gengriz

Hi Pete, no, they are all plastic (with a little resin for small complex parts). I guess it is shortish run, but it has location pins etc and fit of smaller parts (like the cockpit) is good. Larger parts need some out the box thinking to get them all together properly; the after-market Air Graphics fuselage sleeve insert is a good example of something that the kit designer ought to have addressed, perhaps with some internal bulkheads. - I still recommend the kit, but its not one for the beginner.

The engines were difficult all round. I gave up on the instruction sequence and inserted the hot end resin into the casing from the front, using floods of superglue to fix it (the tabs didn't match the resin). I also chopped most of the resin block off the blades and removed the fixing tab so that I could insert the entire assembly (including the intake lip surfaces) from the front after painting. I seem to remembe rthat I still needed a little scraping with the knife to get them in. Thanks! The angles were entirely dictated by how low I could get the camera without having my house/conservatory/trees in the background.

This one has occupied me since Christmas. It's not an easy kit to build, with quite a few significant pooh traps, not least the 5 part fuselage. As I often find with big kits, I was getting a little tired of it by the end. Nevertheless, I am very pleased with the results and now struggling to find a place to display it! The kit comes from BPK (£99.99 via Jadlam) and the decals from Air Graphics (£21.99 via Hannants). Sadly, the kit does not have an opening weapons bay, and the nice looking Air Graphics resin one was out of stock by the time I looked. Given the problems I had fitting the existing weapons bay door covers, I suspect that fitting the resin might have been challenging. Equally sadly, the RAF have not procured wing pylons or anything to hang on them, so my wings are bare, although I am looking at how I can put together a set of SPEAR 3 Missiles to hang from the wings in the future. Brush painted as usual with Humbrol enamels (I used 127 Ghost Grey, which is a little too blue for Boeing Grey (gray?), but matches my own photos quite well) with a darker grey wash in the panel lines. I added two cockpit crew and one side observer, just to give the kit a bit of life! Like with the E-3D kit I did a few years ago, I have managed to leave the wing and centre section loose (at the cost of a slightly gappy join) which will help with storage and transport. Photographing kits of this size always poses me a problem, so I am afraid I have had to photoshop some extraneous detail (my conservatory, house and cherry tree) out of some of the pictures.

The Hellcat seems to be my "go to" subject for when my modelling is a bit distracted. I'm deep in a BPK P-8A at the moment (fuselage complete, wings built about to be painted, engines being built), but progress is fairly slow, so I'm doing other things in the sidelines. This is the 1/72 Academy kit, using Freightdog decals for an aircraft of 808 Sqn immediately after WW2, at Trincomalee in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). 808 were part of the British East Indies Fleet, operating from escort carriers HMS KHEDIVE and HMS EMPEROR. The chequered cowling is a bit out of the ordinary for an RN aircraft, which adds a bit of interest for me ! FredT

A quick add of the finshed Sea Prince for completeness:

Its Humbrol 209 Fire Red enamel. A white base coat (yellow may be better) then 2 thinned coats of the red. It was looking a little light, so I mixed some dark red into it. Wasn't sure how well the paint would mix, but it was OK and gave a slightly darker and less translucent finish, as well as hiding some of the brush marks from the first coat. I've tried the Revell fluorescent enamels as well, but I think the Humbrol is a little easier to apply evenly.

Sorry to hear that; fortunately there was no warping on mine, although they were a pig to attach straight. The locating holes on one side were further forward than the other! The wing roots were my biggest problem, and I didn't even attempt to increase the diameter of the hole in the cowling which is way too small.

