jackroadkill

They can feel like they're taking forever, especially at the start when you're spending hours fiddling around with all the cockpit detailing etc. Going by the pictures you have already posted this will turn out very nicely indeed.

This looks like a grand little kit, sir.

"I personally...". Grrrrrr!

It's a wee bit sweary at the end, but genius nonetheless, for all that it's a cover.

Why oh why did I decide to go out on the evening of the 12th of June 1997?

Just a word of warning, Tom. I hadn't built a kit since I was about 13 (I'm now 42) and during lockdown a few friends and I decided we'd all buy each other an mystery 1/72 sub-£15 Airfix kit online and then build them for a bit of fun. That was 18 months ago and now I have a stash of over 40 kits waiting for me to build them, twenty-odd that I've built already, an ever-growing reference library and more tools, paints, clear-coats etc than I though possible. I bought an airbrush, the works. It can be a slippery slope but it's very enjoyable. My tip would be to try a few kits to build up your confidence and techniques before tackling the "one". Post your efforts in WIP threads, listen to the advice you get given (99% of which will be both friendly and useful) and see how you get on. It being December now, Airfix starter sets (admittedly with horrific paint!) can be had in Aldi for a fiver a pop, so you can have a go with very little financial outlay.

Me neither especially, but I think I'm going to give it another try using a refinement of the technique I used on the G-2 above. I'll let you know how I get on.

Hi Adam, Regarding your Luftwaffe builds and their need of an airbrush - is this due to the mottling present on many airframes? If so, you can do it with a brush to a certain degree. The kit below was my third or fourth build and the second one I mottled with a brush. Knowing what I do now I know that a better job could be done fairly easily. With your experience I'm sure you'd be able to do a better job than this straight away.

I'm going to do PK-129, the Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF-11/12/14.

Oh hell yes. Oh hell yes!

I certainly will - I'm following this closely now!

I've just read through this whole thread: what I know about MTB's could be written on a postage stamp and there would be enough space left to include my full knowledge of scratchbuilding. I'm in awe of what you're doing here.

Cracking job there, Alistair. She looks superb, and as said above that camo is spot on.

Now I know of this obsession I might have to ask you interminable questions about the aircraft when they occur to me in the middle of the night....

You were absolutely correct, Kais, so thanks very much. I've added the stencil to the model and hope to start the weathering later today.

Thanks Mark; I decided that it was fine as it was (partly due to the reason you gave and partly due to not wanting to paint it again!) and went ahead. I'm glad I did because I think the results look pretty fair. Thanks Kais, I'll check that possibility out. For some reason there's no mention of it on HB's scheme, which is pretty darned helpful!

Who would be silly enough to do that?! Oh, me....!

Okay folks, this is getting there now. I've rescued the paintwork and got the decals on. I ended up painting the Reichsverteidigung bands on as the decal was the wrong size and shape and then fell apart when I tried to beat it into shape. I have to be honest in saying that although it cost me two days it looks pretty good, so I'll take that. I might make this a regular thing as I like the result. The decals otherwise went on well, but of the major decals I only used the Yellow 11 markings, as the various kreuzen were sprayed using Montex masks, and again I'm happy with the results. The stencils all went on pretty well other than the red trim tabs, which are a bit too big, so following the matt coat I might have to razor the carrier film down to size. Also, if anyone knows where the hell stencil number 25 is supposed to go, I'm all ears! The guns are now in, which is good; I used some Eduard barrels on the wing guns as they had pre-drilled bores (and I couldn't be bothered to build up the HB ones, which for all their faffing would remain hidden by the wing spar...). I managed to get the bores drilled on the fuselage gun barrels too, so even though they're not very accurately represented they do at least look like pipes rather than billets. Next job is weathering. I'm not going to go wild as there's not much likelihood that this airframe variant ever actually got into combat. Cheers, JRK

@Rabbit Leader as a Welsh bloke I’m pretty ambivalent about the cricket but would remind my friends from across the dyke that even if Australia win the Ashes their Autumn Internationals haven’t been particularly successful. The only thing worse than a whining Pom etc etc!

Thanks @Rabbit Leader, @Ratch and @PhantomBigStu. Every day's a school day!

Thanks @Rabbit Leader - just one question; how are those categories allocated?! I'm building an aircraft but it's green, dark grey and light grey. I assume this makes it category two?

Bless you, Freddie. Can't believe it's been thirty years.... I was on the bus to school when I heard that he'd died.

Thanks Dave, that's very useful to know. I was planning to build it as an NF14, so you've saved me a boo-boo there.

These two landed today; the Meteor will be my Matchbox Classic GB entry next year and the P-40 will keep me going for a while once I finish my current Ta152 build. Cheers, JRK

My wee Matchbox kit arrived today! I can't remember if this was the first model kit I built or the second, but I suspect it was the first. I was given it by my school in 1988 and built it in the obligatory single session, complete with thumbprints, huge gaps etc. The box was sealed in its cellophane wrapper but I broke it open for a look at what I'm dealing with. I have to say that for a kit that's older than dirt it's pretty nice. There's no flash, for a start, and the decals look useable. Roll on January!