Alpha Delta 210

Excellent job, Dean. When will Airfix refrain from gouging out those overscale panel lines?

Hi All Here is my lump of filler with plastic attached as she now stands. I hope to get some of the decals on today before heading up to the Midlands for Christmas with the in-laws - hoorah! I will to attach the pylons, slipper tanks, main gear doors and jet pipes after the decals have been applied. I have already touched up some of the patchy paintwork that is visible in these shots.

Thanks for the comments guys. I hope they are useful to anyone building a Harrier at the moment. I had a great day, Mark. The Turkish Stars were the highlight for me. It was even better, as I won the tickets in a competition in "Flypast" magazine!

Glad you liked the pictures, Giorgio and thanks for the background information. I, for one won't be attempting the kit- the thought of lining up the black and green chequers has already given me nightmares!

Hi I took these pictures at Waddington 2010 and thought that they might be useful to anyone building the Italeri kit.

Hi My salute to the Harrier....

Hi All Thanks very much to you all for showing such an interest in my proposal and particularly to Antony who has offered to help host the GB with me. I am happy to extend the GB to military and cilvilian teams in addition to solos and what-ifs, as long as they are in special markings. I understand from Mish that we need at least 15 participants to proceed, so unless we can seduce at least 3 more members to take part, this might have to be put on hold at the end of Runway 27...

Hi I have applied the first coat of Humbrol 163. I know she doesn't look great, but after a second coat of each colour, she should look better. I'm just pleased that the paint has hidden all the filler. I have a 1/48 Capri (I mean Bucc) in the "to do" pile, but I think that I'll save that one for a few years!

That is beautiful. I love the weathering, but the heat discoloration is simply amazing!

Hi All Thanks very much to you all for showing such an interest and particularly to Antony who has offered to help host the GB with me. I understand from Mish that we need at least 15 participants to proceed, so unless we can seduce at least 3 more members to take part, this might have to be put on hold at the end of Runway 27...

Hi The filling and sanding around the nose and tail took a little longer than expected and it is still not perfect! You're not wrong Jabba, this baby has more filler than a 1980's boy racer's Capri! (Oops showing my age, there!) So, anyway, here she is on my painting board (IKEA chopping board) still wet from the first brush-painted coat of Humbrol 164, along with the painted jet pipes. Begone to the airing cupboard....

That is truly impressive - I can't believe it is 1/76! Excellent work.

Count me in, as all my builds are from the box, except for the odd decal purchase! I don't know what I will build, as I have plenty of items in stock!

Thanks, Killa. I certainly need the luck as the fit is terrible!

Thanks for the kind words chaps.

Excellent! The tiger on the tail is really impressive.

Thanks guys. A bit more filling and sanding tomorrow and then I hope to get the first coat of paint on.

Looking good! I've got one of these, but haven't used it in the snow because it was too deep and I was frightened that I would wreck the tank!

Hi All Quick progress, as wife and son are at the cinema with friends! After an afternoon of sanding, I have brushed on an undercoat to highlight areas requiring further attention (of which there are several!) I have painted the canopy frame black, to be followed by the appropriate grey or green top coat and have rested it in position for the photos. I need to smear some more Squadron Green on to the nose cone, forward fuselage, engine nacelle to the wing leading edge and possibly around the air brakes. This kit is certainly showing it's age and I wonder if Airfix are over-charging for it, as it really is not up to modern standards. That said, I am still enjoying building it, which is after all what it is all about!

Hi Well, it is starting to look like a Buccaneer now. The gap wehere the folding part of the wing joins the part that is attached to the fuselage was very poor and required plenty of putty and attention from the sanding sponge. The nose cone and the airbrake clamshell also required a liberal application of putty to fair them into the fuselage. I have assembled the slipper tanks and have dipped the caopy pieces in Klear. I will not be able to use any of the supplied weapons, as I think that XW526 would have carried CBLS 100 Bomblet Carriers in 1974. It seems that XW526 might have been re-painted in 1974 and coded "A" and I have decided that she will be finished in the way that she was re-delivered to the Squadron from the paint-shop - clean and glossy!

Hi All Well, I foolishly thought that this would be a quick build due to the low parts count, but how wrong could I be? My new best friends are MMD Green Putty, a Halfords Fine Sanding Sponge and a face mask! The cockpit decals and control column are in place and the seats have been painted on the sprue and are awaiting masking tape straps. I added weight to the nose by way of Blu-Tack and shotgun pellets. After adding the bomb bay, I joined the fuselage halves, and despite lots of fettling, I could not get a good join. I joined the nose cone halves, and again could not get a good fit, so the next task is to fill and sand that. I painted the gear and bays Humbrol 40, which looks like a fair representation when compared with my reference shots. The landing gear is currently just pushed into the locating holes for easier handling. When rubbing down the putty, I deliberately removed the raised surface detail, as my reference shots of XX894 the "live" Buccaneer at Bruntingthorpe show the fuselage to be very smooth. Today's tasks: 1. Sort out the nose cone 2. Fit the wings 3. Come up for air...

Hi I have the current Airfix release and Modeldecal set 26 for a RAF Buccaneer S.2B XW526 of XV Squadron in Dark Sea Grey/Dark Green/Light Aircraft Grey based at Laarbruch in 1974. I enjoy quite quick builds, don't have an airbrush, don't scratch-build and don't buy aftermarket goodies, except decals. In other words, I still make kits in the manner of a 13 year-old, except I usually avoid the gluey thumb-print on the canopy! I will be making a start today and hope to finish it before 2011. Good to be aboard!

Ah, that would explain it - it's terrible!

Have you tried the Spitfire MkLIXe yet? I don't know where it comes from, but it sure doesn't look like an Airfix kit!

Thanks Mish. The weathering looks more subtle "in the flesh". I tried some chipping with a scouring pad, but didn't like the effect, so removed it.