There is another website? 🤪

Definitely my last build of 2023 ! This is the Special Hobby kit of the Percival Pembroke, which also includes parts (cabin interior, nose, short wing tips) for the earlier Percival Sea Prince T.1, as used by the Royal Navy's 750 Sqn to train navigation and ASW. A rather obscure aircraft (although 41 were built), the Sea Prince saw wide use by the RN, in Culdrose, Lossiemouth, Brawdy and Hal Far (Malta). As well as radar (with multiple displays for the trainees), it has a small bomb bay and wing pylons for practice weapons. Sea Princes were used from 1951 until 1977 when they were finally replaced by the Jetstream. The earlier short-nosed Sea Prince C.1 and later long-nosed C.2 were used for transport and logistic purposes (Valom has a kit out for this variant). The RAF also operated an upgraded version of the Prince with extended wingtips and a greater range/payload, known as the Percival Pembroke. It's quite a difficult kit to build, requiring lots of filling, sanding and then filling again, but it's definitely worth it, although I really hate brush painting that fluorescent paint ! Merry Christmas to all! FredT

Quite a busy year really. I progressed my Malta project and added quite a few odds and ends. I didn't manage to do the "large aeroplane" that I am trying to do each year (since the stash really must be reduced somehow), but there are 2 lined up and ready to go next year. First off, the ancient Airfix Whirlwind helicopter as a HAR.3. Then as a HAR.21 Then a Malta-based Sea Gladiator (Matchbox) and to go with it, an MC.200 Saetta (Hobby Boss) Two S.70 helicopters next, a Hasegawa SH-60B Seahawk And an Italeri/Revell UH-60A Black Hawk Back to Malta for a Hurricane (Revell) And to pair with it, an Italeri CR.42 Falco Following a trip to a Star Wars Convention in April, a Tie Fighter (Bandai/Revell) A Ukrainian Mi-24V Crocodile (Hobby Boss / Foxbot) with "angry eyes" Then back to the battle over Malta during WW2 for what was, I think, my favourite build of the year, a Supermodel CANT Z.1007 Sucked in by the gravity well of bland grey aircraft at RIAT, I built an Academy F-35A with its icy runway parachute housing And the new Airfix F-35B Suitably numbed by the F-35s, back to Malta and another ridiculous camouflage scheme, this time for an RE2000 Falco (Supermodel). I'm getting better at hand brushing these now.... And to go with it, a Malta-based Spitfire Vb (Airfix) October saw an "almost Malta" build of the old Airfix Hudson, operating out of Gibraltar And as if the Italian camouflage wasn't bad enough, I built an ancient Airfix Storch November saw a bit of sanity return, with a build of the (very nice) Sword Fairey Gannet AEW.3 ... and a rebuild/repaint of an older Airfix Buccaneer Gannets remained the flavour of the year, with a Trumpeter T.5 and whilst the multiple coats of dayglo treacle dried, an old FROG Supermarine Attacker kept me busy One little project that snuck in across the year was a Dragon 1/72 Thales Bushmaster, in a specuilative colour scheme And finally. December's build is another dayglo treacle-fest. It isn't complete yet, and probably won't make the end of the year, but here is a sneak peak....

Been there, done that ! (I think my proportions are a bit better than those on the real thing)

This one was finished yesterday and I'm pleased with the way it has turned out. It's the Sword Gannet AEW.3, which I understand is about to be re-released. This one doesn't have the resin radar operators' interior, but apparently the re-release may! The kit has a number of shortfalls (the cockpit canopy being the most obvious), and some of the detail is overdone, but it certainly looks like a Gannet. Markings are for A Flight in HMS HERMES (I already have a more colourful B-Flight model). I created an ink-jet decal for the distinctive A-Flight tail marking which is missing from the kit.

I had worked that out whilst trying to find pictures of it, but wanted to keep the coloured tails and the hump to add interest to what is effectively a grey jellymould plane . However, I think I can confidently say this build went wrong in just about all respects. I may change the numbers and paint the fins grey, but I think this one will just slink to a dark box in the garage and I will start again. Danish next time. I'm determined to get some colour, but no tinted canopy and no pods....

My second F-35 build of the month was the Academy F-35A, using Xtradecal set X72338 for an aircraft of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Apart from the unusual splash of colour that this aircraft wears, my interest was also piqued by the drogue parachute hump fitted to Norwegian aircraft to help with landing on icy airfields. The Academy kit is superb, but unfortunately, this build had a few snags along the way. Firstly, I attempted to tint the canopy (the clear one just looked wrong alongside my Fujimi F-35s). This went badly wrong, with the entire canopy fogging. I polished it back to an acceptable state, then after I had attached it to the kit, much of it fogged up again!!!! My second issue was the decals. The critical coloured decals (40L and 40R - Norwegian flag plus squadron symbols celebrating 75 yrs of the RNoAF) are missing from the sheet ! I spoke with Hannants who confirmed that all of their current stock has this error and they would speak with the printer. They may be able to sort it out in due course, but I'm not holding my breath and if an update sheet ever arrives I can always add it later. Disappointing. By this stage, the new scratch built "hump" was already on the kit, so no chance of changing nations, but I have to confess that with the fogged canopy and the missing decals, my enthusiasm to complete this build was a little dampened. Fade to grey! FredT

