Ghostbase

My preferred scale is 1/48th however I have put together three 1/32nd scale aircraft kits over the last few years. The first is this Lockheed F-104G Starfighter inspired by the film "The Right Stuff" constructed from the 1980 vintage Revell kit, mainly finished in aluminium foil. IMGP2780size by Ghostbase, on Flickr The second is this Matchbox Supermarine Spitfire Mk-22 finished as flown by my father on the 9th October 1951. 20221210_132240 by Ghostbase, on Flickr And finally a build of the 1980 era Hasegawa 1/32nd scale GD F-16A 'Fighting Falcon' or 'Viper'. She is finished in the markings of the 89th TFS 'Rhinos' who were an AFRES unit based at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, USA. 20230413_151211 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Michael

Thanks for the photo link Alan. I did get a ramp tour of the 89th TFS at Wright-Patterson early 1987 when they were on the F-4D Phantom II and those old birds were very well kept. Their flagship F-4D 'City of Fairborn' had just been painted in Hill Grey and I swear you could still smell the paint! Regards the scale, I have almost finished an F-104G Starfighter in 1/32nd scale and I think the size really suits the aircraft. Michael

'DO' is the code for the 89th Tactical Fighter Squadron who are based at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and they are known as the 'Rhinos'. In July 1991 they operated this F-16A 79-0407 which was a block 10 aircraft. She was the first 'Viper' to be painted in this two-tone grey camouflage scheme and she was seen at several airshows that summer. This is the 1/32nd scale Hasegawa F-16A kit first issued in 1977, this boxing was from 1980 and I purchased it from a Britmodeller member about 12 years ago. I originally intended to build it as the white/red/blue YF-16 prototype however I lost interest and the partially assembled kit went back in the box. Fast forward quite a few years and I have the Speed Hunter Graphics decal sheet 'Wright's Flyers' which includes markings for an 89th TFS F-16A. I re-started the kit last year and finished it today. 20230413_151132 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The kit? Well, it's big! My wife described it as clunky however it fitted together extremely well and needed very little filler or sanding. The kit came with a selection of wing tanks and weapons, some of which I have used. It is of the YF-16 so building it as a Block 10 is a bit of a stretch and some features of the Block 10 are missing. 20230413_143155 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The two tones of grey were airbrushed from a Vallejo 'Air War Colour Series' set, all other colours from Vallejo Model Colour series bottles. 20230413_151319 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Decals are from the excellent Speed Hunter Graphics which applied really well. One absence is the grey refuelling markings, these were not included in the original kit and I don't have anything in this scale in the spares box. 20230413_151211 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Weapons are from the kit, a couple of AIM-120s and a couple of AIM-9Js on the wingtip rails. I'm not entirely sure that is accurate but they look the part. 20230413_143358 by Ghostbase, on Flickr So was it worth the effort? I am mainly a 1/48th scale modeller and I found 1/32nd scale too large on an aircraft this size. I did build a Spitfire 22 in 1/32nd last year and that felt about right. Heaven only knows what something like an F-105D would be like in this scale! 20230413_143314 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Mistakes and omissions are mine, I am pleased to get this one finished and it is already on the very top of my display shelves. Michael

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the parts, there isn't really any clue that the original was released in 1974. This issue is from 2015. I think the tracks are supposed to be in four parts and the instructions suggest that when they are joined together they will fit perfectly. Hmm, we'll see. Michael

I have opened the box and the sprues look like these: 20230412_184537 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20230412_184801 by Ghostbase, on Flickr That's an awful lot of wheels to paint 😉 Sadly life is getting in the way the next few weeks, hope to get started by the end of April. Michael

Thank you and, yes, this will push me right over the edge and way beyond my comfort zone! I have never even thought about military figures 😱 Michael

