Foghorn Leghorn

That's a lovely Canberra, it does the decals justice!

Never a truer word spoken....

I love that! There WILL be issues (because let's face it, it's a Kinetic kit) but they'll be different!

I think it's the prettiest kfir, the length and shape of the nose, with light grey contrasting colour seems to accentuate the shape. The plan to get a Kinetic IIIe (to do a Dagger) has been dropped, can't be bothered with these kind of issues when I've got loads of other stuff to build, though I'd like to try the re-tooled AMK Kfir, just to compare kits If I didn't have too many kits already I'd be buying more from Luckymodel UK, great prices.

An update It's finished and on RFI. Following on from my first post, I can't say for definite if the wing tip lights fit properly. When I offered them up, they seemed too small so I added some plasticard to the recesses. When I added the lights, they were too big for the modified area. I think the lights are a tad too small but I also think I added too much plasticard. I'm happy to be proved wrong and they may fit properly. The transparancies are a problem. The new windscreen (for the C10) needs some fettling but, after some filler, it faired in quite well. As mentioned before (see previous pic above) the canopy had a gap at the sill and rear but I also found that it's too wide for the cockpit, not by much, but enough to stand out. And the cross section of the canopy also doesn't match with the windscreen. The end result is a bad fit, which I kind of got away with due to the dark colour ... and as long as you don't get too close. However, none of this is an issue if you have the canopy open, but of course I decided to have it closed as I felt it accentuated the look of the aircraft. So, leave the canopy open for an easy life. The seat is good but I'd recommend a replacement as it's very visible, even with a the closed canopy. The white aerial on the spine (satcom?) is too small but I didn't notice that until too late. The u/c is a challenge, especially the main u/c. The main u/c doors don't fit at the correct angle (again, I found out too late), as moulded they hang too vertical so you'll need to chamfer the contact points of the doors to make the doors splay out a bit. The canards are a poor fit. I left them off until the end to help with painting but I had to remove the locating tabs to get them to fit well enough, they're a butt joint ... so they're bound to snap off at some point. I'd say fit them early and accept the problems you'll have with masking and painting. Decals. They're beautiful, but then they are from Aztec so that's not surprising. However the decal placement guide is one of the worst I've come across. It misses some decals altogether, it tells you to use the wrong ones, some of the numbering guide is plain wrong and there's surplus decals at the end, when there shouldn't be. Ironically the box art is a good reference for the decals, certainly better than the instructions. Overall I'm a bit disappointed and the main reason is the price. Kinetic have priced it as the same level their Gold range but it's not Gold quality (F-18, F-104 etc). Most of the kit is 10+ years old so it was never going to be on a par with the Gold kits. But it's not a £65 kit, I'd say £45 would be a fair price in today's market. However it's the only game in town for a 48th Kfir C10 (if you want to avoid conversions) and for that, I'm grateful.

I've got a bit of a modelling history with the Kfir and I've waited many years for a 48th Kfir C10. Kinetic have finally got round to releasing it, after announcing it some time ago. No doubt Covid caused part of the delay. Mike reviewed the kit HERE. I wanted a quick build and I didn't want to get bogged down doing a WIP so I decided to post some initial thoughts on it HERE. I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the kit, it has numerous niggling faults but nothing beyoned the scope of most modellers. But i feel it's too pricey for what you get. These Colombian aircraft are kept very clean, my model should be a bit more glossy TBH. A word about those (massive) fuel tanks. The pylon and tank colours can be light ghost grey or gunship grey and in any combination. I also found differing nose cone colours, some are more of a browny-grey (possibly unpainted).

