Thanks for looking, these were the best macro shots I could manage with the camera on my phone.
  21. Tonight I got the airbrush out and base colour both cockpits with interior green over a black primer, as well as the fuselage halves, sidewalls and control panels. Still to follow: Detail painting Weathering Oil Wash Interior photoetch Final assembly and dull coat Hopefully start to chip away at the above over the next few nights.
  22. It's very rare that a new kit gets built straight away. I tend to buy 2 or 3 at a time, predominantly online. Once they arrive, I have a look at the contents and think "that will be cool to build one day...". The kits then get closed up and disappear into the ever expanding stash. I've currently been working on some intensive projects which have been a bit of a time-sink, so it's felt as though I've somewhat stagnated with my attempts to cull the backlog and was starting to lose my 'mojo'. So, yesterday, I did something I haven't done since I started the hobby 4 years ago: I went to the LHS, picked out a cool looking kit, and immediately started building. The kit: Eduard 1/72 Hellcat Mk. I / Mk. II Dual Combo As the name implies, the kit contains two complete models, including masks and photoetch for both. There are markings for 7 different aircraft. As stated, this kit has jumped to the front of the build queue, but will be progressed as a palate cleanser for when I need a break from the larger projects. As a result, they will both be built purely OOB. The kit provides parts to build a single example of a Mk.I and a Mk.II. I'll be building both at the same time, and have already chosen the below schemes: Hellcat Mk.I JV131, 800 Sqn. FAA, HMS Emperor, June 1944 Hellcat Mk.II JZ796, 808 Sqn. FAA, SubLt Oscar Lorenzo, HMS Khedive and HMS Trincomalee, Ceylon 1945 Besides a cursory attempt at a few progress shots during the current Heller GB, this will be my first proper WIP. Feel free to provide comment and critique along the way. I have already started to assemble both cockpits in preparation for painting. Once I get some colour down, I'll post another update. Cheers
  23. Latest off the bench is the Tasman Models 1/72 DH.89A Dragon Rapide/Dominie in RAAF livery of a dark earth / foliage green / sky blue camouflage scheme. This kit is a rebox of the 1979 Heller kit, and was built as part of the Heller GB. I would have liked to have done more weathering / painting to really highlight the ribbed wings and fuselage, however a few dramas with the build put a stop to those ideas. To be honest, it ended up a bit of a grind to get this one over the line. Hopefully you find the end result somewhat presentable. Rigged with 0.047 mm rubber thread, and the antenna wire with 0.15 mm EZ-Line. This was my second biplane in a row, both of which included rigging. Time to build some nice, simple monoplanes for a break. Thanks for looking. Build Log: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235083122-raaf-dh89a-dragon-rapide-dominie-tasman-reboxing-finished/
  24. Presented here is the Tasman Models reboxing of the Heller 1/72 DH.89A Dragon Rapide in RAAF service. Feel free to provide comment or critique in the build log: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235083122-raaf-dh89a-dragon-rapide-dominie-tasman-reboxing-finished/ Thanks!
  25. And finished, making it 10 for the year! Thanks for joining me on the ride, I'll add these photos to the Gallery too!
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