Finally got started today on the XF8U-1 build which will be OOB, decals from the spares box. Construction can be broken down into several sections: the nose and forward fuselage; the rear fuselage; and the wings and tailplanes. Like many Lindberg kits from the '50's this includes a complete jet engine and gives the option to display with the rear fuselage as separate. The photo below shows the completed jet turbine which was built from five parts and has been sprayed in gunmetal. It looks a bit dark so I will respray the visible front section with a lighter metallic shade. Also visible are the tailplanes (or horizontal stabilisers) which attach onto a hoop which fits inside the two rear fuselage parts. This enables the tailplanes to be moved up or down. All the control surfaces on this model are movable. To the left are the two rear fuselage sections with the movable rudder in place. 20230408_125945 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The wings are formed from two simple parts and again have movable flaps. The surface rivet detail on the wings is remarkably fine given the date of the original kit. 20230408_131426 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The final photo below shows the rear fuselage section and the wings completed. I was originally going to spray this Crusader overall aluminium however after looking at Ol' Scrapiron's photos of the XF8U-1 in Seattle (in the reference section) I now want to try to replicate the various metallic shades seen on this restoration. I have chosen Lifecolor UA793 White Aluminium for the wings and the fin and so far this acrylic paint applied by an H&S Ultra airbrush has gone on very nicely. 20230408_184554 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The next step is the forward fuselage section consisting of the sparse cockpit and the main undercarriage details which are equally sparse! Michael

My entry for the 'Not My Comfort Zone' GB, the 2015 re-issue of the original 1974 Airfix Crusader III cruiser tank in an unusual 1/32nd scale. 20230401_201929 by Ghostbase, on Flickr So why the discomfort and why has it taken me, an experienced scale modeller, 49 years to build an AFV in this large scale? 1) All those wheels which have to be individually painted exactly the same; 2) Needs lots and lots of weathering including mud and dust; 3) It doesn't have wings; 4) Have never built one before so it will go wrong! Which is daft really, back in 1974 as a teenager I was keenly into war gaming and I built many Airfix and Matchbox 1/76 WW2 tanks. The Crusader III was always my favourite British tank. 20230401_202036 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Time to expand my scale modelling skills and break out of that comfort zone 👍 Michael

Took the kit out today to have a closer look at it. I have already applied a dusting of white primer, hope to get started properly next weekend. Firstly, a big thanks to Ol' Scrapiron who kindly posted many photos in the reference section of the XF8U-1 prototype that is on display at the Museum of Flight. They have answered many questions that I had about the colours and markings of the XF8U-1 as well as some details of the aircraft itself. I was just going to spray this kit in aluminium and make up some decals however the paint scheme is clearly more complex than I expected. The box art and instruction sheet depict this aircraft as the F8U-1 BuNo 141345 which was flown by Commander Duke Windsor USN at 1015 mph and set a U.S. speed record in 1956. I'm pretty sure this was in a very early production model of the Crusader. I have looked at the kit and I am convinced that this is the XF8U-1 first prototype BuNo 138899 which first flew in March 1955. There are several clues in the photo below. The first is that the cannon ports are faired over because the prototype was not fitted with any armament. The second is that the refuelling probe blister is missing. The third is the shape of the nose which looks to be just a bit larger than the more pointed 'beak' of the production F8U-1s that followed. I think this might have been for mounting the instrumentation test boom upon. Additionally there are no ventral strakes, no air cooling intakes on the 'burner can, and no Bullpup hump over the wing/spine; these all came with later versions of the Crusader. I understand that Lindberg based quite a few of their kits upon prototype aircraft and I suspect that this was one of those. 20230401_191034 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The kit itself is pretty basic but do bear in mind that it was first released in 1957 - a year older than me! The instructions are from a different era as well. Note that the kit contains no enclosed wheel wells. 20230401_191338 by Ghostbase, on Flickr And some cockpit detail 🙂 20230401_191206 by Ghostbase, on Flickr This was one of those kits where the ejection seat could be fired from the cockpit. The box does contain one elastic band which has perished and broken into several pieces so I guess I won't be doing that! 🥴 Well, I am at the build stage that I love; researching and dreaming. Michael

I just checked, it is 1/32nd scale. I assumed that Airfix had re-boxed another manufacturers product. Michael

This Group Build is tempting. I have been making aircraft in 1/144, 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 on and off since I was about 15. I have also built a couple of ships (RMS Titanic and USS Long Beach) as well as one automobile - an Oldsmobile 88 Rocket (I forget the scale). Oh, and the Shaun the Sheep Landie plus characters 😎 Also, as a youngster, I did armoured war gaming with a friend and as I usually took the Allied side I built many Airfix and Matchbox 1/76 tanks which I recall I really enjoyed. And yet, nearly 50 years later, I have never built a 1/35th scale tank or armoured vehicle. I have an Airfix 1/35th Crusader III in the stash and it gets taken out and looked at about once a year, I want to build it, but for some reason it always get put back in the stash. So, I don't know why, but 1/35th armour is definitely outside my comfort zone. Michael