Hobby Boss 1/35 M706 Commando This has been on the shelf of doom for a number of years. I've had all sorts of problems with it, all self inflicted as the kit is probably one of Hobby Boss' best. It had multiple colours, filters and varnishes applied while I was trying to get the right 'look'. The tyres were fun ... I flattened them by slicing off the rubber to make flat spots. Then I painted them with Hycote matt black, which was a mistake because when I started flexing the tyres to get the rims on, the paint started cracking, so they had to be sanded clean, which left a rough finish on the tyres. That's when it was retired to the shelf of doom. Years later i decided to use it as a test mule for Mike Rinaldi's OPR (Oil Paint Rendering) technique. I bought Echelon's decal sheet for it, an M706 called Abraxas. The decals silvered due to the rough paint finish but I have to admit I wasn't that impressed with the decals. This is my first model weathered only with OPR (bar the wheel arches, which are pigments as OPR doesn't work for that area). My previous OPR builds, the RSO and Opel Blitz, were a mix of OPR and panel washes etc. I have to say this is one of the best Hobby Boss kits I've come across, loads of options and gobs of detail. Is it accurate? I dunno, but it certianly looks the part, in fact I've also bought the 3 tone SEA turretless version. I'd like to get some resin wheels to avoid the tyre problems that I had, but they'd cost as much as the kit, so that's not going to happen. FYI, for those thinking about building a Commando, my weathering isn't really accurate, references show these vehicles don't get dirty above half way up and even then the weathering is light.

Oh yeah, the u/c isn't a problem, cut and re-pin, job's a gud'un. But I've been doing that kind of work far too often recently, I'm getting too old and time is running out to get through the stash! It's got the point now that I just want to build the bloody stuff (and not pfaff about) before I kick the bucket.... TBH the IIIC/J was never high on the build list anyway, so this just kind of knocks it back further. In fact I'm very tempted to get the Kinetic IIIE so i can do the Dagger but ... it's another kit to add to the stash and I need that like a hole in the head atm I'd like to to a Kfir TC2 as well but that's not available, luckily. And the Cheetah D is different enough to not tempt me. So I think I'm safe... for now I did think about a WIP for the C10 but it would have slowed me down and I thought it'd be a simple project. Yeah, well, I got that one slightly wrong. But the pics above are all the relevant bits to know so far, hence why i took the photos. If I come across any other problems I can add them to this post but (apart from those wing tip lights) I don't see anything on the horizon that'll cause me grief. Colour scheme will gunship grey Colombian AF

Oh grunt futtocks! Well, the chances of that kit getting built are receding fast then ...

Mike posted a review of this kit recently: So I posted the following (see below) after his review as a kind of a build update . I've now decided to delete it as I thought it was the wrong area to post it so I've posted it here instead. I've been building the kit since it hit the uk, I thought I'd put down some of the issues I've had with it so that others will be aware. Most of the sprues are warped (but it's not caused any fit problems so far), strangely enough even the clear sprue is warped, which I've never seen before. There's a slightly rough pebbly finish to the plastic. The panel lines are not on a par with Kinetic's new kits, the reason is simple, most of this kit is 10 years old. Yes it's, better than, say, Kinetic's original F-16 series but not as good as their new Gold kits yet it's priced at that point. Colour callouts are only in MIG paints. Huh? There's some large sprue gates and there's also sink marks to deal with (rear fuselage for instance). A lot of this is down to the kit's age but on the flip side, I have to say the new parts for the C10 are superb, the instrument panels are stunning. As Mike says, the instructions are lacking, just be aware that parts just magically appear fitted later on in the instructions. The fit is generally ok, but there are problems. The large fuel tanks halves don't match in cross section, not by much, but enough to give you hassle (remove the locating pins for a better fit). The underside wing/fuselage joint is a problem, but then most aircraft of this design are (ala F-4). You need to work on the upper wing/fuselage joint too, I had to add spacers between the wing halves to get a decent fit to the fuselage. But these problems just need some some basic modelling skills to overcome. Then we come to the intakes, having full intake trunks is admirable but they're a pain. I spent a lot of time getting the intake to fuselage joins as good as possible but this leads to the intake trunks not fitting together. In the end I cut off the starboard trunking to solve the problem, you can see that the port side trunking overlaps the fuselage joint, compare the edge of the trunk (green) to the fuselage joint (red). It could be me, but I just couldn't the parts to fit without alteration. It's not a huge deal because you can't see that far down the trunking without shining a light down the intakes. Cutting off the trunking also gives you the wiggle room to line up the fuselage intake parts and they fit quite well if you take your time tweaking them Then there's the canopy. If you want to close it up, the fit is poor. The C10 has a different windscreen (one piece, no frames) and I don't think that's causing the issue, but the gap between the bottom of the canopy sill and fuselage is a pain. The windscreen needs fairing in at the front too (I used sprue goo). The fit is ok (the pic makes it look worse than it is) but you do need to work on the joint to get a decent fit. The front left corner fuselage recess (for the windscreen) needed some trimming to get the windscreen to sit properly. It looks like wingtips lights may be too small for the recesses, but I've not got to that point of assembly yet. This kit is priced at Kinetic's Gold series of kits (eg their new F-16) but it's not Gold quality, hence why I'm a bit underwhelmed. The kit's age shows against the new C10 parts, the original kit just lacks some finesse, but that's what you get with a 10 year old kit I suppose. In fact I've had to deepen the panel lines on the new nose parts to match the rest of the airframe. However, this kit is the only way (apart from a resin conversion) to get a C10 and, for that, I'm grateful. If you want a C10 then buy it, but don't expect a Gold series kit with cutting edge quality throughout. There is a bonus with the kit though, the weapons. Not only do you get modern IAF air to air missiles but a whole load of other ordnance.

