Icarus

Thank you everyone. Prenton - I am still not sure. My initial instinct was to paint the lower surface white then mask off the stripes to add the red. However, I do worry that there will be minor variations in the width of the masking, that will then be really obvious with such a vibrant red surround. Maybe I will try this first, and if all goes downhill, I could always over paint the stripes and then add the decals? Icarus

Morning. I would like to contribute this build, originally stickered as £10, but purchased for less than this as part of an online auction bundle - I think the average price in the bundle netted out at £7.25. I am not sure which Experten's aircraft I will build - I think the included figure is for Hptm. Waldemar Wübke, so it may be Rot 3. I will need to do some investigating... Looking forward to this one - especially masking all those stripes on the lower fuselage and wings! Icarus

So slight change of plan (and build title). Having looked at the choices, I am tempted by the Belgian commemorative one, so will be going with this option (without the photobombing cat!) Should be fun - I've never done a splinter scheme before! Icarus

Good afternoon. I would like to contribute this build - the old ESCI kit, with lovely looking French AF decals: I am planning to build this OOB, apart form perhaps some replacement ejector seats, depending on what the kit ones look like when painted and decaled. I'm planning to have the canopy closed in this one. As an aside, if you look closely in the second photo you might be able to see what my second build for this GB will be, depending on time. Thanks for looking, Icarus

So, this is now done. I will put some better photos in the Gallery, but this is where we netted out. Final reflections: 1. Well done Airfix - this is a substantial kit of this important a/c 2. Yes - despite all that nose weight, this still needs its rear fuselage support "prop" 3, I'm not quite sure why I bothered painting all of the cockpit interior, especially behind the pilot, but at least I know it's all there! Thank you for looking, and for all of the really helpful guidance. Now off to the "Unarmed GB", with a 1/48 Boscombe Down Jaguar T.4.. Icarus

Thank you for the extension - this was looking like a tight finish. It may yet still prove so... Anyway, this is where I am this evening with the RAAF Canberra. Main decals are on, canopies are on and masking is off two of them to check. I will remask them when I'm adding the final satin varnish, and then finish all the transparencies before adding bomb payload and wingtip fuel tanks. As you can see, I am now working on some of the extras like wheels, which I like to have on before I start the weathering processes. Thanks for looking! Icarus

Evening all. After multiple filling and sanding sessions this is where I have netted out with the base colour scheme: By no means perfect, but with stencill/wing walk decals due to run along the length of the wing roots this is good enough. A few bits of touching up needed on the white above the port wing root and starboard face of the tail fin, but nothing too demanding. Next steps after this are a gloss varnish then ALOT of decals. (As you can see by the scale on the cutting board, this is a substantial piece of plastic!) Thanks for looking, Icarus

Evening everyone. This is coming along nicely now. There have been a few minor fit issues as you can see by the sanding on the photo, but nothing insurmountable. I will paint the sub- assemblies before gluing them together at the end. State of play tonight... Yes - I have only painted the wheels for the Oz Canberra. I am (somewhat unphysiologically) going to display this with flaps down and crew access door open as I like the moulded detail in the relevant areas - maybe the intrepid crew forgot to retract them before shutting down? I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that the ballast in the nose will stop this being a tail sitter. Forgot to add some in the front of the engine nacelles before closing them up, so we'll see how this turns out... Thanks for looking, Icarus

Thank you for the helpful insights stever219 - well noted. We shall see how this works out. I will be using the old airline modeller's trick of Tamiya white primer, for the white part of the Oz scheme, before adding some Alclad Airframe Al. The primer layer should coincidentally address the panel line issue! Icarus

OK, so as expected, when the fuselage was closed up most of that interior detail was lost into the darkness. At least I know its there. This is the view before closing. You will also note the amount of ballast, packed in with blu-tak, that I have put behind and below the cockpit floor. I also plan to fill the front part of the engine nacelles behind the fans thus, to try and stop this from being a tail sitter. The fact that a rear fuselage "prop" comes as standard in the kit does not fill me with hope.... Note the considerable efforts to try and get the fuselage to closed up - unfortunately this model is too big to use the sequential "clamp and glue" approach that worked so well for the "warp-speed" Airfix Buccaneer I did last time. I fear there will be a lot of putty use soon.... Thank you for looking, Icarus

So, early days on this one but to be honest it has been a bit more of a struggle than I am used to with Airfix kits. Vague locations in the instructions, and serious surgery needed on the MBs to get them to fit. Anyway, this is where we are now, ready to add a coat of satin varnish before working on closing up the fuselage. later tonight behind The flash has accentuated the weathering contrasts, but to be honest as my little aircrew will largely be in a deep dark hole when all is closed up, I have tended to over-emphasise the colours in the base paints anyway with the vague hope that the detail may be visible later. I perhaps mute some of the chipping and there clearly is a blob of glue behind the head of #3 MB that needs touching up. Thanks for looking, Icarus

Right - now finished (with corrected tail fin aerials - thank you Jabba). Thank you for looking, and see you at the ANZAC GB, Icarus

Hi everyone. A bit late to this party, and not sure if there's enough time to complete this, but I would like to contribute this lovely looking kit to the GB. Icarus

Ah - thanks for the spot - of course they're the wrong way round! This is what happens when you finish your model in the middle of the night accompanied by Rioja... Will rectify then update the Gallery photos.

