Rabbit Leader

Great work so far Filler and once finished you will look back and be glad you’ve gone the distance. I know recessed panel lines have been the rage for the last 20-30 years, however you can still get great results with raised / refined panel lines too (at least that’s my excuse for not scribing)! Cheers.. Dave

@Bertie McBoatface, thanks for the co-hosting duties and your relentless commitment to keeping an eye on all our builds. I must admit, that having co-hosted a few GB’s myself it can take its toll, with the usual result that your own builds get left to pasture. Don’t feel bad, just keep an eye on a few that take your fancy and hit the ‘like’ button as frequently as possible. Cheers.. Dave

Not sure if you found this site - https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/170291, however it does mention a few details that could give you a guide to model something with some accurate ‘guesstimation’. - R1465 was a Wellington Mk. 1C, so the most recent Airfix kit should be your starting point. - The website mentions codes LT-Y, so these seem to be the codes applied to R1465 at the time of this accident. - R1465 was initially operated by No. 214 Squadron from early 1941. I’d be looking at images for this unit around this period as a good guide. To be honest, you will probably not find too many photos of OTU aircraft during this period. Unless something miraculous turns up, the best bet is to mimic a 1941 period Wimpy and settle for that as a close approximation. Cheers.. Dave

Happy to give this a go, however I’ll probably watch it with my 85 year old Mother in Law rather than my 17 year old daughter. My generation may still find this type of comedy funny, however todays younger critics struggle to find anything comical - period. 70’s and 80’s classics like Faulty Towers, The Benny Hill show and (dare we go there) Love thy Neighbour are time capsules that need to stay rooted in their time period and accepted for what they are. I fear that the first uttering of Manuel ‘Spanglish’ will be enough to send the internet into viral explosion and cancel this series before it gets a proper airing. Cheers.. Dave (who still enjoys a Dad joke!).

Here’s another plug for the Max Hastings book. Mrs RL bought it for me last Xmas and I think I read it well inside a week. Once you’ve finished, track down his 1980 penned ‘Bomber Command’. The opening chapter of No. 82 Squadron Blenheim’s being blown out of the sky is still something I recall from reading it as a 14 year old back in the day. Cheers.. Dave

I have to say, usually I’m a bit sceptical about applying pre-shading, but that looks absolutely gorgeous now the top colours have been applied. Looking really sharp. I’m more than impressed. Well done. Cheers.. Dave

Looks like a nice kit Patrice and you’re doing a great job so far. It’s good to see modern toolings of these beautiful French aircraft, although many of us here still have the old, classic Airfix SM kit still stashed from years ago! Cheers and all the best going forward.. Dave

Ha!! I’ve got one of them waiting to get built too! Whilst flicking through a nice SAAF book the other day, Mrs RL noticed some cool Buff and Green camouflaged Mirage F1’s and said “ooh they’re nice, why don’t you build one of those?”. There’s just too many modelling ideas and not enough time, Seems we’ve got similar tastes Steve, or do we just like everything?

Should be good Steve, if your decals don’t wanna play, please sing out, I’m sure I’ll be able to help out somewhere. I’ve got the same kit and was actually contemplating a SAAF IIIRZ build, but there’s too many great GB taking place, so I might have to restrict my entries for this GB ato just one… seems criminal doesn’t it! Cheers.. Dave

Great work Pat, that’s turned out really well despite it being a Mach 2 kit. Seems you’ve taken a bunch of parts and created an interesting, unique and well built example of this strangest of all Republic sea birds. I’m impressed. Cheers and well modelled.. Dave

Right, so another GB starts and another stashed kit started, let’s hope the enthusiasm lasts to finish these things. I’m still researching probable schemes and an Israeli Air Force Ouragan seems the most likely. @Wez has kindly offered to help with some new decals from his newer boxed Heller kit, which once again proves how generous and amazing the members on this forum are, thanks mate. On with the build and there’s not many parts that need to be cemented before an Ouragan shaped object presents itself. I’ve painted the internals black, added an instrument panel decal that I have doubts will ever be seen and painted up the kits quite nicely moulded ejection seat. I couldn’t find too many locating tabs for the internal nose intake splitter plate, however think I’ve got it in the right location. Here’s a few progress shots so far and I’m sure the next update will show it all buttoned up. A nice kit with crisp well fitting parts so far. Cheers.. Dave

As always, impressive work mate. Some nice detail added and delicately painted up. All good signs of a master build. Cheers.. Dave

Not sure if this answers your question, however like most of us, we all learned the hard way when paints changed from ‘just Humbrol enamels’ to all sorts of other concoctions. In general terms (and from what I have experienced) paint types / blends need to be applied in the following order. You can start anywhere and even skip a step, but never go backwards. So starting with the strongest binding paint - 1. Lacquer paints (eg. Mr Color by Gunze) 2. Enamel paints (eg. Humbrol) 3. Acrylic paints (various options). A base coat of lacquer paint will take an enamel or acrylic wash very easily without the need of a clear coat. An acrylic base coat will (usually) lift if you apply an enamel wash and try to remove the excess with an enamel thinner (or something stronger). Tamiya and Gunze ‘acrylics’ are actually solvent based, so can behave slightly differently, however mixed with the same thinner can usually be used with all forms of paints. My latest practice is to start with lacquer paints, touch up or wash with enamels and clear coat with an acrylic varnish. Start with the strongest binding paint (lacquer) and finish up with the weakest (acrylic). I would also consider how much masking you will be doing and here is where lacquer paints win out every time by not lifting when removing the tape. Apologies if this is not what you’re asking, however it might help others who are having similar issues. I should also add, these are just my thoughts, so feel free to experiment and test to your hearts content. Cheers.. Dave

Great choice of subject and colours. I’ve been tempted to add the equally old Airfix CZ kit, however will wait to see how my other builds and other GB’s go. With local knowledge and family ties, I’m sure you’ll add that extra bit of detail to ensure this kit builds up nicely. Cheers and best of luck.. Dave

This (as well as the SRN1) are my two top wishes for Airfix to add to their popular Vintage Classics range. So good to see this kit being built and ‘amazingly’ donated - the generosity on this site always astounds me. Good luck Marklo, I’m sure you’ll attract many onlookers. Cheers.. Dave

Just catching up on this great build again Roger, it’s all looking good and brutish Beaufort like. Nice progress mate. Cheers.. Dave

Very nice Pete, both Navy birds look lovely in those high vis colours, which (IMO) is undoubtedly the most pleasing period of US Navy to portray in model form. Cheers.. Dave

So how pleasantly surprised was I to end up with a kit that (when finished) was about three times the original box size… You don’t get that too often theses days!! Cheers.. Dave

That’s some way to tackle warped parts.. I’m sure all the cursing and swearing will pay off and that’s before you take to the scriber!. This promises to be a great build. Cheers and all the best.. Dave.

That’s not a bad suggestion as I often struggle finishing kits when all the little annoying bits are still yet to be done. I might think about that on my next build. The Mirage is looking great so far, seems to have lots of parts to assemble. Cheers.. Dave

Always happy to fly the 'Classic Kit' flag Steve... there's still plenty of life left in these kits and hopefully mine will turn out as beautifully as yours. Cheers.. Dave

Nice choices Marklo, all kits are buildable to some degree and it’s always rewarding to take a basic box of bits and with a little Spit and Polish, turn them into something much better. Cheers and all the best.. Dave

That does look like a nice box of bits there AW, great choice of scheme too. Looking forward to seeing how this one builds up. Cheers.. Dave

A great choice… I’d like to see that big Mirage being built, must be quite large. Cheers.. Dave

Lovely collection of bits there Wez and I take it that this recent-ish release kit parts were not plastic bagged either (like some of my recent Heller purchases), quite strange to find in this day and age? Cheers and best of luck .. Dave (aka - fellow Britmodeller in need!)