silverburn

Hi guys - thanks for all the compliments! Apologies there's been no update in a while - I've been a bit busy moving out to Switzerland and starting a new job! That and my wife is due our 2nd child *today* (but not looking like arriving on time though). There's also the slight snag that I've given all my modelling kit to my dad - absolutely everything, so currently this is sitting in his attic feeling a bit sorry for itself!

Well, it's been a long time! Where did the summer go??? My big news is, that' I'm relocating to Switzerland! And I only have 5 weeks in which to do it, before my new job starts. So I have to clear the backlog, because I won't have the space in my new flat in Untaregri...my parents have agreed to look after the stash, and the completed ones...but not the in progress ones. So I now have a mad rush to complete anything outstanding! So the easiest was to finished this one...and here it is, on it's new stand on "the cool wall"! More detailed picks as and when I can manage.

Now that's a freaky plane - the Zwilling. Could you imagine something like that coming out in these CAD-designed, fluid-dynamic, stress-modelled, safetly-first days? Not back then... Boss: "We need a big wing for towing duties, and we need it next week" Engineer: "Lets slap two He111 together, and stick on an extra engine - job done" Boss: "woohoo!"

Cheers for all the compliments guys - I'll be finishing this off shortly; I've just got into my He111 for a bit!

Yes, it's a very distinctive plane, with an unique profile. Especially the asymmetrical front glass; wouldn't that have affected the aerodynamics? It would have been a good ground attack bomber, since the visibility from horizon to ground was excellent - almost like a helicopter!

Cheers for the compliments guys! Made a bit more progress tonight, and uncovered a kit error... ..specifically this bit: It's meant to assist the join of the engine nacelle to the wing; except the recess the instructions say to slot it into in the upper wing part is missing! Anyway, apart from that, the central wing part has gone together quite easily. Everything is a tight fit; if you spray parts before fitting, you will need to scrape the paint off for it to fit correctly. But that's a good thing! Just shows how Revells quality is improving. I dry fitted the main wings into this too, and the fit is excellent. I anticipate zero filler, it's that good! I only needed a tiny bit of sanding along the leading edge of the wing here, but apart from that - it's going together very easily. Recon I'll be back into the fuselage tomorrow night. I keep putting it off because I know it means I need to fit some glass!

And we continue... Tonight, I couldn't be bothered with fiddly stuff, like the finishes touches on the pit, so I built stuff! - the two bomb carriers are now complete, ready for fitting. It's a tight fit btw - again, watch your paint here; I'm going to have to scrape some off to get it to fit right! - The bombs themselves are done (out of shot here though) -The wings are assembled, minus the light; I plan to do my own. Plus the kit version is a hideous fit! The wings themselves are super; nice tight fits. Except one of the flaps parts was warped badly, but an easy fix. - Some more stuff in the fuselage - The tailfins are done; though they're not massively free moving. - The rudder is done; this has the opposite problem; it's too free moving! Anyway, enjoy.

Rattling on apace... Main issue is I'm about to run out of Light Olive; and since I've had problems with colour matching in the past - even when ordering the same paint from the same manufacturer - I've decided to go off the instructions. The aim is to complete the main fuselage bits with what little paint remains! It may mean the gear bays are slightly different in colour, but you won't notice Tell you what though...there's a *ton* of Light Olive on this...good grief. - Fuselage interior painted, and assembly started - Both bomb bays are painted, though only one assembled for the pic - Pit continues; it's basically assembled, and I give it a light brush with Tamiya pastels (metal in particular), to give it a slightly worn look (rather than totally chipped). It's worked ok, but the crappy iPhone won't pick it up. Got a few bits left to add, including the compass decal. - bombs assembled and lightly sanded. I'm not needing perfection, given they'll be mostly concealed. But the kit bombs are actually pretty good, and not real effort required! - Magazine racks painted Tomorrow, I think I'll fit the bomb bays, and complete the interior Light olive painting; I plan to leave the top removable, so you can see inside, so good colour coverage required. Edit: For those attempting this, don't make my mistake and paint the edges of the bulkheads; it a tight fit on the fuselage, and a single layer of paint will create gaps! I had a whole sanding exercise to do to make the fuselage dry-fit correctly! Also - I shall be fitting the glass as late possible, to avoid the dust problems that have plagued my previous models...

Ok, wee bit of progress tonight; I'm following the instructions mostly as Revell would have you do it. The kit seems well designed for painting; lots of panels can be single painted without masking. The instruments might be tricky though... Fit and finish is good though, but I needed to cut off the front edge of the passenger seat to get the sidewall to fit correct (you can see the missing paint where I cut it). Anyway, quick wee dry fit before the finishing bits are done, and I can do some detail painting, decalling & weathering (though I think I'll keep it pretty clean). Seat belts are pretty pathetic; I might have to craft my own, for the first time ever!