I already have a Lindberg 1/48th F8U-1 Crusader in this GB, though not started yet. The original kit was released in 1957 and was re-released on eight occasions, the last being the 'Firepower Series' F-8J Crusader in 2007. 20230328_172314 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I managed to snag one on a well known auction site for a total of £7.94 in 2010 and the contents look like this: 20230328_172511 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I don't know enough about the F-8J to comment upon the accuracy of this kit however the decals are genuine anyway. The 'Firepower Series' kits came with a separate sealed bag of weapons and pylons and the instructions would have me add three pylons per wing which I am not convinced is accurate for any F-8 Crusader! Not sure if I am going to enter this kit here or not. It would be interesting to build the two side by side but my record on completing GBs on time is abysmal so I am going to have a think on it. Michael

Four builds so far. The oldest is a HobbyBoss 1/48th scale A-7A Corsair II which I completed about ten years ago. A-7A0439 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Followed by a HobbyBoss 1/48th scale A-7K. A-7K 004 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Then a HobbyBoss 1/48th scale TA-7C completed as an EA-7L. 20220305_153722 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Finally an ESCI 1/48th scale Vought F-8E Crusader (with a lot of weathering!) IMGP4273 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Michael

This is the STGB that I have been patiently waiting for! I have decided to build the 1973 issue Lindberg Vought F8U-1 Crusader (original kit released 1957). The box art looks like this: F8U-1 One by Ghostbase, on Flickr and the contents look like this: F8U-1 Two by Ghostbase, on Flickr This represents a very early F8U-1 which does not have the refuelling probe, it does have an instrumentation boom which makes me think it should be possible to build it as one of the XF8U-1 prototypes in natural metal finish. I have also decided to build the later Lindberg 'Firepower Series F-8J' Crusader which is based upon the original 1957 mould. I don't think it actually is a true representation of an F-8J so I will be comparing the two kits to see what is accurate and what isn't. 20230328_172314 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20230328_172511 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Definitely aim to finish the XF8U-1 by the end of the GB and the 'F-8J', well see how it goes. Michael Michael

V for 'Victory'! This was my father's Hawker Tempest II from when he collected it from Aston Down on 6th August 1946 until he demobbed on 30th April 1947. He flew EG-V on his penultimate flight in active RAF service as well. A beautifully detailed and finished build, absolutely delighted to see it. Michael

"Off-Piste: used to refer to skiing that is done on areas of snow that have not been specially prepared for skiing on." 1/48th scale jets of the sixties, seventies and eighties are my strongly preferred skiing conditions. My first completed build in March 2022 started on form as a rare and exotic Vought EA-7L Corsair II operated by VAQ-34 out of Point Mugu NAS, CA. The kit was the HobbyBoss 1/48th Vought TA-7C Corsair II, decals by Caracal Models, and painted Vallejo acrylic "Air War Color Series". The electronic warfare aggressors were worked hard in their last years and I used a grey wash as well as weathering powders to turn her into a grubby old gal! 20220305_153722 by Ghostbase, on Flickr A long wait until July and a completed build which had taken me nearly three years. This was the Hobby Boss 1/48th scale Grumman F-14B Tomcat marked as BuNo 163225 as 'AB-102' operated by VF-102 'Diamondbacks' in Operation Enduring Freedom between October 2001 and March 2002. The loadout is 2 x GBU-12, 2 x Mk83, 1 x AIM-7, 2 x AIM-9 and the AN/AAQ-25 LANTIRN target pod. Decals by Fightertown Decals. Paints Vallejo Air War acrylic color series. 20220728_165128 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Summer featured the Britmodeller Century Series Group Build, I entered with this ancient 1/48th scale ESCI F-104C Starfighter kit. This build was fun and really boosted my mojo. 20220827_155338 by Ghostbase, on Flickr October and autumn is setting in and I start to go 'off-piste' with this 1/144 scale Roden Douglas C-133A Cargomaster which was nicknamed the 'Oscar Mayer Weenie Wagon' due to a resemblance to a well known hot dog brand in the USA. Completed OOB but with decals from Caracal Models. Being used to 1/48th scale this build really tested my skills and my eyesight but I was happy with the final result. This model got the most positive reaction from Britmodeller members that I have ever had. x20221002_172413 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Back to 1/48th normality with a build of the Revell 1/48 scale Panavia Tornado IDS completed as 45+73 operated by JBG34 in 1991 in the Norm 83 camouflage scheme. I had her toting a pair of AGM-88 HARM missiles, possibly not accurate but they looked cool! I really wasn't expecting the complexity of the Revell Tornado IDS kit, it was one of those kits that you just keep plugging at, but I was very happy with the final result. 20221120_154338 by Michael Baldock, on Flickr My final build of 2022 took me very off-piste - a 1/32nd scale and post WW2 type. This was the 1977 issue of the Matchbox 1/32nd scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk-22 which I started for the Britmodeller Matchbox Group Build. It was a tribute to my late father who flew this Spitfire on 9th October 1951, as well as to this being the last scale model that he started but never completed. I am honoured to have completed it nearly 45 years later. 20221210_132240 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 2023 beckons, I bid another year farewell. I hope to go off-piste more often. Happy New Year. Michael

