kiseca

Oh, I can see that black scheme appearing on a model soon (and shortly thereafter appearing in my stash!) It's never been an aircraft that grabbed my attention that much but it looks amazing in that black Mission Accomplie livery!

That looks really nice! The kit itself seems well proportioned too. The engine is spectacular. You've done a fine job!

I saw one of Chip Foose's shows on TV a few years back completely by accident. If I hadn't, I'd have no clue who or what a Chip Foose was either

Thanks for that . I see they are indeed folding fin rockets! I learnt something new today.

Lovely looking build! I'm another who was completely fooled by the aerial shots. I thought they were the real thing at first, and only the order the images appear in made me look a bit closer.

That looks way too pretty to take to war Lovely build, nice work! What are the silver things under the wings? Are they rockets? I can't zoom in close enough to make out if they're lots of rockets, some kind of heat sink, or something else, and I've only ever seen RAF style WW2 rockets with the big chubby warhead stuck on a slim broomstick with four rectangular fins at the back. These silver ones look much more modern, almost like the father of FFARs.

Much appreciated, and happy to hear the recommendation since the Tamiya kit is already ordered, delivered and sitting in the stash It does look good! Smaller than I expected but then this is the first 1/24 size kit I'll be building that's not an aeroplane. I remember when it was released, magazines mentioned the Testarossa underpinnings. Not a bad starting point for a car, to be fair. Interestingly the Testarossa, and the Berlinetta Boxers that came before it, were always derided, to an extent, for having their gearbox below the engine. On the Tamiya kit it becomes obvious how high this actually makes the engine sit (assuming it's all scaled accurately). I've always known of that arrangement, but this is the first time I've seen the effect in 3D. You don't really get to see it when staring at the engine mounted in the car. I loved the Mythos when it came out. There are some parts that I thought weren't perfect. The rear end is a big square slab, the windscreen... I dunno how they could have made that any better but as it was it also seemed a bit plain or featureless I guess. But overall it's a stunning car. The way the lines of the body fold over themselves where the waistline and the top intake line intersect. The smooth curves everywhere. The inlets so smoothly integrated under the headlights. The Testarossa proportions with the wide rear track, narrow front track accentuated by the shorter overall length. It's a beautiful thing in photos. Back in 1990 it was unlike anything that had come before. I've never seen it in the flesh but I'd expect it's just even more arresting.

There are a few models of the Robotech / Macross cartoon series aircraft, but noone seems to have made one of Rick Hunter's Mockingbird, the red and white private racing jet he flies in the first few episodes. It looks a bit like a nose of an F16 with a P-51's intake underneath, and a big ducted fan engine dominating the back. It's a pretty cool looking idea of 21st century personal transport. I'd also like an affordable 1/20 Renault RE40.... the 1983 formula 1 car. There is a model of this in 1/20, if you can find it, but it's part metal and very expensive. I'd rather have a plastic one for £50. Third one is probably an easy one: a 1/48 Bell 206 JetRanger (available) in Santini Air colours (not available as far as I've been able to tell). It would make a good companion for Aoshima's 1/48 Airwolf. I've seen someone do this already but they made their own decals.

I use Vallejo Model Air and find them very thick compared to any other paints I have used. I spray them at about double the pressure I'd use on, say, Humbrol or Tamiya acrylic.... or Vallejo Metal Color for that matter, too. Vallejo Flow Improver helps a bit but they are a bit fussy to work with and I'd imagine they'd give me tip clogging problems if I was using a smaller needle (I'm using an Iwata Revolution 0.5). It also dries fast so I don't leave Model Air paint idle in the airbrush for any time at all. It goes in when I'm ready to start spraying, and as soon as I'm going to stop spraying, or even just pause, the cup is emptied and cleaned out. If it's in the cup and not flowing for more than a minute or two, it.... curdles, for want of a better word.

I wouldn't think top speed matters. Cars are quicker around corners and on the brakes than bikes, so the only time the bike pulls away (usually by an awful lot) is under acceleration - the Tesla's big strength. The big problem with chasing bikes in a car is the bike can go through gaps the car can't, whether the gaps are in traffic, furniture or buildings.

The more time that passes, I guess the less likely we'll ever know what really happened. A true pioneer and inspiration though.

