Alan P

Re. Flickr: you haven't set the photos /album to Public, so nobody can see them! I use Flickr for posting photos here, you just need to set the pics to Public and post the links on your Britmodeller thread - they should automatically display the photos on your post.

I'm here for the Quack awards!

Superb job Also you're in a class of your own when it comes to photography

All the hard work has really paid off. Looking forward to the cockpit work - did I mention it's my favourite part of the build

Wow. The engine faces are stunningly good. Make sure you get plenty of pictures before you imprison them away in the fuselage! Alan

What a great start! Looks like a nice kit and definitely impressive so far.

Those stabs are probably the same size as an average model's main wings! Looking very impressive indeed. Alan

Thanks Chris, once again Decals on: Main markings are Xtradecal, stencils by Aviaeology. All behaved themselves, although the Xtradecal sheet is incomplete - it lacks the 'Anygumchum' name/title on the left nose. To be fair, they probably left it off as there are no definitive photos or sources for what was actually written on it! I used @stevehnz's diluted Klear technique and it was very successful. Thanks very much for that top tip Steve Added some bare-metal patches where the exhaust shrouds were removed - the extra few knots speed also increased endurance for these long-range missions to the Skagerrak, northern fjords and Kattegat to attack German shipping. Long-range slipper tanks added, along with the washes. Final flat coat: Ready for the masks to come off next. Very happy with the look of it so far! Alan

You absolutely nailed the GSB appearance, the exhaust stains and that finish is just Superb modelling!

Very impressed by your fine and neat PE work. Certainly plenty of hours of work left in this!

Excuse me, but Russian sources have been the driving force behind most of the negative publicity on the F-35 since 2008. It was a serious, if desperate, attempt to delay or preferably, cancel or limit the program until they were in any kind of position to close the gap. Now they are somewhat in the ballpark for producing a genuine 5th gen fighter, we can be thankful that the development of the F-35 continued, particularly through the very difficult period of sustained negative propaganda from 2014-2020. Nobody sensible ever said the cold war was over. Only one side wanted to believe that, and the fact so much damage has been done politically and economically thanks to the very one-sided hybrid war waged on the West through sophisticated disinformation strategy, we're lucky that some of the targeted critical defence programs and new technologies did not fall victim to it.

Incredible details, the tiny PE controls are very well posed there?

Thanks James and John I used the Alclad Mil-Spec Med Sea Grey so it'll look like a repair patch. That's my story at least

Build progression moves on to the wings - great care needed to follow the correct instructions. Wheel well detail is exceptional. It's like they tried to replicate as much of the interior bracing and rib detail as possible. The fit of these parts is also perfect. You just slot them in and glue it fast. There's so much interior detail in the wings as well. Again, all very clearly shown in the instructions and right and left wings mostly contained on one sprue each. This kit is precision engineered art. Alan

Hi again, long time no update! Got the fuselage together - was a bit of a fiddle to line everything up: Not at all! Here's a Tamiya paint pot: And a 6-in ruler: While not the biggest model I've made, this scale makes everything seem big! Cockpit finished apart from washes and effects for the most visible bits: Airfix have managed the impossible - an accurate, precisely engineered kit cockpit with incredible levels of detail, all right off the sprue. I'll have more to say about this kit as the build goes on, overwhelmingly positive... This is one happy Hellcat! ...much like the builder. Cheers, Alan