Started for the Matchbox Group Build in January, this is the Matchbox 1/32nd Spitfire Mk 22/24 (PK-501) which was first released in 1977. She is completed as Spitfire Mk 22 PK431 operated by the 102 Flying Refresher School based at North Luffenham, coded as 'M-41'. 20221210_132153 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Why these markings? And why twice a special day? "Tuesday 9th October 1951, Royal Air Force North Luffenham, Rutland, England. This Griffon engined Supermarine Spitfire 22 serial PK431 is operated by the 102 Flying Refresher School coded 'M-41', her purpose is to help convert RAF Voluntary Reserve pilots onto the new jets, their first jet flight will be in the Vampire FB.5 just over a week later. The Spitfire 22 is virtually the last mark of these legendary fighters, too late for service in WW2 and destined to be sold for scrap just over a year later. To Flying Officer D.W.Baldock she was a true 'dream machine' and on that day he flew her cross country sortie at 15,000 feet to Llandudno, then Malvern, then back to North Luffenham. The flight was 1 hour 45 minutes duration. My tribute to my late father and that special day so long ago". 20221210_132219 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The story might be familiar if you have a good memory! I built the Airfix 1/48th Spitfire Mk 22 back in early 2020 as a memorial to my father and it is now on display at my sister's house in Melbourne, Australia. I decided that I wanted my own Spitfire Mk 22 in the same markings so the Matchbox Group Build was the push I needed to get started. 20221210_132240 by Ghostbase, on Flickr What is the kit like? To say firstly, I am delighted with the end result, it truly looks like a 'silver dream machine'. However, it isn't an easy build. If you include all the parts it doesn't fit together! Somehow I got the forward fuselage and nose slightly 'twisted', I attached the engine mounts in the wrong place and so I had to display her as if awaiting maintenance because the panels don't fit. 20221210_132300 by Ghostbase, on Flickr She was sprayed with Halfords automotive aluminium from a rattle can. Much use of Tamiya XF-81 plus a small selection of Vallejo model color acrylic paints. By the way I love this photo, a Spitfire Mk 22 with a row of jet fighters from several aviation generations later in the background. 20221210_132332 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I built her with her armament of four 20 mm cannon. In fact this is technically incorrect, the cannon ports were blanked off on PK431 on 9th October 1951. I don't know whether she actually had the cannons and ammunition on board on that day. I built the kit OOB with mostly very little filler needed however I could have done a much better job of those cannon muzzles, sadly they do let the model down a bit. 20221210_132352 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20221210_132416 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The kit's original decals were unusable so I had to resource the decals from various sources and many of the smaller markings are missing. I also had to decide about weathering. Many of the 102 FRS Spitfires were hand-me-downs from Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadrons and they generally kept their aircraft very clean. I thought about this 'silver dream machine', that there would have been a touch of nostalgic imagination, and decided that a clean aircraft was the way to go. 20221210_132535 by Ghostbase, on Flickr So why twice a special day? This kit was purchased by my late father when it was first released and I am sure he intended to build it in memory of the Spitfires he flew for a few days at RAF North Luffenham back in 1951. He did start the kit but I think his enthusiasm ran out and I remember it stored in his garage for many years. When he passed away I inherited it and it sat in my stash for nearly 30 years. Thanks to Britmodeller and the Matchbox group build I finally had the impetus for re-starting the kit and yesterday, 9th December 2022 was MY special day, because I completed what he had started so long ago and I hope my build is what he originally wanted. Michael

