Rabbit Leader

Nice start Enzo and although being an active modeller for over 40 years, I’m still learning and trying to be more careful with every build. At times it seems like a slow approach, however getting it right first time does tend to save time with every ‘recovery’ session that seems to occur during most builds. Your Mirage is looking great. Cheers.. Dave

Looks like a great idea and thankfully it all aligns itself pretty well. That’s a great exercise in ‘dry fitting’. Cheers.. Dave

Great start Sam, it’s all looking really nice and precise. I know we down in Australia always complain about high postage costs, however I’ve never had to pay additional import or so-called “handling” fees for any overseas purchase. I can seemingly justify the postage (cause we’re so far away), but don’t think I’d be happy with all that waste of red tape money! Glad you got some peace at home and made a start to this kit. It promises to I be a real beauty. Cheers and best of luck.. Dave

Well done Tim, it was odds on you’d have the first kit in this GB Galley and that F.1 looks just fantastic. I’m glad some classic kits are also being built here which helps us compare how they still stack up with later toolings. Cheers and well modelled.. Dave

Is there any evidence of a South Korean pilot claiming a Mig kill in a F-66A Sabre?? If not, perhaps someone a little more tech savvy than I could spread some fake news to attract the eyes and ears of Academy. Then we’ll all get something we really want and lacking in all the major scales. Cheers.. Dave

Not as yet Wez, however mail is awfully slow from the UK to Oz so I suspect they won’t be too much longer. Thanks for all the nice comments lads, it sure helps motivate me to get keep plugging away with this excellent little kit. Cheers.. Dave

That’s a shame Steve, I was really looking forward to seeing this kit take shape on here. Hopefully you can source another better example soon enough. Cheers.. Dave

I appreciate the informative description Andre. I don’t mind old tool kits so if I get tempted by a 2000 I’ll search for that kit. Cheers and thanks.. .Dave

My Mirage 2000 (real aircraft and kit) knowledge is quite limited so I’ll watch on and see this one take shape. You say this is from Italeri moulds, I’m now wondering what is the best ‘Classic kit’ representation of the 2000 in 1/72 scale? I’ve always dismissed this version for earlier Mirage’s for some reason? Cheers and best of luck.. Dave

Yes Richard, I managed to cram in some weight inside the intake splitter, the two small slots inside the under nose cannon piece (part 4) as well as wedging more weight in a hole that presented itself underneath the cockpit tub. I’m pretty confident (hope!) she’ll sit right. The main construction is all done and the fit is quite good for a kit of this vintage. Filler is required at various joints, however nothing more than normal for any kit to be honest. Although the nose gear has a semi boxed in section, I decided to cover a few annoying gaps with thin sections of plastic card and strip. I’m now happier with this small improvement. Next step is to apply the canopy, blend in the windscreen and apply a few coats of primer. Cheers… Dave

That’s looking great Tim and although it’s not the best of fitting models, you’re making great progress getting this one over the line and in the GB gallery. Cheers.. Dave

If only Pat… there’s photos out there of Mum dressing me up in some short legged red and white one-zie wearing knee high socks somewhere about that time… thankfully the fashion has changed, but that mat of hair is quickly thinning out! If it wasn’t for this GB I’d probably stay well clear of subjects like this, which is why they are always so much fun to get involved with. Let’s see how we go hey! Cheers and best of luck with the Hosting duties Pat… Dave

1970 you say Pat?? … that looks as pristine as the year I was born! We all know you love your floaty planes so best of luck with this one mate, should be great. Cheers.. Dave

