Michael louey

Really nice build. Looks great. Cheers Michael

Thanks for the comments guys. To answer Aimee's dad - This is the 1/72 version. Actually this is one of the Stratos boxings so I ended up with a lot of spare space junk. Cheers Michael

As discussed with Ian in an earlier post on this area, I finished off an Angel Interceptor just recently. Simple kit as per the era but still with the charm of the times. The kit is pretty much out of box except a replacement ejector seat from an F-18. The nose has been sanded to produce a more prototypical needle appearance. On thing I didn't realise until too late was that Airfix have added a set of spurious canards on top of the real ones. This was noted on this site a while ago and attributed to the snap tite phase of this kit. The decals were great - I'm sure they are much more sophisticated than the original boxing. Cheers MIchael

Hi, Just finished my TSR2 for a club display. Not the worst for fitting but the parts when in place don't really 'álign' that well. Lots of good tips on this site such as getting the wings and rear top fairing aligned first. This kit shows how far Airfix has progressed lately for the finess and fit of their kits. The one thing going for the TSR2 though is that the panel lines appear to be much finer in those days... Cheers Michael

Great build Mike, I could have been joining you as I had the A version to build for a club display but discovered it had already been done by another club member (If you search this site, you'll probably find it) and I was diverted onto a more urgent need - TSR2. I still plan to build it and the notes about the kit will come in handy. Cheers Michael

Hi Ian, Best completed Interceptor I've seen! Must have bee a lot of work with all the panel lines and shading. I have just completed the same kit and noticed you've been caught by the same 'gotcha' that I have. After getting to too late a stage I found out on the web (maybe even on this site) that when Airfix retooled this kit as a snap tite they added spurious canards above the real ones (i.e. the small ones on top). They don't exist on the ones in the TV show. I decided not to bother for this build as we are talking sci fi anyway I must admit 'research' for the kit was fun - re watching a number of episodes from my DVD box set. I'll get around to posting mine hear once I get the camera set up but it won't light a candle to yours. Cheers Michael

Hi Mike, I've built the Mk VII. It has been a while but I built the wing prior to attaching to the fuselage. I can't recall if there were fit problems but I suspect I filed back the wing roots on the fuselage parts. I prefer to have the wing all completed as a single unit in pretty much all cases. I expect that if the root isn't filed back until the test fit is ok, it may affect the dihedral of the wing. The guys are right about the wing tips - I noticed I hadn't blended them in as well as I thought after the final paint job. Here is the final result - http://www.aussiemodeller.com.au/pages/Gallery/Aircraft_I-O/Louey_SpitMkVII.html Cheers Michael

Hi Procopius, This is only the 2nd resin kit I've built so I'm no real expert on the things. The main areas that need care are the boom/tailplane alignment. I think a more careful modeller would drill holes and strengthen/align the parts with pins and maybe a jig. I just superglued them via butt joints and used accelerator to fix them in place when in the right/best fit position. The other problem is the etched splitter plates which I don't think fit. I think making new ones from plasticard which can be more easily modified in size and shape would be a better idea. Obviously with the resin, it can be a bit brittle. Some of the smaller parts can be easily broken (i.e. rods, aerials) and were replaced by plastic rod. I lost some small etch but that is par for the course with etch. Remember to weight the nose. Mine has quite a bit (which I hope the resin undercarriage will cope with over time). Careful with the wing tip tank fins. I managed to break both of mine during building - once due to bumping in the storage box and once via a small drop from about 3/4 inches from the table. Their are alternative etch fins to the resin ones but I don't think the flat metal is as good at representing the aerfoil shape of these fins. The vac canopy was carefully trimmed with manicure scissors and a razor knife with a bit of sanding to finish. I've used vac canopies a bit so this part while difficult isn't as daunting as it might be for anyone who hasn't used them before. Cheers Michael

Thanks for the comments. Craig, I can't believe you are converting a Venom to a Vampire! I've just finished a Vampire and I don't think they share any common parts. Good luck. Regards Michael

Seeing this interesting thread and the extra information by Steve prompted me to add a link to the build I've just posted for WZ895 http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234953457-cmr-sea-venom-faw53-wz895/ Thanks for all the info you gave to CMR Steve. Cheers Michael

Just finished my CMR Sea Venom. Nice kit but really needs a skilled modeller to make the best out of it (e.g. Libor did a beauty a while back). I had trouble getting the booms all set up but the only real issue was getting the splitter plates in the intakes ot fit - I think if I did it again, I would use plasticard to replace the etch pieces. The parts are also quite delicate, being fine resin so I am a bit worried handling it (a bit like bone china) The build was inspired by realising this plane was a sister ship of one a friend's dad flew out of Nowra in the late 50's. Cheers Michael