My first two included as much colour as I could muster: I still have this picture in my mind of one with very a large Queen Elizabeth crest on the upper surface ! Some day.....

It's been an F-35 binge month for me, first of which is the new Airfix F-35 kit. Airfix have released this as a simplified build, with a less complex build than other manufacturers and a very much reduced parts count. Having built 2 Fujimi F-35Bs in the past, I wondered how it would compare. Of course, this simplification has not come without consequences. In particular, the jet tail nozzle is disappointingly plain and parallel in shape (and in fact this is the major shortfall for me), whilst the open auxiliary inlet doors on the upper fuselage only have some basic detail inside (but at least they are there - more than can be said for Fujimi!). Another obvious shortfall is the large gap between the tailplanes and the fuselage; this gap exists on the real thing but is so small that it shouldn’t be obvious in 1/72 scale. The kit can be built in either flying/stowed configuration with all doors closed, or with its lift fan open and the tail nozzle pointing down. Parts breakdown follows that of most F-35 kits with a horizontal fuselage split (which went together perfectly) and separate lower nose section. There is no weapons bay and the undercarriage bays are pre-moulded into place. The undercarriage is very much simplified (basically, leg and wheel), but will go together easily. To make up for the missing weapons bay I added some weapons pylons (ex Academy), two scratch ASRAAMs and two Paveway IV bombs. Although it has nothing more than a basic ejector seat, the cockpit is sufficient for the basic modeller with raised controls that respond well to dry brushing. If you use the supplied pilot figure (a little small, but seems to have the distinctive F-35 helmet mounted display) it will look perfectly functional. Nevertheless, a nice touch for the less experienced is that the canopy clicks into place, reducing the risk of a messy glue spill and mark. If you tidy it up well before fixing it, then there should be little or no gap. Indeed, parts fit all round was good, although I used alittle filler on the upper and lower fuselage halves. Given that I approached this kit with limited expectations, based on what Airfix themselves had stated about its target market, I'mhave to admit that I am pleased with the result and it can stand happily alongside my Fujimi F-35Bs. Sure, if you really want an accurate and detailed F-35B and you have some modelling skills, then Italeri seems to be the best way to go at present (notwithstanding the erroneous over done surface detail), but I enjoyed this Aifix kit as a quick build and it is a really good option for the less experienced or less detail obsessed. FredT ....told you it was an F-35 month - from left to right: Academy F-35A, Airfix F-35B, Fujimi F-35B, Fujimi F-35B.

I am very pleased with the way this one has turned out. It's the Supermodel CANT Z.1007 bis Alcione (Kingfisher), representing an aircraft of 60a Squadriglia, 33 Gruppo, 9 Stormo of the Regia Aeronautica, based at Trapani-Milo Airfield in Sicily, during June 1941. The Z.1007 saw its first wartime action in August 1940 over Malta, when around 30 bombers attacked Luqa airfield. It also saw service in Greece, Yugoslavia and North Africa, with limited participation in the Battle of Britain. Unlike other Italian aircraft, its use on the Russian Front was limited by the poor reaction of the wooden airframe to cold and damp conditions. Throughout 1942 two Stormi and four Gruppi of Alciones flew in the anti-ship role around the Mediterranean as well as over Malta, battling against night roaming radar-directed Bristol Beaufighters. From October 10th to 20th 1942 Alciones conducted a renewed wave of night attacks on Malta with thirty aircraft of 9° Stormo and 8° Gruppo of 43° Stormo, whilst 51° Gruppo flew reconnaissance missions from Sardinia against the Operation Pedestal Malta Convoys, with 3 aircraft bombing the convoy at high altitude on the 14th August. The kit is a little basic but reasonably well engineered, so it assembles relatively easily with a little care. The large and very bare cockpit really needs a little scratch detail added, and I also added some extended night flame suppression exhaust pipes (sadly I could only muster 2 from the spares box). Aligning the wings and tail surfaces required a lot of care and a bit of filler. Decals came from a mix of sources: the original kit, the Italeri Z.506B, an Italeri SM.79 and some inkjet printed ones. This was a very satisfying build, slightly more difficult than normal and certainly not "shake and make", but with no major issues and a real sense of achievement at the end. Although never as numerous as the SM.79, the larger Z.1007 was one of the main attackers used during the Malta campaign and an important addition to my growing "Malta" collection.