This is the 2007 issue of the Revell B-1B Lancer (or 'Bone') in 1/72nd scale. I snagged it for £14.99 in a sale at Hobbycraft and made a start on it. That quickly stalled until early this year when I restarted the kit and built and painted it to the condition seen in the photos below. All was going well until I discovered that it needs a lot of filler on several of the upper/lower body joins and the Revell walkway decals were badly silvered; back in the box it went! What has changed my mind is the very recent release of Caracal Models's 'Strategic Air Command B-1B Lancer' decals which give fourteen options for the camouflage adopted by SAC in the early years of B-1B operations. I have done about 75% of the work already so this is a great KUTA subject. On to the photos: 20221208_133455 by GHostbase, on Flickr 20221208_133604 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Probably won't get started for a week or two, oh, and... "You're Gonna Need a Bigger Shelf" (with apologies to 'Jaws') Michael

A very nicely built and painted Firebee. Good to see the ICM kit completed like this. Michael

Nicely done 👍 This was one of my first 'serious' builds way back when, I must have been mid teens, just loved that dragon artwork! Michael

Yes, it is the same base kit. Have to say that I am very tempted by the Eduard offering, the additional detail would show the cockpit off really well. Not to mention the seven decal schemes! Michael.

The Panavia Tornado has always had a place in my heart. I applied to become a pilot in the Royal Air Force in the mid seventies, went through all the aptitude tests, medicals and interviews and, when I was asked what plane I would like to fly, I replied "the Lockheed Hercules". Wrong answer! At the time the Tornado was the shiny new aircraft entering service and despite my spurning her (and failing to become a pilot) she was very capable and purposeful looking aircraft. Here we are over forty years later, the Tornado's days are numbered in Europe, soon she will be a memory. This is the Revell 1/48th Tornado IDS kit, released 2014 built as an aircraft operated by JBG 34 'Allgaeu' out of Memmingen in 1991. I finished her in the Norm 83 camouflage scheme which is, in my opinion, the best colour scheme ever worn by a Tornado. 20221120_154408 by Ghostbase, on Flickr She was mostly airbrushed using Vallejo Model Color acrylic paints then oversprayed with Humbrol satin acrylic varnish. The jet exhausts were painted using Lifecolor Perfect Metal acrylics. The decals are leftovers from the Italeri Tornado IDS kit released back in 2006. 20221120_154155 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Where do I start with this build? It wasn't what I was expecting from Revell. It is complex and it made me work hard trying to figure it out. It is the sort of kit that you keep worrying at, that you keep checking the instructions again and again. The cockpit was reasonably detailed although a mixture of painting and decals. I liked the ejection seats. 20221120_154503 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I wanted to build her with slats extended, spoiler raised and flaps down. For the life of me I struggled with these and had to perform major surgery to get the flaps attached. I think somehow I didn't extend the swing wings fully forward and that is what has caused so much trouble. 20221120_154811 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The Tornado looks best carrying as much as possible. I have added two external fuel tanks, a Bofors BOZ 101 pod, a Cerberus III pod, and two AGM-88 HARM missiles. The AGM-88s might not be appropriate for JBG-34 but I think they look good; it's my model so... 🙂 I had also planned to add a pair of AIM-9 Sidewinders on rails attached to the fuel tank pylons however thanks to my problem with the flaps they did not fit, I ended up leaving them off. 20221120_154338 by Ghostbase, on Flickr All mistakes are mine and there are several areas where I could have done much better. However I have just added her to the display shelf and I have to say that she does look good next to my other 1/48th scale builds. Would I build this kit again? Absolutely yes!! Michael 20221120_154944 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20221120_154439 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20221120_154232 by Ghostbase, on Flickr

My fave Robble Coltrane memory is his 'Planes & Automobiles' TV series, Robbie standing next to an F-100F Super Sabre jet exhaust in full 'burner toasting a marshmallow. Brilliant! Michael

Nicely done! Lindberg kits tend to be looked down upon however they certainly had an interesting range of 1/48th scale kits in the day, some of which seemed to be based upon prototypes. Their Grumman F11F-1 Tiger is still one of the very few options available in 1/48th scale and I have one in the stash. I hope I can do as good a job as you have done with this Skyray 👍 Michael

Thank you for all the kind comments and it is good to know that I am not the only scale modeller (and aircraft enthusiast) who is fascinated by these big old transports in those hi-vis colour schemes favoured in the 1960's. Also good to hear that the problems that I encountered with the main landing gear weren't down to my misreading the instructions! Michael