So this is my third Group Build entry for 2023, with builds well progressed in both the Salty Dog GB (Fairey Gannet) and Marcel Bloch / Dassault GB (Dassault Ouragan). I’m trying to push my modelling output this year by getting involved in as many Group Builds as possible. There’s a good chance some of them may fall by the wayside, however if I keep slowly plugging away at things I might surprise myself and end up with a new collection of finished kits…. As they often say in this hobby, what could possibly go wrong! So as a nice little Japanese training buddy to @stevej60’s Fuji T-1a, I present Hasegawa’s rather cute little Beechcraft T-34 Mentor. A kit first released in 1973, it’s includes five decal options and a nifty little tow tug. My boxing seems to be from around 1977 and the silvered coloured parts are quite crisp and flash free. One of the Japanese options is painted in all over International Orange which has taken my fancy and be a nice addition to my small collection of colourful cabinet models. Like a number of these classic GB’s, this will do nothing for my stash reduction. There’s no doubt I’ll see a number of great builds I’ve never ever considered, then go on a mad search to try and acquire some! So big cheers and best of luck to all ‘Big in Japan’ contributes.. Dave

Thats some interesting fuselage break-up…. Like what could go wrong there? I’m sure you’ll do a great job of it although I’m really looking forward to when some manufacturer produces a really good, well moulded, reasonably priced 1/72 kit of a Mirage III. The Special Hobby kit looks promising, although I’d buy three times as many if they were half the price - sadly, not going to happen. Cheers and all the best.. Dave

Nice subject and great box top, so it’s such a shame to open the kit up to find those warped parts. I’m wondering if you start assembling the fuselage at various points (starting from the tail then moving forwards), if this would help slowly forming this kit into something essentially straight? The underside photo (besides the nose) looks reasonable, but the upper halves do need a bit of work. I don’t have any history cross kitting the Revell and Heller kits, although would think it wouldn’t be that far off. Cheers and best of luck.. Dave

Agree with the others, excellent details offered by this kit and great skills to bring it all out so nicely. Great progress. Cheers.. Dave

Great to see this big Lanc being presented within a GB. It’s also a timely reminder that for well over 40 years Tamiya’s Lancasters were the only 1/48 examples of this famous Bomber going around and still build up quite well despite their age. Having recently visited Scalemates and looked at the various kits that fall into this GB’s criteria, it’s obvious that Japanese kit design and production in the 70’s and 80’s was so far ahead of anything else at the time. Although I grew up in this era, I’m starting to release it more as I get older. This GB should unearth a great range of subjects and this big Lanc is certainly one of them. Cheers and best of luck.. Dave

Nice choice Pat and this ‘Peggy’ just adds to the great list of subjects already nominated. I wonder how many ‘Allied Code Names’ we can add during this GB? …. Seems like a good title for a proposed future GB some time later down the track too (unless it’s already been done?).So double points for Japanese kit and colour scheme you say? Interesting! Cheers and best of luck.. Dave

That all looks great Luke, I wish you well. I'm just getting into a few Israeli builds myself so that overall package looks very tempting. Cheers and all the best.. Dave

Looking forward to this Steve, it’s certainly a great choice for this “All Japan” GB and might even be a good match for my (soon to be unveiled) proposed build. Now doubt, you will probably tempt me to add one of these to my growing stash. Cheers and all the best.. Dave

No (or probably best to say) not as yet Martin. Recent Airfix videos suggest that the FR.9 boxing will only be available as part of the Airfix Club to provide some level of ‘exclusivity’ to its membership. There’s a good possibility it might appear as a stand-alone item later on, however not during 2023. Cheers.. Dave

Which kind of reminds me, how do you upload stuff on Scalemates? I’ve tried in the past and failed on each occasion. Probably not a topic for this forum, however that line just got me thinking. Cheers.. Dave

Well done Chris, it took me over 1000 Britmodeller posts to help me find the courage to post up my first RFI and if my son hadn’t convinced me too, I probably still wouldn’t have done it! Your Sea Fury looks great and I hope all the encouragement on here helps you get your second one up in quick order. Cheers and well modelled.. Dave

Well done Roger, that’s most certainly up there with some of the very best Beaufort builds around. I really like the scheme and it suits the lines of this kit quite handsomely. Sure makes a nice change to the more typical finishes you see. Nice one. Cheers and well modelled.. Dave.