Another Ukrainian model joins my collection, this time a Mil Mi-24V Hind-E of the Ukrainian Army Aviation 16th Separate Aviation Brigade, operating over Eastern Ukraine in 2016. The kit is from Hobby Boss and the decals are from Ukrainian company Foxbot (like many Ukrainian model companies, they are donating a proportion of their profits to help those affected by the Russian invasion). Markings are "representational" as I am superstitious about modelling actual aircraft during an ongoing conflict. I also wanted the crocodile eyes and the rude anti-Putin insult on the white stripe :ha: The kit is pretty good, although the thick canopy is a disappointment (especially given the superb cockpit detail). It also has a nasty seam on the centreline that is a pig to remove. The instruction diagrams are a little vague too, especially where the undercarriage is concerned (I got there in the end). We have heard very little about Ukraine's Hinds during the current conflict, although it is known that they were very active during the counter assault that defeated the initial Russian attack on Hostomel Airport near Kyiv. Mi-24s also conducted the daring strikes against the Belgorad oil facilities over the border in Russia, as well as escorting the famous Mi-17 relief missions into besieged Mariupol. For now, it seems that the Ukrainians are mainly using the Mi-24P variant with twin side-mounted canons instead of the Hind-E's nose turret. However, the additional aircraft to be supplied by Ukraine's neighbors will include new Mi-24Vs. .... and finally with my Ukrainian Mi-17 Hip:

More from my ongoing "holiday inspired" Malta Project, this time a Hurricane and a CR.42 to join the MC.200. and Sea Gladiator. The Hurricane has Revell origins and is intended to represent a Mk.1B of 418 Flight/261 Sqn, whilst the CR.2 is Italeri and represents 79 Sqn, 9 Gruppo, who served briefly in Sicily and over Malta in July 1940. There is definitely a limit to what can be achieved with a brush when doing Italian camouflage and I think I have hit it, although there are several more Malta-related Italian aircraft kits in the stash for me to try and improve ! # The Gladiator and MC.200 that I built in January: And of course, they join my existing MC.202, SM.79, Ju-87, Skua, Fulmar and Sea Hurricane, Spitfire and Spitfire "Malta" builds....

Outstanding collection and it is always a delight to see the models that you and your father produce. Thank you for showing them and keep on modelling !

Wow, some interesting models there!

