silverburn

Plodding on... Underside primed (just before I ran out of primer!), and sprayed Ensignia white (or something very close to it...Halfords Fiat white 210) If anything its a little thick - it's filled some very fine lines just forward of the auxilary intakes and centre pylon bracket. But it won't be noticeable, once I've got a MER with 12 snakes-eyes over the top. More boom sticks started, from AndyL's stash. All his snake-eyes are re-olive drabbed, and now it's onto the dreaded yellow band. More sprues built - about halfway through now. Need primer before I can spray all this lot! Also got a load of flightpath fins to do... Will have 20 Snake-eyes and 20 dumb mk82's - though the dumb trumpet editions seem too thin? Very likely I'll load up with 12 dumb mk82's and 12 snake-eyes. That should be a plausible load out...

Hi guys, Another wee update: AndyL's stores are here! You are a star Andy... Anyway, got the wing ends on the main model, and went back to bomb-making. I do have some tidying on the starboard outer join though - and it'll be tricky to fill and sand without clogging the detail around there. hmmm. Here's tonight's progress: - 2 of Andy's 9 sprues done! 7 more to go...phew...some interesting boom sticks in there, for future models - 12 Snake-eyes' re-primed. Andy' Olive drab doesn't match mine unfortunately...a shame. However, I do have a query around loadouts, because I have a problem. The dumb bomb editions from the Tamiya and Trumpet kits do not match. The trumpets are thinner, maybe representing a lighter bomb. Can I mix loads, and which is most likely? - 12x 'fat' dumb bombs + 12 'thin' ones - 12x 'fat' dumb bombs + 12 snake-eyes

Bit of an on and off day today, but some big decisions made... I've decided to go with the kit pit, and go for the resin bang seats. reason? Well, I think the kit one came out alright... So I lashed it in, did the exhaust inners (dark green with smoke and a little white), and buttoned it all up! And it's gone together beautifully. Only the smallest bit of filler requite on the starboard rear quarter. Primed the seams and they're all tight. On the whole - I'm very impressed. While that all dried, I started the main exhausts - Humbrol Aluminium, with an inner coating of tamiya smoke. Laid down thick (by accident ) to pull out the slats. Tomorrow - some white pastel inside for heat oxidisation, and a wash on the outer to pick out the inside slats, then a wee bit of dark rust pastel on the main outside slats to represent heat discolouration. Should come out ok. And some fill pylons. Using a centre tank pylon for the centre MER. MER itself lifted from Trumpet AV08B kit. AndyL firing over 12 more mk 82's to fill this rack. (Nice one Andy!)

That's magnificent. Detail within detail...brilliant.

hi guys, Just a note to say I've started on the kit pit. I am still going for a resin job, but thought I'd give this a go anyway. A form of backup as you will. Long way to go yet - only just got the basic black down; gotta sharpen the edges of it, then onto the buttons and instruments etc etc before glueing it all together (which I'll do last) oh, and here's the finished air-to-air stores from last night

Holy crap - a 1:32 gr7 at last! I must have been sleeping - when did this come out? Does look like some serious omissions though, but some great modelling overcoming them.

Well, a small update tonight. Finished the tailfin paint, so covered it up for now, and started on the aluminium around the nozzles and rear fins. A mixture of Tamiya gloss al, light gun metal, and Humbrol al make up the panel work, and the heat discolouration (just visible here), was applied using tamiya pastels. Finally, Tamiya smoke was used for....well, smoke. I think I'll pop round the aluminium seams on the fuselage with pastel to age them a bit, them maybe re-look at the centre al panel in the tail fins - they're too dark. I also washed the rear fins, but none of the rivets popped out. Damn. All in all, I'm actually quite happy with it - it's come out better than expected, given I've never really tried this multi-panel 'aged' aluminium thing. I'll try and get a daylight shot tomorrow to demonstrate it a little better - this artificial light & camera combo is rubbish. Out of shot: completed air-to-airs. All stored now completed. In shot: a hammer. Well, sometimes you just have to, don't you...you know the one I'm talking about; the warp fuselage one which stubbornly refuses to stay glued together...it can only be terminally fixed with a hammer... Why did I do the tail? Well, I'm a firm believer in that it's easier to finish some parts off the model. Traditionally, all of us do the pit this way - it's just far easier than painting it in situ. I just apply it to as many parts as possible. This does kinda rely on the panel fit being excellent, and require no filling or sanding. Luckily, I tested beforehand, and all was well - I knew it would fit perfectly once painted.