It's a small world ... I was looking for Aqua Gloss last week and was searching for alternatives. I use it mainly as a barrier for oil washes and Aqua Gloss was impervious to virtually anything I threw at it, apart from ammonia. Having discovered MIG's ... ahem ... markup , there was no way i was going to pay that much. After searching, I bought AK's Intermediate Gauzy, it also gives me the satisfaction of going to MIG's main rival. Anyway I did a test this week and it seems just as resistant as Aqua Gloss to oil washes (using White spirit). I also found it was easier to spray, I've had problems with spraying Aqua Gloss at times. I also did a test with Winsor & Newton Galeria arcylic gloss varnish, thinned with IPA. That also resisted the oil wash but it's VERY thick so you have to thin it. And it's cheap, considering you have to thin it a lot Be warned though, W&N do various varnishes, this is the one I have: https://www.artsupplies.co.uk/p/winsor-newton-galeria-gloss-varnish It looks like there isn't a like for like alternative to Aqua Gloss but Gauzy seems to be an option fror me.

Are you a Patreon? If so, I'd be interested to know what the content is like. I've been tempted to sub but the stream background music has been getting a bit annoying for my tastes and I don't know if the Patreon videos have the same problem. The tyres were actually quite nice. I think the original Blitz kit (which I built decades ago) might have been vinyl tyres, these seemed to be a soft rubber. Seam lines came off relatively well but the bonus was that I could slice a bit off the tyres to give them flat spots.

If you work with oil paints definitely look at Mike's youtube channel. It covers everything about OPR. There's over 80 live stream videos and he's now doing short edited videos as well. I still use a dark panel wash and then weather but Mike's OPR works the opposite, from light to dark and he doesn't use pin washes very much. It would take me too long to do a vehicle totally OPR so I only use it for weathering. https://www.youtube.com/@rs.p/streams

An Italeri kit from their golden era, not over-engineered or over-detailed, just a solid basic kit at a good price and some of the detail is on par with current releases. The 2 stowage racks (above the cab and on the roof) were scratchbuilt but otherwise it's built from the box. If I had a quibble it would be the suspension. I went to great lengths to align the suspension properly as per instructions, but even then I had to alter the rear wheels so they'd sit lower. Before the alteration it was more like a hot rod and even now the front suspension is a bit too low for my liking. Painted with Tamiya and Vallejo, weathered using Mike Rinaldi's OPR method (oil paint rendering). This is my 3rd try with OPR, I'm slowly getting there but it's a long road and there's still loads to learn...

Here's a bit more about the massive explosion of 2 of them in the gulf war, amazingly there were no deaths https://www.sappers.co.uk/photos/avre-explodes

It's the cradle to hold a facine bundle, a bunch of hollow pipes that is used to fill ditches. It used to be logs in WWII but they've moved onto plastic pipes now. https://www.hlj.com/1-35-scale-royal-engineers-modern-pipe-fascine-for-anti-tank-ditches-for-fv35395-centurion-mk-5-avre-only-afvac35025