It looks lovely! I found it shocking at first look. Not shocking as in terrible, but shocking as in it hit me right between the eyes and my first thought was gosh, this pile of worn out junk is what the winners were going to war in? It shocked me into imagining a pilot climbing into that and trusting it with his life when it looks like not all of it will make it to the end of the carrier deck. But that's what the pilots did. My mind got used to the idea and I thought about the pilot that was climbing into that faded, scratched, worn Corsair knowing it was the same aircraft that had carried him safely through battle yesterday and the day before that. An aircraft he trusted implicitly and had built a relationship with. So, thanks and well done for posting a build that set my imagination alight!

I am hoping the knowledgeable here may be able to help me trace a novel I read but cannot remember the name of, nor can I find it. I would have read it in the late 1980s, maybe early 1990s. The plot was a pilot, I think either commercial or private licence, who for reasons I have long since forgotten was compelled to bomb some target somewhere in the Middle East or north Africa. It was, if I recall, a mercenary mission. He had to operate solo, plan and source everything and fly the mission by himself. He chose a Sabre as the jet, something that could do the job but was also available in the civilian market (the book was set in the 1980s I think) and went to Canada, bought the jet, bought ferry tanks, ferried it back over the atlantic. For bombs, he used drop tanks and home made napalm to fashion his own. That is almost everything I remember of the book, apart from the fact I am sure it was written in the first person. I can't remember the book title or author. I am sure the cover had a picture or painting of a Sabre. My question is, does anyone here recognise the book? A long shot, but I'd like to track it down if I could, and googling Sabre novels just floods me with non-fiction books about the aircraft, and biographies.

Here are the Esprits I have so you have an idea what I mean in my previous post.

Sorry, a bit late to this party. I was also looking for a decently proportioned Turbo Esprit. I couldn't find a decent looking kit so I settled on Autoart's 1/18 diecast model. It was the best looking model of an Esprit I could find in any form. It's not currently in production but they come up on ebay from time to time. The Autoart Turbo Esprits were early Series 3 versions, i.e. earlier than the red one you posted but different only in trim. They replicate the early '80s cars with two coloured stripes down the side just above the sills, and black bumpers. The little triangle in front of the front quarterlights is also black. Otherwise, as far as I am aware, they are identical to the model you posted which looks like a mid '80s trim before they released the HC. Autoart's Guigiaro Turbo Esprit was available in Essex colours, black, white, or Copper Fire as used in the James Bond movie For You Eyes Only. The JB one includes skis. So, not available in red. That's little help if you want to build it yourself, though I suppose if you want a red one you can pick up on in need of some restoration work and spray it, but you do end up with, in my opinion, a really good looking Turbo Esprit. Price tends to be around £180 for one still in its box, which is quite expensive, but that's fairly ordinary pricing for die-cast models built for collectors rather than for kids. The Autoart models are a world away from the Bburago or Hot Wheels toys I played with as a child. Autoart also did a series 1 (or maybe it was a series 2) and at least one Stevens bodied car... the V8.

Thanks for that! I'd not have thought of checking the instructions to see if the sprues were similar in detail.

OK never mind, my google skills let me down again. The Revell kit is a rebox of a Monogram kit, which itself is either a new tool in 1992, or is a rebox of Tamiya's kit. I'll buy a Tamiya one.

I have a hankering for a Ferrari Mythos and there are two options in 1/24 scale, one from Tamiya and one from Revell. Both are similar money on fleabay. Now, if I was buying on brand reputation, it would be the Tamiya. They've made some stinkers, but overall Tamiya is a byword for good quality plastic kits. Revell, on the other hand, are much more of a lottery. However, the Tamiya kit dates from the early 1990s, while the Revell kit was released in 2003 according to Scalemates. Tamiya may always have been good, but it will be early 1990s standard of good, while by 2003 the quality of kits in general had moved on a lot. An average 2000s kit is likely better than a good 1990s one. I've searched the web, and found a partial build of the Tamiya kit on here. It does look decent enough. But I can't find any reviews or builds of the Revell one. It's a rare concept car that not many people who weren't car nuts in the late 1980s are likely to even know about, so I expect that interest in kits of it is rare too. So my question is, has anyone who happens to be reading this built or have any knowledge of the Revell kit? Does anyone have any experience of these two models and can tell me if one is better than the other? If not I'll likely play it safe and go with Tamiya. EDIT: I misread Scalemates. The Revell isn't new tool in 2000s but a rebox. It doesn't reveal what it's a rebox of though! Now I'm thinking the Revell kit is just a newer release of the Tamiya one..

