ScheF15

Gee guys, thanks, and @Paul Thompson in particular for taking the trouble checking out his kit. I feel rather embarrassed now, I finally checked the contents of my kit box and indeed, there is the bulge! And there is the bulge on the front painting as well: (No bombs, though...) I feel like a fool, and once more to myself: "First check, then scream!" So sorry for the panic, guys, but on the other hand, we had a nice chat about Buccaneers for a while, and that is a good thing too, eh? Cheers, Rob

Thanks a lot @Phone Phixer, that's by far the best pic of the plane that I've seen thus far! So, it's the 'bulged bomb bay door tank' I need (one has to be careful with the correct order of words!). @tempestfan: do you think you have this particular part as a surplus? Cheers, Rob

Thanks for your help guys, however now I am pretty confused what I want, ahem. It's this particular Bucc that I want to build, it's XW530/Q of 16 Sqn, like it was displayed in the static show of the Twenthe open house day, September 15, 1979: (I was 14 years old then, and in the possession of a modest camera.) I reckoned the thing under its belly is the bomb bay tank @71chally is referring to, is it? The kit has nothing of any kind: Cheers, Rob

Hi folks, I have a classic Matchbox 1/72 Buccaneer kit lying waiting to be built, and I would like to add a bomb bay tank to it: Anyone with tips, tricks, dimensions or even resin models I could lay my grabby hands on? Thanks in advance, Rob

P.S.: Pics of the result can be found here:

Bought in 19something and after it had been gathering dust for ages, I finally was in the mood and found the time to build this charming Matchbox kit. The WIP can be found here, I am not entirely satisfied with the result, but I settle for it. Feel free to post some comments, I will add them to my long list of 'notes to self', ahem. Cheers, Rob

During my holidays I gave the model a good thought, and upon return I removed the plasters from the canopy. That turned out quite alright: Finally, it was time for the stores. I like to model my planes like I saw them 'in the wild', so for this particular kit I chose empty Sidewinder rails, as shown on the photo. The Sidewinder rails in the box were as basic as the rest of the kit, but I had some spare rails which I used instead. I cut away some part of the original brown pylon, modelled the spare rails to size and there we are: As for the fuel tanks: they came without reinforcement strip on the port side: During a conversation somewhere else on this forum, @iainpeden was so very kind to offer me some of his spare tanks which did have the reinforcement strips. They arrived by mail safe and sound, thanks again Iain! Once glued and painted, the stores were ready to add: And with that, I declare my kit finished. Well, of course I tried some weathering and washing, but those skills need some more attention, ahem. Better next time! Cheerio, Rob

After repainting the fuselage and upper wing surfaces it was time for applying decals! I bought the additional AirDOC and Modeldecal decal sets ages ago, and it was a bit doubtful if they would still stick... Well, the decals did stick, but when applying the serial and code decals tiny particles came off, leaving the letters light grey instead of bright white... As the 'C' is rather stylized (check my photograph of XV430/C on the first page), I chose to settle for it. The blue/white checker strip came in two: one straight white band and one with blue checkers only. I decided to skip the white band decal and paint the band myself instead: And with the blue checkers applied: To respect the basic model, I chose to keep the number of decals to a sort of minimum. Keep in mind that the decals in the box were even fewer! On the port side the text is a bit too much, but I like the RETTUNG detail! That wraps it up for the time being. Next Monday my wife and I set off for a three weeks holidays in the UK, with the Henley Swim Festival as the main holiday destination. However, I'm going to try to get my sweetheart to come with me to the Royal Air Force Museum London as well, ahem. And maybe even to nearby Hannants! Cheerio, Rob

Ahem, thanks @Creepy Pete! I didn't know 'Compass Ghost', was the same, and I'm glad @Murph confirms the numbers 😁. This will do. Cheers, Rob

Hi @LopEaredGaloot, I intend to build a USAFE F-15C from 1984 ('CR' coded, 32 TFS Soesterberg), which should wear the Ghost Grey. Any FS numbers for these colors? Cheers, Rob

I kind of neglected the join lines gaps, but after @Lord Riot mentioned it I realized it was not too late to fix them. My choice of weapons: The result was not too bad, but, note to self: Revell Plasto shrinks, multiple sessions are necessary... Before applying the decals, I wanted to touch up a few spots. Not wanting to use my airbrush, I took my brush and Humbrol enamel paint 167 as the Airfix paint guide advised. I had sprayed the fuselage and wing sections with Mr Hobby H334, and both paints should render the correct BS381C.626. Now I was not so happy with the result of H334, and to my surprise the Humbrol 167 turned out to be slightly lighter! This is much more to my liking, so instead of starting with the decals, I'm going to repaint the entire fuselage and wing sections, with Humbrol 167... To quote Frank Zappa: 'The torture never stops', but the result will be worth it. I think. Hurrah! Rob

Thanks @RidgeRunner, found it! It appears I should have scrolled further downward, ahem.

Thanks @RidgeRunner, I was looking for that particular section but couldn't find it. And thanks to all responders! It's more than I had hoped for, and I think I have a plan of attack. I'll drop my experiences here in due time. Cheers, Rob

Hi fellow modellers, I am about to finish my second kit since taking up the hobby again after a hiatus of more than 30 years, and now I am faced with a conundrum: should I varnish the aircraft before or after applying the decals? In my heyday I used enamel paints only and never considered varnishing the kits, but sometimes the decals faded terribly. Since I am back to the bench I use new stuff (for me) like acryl paints and decal softener. I'd say varnishing the kit after applying decals will result in a nice overall look, but will the decals not be damaged, resulting in cracks or so? Thanks in advance, Rob

Check, @PLC1966! Photographed while approaching RAF Wildenrath, July 1987. In the meantime it was equipped with the RWR box: Thanks @Jabba, nice to see some photos of freshly painted Phantoms. Remarkable to see that even in this stage the nose cone has a different color. I always thought it was the same grey as the rest from the start, but that the cone and fuselage discolored in different ways. Cheers, Rob