Agree with all here. Stunning. Your f18 detailing is also worthy of mention, especially since its only 1:72!

Not a canberra fan, but recognise quality workmanship when I see it! Your gloss coats are immaculate, and your demarkations are super crisp.

Now that's a lot of modelling! Especially like the Silver "Mala" seaplane. Now...all you need is another 30 years and six cabinets to do the Axis line up....

Yeah, but this was deemed further on that 25%. I'll have a think about whether to continue or not with another build; I may just withdraw. Would rather move onto something different after this TBH. So I rattled on with this one...and back to my air-to-air finished painting; store painting now finished - just decals to do. Will be my priority tomorrow. While I waited for various paint coats to dry I did: - tail fins and exhaust aluminium doo-hikey primed. - Painting started on tail fins. Two coats of yellow so far...guess who should have used white primer - primed the underside bits. Should have just primed the whole thing, but hey ho. Underside test fitted...should be ok. Tamiya's finish is excellent as always! - Intakes are fitted...and what a hassle for a scrappy finish, as other have said. I'll go with FOD's I recon. Seams on outer fuselage tested using primer, and re-scribed (in my primitive way). Wee bit of filler was required, but not much. Luckily, the parts follow proper lines, so lucky one for me. - Tail fin painting completed. Will cover it up tomorrow. - Nose cone now dry Sorry it's a bit out of focus... Tomorrow I need to: - decal the stores and seal them up in matt - re-prime the pylons with white (They should be Insigna white...or my version of it at least). - attempt the metal exhaust thingy I want to paint it before assembly, and just cover it up when I do the main fuselage I'm not convinced about the nozzles, and may go aftermarket. If I do, can I still assemble it without them? The kit exhausts need to be screwed in place first, before attaching the underside.

Pooh, I just noticed that this starts on 27th may, not 27th April! Does This still count as < 25%? If so, can I move the thread? Naturally I'll need to stop all progress until the 27th...

Cheers for all the compliments guys...I'm just waiting for a trumpet gr7/9 so I can do one in the final flight colours - the best harrier colour scheme *'eva*

Tonight's progress... Well, I got distracted by the instructions, after opening them for the first time. So I've dived into the intakes, mainly! Also done: - Tail fitted and sprayed. Top also sprayed and drying. Wish it was a better fit though...there's a very small gap. - Nose cone painted. Glorious gloss black. This is still wet, so I'm expecting it to "tighten" a bit more. - 2x MER's + load completed - tanks completed (even though I'll probably never use them) - Main fuselage colour tested. The spray can I've got is too light, but a stain really does the trick, as well as popping the panel detail. Poor colour from the camera here though... - Wing tips and airelons assembled only - the intakes...wow...the intakes. I foresee lots of problems here. Assembled so far, and the seams filled and sanded, but it's still not going to be great. I'm going to work on a plan to try and make it nice and clean, come assembly time And here we at the end of tonight: I need 12 more of these: No it's not green...it's a camera white balance freakout!

Thanks for that! Yeah, stores are easy to get wrong, and rush through at the end of a build. At least this way, it'll be done right! Speaking of which, I'm in the market for 12 500lb mk82's; anyone got any they want rid of? The flightpath stuff will cost me £50 otherwise! Why 12? 'cos I've seen the pics (at boeing of all places for one of them) - the 4J's did indeed carry 24 mk82's. So it shall be here. The range without mid-air refuelling must have been about nil..