Well, this kit was an experience. The number of parts! The size of some of the parts! The front light guards are a nightmare to build, the turret basket is ... erm ... delicate and I screwed up the etch for it so i added stowage to hide the problems. The side skirts supports are a poor butt joint, I snapped them off multiple times. I also bodged the tow cables, no way could I get them to curve and fit without breaking the pioneer tools off. The dozer blade is well designed and moveable, if you want it to be so. The cradle is a bit daunting and needs a lot of fettling but once you figure out a build/tweak sequence, it goes together quite well. The hush puppy tracks have caused some discussion on the interweb. Generally speaking they weren't used in combat (AFAICT) but it's a grey area. I stapled the track joins because there's no way the supplied metal pins will work. I used Tamiya Nato black and my own green mix, I was happy with the clean finish so I kept weathering to a minimum. And to be honest, there's so much detail in the kit, that a proper weathering job would take me months. At £70 it's expensive by my standards (I managed to get it for £56), I bit the bullet because I've always to do a Centurion AVRE with cradle. But I have to say the kit's level of detail goes some way to explain the price. If you're building an AVRE checkout the BM walk around. Rich Ellis posted pics of the Duxford gulf war scheme and Julien has a walkaround of the AVRE with the marking of one of the kit options. Alas, my old camera doesn't do the kit justice, there's loads of detail that doesn't pop out. Also the lens distorts the turret basket, the pics makes it look like it's leaning back but it does sit properly.

For every cat owner ...correction, for every cat slave/servant https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2022/11/24 (I would post the image here but it might break copyright laws)

This has to be one of the most frustrating kits I've ever built. It's innacurate. Some say the cab's too narrow, the cargo bed definitely is too narrow. I'm not a rivet counter but the bed should overhang the tracks, not in this kit. Some say the bed's 6-7mm too narrow, that's over 10%, as the kit is only 50mm wide The decal sheet is noticeably overscale. The instructions are garbage, they tell you to use the wrong parts and sometimes forget to tell you to altogether, like put in the passenger seat. And you will need to change the build sequence as well. If you're building this kit go to the PMMS site and read the review, then read it again to let the info sink in. https://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/dragon/dr6691.html I made the tarp with tissue and Winsow & Newton structure gel and that's when I noticed the cargo bed problem. The tarp is the right height but as the bed is too narrow, it makes the tarp look too tall, certainly from head on. Painted with enamels (I just used colours that looked right) and then I used some filters. I weathered parts of it using the Mike Rinaldi OPR (oil paint rendering) technique. OPR can be tricky to get right and I'm still on the learning curve, so I limited my use of it and stopped when I was 'nearly' happy with it. Quit while the going is good, they say, so I did! But the bottom line is I've always wanted an RSO and now I've got one, so I can consign the Italeri kit (which is 32nd scale apparently) to the darkest corners of the stash.

Hi Mark, OPR was done on just the tyre walls. I was going to weather the hemtt more but I decided on a minimal weathering (just using pigments) as I didn't want to screw it up, I also used pigments for the load bed. Flory washes may be better suited to aircraft as it's more for panel lines than anything else, if we're talking about the same thing. As the Flory wash is clay based you should be able to wash it off. For Mike Rinaldi, try his youtube channel, the vids show exactly how to do it https://www.youtube.com/c/RinaldiStudioPress/videos Hi Bertie, OPR is Oil Paint Rendering, using oil paints as a weathering medium. It's different to oil paint washes, have a look at Mike Rinaldi's videos, it's a facinating technique

(See end of posts for new pics) Sometimes you just have to "build out of the box" to get the mojo back Academy 1/72 HEMTT. Fantastic value kit, or it was when I bought it 18 months ago for £12. Full of details (although some of them are not that accurate) but it's a tad tricky to assemble. The tyre tread is total fiction though, they couldn't mould the real tread pattern because of IM limitations. The only extra I added is the load, I made it removeable so I can change it in the future. The dust around the tyre sidewalls was done with Mike Rinaldi's OPR technique. This was my first go at OPR and it turned out not bad, though it did take a lot of time.

A situation that all cat owners will have faced at some point ...

You can get recirculating air carbon filters. It was discussed on BM many years ago. Sounds like it could be a possible solution, if it still exists

I have a couple of MWDs and I've been waiting for someone to trail blaze and build an MWC or D. These kits seem complex, so I'm watching with great interest