Slight dent perhaps, but still a busy year! Starting with the Valom Blackburn Firebrand TF.II, as a follow on to the Firebrand TF.5 I built last December: Then a brief distraction toward the dark side with a couple of vehicles that I had a minor connection with in my first job after leaving the RN. Two Dragon 1/72 Thales Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles: And a build of a Christmas present from MrsT and the mother in law. The MPC/Round 2 1/72 Eagle Transporter: My next build was going to be a Zvezda C-130J, but the outrage in Ukraine discouraged me from building anything from a Russian manufacturer. Instead, I pushed on with a Japanese WW2 theme that had been brewing for some time. All 3 of these first kits were intended to be Pearl Harbour markings, but were also applicable to the 1942 Indian Ocean raid against Ceylon that took place 80 years ago: Starting with the newish Airfix A6M2b Zero then the ancient Airfix D3A1 Val: ....and the Airfix B5N2 Kate: Not quite sure why I moved to an F-4 next, perhaps it was after watching "The Final Countdown" (although those are F-14s). The colourful Fujimi F-4N of VF-111: Then, after one F-4 - why not another from a similarly numbered squadron - a Fujimi F-4M of 111 Sqn at RAF Leuchars: Back to the Japanese theme, with an Arii G3M3 Type 96 "Nell" of the Genzan Air Group in Saigon, attacking HMS PRINCE OF WALES and HMS REPULSE 80 years ago: By then we were into June and the first copies of the ICM "Ghost of Kyiv" kit appeared in my LMS. It had to sit in a cupboard in the motorhome until the end of the holiday, but was a quick build as soon as I got home: Some internet research on the MiG turned up the story and videos of the Mi-17 relief flights into beseiged Azovstal works in Mariupol. This is the Hobbycraft kit with my own markings: Then back to my main interest, Fleet Air Arm aircraft, with an updated Revell Merlin HM.1 to replace the one I hacked into a Crowsnest aircraft in 2021: Followed by a jump back in time to ASW in the 1950s, with an Airfix Grumman Avenger as an AS.4: For no real reason other than that it was in a large box on the top of the pile, I moved on to an Italeri F-18E Super Hornet: And suitably enthused by some American Grunt (as seen at RIAT) an Academy F-15E Strike Eagle: October saw two more Japanese aircraft join the collection. A Hasegawa (ex-Mania) Ki48-II "Lily" Army bomber: ..and a Hasegawa J2M3 Raiden "Jack" of the Imperial Japanese Navy: November saw a rather more ambitious project, with a old-mould Airfix Vulcan. This now hangs from the shelf above my computer, with the refuelling probe threatening to blind me every time I stand up: Plus the unused Blue Steel missile: And finally, an ancient Airfix Westland Whirlwind kit marked up as a HAR.3 of HMS ARK ROYAL: There is a second Airfix Whirlwind currently on the stocks, with estimated completion before Christmas. And kicking off my 2023 theme, I also have a nearly complete blue Airfix Spitfire Vb of 249 Sqn at RAF Ta'Qali, inspired by a trip to Malta at the end of November! FredT

1995-96. We were on our own for that one (following the BRILLIANT TV series, no one wanted to play with us any more ).

Sorry, not the superb new Airfix kit, but the much more affordable (and still OK) 1983 mould, dressed up to represent XM597 during Black Buck 5, the first of the Shrike anti-radar missions. The same aircraft undertook Black Buck 6, the only one of the Black Buck missions that actually hit its target as intended, but ended up with a broken refuelling probe, diversion to Rio and internment! The aircraft now sits outside at the Museum of Flight in East Fortune, near Edinburgh. The kit is very basic with raised panel lines and the hard thick plastic makes it a bit of a beast to build. But I got there in the end and it definitely looks like a Vulcan. Due to the current (and possibly ongoing) absence of many Humbrol enamel tins from the market, I had to use a Humbrol rattle can for the upper surface Medium Sea Grey. It worked surprisingly well for a first attempt, but sadly it did not match well with the tin of MSG I used to touch up areas such as the cockpit canopy. The Shrikes, pylons and adaptors all came from the spares box (ex Hasegawa I think). The jammer came from an old ESCI kit. I added some sprue detail in the cockpit and boxed in the access trunk in order to leave the hatch open. None of this can be seen, of course!!! ....and although I didn't use it, I couldn't resist mounting the kit's Blue Steel missile on a maintenance frame!

The Airfix Whirlwind helicopter was one of the very first kits that I built, sometime back in the early 1970s (possibly even the late 1960s!). This is the latest Airfix Vintage Classic release, but using Model Alliance decals for HMS ARK ROYAL's SAR flight in the early 1960s. Those who have built the kit will know of the kits many shortfalls and I wondered how my current modelling skill-set would manage with it. I tidied up the rotor head, folded the blades, added window and door rails, opened the pilot's window and moved the front wheels, adding some sprue detail into the (slightly trimmed back) engine compartment at the same time. The Model Alliance decals were disappointing - some of titles and the roundels were badly oversize - almost as if they were 1/48 scale. The end result is pleasing, but I rushed it as a fast 5-day "side build" whilst painting a bigger kit. I know I could have done better with a little more care and time - so stand by for my next one ! Here she is with my converted Italeri HAR.1 - an interesting comparison !