TonyOD

but imodium might help

...though this does raise the question of how I should finish the rotors, @hendie. I was going to do them all-over satin same as the fuselage, but logically neoprene would be matt in appearance. What's the purpose of this leading edge? Protect the rotors?

Therefore, the only question is: simultaneous, or consecutive?

These are shaping up to be a couple of beauties. I'm doing the Dragon Rapide for the upcoming Heller Classic GB, so I hope you don't mind me nicking some tips! If you could point me in the direction of one of those Kuivalainen PE bits I'd be eternally grateful, can't seem to find one in stock anywhere and Kuivalainen's own website appears to be dead...

We’ll it might just have to be a double header then.

I keep thinking that if the plural of index is indices and the plural of vertex is vertices, the plural of Wessex must be Wessices?

Are two builds allowed?

Oh, I’m already in. The decision to be made is Corsair or DR...

No, far from finished. Current state of play: Green masked off for black on the leading edges and undersides. Useful to see that the tips are partly black though. Thanks for the decal thing, I'll give it a look. I seem to remember seeing a pinned post on the decalling page with some interesting stuff on Klear solutions.

Turns out the Airfix De Havilland Dragon Rapide that I have in the stash is a reboxing of a Heller moulding. Decisions, decisions.

Yeah. Complete amateur. I mean, look at David. Those hands are way off scale. (Maybe it was an Italeri kit...)

By way of comparison, Michelangelo knocked out the Sistine Chapel ceiling in four.

Another 48 hours and the only progress I've made (apart from a bit of rotorage) is to make the Wessex green and shiny instead of green and not shiny. Usual method: wait for paint to dry; apply coat of Klear; wait 15 minutes; apply second coat of Klear; wait 15 minutes; apply decals; wait 15 minutes; apply another coat of Klear, and observe clouding and or decal moving about or just coming off; swear; repair or replace decal; more Klear; wait maybe half an hour; spray on varnish; handle while still sticky to do underside; end up with ropy finish This time: wait 24 hours for paint to dry; apply coat of Klear; wait three hours; apply second coat of Klear; don't touch for 24 hours so it can cure properly; apply decals; leave for 24 hours; apply Klear over any decals that have a stencil laid over them; wait 24 hours; apply final stencils; wait 24 hours; final coat of Klear; wait another 24 hours; stick on fiddly bits, and spray final coat of varnish, but touch nothing for 24 hours. But it's hard, so very, very hard.

Now there's a plane that looks like it means business. Great work.

Perfectly logical. Wise words even. I've been pondering the quantity vs. quality question of late. What would give me more satisfaction, three or four builds a year to the absolute best standard I can manage, or cranking one out every couple of weeks for the sake of making up the numbers?

That’s the ones!

That's a great scheme on the Sea Hawk, nice to see something other than plain old EDSG/sky (aka 123/90). I think I have an all red Sea Hawk on a Royal Navy Display Teams decal sheet that will look the biz when I get round to building it.

Looking great!

I remember seeing a kid on Blue Peter when I was young, with his scratch-built Imperial Star Destroyer. It was staggering.

This is amazing stuff. I have a Sea Harrier the horizon And it’s very useful. Thanks @NG899.

tonic with extra gin

I don't, actually. Like I said i didn't trouble myself with paints. There used to be a sports shop in Bradford (where I grew up) called Carters, the top floor was all toys and model kits and I used to spend my birthday money there. I certainly remember a Wellington and a Mustang as well as the Lysander I mentioned, but I never painted any of them.

I don't think I ever got as far as paint when I was a lad! It's only quite recently that I discovered the benefits of thinning paints. Before that, if I couldn't stand a brush upright in it, it wasn't going on my model. I don't think Arma was around last time I was modelling. they seem to offer some very nice kits at some very fair prices.

If you need any of the stuff on Modeldecal 96 give me a shout. I'm likely to use the Buzby zap for the nose as the yellow is a bit less acid, and those rectangle things that go along the top of the tail because the white outlines are printed out of register on the Italeri sheet, otherwise I won't be touching the various squadron and ship insignia.

This looks like a good build, going to follow with interest. I'm a fellow comer-backer, a fellow WIP virgin and also as a one-at-a-timer by inclination. Funnily enough your post reminded me that When I was a kid I massacred this Tomahawk (or something very like it - I remember the shark mouth) and definitely a Lysander.