Volant

Following with interest! I’m currently building a Trumpeter Wellington. I wouldn’t have done, the Airfix seem superior, but I needed to do a Mk III. Agree re scale too - maybe the smaller twin engine stuff I could do 1/48, but the heavies - I don’t have space for them even in 1/72….

Looking good. Particularly the etch. I have a soft spot for (slightly) obscure Japanese aircraft.

Thanks Colin. I’ve got a 140bhp motorbike (which I adore..), and yet I end riding my cub more often!

Thank you all. I’ve found 1/200 decals by Draw Decal, should I do the Hasegawa and save shelf space. Although it appears Authentic Airliner Decals only do the photo realistic windows in 1/144 for the 787…

Thank you, sorry, I’ve missed a load of replies… The 26decals are 1/200 - I saw there is the Hasegawa 787 in that scale. This is likely the only airliner I’ll build, I usually do 1/72 military aircraft. As such, continuity of scale isn’t too important. How does the Hasegawa compare to the Zvezda/Revell kit? I suppose it’s less shelf space… I’ve obviously missed the boat on the 26decals (thank you for the offer TheFlyingDutchman) and they don’t appear on 26decals website - are they hard to get hold of? Once again, thank you all for great advice on an area of the hobby I’m not familiar with!

Thank you all

Following with interest - in my stash, and I just bought some ZM detail parts for it in Japan - couldn’t help myself. Really looking forward to seeing how you get on, looks great so far!

All who’ve taken a look - thank you. And please, if there’s anything you’ve spotted which is an obvious clanger with my techniques, let me know, I’m trying to improve!

Thank you Mark. It’s a long way from perfect, but it’s as good as I can do, and I’m happy it’s a worthwhile tribute. Here’s the ‘Ready for Inspection’….

Hello all, As part of an ongoing project to replicate aircraft that the family flew/operated, I built the 1/72 Tamiya Vb. Here is the WIP thread: Very briefly, my great uncle Cecil Jolly flew with 87 squadron in North Africa. He was flying Hurricane IIc’s - and saw a fair bit of action. At the end of 1943 the squadron moved to Sicily, and at the beginning of ‘44 Cecil moved onto the Spitfire. He didn’t get much time on the Spit, but he flew one aircraft more than any other - ER310, had a dogfight in it, and indeed he sadly died flying that airframe on a training sortie, crashing into high terrain in bad weather. There’s some guesses made as to how to represent the aircraft. I have made a best guess (backed up with photographs, albeit not of this specific airframe) that the aircraft was still in desert colours and still had the trop air filter. While I know that 87 used the squadron code LK, I couldn’t find out what letter ER310 wore (his logbook only references ER310) - and so I used F after my eldest child. Finished in Tamiya acrylic paints, through a Mr Hobby procon airbrush, W&N Galleria matt varnish, and Tamiya weathering master for the weathering, finally getting to use ‘sand’ (and a small amount of dry brushing) I tried to replicate a well looked after aircraft that nonetheless has had a hard life in the desert. Without going OTT. A few mistakes along the way, various bits snapped off, some ruffled/split decals which I tried to repair/repaint, and having its ability to fly tested by a toddler which left me with quite a lot of last minute repair jobs, and here she is… I’m still fairly new to this, so it’s a long way from perfect, but I’ve learned a lot and look forward to learning more. Ben And here’s a few under natural light - amazing what a difference is makes to the colour tones…. Thanks for looking.

Well, I had to redo the antennae. Why? Well, let’s just say I’ve learned my lesson about leaving a drying model within reach of a 2 1/2 year old… Here it is, doesn’t look perfect, it’s a pin, it’s too pointed, but what can you do? Now, back to that 2 1/2 year old. She did a proper job on it. I can only assume she wanted to see if it flew… Good on her, it’s my fault, not hers. So: tailwheel - never to be seen again, but snapped off with the ‘root’ still in place. I have pinched a tailwheel from the Tamiya Mk I from my stash. Might be right, might not, possibly will upset someone who knows better, but looks close enough for me. Does leave me with an incomplete kit in the stash though… Once I dug out the remnants of the old one, of course the new one didn’t fit. I stretched some sprue around it, sanded it just enough and made it fit. It does, however, appear more prominent than it did, but it’s too late now. Some more painting to do. I also had to gently gently ease all three prop blades back to where they should be. By a good 20 degrees… Oh, and superglue a severely damaged main landing gear strut and wheel back in place. I’m hoping that you’d never have known if I hadn’t confessed, but these things make us stronger, right? And this is an open and honest forum 😂 All that is done, and I’m currently weathering. Tough one this, as normally I think it’s easy to get carried away. But I reckon that living in the desert of North Africa and then Sicily (for a short time…) would’ve been really hard on the airframes. So hopefully I haven’t gone too far. At least I’ve finally found a use for the “sand” Tamiya weathering master…. Once I’ve finished the weathering and done the final Matt varnish, I’ll link to the Ready for Inspection. Thanks for following, and hopefully this is a fitting tribute to a family member taken too young.