Subject: Hawker Siddeley S2B Buccanner "Longmorn", RAF Lossiemouth Gul;f Detachment, Operation Desert Storm, Muharraq, Bahrain, March 1991 Kit: Airfix 1/48 H.S. Buccaneer, #09180 Detailing: Out of the box or scratchbuilt (cockpit additional detail). Home made canopy masks. Decals: Kit decals Paint: Xtracolor and Humbrol enamels, Vallejo + MiG acrylics, Tamiya and Alcad II lacquers. Weathering: Windsor and Newton oils + pin wash, artist pastels. Build thread here: Thanks for looking, Icarus

Hi everyone. I have been off for a few days, so managed to complete this. The canopy is not attached, so the wo intrepid aviators can get a bit of air if I feel like it. In the end, a relatively challenging build, but fantastic fun. Thanks for looking, and I will post some piccies up in the Gallery before hot footing it over to the ANZAC GB for my Oz Canberra build! Icarus

So, in the end, the fuselage went together without too much drama. This is the state of play this morning. I have just placed the engine intakes and outlets in their recesses and likewise the tail isn't fixed yet. All of them have pretty good fits, so I'm not expecting any drama there. I will then need to do a bit of filling at those wing fold joints, before laying down the rest of the Desert Sand colour. This is proceeding much faster than I imagined, so there may even be time to do another build for this GB - I'm thinking a "What If" Operation Granby TSR-2, if that's permitted?? Otherwise, the Eduard/Heller 1/48 French AF Mirage 2000C that's sitting in the vault. Thanks for looking, Icarus

Quite agree with the last comment - and hey presto here we are with the staged closing. All looking ok so far, and fit is fine! There's a bit of extruded glue/plastic at the joins, but this is planned - sanding this back with )hopefully) ensure no major gaps. We shall see... Thanks for looking, Icarus

Afternoon all. Managed to make a start on this. I am planning to do everything OOB, so although I don't usually add flight crew I will obviate the need for seat belts by adding them. They appear to either be in "tropical" flying suits, or they have borrowed some from their Bahraini Air Force colleagues on the same base! BTW I did a test fit of the two fuselage halves - this will be fun. "Warp" speed here we come... Thanks for looking, Icarus

Hi everyone. Would like to join with this classic. I know there are some issues with warping of these kits, but they do look like they build out well with a bit of effort> Should be fun. Thanks for looking, Icarus

Thanks for the helpful feedback. I debated long and hard about how much weathering to do, and in the end followed the reference photos I've got - the Russians kept this prototype almost spotless for external engagements. There is some panel line oil pin wash, which has been largely obliterated by the flash in suboptimal lighting, but is visible in the second photo. I will have better lighting for the Gallery photos (and probably no feline intruder) so hopefully this will be more visible then. Thanks for looking, Icarus

So, a few complications at the end. The Instructions stated some missiles could fit the 2nd from outside pylons which actually couldn't, so a quick build of the R-77s and pylons to resolve this. However, all done now. And note the photobombing cat, who inadvertently added a sense of scale to this enormous kit! Well done Trumpeter - a fantastic kit that was thoroughly enjoyable and buildable. Highly recommended! Thanks for looking, and I will post photos in the Gallery later. Icarus

So, in the final straight with this now. Decals are on, as are the wheels. Those weapons were mini kits in themselves, but I think they'll look the part when mounted. I need to add the rest of the outboard pylons later before some light weathering (this is essentially a prototype) and then the final satin varnish. (Apologies for the garish table cloth - kids' birthday parties need to happen even in lockdown!) Once the satin varnish is on, I will remove the canopy masks and add the rest of the dangly bits, the various probes and lovely white metal nose probe/pitot, before finally gluing the folded wing tips in place. Thanks for looking, Icarus

So, the joys of combining home schooling and working from home have necessarily meant this build has had to be paused, but finally got a bit of time over the weekend. Painting largely complete, and glossed ready for decaling. The wing tips (which will eventually be folded up) and the tail fins are just placed in their recesses - will glue later. Those undercarriage wheels look like they are part of a Russian agricultural machinery clear out! Thanks for looking, Icarus

So, this is starting to come together. Typical old school Trumpeter - details sometimes a bit off, but boy is it buildable! Now, it doesn't say so in the instructions but I am sure this can be built with wings folded. As you can see in the first photo, I have just placed the starboard outer wing in place, and have placed the port outer wing folded and held with blu-tak to check. It all lines up perfectly. I will clearly have to add some scratch-built wing fold detail as you can see on the second photo, but there is plenty of spare PE sitting in the vault in the shed. Thanks for looking, Icarus