That Tesla is possibly the fastest car the UK police have ever had.

It looks good. Did I read correctly that you built the whole thing in a single weekend? I'm lucky if I manage to get two coats of paint done in a weekend

Great looking build. Absolute beast of an aircraft whether the real thing or the model.

That's a lovely looking build. Surprised how effective those venturi tunnels are with all the open bodywork around the engine and exhaust, but the car seemed competitive enough.

I'm not sold on the frosted glass canopy It looks awesome. I expect the level of detail will be good enough for me. I like detail but I take forever to build anything so I don't like tons and tons of detail! The cannon detail looks pretty good and the engine should be at least up to the standards of their Mosquito 1/24, if not improved, and the Mosquito was already good enough for me too. The Mk 9 will make a nice partner for my Mozzie.

Thanks, it's a good point and I do indeed use Microsol, and it really helps. I think part of my problem though is that I also used Microset, and on a couple of occasions on different models I've had a problem where the decal has partially stuck solid to the model before I've finished getting it into position - or while, as in this case, I've been trying to smooth it into the various contours. When I say stuck solid, I mean not even masking tape will pull the stuck portion off. I don't know if it's the Microset making that happen, maybe reacting with the varnish or something, but I've seen a few others on here warn about using Microset, so I just used water alone from that point and then used Microsol to soften all the decals once they were in place and had dried off just a little, to help them settle in to the contours and grooves.

There are some updates, it's been a couple of productive weeks for me with the Mirage. Black paint on the nose was done. When that was dry, it was time for a gloss coat to be ready for the decals. The tail decals are pretty big, they cover nearly the whole fin so I wanted to try keep the risk of silvering down as best I could. On the whole the decals went on smoothly but there were two exceptions. One of the borders on the wing root went a bit wobbly and it took me so long to sort it out that it stuck fast before I was happy. It's a bit wavy. The other exception was a bigger problem. The big decal on the starboard side of the tail has to cover a bump - the rudder actuator - and while trying to get it to sit flush I ruined the decal completely. Luckily one of the other liveries has an almost identical tail decal. It's just missing the identification number. Unfortunately I couldn't even salvage that from the original decal so the starboard side just has to do without a "653". One other point of note is that two of the decals go on the sides of the ejection seat headrests, but they aren't shown on the destructions when the seat is assembled, so by the time I was aware of them when I saw them labelled on the livery images, it was way too late to add them. The sides of the seat are very visible through the sides of the canopy too so it's a bit of a shame, but I don't want to crack it open to add them. There's a bit of filler around that area to make it all fit, so I don't want to mess with it. With the decals done I gave it a pin wash to bring out the panel lines a bit more. Washes and weathering are my weakest skills in modelling, and panel lines in particular have been very hit and miss for me. I've generally tried over-the-counter washes, and once or twice I've tried making one from thinned paint. This time I decided to try with pastels. I tried just drawing them on when doing the fuel tank, but it wasn't working that well so I watched some Youtube and on the basis of that, made a wash out of pastel shavings, water, and dishwashing liquid. It probably helps that the model is all light colours, I have a better hit rate on light colours, but I'm happy with both the results and the control I had so I'll stick with this method for now. The result is a bit more subtle than it looks in the photos but it's just about exactly where I want it. Waiting in the tent for its final varnish With the wash done and a few other details, it was time for the final coat. I gave it a couple of coats of Newton and Windsor (or is it Windsor and Newton?) matt varnish to seal the decals and wash in and get the get the desired finish. Then it was time for one of my favourite milestones on any build... removing the mask from the glasswork! I'm always a bit worried that some disaster has been hidden for weeks beneath the canopy masking but it was all fine. With the matt finish on and the canopy on show and buffed up, this build is just about done. Landing gear and tank are on and the model sat on its wheels for the first time. Now it's just waiting for the exhaust can, four bombs, and two wingtip AAMs and it will be all done.