Thanks Jonathan, that all makes sense.

All the BA 787s start G-ZB** -8 are G-ZBJ* -9 are G-ZBK* -10 are G-ZBL* Not a complaint at all, as there are sufficient decals to do whatever you want, more a wry observation.. Google seem to suggest Gemini Jets do a diecast 787 with the same reg. Thank you for the info regarding the TB decals. As I say, this is all new to me - even the decal manufacturers are companies I haven’t used on military aircraft, so it’s invaluable. I’ll take a look at the Authentic Airliner decals, and also your builds. Thanks again!

Thank you all. Yes, I can see there are some specifics. I usually only paint in acrylics - I used to brush enamels way back when I was a child, but recently any modelling I’ve done, I’ve only airbrushed acrylic. And beyond that, the vast majority of models, while they’ve gone through a gloss phase for decals and weathering, ultimately end up with a Matt finish - which obviously wouldn’t be appropriate for a 787. Although some of ours get so grubby they might look a bit that way…. When you say Holts for airbus grey - I presume you mean for the wing? I’d be impressed with the detail if it was for the cockpit 😂 As with anything, a learning curve. So thank you for the advice, and I’ll continue to delve into this subsection of the forum, see what I can pick up.

Thanks Pin. I am able to google, and unfortunately I don’t use Amazon. Clearly I’m winning my personal battle with Bezos, it’s not going well for him at the moment… Thank you re the plastic. I assume (if my googling skills are up to scratch..) there are only 787-8 decals available for BA. I’ve never built an airliner before, looks like the windows are decals. If so, do you think I’d be able to use a mash up of the decals from a 787-9 kit, and aftermarket -8? Obviously you can change it with the extra letters, but interesting that the preformed reg on the TB decals isn’t a real one. What is the quality of TB decals like?

Sorry, should’ve said in the UK. But thank you.

Hello all, Scalemates seems to suggest that Revell and Zvezda (and also Doyusha in Japan..) are all from the same moulds. Is this correct? I don’t really mind which I build, but generally the 787-9 has better proportions to my eyes, relative to the -8. In which case, is the Zvezda the only gig in town? Last question - I can’t seem to find British Airways decals available. Does anyone know of any? Thank you,

I haven’t built an airliner. Yet… Do people tend to use aerosols then, rather than airbrush? I’ve only really finished models with a flat finish - are the aerosols easier to get the gloss finish you tend to want for an airliner? My only experience of painting with aerosols was RC bodies, normally Tamiya spray paint onto clear flexible bodies, although I have used Halfords automotive on a Tamiya Grasshopper hard body…

Lovely build, I do like the beaufighter. And very Interesting masking technique! I use rolled up white tack, and it’s difficult to get the patterns exactly correct, and difficult to get a ‘consistent sausage’ - so the fade between colours isn’t consistent either. I may pinch this idea and give it a try…

Looks superb - congrats on the paint scheme, that can’t have been easy! I fly the 787, and so have looked at this kit a few times. How did it go together? Did you do a WIP thread, can’t seem to see one if so?

GWS to your partner, 40 years is a long time to live with something that needed correcting! I’m very interested in this build. I never usually build such a big scale, but when I was in Japan I treated myself to a Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire, and as soon as this kit was released it seemed like the perfect partner. It seems great value, especially seeing how complimentary you are about the fit and engineering. Re the dihedral - as I mentioned in the rumourmonger thread for this kit, you need to be very careful comparing airborne photographs where there is a load going through the wing. All wings ‘flex’ as the wing load increases, and so visually appear to change the amount of dihedral. I imagine the hurricane’s wings don’t flex a huge amount, but when people are superimposing lines onto photographs and measuring angles to the ‘nth’ of a degree….. Assuming the model is being posed on the ground, or even airborne but at low wing loads (eg landing) it will appear different to an aircraft pulling some g, at higher speeds or higher weights. Having said all of that, it appears to be a non issue, and an optical illusion…

Wow, proper modelling! Looks great, I’m sure it’ll be imposing when completed, needs a big shelf!

Colours aside, that cockpit looks fantastic. Really impressive. I love the A-4, and as you mention in the OP, ‘proper’ US Navy colours. Very interested to see how you get on, and how the Airfix kit builds. (Slightly) off topic, but I also have a Hobby 2000 A-4 in the stash - mine being the A-4E as I hadn’t decided if I wanted to do the ‘hump’ or not. I like what Hobby 2000 do, you can get otherwise long-gone good plastic, with good decals at good price.

She has an identity! I’ll give the micro sol time to do it’s work, then seal the decals. I’m away with work for a little while, but hopefully next week weathering and a ‘ready for inspection’ thread….

Thank Chris, As my first ever WIP, I’m humbled to actually have people along for the ride.