Interesting side note...Got a Ducati Diavel myself. So loud - as standard - it failed the drive-by noise test at Snetterton!

..on the cool wall! Old photo...there's a 1:32 Gulf-war Tonka and OOB 1:32 Harrier AV-8B to go on there...oh and my just-about-done 1:32 Phantom...

Yeah, I had it too. I'm a fit cyclist, and normally healthy; cold were rare and light, and basically ailment free for years. Then this thing wiped me out. You know all the symptoms already, but the one that struck me most was the utter fatigue; I slept for 18 hours a day, and could barely climb stairs when actually awake! Don't worry - it passes, and you'll be right as rain soon.

And we're off! I can't finish the Phantom yet, due to logistical reasons (paint, and super-glue finished), but will get done this weekend. Didn't stop me getting started on this, with plain ol' modelling glue! This is the pit started and primed; some paint and dry brushing tomorrow I recon. The quality difference between the tamiya phantom and this is immediately noticeable; no way would the tamiya have constructed the pit like this - you have to hold parts together with Revell until stuck, and hope you've got the alignment right; Tamiya, you wouldn't need to worry! Although having said that, where would the challenge be without some tricky fitting parts??? I got it mostly right, though you can still see the seam running along the side of bombers bench. and the join of the centre console. Also, the rudder pedals are skewed outwards; both parts do it to the same amount, so assuming it's designed that way. It would work ergonomically at least, so I think I'll leave it

And we're done at last! Next model...no MK82's... Also started on the home straight; canopies done, along with some pit stuff. Not much left to do: - Seats - general tidy of paint in pit (some grey as leaked in) - canopies need clean and polish, and a bit of interior black finished off - breakables; glass lights, front leg arms, fin aerials & front, struts for canopies - fix some of the squint MK82's on the centre MER; not sure what's going on there - give the whole thing a dust - try and fix the pealing decals (photo's shortly) ...and that'll be it! Should be RFI by end of weekend; apologies in advance - I've only got an iPhone to shoot with for the moment - I'll do the best I can!

Some use the decals from the kit (the best way btw). The remainder are hand painted. A steady hand and gloopy yellow paint essential (so you get an even coat, and don't have to repeat it!).

Tiny update...just chugging through the Mk82's...only 3 left to do!

More progress! And she stands! All 3 legs are on, as are the bay doors, flaps and air brakes, the air-to-air and a few small bits and bobs. The big task ahead is the Mk82's...got the fiddly yellow 'live' marker to paint on a further 9 of them! So here we are (I'll load up the centre MER before fitting)... * edit *- Just noticed the port legs door is squint. Easy fix though.

Not to worry..the pegs are getting a pounding! To the amazement of a lot of sports bike riders too Anyway - back to the F4, I've finished the decalling at last; gahd it was slog. I need to find a paint to replace the top grey; it's flaking off! It's been a right pain. Which means the last coat of matt on, and I can seal up the airframe! First addition after this is the exhausts..which I'm happy about. Maybe a wee bit more smoke on the insides but it's actually good as is.

That's utterly flawless - not a single drop of paint out of place, and every seam invisible. And the attention to detail is first class. This is pro-level modelling!

Ok, it's been a while! What can I say...it's summer, so I'm normally outside...and I have a new toy this year too (Ducati Diavel). :-) Anyway, we're onto the decalling now - it's it's fiddly. And I ripped one! The grey one on top of the port engine. Gutted...think i can paint it in though, if I can find the right grey. Also ripped the port 5-pointed star too! Gaaaah! Anyway, here we are:

Ok, a wee test fit, just to scope the size...and here it is, next to a 1:32 Phantom (in progress). It's pretty wide...

lol - aye, probably was! Thankfully my pace is slowing down now, so future "signature creep" should be much slower. PS - did I read that right? Over a million posts????

4! A 1:32 Phantom awaiting completion of 24 MK82s A 1:72 lancaster than should have been finished in January, awaiting some motivation A 1:32 He111 awaiting a clear slot in the production line A 1:72 Snowberry...but it's a xmas present for Dad, so no rush. All of them are waiting for the summer to end...been too busy at nights going out, riding the new bike (Ducati Diavel), and generally larking about.

Hi guys, I've been away enjoying the summer too much to remember to finish my 1:32 phantom, but that didn't stop me going out and lining up the next item in the production line: This one will definitely be a challenge, given my fingers of butter and fists of ham are great at screwing up glass...and short of using a hermitically sealed room and permanently pressurising the model itself, how do I keep the *inside* of the glass dust free???? As always, all ideas on markings and load outs welcome!

All of a sudden there's 3x 1:32 phantoms on the go! And here's mine...Main paint is on! Broke a tailfin aerial taking the masking off...and some of the tape has left some residue. Neither are major problems though. This one looks better without the crap camera and light - you can really see the smoke etc: