Hairy Stickler

A superb job! Thank you for sharing. I made an Airfix 1/72 Marauder in the mid-1970s. One of the few bombers I have made but I have fond memories of the kit (I can still "see it " hanging on fishing line from my bedroom ceiling!) All the best Peter

Welcome to the forum Dave. I wouldn't make anything without wings and a propeller (but only one mind......propeller that is)! All the best Peter

I'm very tempted (particularly as I already have all the paints)! Or a US Spitfire, or a Stuka (not a fighter, I know, but I'm willing to make exceptions)! Thanks to all who've "liked". You're very kind. Kind regards Peter

Evening All, Here is my second build of the year (this is breakneck speed for me) the AZ Bf109 F4 Trop in 1/72. The kit went together pretty well with only a little filling at the wing roots and around the oil cooler fairing. It was brush painted using a mixture of Hataka and AK Air acrylics (the AK paints are now a firm favourite). My one major complaint would be with the gloss pre-decals/weathering coat. I used Revell acrylic in a rattle can and it was awful. Although I'd left it for a couple of days before I applied the decals, it got very sticky with handling ("wear latex gloves" I hear you shout) and I had to buff out some fingerprints. When I applied the chalk wash, it seemed to get embedded in the clear coat (rather than just wiping off) requiring more buffing out. The can's now in the bin! This completes my self-inflicted "North Africa 1942" themed build, the results of which are shown below. Thanks for taking the time to look. All the best Peter

Beautiful.....nothing more to say. Thanks for sharing Peter

There's the historic cathedral city of Chichester, the beautiful beaches at the Witterings.......oh, and the Sussex Model Centre in Worthing (I wasn't paid for that plug)!!

Not normally a jet man but that is a superb job (unbelievable detail in the "office")! Not sure how I'd cope with 1/24th scale. At 5'5", I could probably get in it! Thanks for sharing Best regards Peter

It's all still the wrong side of Sussex!!

Lovely job Mike. Welcome back !! Thanks for sharing Peter

I'm with Tim here. Since I've come back to modelling, I've tried Humbrol (too grainy), Hataka Blue Line, Ammo/Mig and the AK Air series. In my opinion, the AK is the best. It brushes well (I've thinned it with Hataka thinners but it doesn't seem to mind) and the colours are deep/bright. It is quite thick so needs to be thinned to about a 50/50 ratio. I am a brush painter so can't comment on how it sprays. Hope this helps. Kind regards Peter

Afternoon All, Having been back in the hobby for a little while now, I'm fairly happy with the brave world of multiple glues, fillers, tools, paints (I'm a brush painter), etc. Where I am struggling is clear coats. I feel that I am reliant on rattle cans and am not entirely happy with anything that I have tried (Mr Hobby, Revell, Humbrol and Plasticote). I am just about to give AK acrylic matt a go to see how that works. Does anyone have any suggestions? I paint in water-based acrylic (AK, Hataka Blue Line) and would be particularly interested to hear from any brush painters who are probably now all shouting "why don't you just brush XYZ on"! All the best Peter

What he said! Thanks for sharing Peter

Hmm...Mrs Stickler thinks that I'm joking when I say that I'd have to sell a kidney to buy all the stuff that I want (rather than need) but, you know, it might just be worth it! I mean you only need one kidney but you need dozens/hundreds of kits, brushes, tools, etc!

Hi Matt, Welcome back to the hobby and welcome to the forum. There's lots of very nice people here who are happy to share hints and tips. I'm a great fan of WW2 aircraft (especially fighters) and there's some great US Navy types. Having expressed my love for fighters, my next US build is likely to be an Avenger! All the best Peter

I'm not normally a lover of the P47 ( like the bumble bee, it looks like it shouldn't be able to fly) but this one is superb! Thanks for sharing Peter