Hi MD, Being a 190D fan, I've noticed a number of boxings of this kit. I usually just buy the cheapest as the plastic is the same and I don't have a high opinion of the Hasegawa decals. I have plenty of Eaglecals to use on them. Fw190D Jabo http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXBSTD Fw190D Yellow Tail http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-72-Fw-190D-9-Yellow-Tail-Hasegawa-OOP-Luftwaffe-/400138479008?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item5d2a1ca5a0 Fw190D Fall of the Reich (Nr 00375) - I have this one http://www.scalemates.com/products/product.php?id=146229 Cheers Michael

Hi Troy, If you go over to Aussie Modeller International, you'll get a lot of views on RAAF Beaufighter colours. Peter Malone suggests (quite reasonably) that a lot of the aircraft would have been finished in a scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey, Slate Grey over Sky (Temperate Sea Scheme). As the Beaus spent most of their time over water, it would appear that they would have been left in this scheme for operations. Link to conversation here: http://forum.aussiemodeller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6731&hilit=beaufighter&start=10 Cheers Michael

Hi Stu Just noticed your build. I've just finished the same kit in the same markings. The scheme is quite striking isn't it. I've already seen it finished this way about 5 times. Well done. Cheers Michael

Thanks for the comments guys. The kit is really well engineered and helps with the alignment of all the parts. The Tamiya AS12 spray can gives an easy, self levelling and durable finish which can be easily masked over. I use it for silver painted finishes but don't think it's the best representation of a natural metal finish. Cheers Michael

Timely question. I just finished painting trainer stripes on my Vampire. The Hobby Shop guy recommended Mid Stone as an undercoat for the yellow and it worked really well. He also mentioned pink as an undercoat colour for red. Tamiya now has a pink spray can primer for just this purpose. I must admit never having any real problem with red as I do with yellow though. Cheers Michael

Hi, Just finished the Airfix Vampire. Went together pretty well.The decals are from Xtradecal which are really well printed and thin but need care to apply as they can fold over themselves and come off with handling. A bit of microsol gets them into place but it can float them off again for small stencils. The only area that needed attention was the sink marks on top of the flaps due to their thickness. Since I took the photos, I noticed a mistake when viewing another build of the same aircraft - Missing the leading edge black markings on the tail plane.This is now fixed. The markings are for a RAN aircraft of VT724 Sqn based in Nowra in the late 50's. I might do another one, especially if I can swap the rest of my Xtradecal sheet for the RAAF example on one of the other Xtradecal sheets (Look for a trade post soon!) Cheers Michael

Great build and finish as normal Libor! I'm still not convinced that I want to get this kit as with the undercarriage length, rear wing edge thickness and now the windscreen issues, I still believe the Hasegawa kit is better when you can get it for less than rrp (which isn't too hard). Cheers Michael

We had a bit of a chuckle about this one at 72nd Scale Aircraft. For more 'interesting' box art, checkout this thread - http://z15.invisionfree.com/72nd_Aircraft/index.php?showtopic=3815 Cheers Michael

Hi, One of our club members built a RAAF Curtiss Shrike and I'm sure this version has a lot in common with the Helldiver 1 except for the naval mods. Here is a picture of it: John used the Academy kit with appropriate updates for the dive brakes (filled in), Props (Not sure where he got the replacement and added a new glazing area behind the pilots canopy (using a P47 canopy as the starting point!). I've picked up a special edition version of the same kit to build the RAAF shrike following this pattern. Hope this helps. Regards Michael

Gee, with the Khee Kha Cessna 185 on this forum, this shows great modelling using 'simple' vacform kits. Looks great! Cheers Michael

Beautiful Cessna, looks really nice. Cheers Michael

Great Build Neil. Who needs the new Fly Whitley! (By the way, does anyone know which kit is actually more accurate?) Cheers Michael

Hi, Have you thought of using a cotton bud (or fine paint brush) and applying a small amount of thinner (enamel thinner or perhaps Tamiya thinner) depending on the paint. You don't have to have the bud very wet, just a bit damp. Carefully apply on the 'smudged' area and then use a dry bud to clean up. I've done this in the past when I got a bit of paint on a decal. You may need to respray the area with matt afterwards. Cheers Michael

Hi Ian, A very well made model! I just had one question though - Are those the kit wing roundels? I noticed they were overlapping the ailerons which I didn't think was normal practice with painting guidelines. The photos of the warbird seem to show them not overlapping but not sure about the original plane. Cheers Michael