Rabbit Leader

I think the Attacker was my first foray into Frog (well it was Novo by then) as well. I certainly recall the lack of wheel wells and pilots head in that solid cockpit. I got my cousin to paint her up and he did a good job of it too. We were both really annoyed when when the Novo decals exploded into a million bits when they hit the dish of water - it was pretty soul destroying. The kits windscreen is also a little off, however I do have a Vac replacement which will no doubt need a lot of work to fit right. I probably won't build it during this GB, so will put it aside until I get that mad urge to tackle something insanely stupid. Cheers.. Dave

Yes Peter, the 100 post rule does apply, however you've only got 47 more posts before you qualify. A little more keyboard bashing should get you there! Cheers.. Dave

Well we’ve just had our local swap meet and naturally my eyes seemed to have been focused on Frog kits. I managed to pick up an original Sea Venom, Novo Proctor and Eastern Express examples of the Gloster E.28/39 and Supermarine Attacker for the equivalent of about 7 quid! Out of that lot I think the ‘Whittle’ might get started as I’m quite impressed by how the internal intake pieces join to form an enclosed cockpit tub. A little time spent boxing in those wheels wells and this little thing might just scrub up nicely. The Proctor also looks quite serviceable for such an old kit, just need to find a good scheme to highlight those funky wheel spats. Not long now chaps - glue, files and cutting implements at the ready! Cheers.. Dave

Yes BK, I'll be doing the usual Classic GB Build list (with links) as this one gets going. Still not sure whether to list them in kit number or year of first release as there are a number of Frog kits that had mutiple kits numbers during their production period. From what I can tell, the Frog kit numbering system did not reflect the size or range of the model, as does Matchbox or the early 70's re-serialed Airfix kits. Either way, it should be a lot of non-serious modelling fun. Cheers.. Dave

I don’t think you’re the only one Ray. Recent BM history tells us that these Classic GB’s really do take off once started and there’s always a few prolific individuals who manage to complete more than five kits during the period. I’ll try to aim for two myself but will see how things go towards the end. It should be another great trip down ‘memory lane’. Cheers.. Dave

So you’re gonna build a baby George Clooney then are ya Enzo?? Well done champ, you're down as GB member #75! Cheers.. Dave

That counts for double points Enzo!! I don’t believe I have your name listed within the OP, do you want to let us know now or just keep us all in suspense until this GB starts? Cheers.. Dave

That’s an excellent build Stew and just emphasises the fact that great kits can still be built from these classic models. I don’t have one of these, although do have an urge to tackle some of Matchbox’s lovely coloured plastic quite soon. Cheers and well modelled.. Dave

Just getting back to this thread and your 262 is coming up great Greg. Now about the Lacquer thinner debate, I suppose it’s horses for courses with this one. My view is the opposite to Rich’s above however that doesn’t mean either one of us is correct. I’ve never pre-thinned my paint and only mix what I need. The little I have left is either poured back into the paint bottle or just used up doing some spray googles. I did buy the new Orange Cap Tamiya Lacquer Thinner ‘Retarder type’ and IIMO believe it’s a little too hot for my liking. I noticed a distinct bubbling of the smooth plastic when applied and have hardly used it since. Perhaps I was using too much as I prefer to use really thin paints, but to be honest I’m not a great fan of this new Tamiya stuff. @trickyrich, should we ever cross paths in this vast country of ours, I’ll gladly exchange my Lacquer thinner for your unwanted Gunze product. Cheers.. Dave

My lord Adrian, you certainly know you way with plastic strip and card. That cockpit looks amazing!! Who needs AM resin and PE when you can build all that from scratch? Cheers.. Dave

Nice collection @SAU and I think we may have discussed a while back that these Academy / Frog copies are also eligible to build here. You might have to go back a few pages in this thread to read what was said, however Pat @JOCKNEY and l are more than happy to expand this GB, rather than set up too many hurdles. After all we all want to see models built - don’t we? Cheers.. Dave

Pete.. feel free to build whatever you want and a second or even third Shack (should we be so lucky) would always be welcomed either way. Also appreciate your kind offer to provide original Frog decals should anyone come up short. I’ll be attending our local swap meet next weekend so that opens up more purchase opportunities should I see something cheap but not quite complete. Cheers.. Dave

That’s the beauty about these Classic GB’s, we all understand that the subject matter is never going to rival what’s been produced since so there’s really no pressure to get things 100% right (and that’s not possible with any kit anyway!). Cheers.. Dave

I would like to think that the A. Granger set of plans published in Aerodata International No.7 “Handley Page Halifax- Merlin Engined variants” are a good source. This was first published in 1979, but I do believe you might be able to download this free off the web. Link - https://mxdoc.com/search/Halifax+ I cannot verify they’re accuracy, but have yet to see a better set of plans available. Cheers.. Dave

One spread and one folded, I think Airfix might have just doubled their sales just by that one Workbench piece alone. This long awaited classic is looking very pleasing to the eye. Cheers.. Dave