Hi all, And we're off! Everyone has their own way of building - me, I start with the stores. And with good reason this time - if I'm to go with 22/24 Mk82's, I need to plan carefully! So I took the kit mk82's, and converted them all to conventional short fuses - leaving me 12 to get. I've got a MER from my AV-8B which'll slot in nicely, but the mk82's from that kit aren't right - they're either snake-eyes, or only the 250lb'ers! So, once I get me some flightpath mk82's, I recon this'll be my loadout: Starboard: Outer: MER + 6/5 mk82's (kit) Inner: TER (flightpath or kit or trumpet) + 3 mk82's (flightpath) & 2 x AIM9d's (trumpet) on main pylon Central: 2 x AIM7's MER (trumpet) + 6 mk82's (flightpath) 2 x AIM7's Port: Inner: TER (flightpath or kit or trumpet) + 3 mk82's (flightpath) & 2 x AIM9d's (trumpet) on main pylon Outer: MER + 6/5 mk82's (kit) And this is the end of tonight's progress; all stores and pylons build, sanded filled & primed. mk82's coated in Olive drab, and drying. Gotta chase up my cockpit, but may fire on with the kit one in the meantime to get my eye in.

Are those luminous decals??? Wow. Stunning build. *edit: love the 1:32 collection btw.

Hi all, Cool wall updated at promised - wee bit longer than anticipated, but here you go:

Concur with the others - good modelling here! Now you've got the different seated versions, you now need them in all scales too...like this Unfortunately, my 1:48 and 1:72 both had "un-intended flight vectors", and will need rebuilt. I was thinking of doing them anyway - I'd learnt a lot by the time I got to the 1:32! And the 1:144 is now better, so I might do that one too...

Lol - excellent! Star wars question - if these were air cooled (as the fins at the back hint at), why put the fins at the back, out the airflow? Wait...this is Sci-Fi. I'll shut up now

Yet more metal! This is the bridge addition, and it's gonna be a whopper. Took me an hour just to work out the instructions...:-) Out of shot: The kit section of the bridge painted, and awaiting weathering.

Wow - I left this thread for a few days, and I'm relegated to page 3! Anyway, the purchasing game continues...though it's hardly a great start. I probably won't even need the chin! The TER's will go nicely with my MER's I rescued from my Trumpet AV-8B. Still a MER short though...has anyone got one? Aires cockpit kit and Tamiya F4-J (marines) are "in the post".

Getting there... Plane is in RFI btw.

Hi all, Finished it at last - been waiting for a LITENING pod, to finish. Not the most glorious of photo booths, but I figured some proper natural light will make up for it. Kit was a good un, with only errors being my own - around the intake flaps. Custom LGB and LITENING pod, but everything else is OOB. I know there some imperfections with the kit (for one, it's not a GR7 ), but I didn't notice them *edit: Actually I did - there's no rails for the AIM's! Well, enjoy. Build thread is here, and not quite closing it yet - I'm building out my arms stash! Pity you can't see the soot here; it's come out ok: You need to squint:

Hi all, Cheers for the compliments guys - good to know I'm on the right track! I started on the GLS stuff proper today, and got to a good milestone - all the decks are on! I've weathered the rear superstructure, and so far, it's come out alright. I had planned to do the forward deck last, and fit it with the bridge in place, but after some dry fitting or the re-enforced deck, I decided it was ok. Plus I wanted to be totally sure my deck was level and flat. Which it is. My teak decking is more "mahogany" than "teak", so I need to lighten it and age it a bit. Tricky... Also completed the engine room canopy - and wow...brutal. I still need to go the latch thingies, because had to retreat after 3 hours of it - I went So onwards - think I'll start on the bridge section tomorrow, and that will give me the basic outline of the ship. Then it's time to add detail and guns! Apologies for the weird angle; this thing is so massive, it's difficult to get a good shot in, just using an iphone.