[Il-38N May. Amodel]

42 minutes ago, Pete in a shed said:

Thanks very much.  It was the colour that drew me to make this version rather than the older grey one without radar or an SD version from India.

P.S did you hit the i key instead of the o in the second line .

Crikey - thanks for the heads-up Pete !
 

I reckon I could have ended up sitting on the sidelines in the second half 

[1/144 Aerocaribbean Cargo Il-18D]

 

 

Eastern Express kit finished off in the markings of Aerocaribbean - a Cuban Airline that was formed in 1982, and eventually ended its days in 2015 by being merged into Cubana. 

 

I  did buy a set of 8a decs for the model, but they seemed a bit too short for the kit, and when I compared them to photos of the real aircraft, there didn't seem to be enough definition between the fuselage colours. Only one thing to do - make my own :

 

 

The kit wasn't the easiest to build and I had a lot of trouble with the propellers and the outboard engines - not nice.

 

Standard walkaround shots :

 

 

Time to fire up the Ivchenkos and head back to Havanna - Adios

 

 

mike

[Sabena (DAT) BAe-146-200 in 1/144]

Cracking build Dave of another airline giant that is no longer with us. 

 

Glad to say that in spite of the original copyright issues, Brussels Airlines eventually got their man !

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Civvy L-100-30 Herc from original tool Airfix Kit]

Excellent stuff Wally. Liking the comparison shot with the An-12 too 

 

mike

[Northrop F-5A Royal Libyan air force, CLassic Airframes]

Excellent build and metallic finish there Eric. Nice to see some rare markings too. 

 

mike

[Il-38N May. Amodel]

Excellent stuff Pete. Looks very menacing in that colour scheme, and I wouldn't fancy one of those sneaking up on me 

 

Loving the comparison shots with the Nimrod too.

 

[Aloha Air Boeing 737 (Airfix 1/144)]

I have a set of those decals in the stash, so many thanks for the inspirational build. 

[Aircraft I've Flown Part II - 1/144 Cityflyer ATR-72]

13 hours ago, Back in the Saddle said:

The blue is on:

 

 

I am now working on the undercarriage and propellors, then it will be decals and RFI!

 

Wow! Ever thought about taking up gem-cutting as a hobby? I can't believe that we're looking at the same kit in comparison to the "build / carving grinding" phase. 

 

37 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

I'm currently 'working on' an Italeri ATR-42 - I think it might be just as bad a kit as this one 

 

Keith

 

Oh Dear.....Have you just disqualified yourself from the club competition?  

 

mike

[A-90 Eaglet (Project 904) (Zvezda 1:144)]

Excellent.

 

[Mirage IIIO 1/32, Scratchbuild]

Very nearly had us believing that this was being made from scratch, but a quick search on Scalemates revealed that this is actually a commercially available kit! 

 

...and if you want proof, here's a picture of the spru(c)es :

 

 

 

On a serious note, I'm watching this build come together in awe.

 

 

mike

[1/48 Bobcat Yak-28PP Brewer E – White 53]

Many thanks for all of the generous comments - much appreciated.

 

I think I've just about recovered from the build now. Time to have a look at some other abandoned builds hiding in the loft .

 

(P.S. Glad that nobody noticed that I hadn't glued the wings on )

 

 

Best Regards

 

mike

[Finnair DC-8-62CF, 1/144]

Classic scheme and excellent build Einar. 

 

(Loving the photo of the open gate onto the ramp and the open air observation deck)

 

mike

[1/72 Airfix Concorde British Airways G-BOAC]

Fantastic stuff Bjorn.

 

Proof that it can be built after all.

 

[1/72 RAAF Mosquitos, 1SQN and 464SQN]

4 minutes ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

Thanks guys,

Steve, apparently the dingy pack is stowed under that panel, the instructions called for white/light colour. I did it a very light grey. Just looked at the instructions again and it is the surround that is the light colour, so I think I will have to mask and fill the centre in with the camo colour.

 

 

 

You should have taken more time Ray 

 

On a serious note, great job in a relatively short space of time 

 

mike

[Rhodie Hunter 1/32]

Cracking job Wally 

 

Been on my "to-do" list for more years than I care to remember.

 

mike

[1/144 747-8 Double Build]

On 9/5/2021 at 11:48 AM, Back in the Saddle said:

Thanks Mike. 

 

I currently use Mr. Decal Paper. It's not perfect, as it can stretch slightly during application if you apply too much pressure when sliding it from the backing paper. It is also noticeable when on the model, for example the outline around the decal showing the livery name:

 

 

 

 

Thanks Matt. I used to use Expert's choice decal paper, but then my aged printer decided it didn't like printing on it anymore - may have had something to do with the irony in the brand name? I've been trying Mr Decal Paper out on a couple of other projects and it seems to be doing the trick, although it has taken some getting used to.

 

As for your markings, you've done a cracking job with them. Can't wait to see the double build in the RFI 

 

mike 

[1/144 747-8 Double Build]

Really impressive Matt. 

 

Can I ask what brand of decal paper you're using ?

 

mike

[1/48 Bobcat Yak-28PP Brewer E – White 53]

 

 

I’ve always been a fan of the Yak-28, so when Bobcat released their Yak-28PP I had to snap one up. Plastic looked good but the instructions were daunting, so it took some while to get going. Fit of parts was generally good, but I’m afraid that the engine nacelles were absolutely awful. Brute force, ignorance and 240 Grit won the day, and then it was onto the paint…..

 

 

I found that the camouflage scheme in the instructions was impossible to interpret, so I resorted to letting the airbrush run free – at least until I put paint in it! I’m afraid that I struggled to get to grips with the AV Vallejo paints that I used, and I’ll be the first to admit that it was purely down to my technique – I didn’t have one.

The upper surfaces were sprayed freehand, and then I made the mistake of spraying the underside with faded blue. At this point, the kit ended up being banished to the Shelf of Doom as this colour looked too dark to me.

 

Fast forward ten months and I pulled out a tin of Colourcoats Light Grey, and hey presto – log-jam gone.

 

 

Other bits and pieces used :

·        sections of the Eduard etch set for the interior of the Yak-28P Firebar

·        Eduard masking set for the clear bits on the Yak-28PP (an absolute must)

·        Quickboost Landing lights

·        Quickboost front-end fans

·        Quickboost Exhaust gondolas

·        Scale Aircraft Conversions Landing gear (only used for the outriggers because the kit parts come moulded with the wheels)

·        Aerobonus pilot figure

·        Coastal kits base

 

 

Thanks for dropping by - hope you like it.

 

 

mike

 

 

 

 

 

[1/72 Heller Speedbird Boeing 707 (BOAC)]

Lovin' it !

 

Such a classic scheme and such an inspirational build 

 

mike

[1/144 747-8 Double Build]

I've got to congratulate you Matt. Your decal designing has come a long way since you started making repairs for one of your previous builds  (I won't ask if the replacement set ever arrived.....)

 

Best Regards

 

mike

 

 

[Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-1000 ,Zvezda]

Excellent 

 

...although for me, Air Gabon stole the show 

 

 

mike

[1/72 Buccaneer - SAAF]

Many thanks for the generous comments - much appreciated.

 

Proof (as if it were ever needed) to keep plugging away in the face of adversity :

 

Wrong sized decals :

 

Getting carried away with self-levelling thinners and then having to go back to plastic :

 

and then discovering a massive crack in the canopy when the masking was removed :

 

 

Thanks to MAV decals, I'm ready to have another go :

 

....and this time I might put some rocket pods under the wings 

 

mike

[1/72 Boeing 737-200 Air Zimbabwe]

On 6/3/2021 at 3:10 PM, Back in the Saddle said:

It's not a race Mike - I learnt that last year, rushing a couple of models to finish by a GB deadline...

 

Take your time and we'll all enjoy it when it's ready.

 

Great work so far!

 

Many thanks Matt. I'm afraid I've been side-tracked with a problem build and haven't been able to devote much time to this. Hopefully things will be back on track from now. 

 

On 6/21/2021 at 5:52 PM, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Mike: I just caught up with your pro work on this!  It looks great, and admire your approach to the passenger interior, lights and all!  I would never have thought to do what you did.  I left the windows opaque, and because I never felt I could get window masks to line up properly and went with decals, so you're way ahead of me so far.  One thing I noticed is your decision to leave off the wings for now.  I presume this is to avoid excessive paint build-up from the Appliance White?  If you're confident that the wing/body joint is good, then more power to you!  

 

As for the engines, you came up with some innovative solutions that make the kit's less workable options...workable.  The results are great!  Will you paint them separately from the rest of the model?  What are your plans for attaching them to the wings?  Before, or after you paint the wings?  If after, that's fine, but you'll find that the wing/engine nacelle joint is a little iffy, and you'll want to give it a good sanding and test-fit the units repeatedly.  I would suggest using scrap plastic to create a stronger joint to the wing than the kit's engineering gives you.  Insert the scrap plastic in the top of the nacelle where it will join the wing, so you get a good bond.  You could use Perfect Plastic Putty, darkened with ground gray pastel to simulate insulation around the seam, rather than large quantities of more solvent-like putty.

 

Thanks Alex. I've left the wings off because masking the fuselage's cheatline is going to be a bit of a headache. I've test fitted them onto the fuselage and I reckon I can get away with attaching them after the majority of the paintwork is completed. The good news is that the wing box area needs to be painted Boeing Grey, so I'm should be able squeak by. (Famous last words)

 

As far as the engines are concerned, many thanks for the tips. I've been preoccupied with the intakes, and doing everything that I can to remove the internal seams. Everything went according to plan, but then I realised that the diameter of the photoetch stator blades was wider the mouth of the intake. Having been to the dentist on a number of occasions recently, I figured that if he could fit all ten of his fingers in my mouth at the same time, fitting the stator blades shouldn't be that hard? With a bit of flexing, I managed to get them in and to lie flat. 

 

The internal bits were painted using a variety of masks and the intake lips have been finished off in matt aluminum.

 

 

...and exhausts (need a bit of touching up, but the use of brass tubing meant that there were no seams that need to be sorted out) :

 

 

Close up of the starboard engine :

 

 

and then a test fit on the wings :

 

 

All is good in Africa..... 

 

mike

 

[1/72 Buccaneer - SAAF]

I'm afraid I've been absent from BM for sometime because finishing this became an obsession.....

 

 

I started it for the Africa Group Build back in February. Everything was going really well until I started applying the decals. Let's just say that everything literally went South....

 

I never managed to finish the build in time, but I had gone too far to bin it. which was my first inclination.

 

Anyway, not quite the finish I had hoped for, but what's done, is done.

 

 

Link to the build process can be found here : 1/72 SAAF Buccaneet (Airfix) - run aground.....

 

 

Thanks for looking

 

mike

 

 

[Philippine Airlines Airbus A300 "Love Bus"]

Another striking colour scheme that has disappeared 

 

mike