Ian

Thanks everyone for the kind words. Glad you all seem to like it. I have been asked about the scheme - I took it from a profile in 'Warpaint' (No. 61): I can't speak to its' authenticity, I simply liked and adapted it ! Ian.

Just a new (#2 round tip) brush and thinned Tamiya 'Field Grey' enamel. Ian.

Museum quality work... simply incredible. Ian.

Italeri kit with 'no additives' unless you count the outstanding Sky decals. Paints are Mr Color lacquers and Tamiya acrylics all mixed until 'they look right' - no exact formulas here. I temporarily tack-glued the ventral gondola section into place for the painting sessions, then removed it so I could add the beam position Lewis gun. It was a calculated risk but seems to have worked-out for me. As for the kit - IMO, one of Italeri's best. The fit is generally very good, the internal details, whilst basic, do come alive with some careful painting and dry-brushing. I wouldn't recommend opening the large dorsal hatch aft of the 'hump' unless you're willing to go all-in with the etch & resin interior sets. The open side door and especially the built-in air-stairs are a bit clunky and maybe one day I'll replace that with some etch (yeah right). Not my best work by a long shot, but looks very cool in my cabinet. Please go-ahead and make any comments or ask any questions. Cheers from NZ. Ian.

Thanks folks glad y'all like it. Much appreciate the positive feedback. Ian.

Kit - Meng Paint - Lacquer camo tones, W&N oils for all weathering effects. Decals - Kit Extras - Hasegawa AGM-84 Harpoon missiles. FA-18F Super Hornet VFA-2 'Bounty Hunters' USS Abraham Lincoln 2003/04 Other than the Harpoon missiles, what you see here is exactly what comes in the (very substantial) Meng box... and IMHO is one of the best 1:48 kits available today. Everything fits perfectly, I don't recall using anything more than a 'smear' of putty in any of the major construction (special mention to the design of the potentially problematic main undercarriage here as it's so precise that I was able to use the locators in the main gear bay as a jig to fully assemble the main units, then 'click' them out once the glue had set and paint/weather them off the kit which was a HUGE bonus). The overall detail is excellent - not perfect, but pretty close - the omission of the nav lights is quite noticeable for instance. Put it this way, every time during the build phase I was able to sit down with it, it was a hugely enjoyable experience, not once did it give me an 'eye roll' moment. And no, I'm not on Mengs' payroll, it really is that good. Lots of time put into the fading, spot-painting, weathering and generally dirtying-up of the paintwork - the basic tones are Mr. Color lacquers C307 & C308, from memory the (superb) Sidewinders are painted with good ol' Humbrol H127 to generate a greater contrast, and because I thought it looked quite cool ! - All of that fade and dirt was done with W&N oils and took a good few sessions, would love some feedback and thoughts from folks here, as I'm planning something similar for the Tamiya F-14 in the future. Not much else to say, so please feel free to ask any questions, make comments or criticisms. Cheers from a warm and sunny NZ. Ian.

Very straightforward build, I used Value Gears' kit-specific stowage plus other 'stuff' scrounged from the spares box. Tamiya lacquer paints mixed & lightened by eye. One of my fave WWII vehicles and a huge step-up from the old Academy kit (which did sacrifice some bits & pieces to make this one). Please feel free to make any comments, ask any questions or criticisms. Belated HNY all from the other side of the planet. Cheers from a very sunny and warm New Plymouth. Ian.

Hey folks, not finished anything for a l-o-n-g time hence not been around. Bought this in 1991 in a wee model shop my mate owned in Southport and it's been on the shelf ever since. Dragged it to the bench before Christmas to keep me out of trouble over the holidays - which it pretty-much has. Other than the ALQ pod and the mid-1980's Microscale decals, what you see here is exactly what came in the box. Definitely not my best work, but wonderful nostalgia trip (even painted it with Humbrol enamels). All comments, criticism and questions welcomed - Happy New year everyone. Ian.

One of the very best camouflage jobs I've seen here. Absolutely love this. Cheers from NZ.

Missed the sneaky AIM-9 hiding under the intake when I first looked - that's such a cool addition, well modelled sir. Fantastic build, love the almost pastel camo tones and light weathering. Cheers from NZ. Ian.

Distracted by (other) bright & shiny things - Sometimes I have the attention-span of a cocker spaniel.

Didn't notice that, must be a blemish on the background sheet ! - Yeah I'm fine, appreciate your concern, matey. Ian.

Thank you folks, yep I'm very happy with this one. Not quite what I had in-mind when I set-out, (I imagined a more solid, freshly applied, white finish chipped a little at the edges), no matter as I can use that idea on another build. As ever, really appreciate the very positive responses. Cheers all, have a great weekend. Ian.

Kit - Meng Paint - Vallejo & Tamiya acrylics Decals - Star Decal & Kit Extras - .30cal from Academy set, stowage from spares box. M4A3E2 Sherman 'Jumbo' 69th Tank Battalion, 6th Armd Div. Luxembourg / German Border Winter '44/'45. Immediately after finishing the Skyraider build a couple of weeks ago, I brought this back to the bench from the 'Shelf of Forgetfulness' where it's been parked since Sept. 2021. It's the Meng Sherman 'Jumbo' and as a kit, an exercise in putting bits of related plastic together... it's utterly superb on every level. Simply the best AFV kit I have ever seen/built. Paint is a combination of Vallejo and Tamiya acrylics. The winter whitewash is four layers of off-white and white, applied, clear-coated and hairspray chipped until I was happy. The earth tones are mostly airbrushed then pigments added for texture. W&N oils for all the streaks, leaks and stains. Decals are combination of Star & kit for a machine of the 69th Tank Bat. somewhere around the Luxembourg / German border in winter '44/'45. Please feel free to make any comments, ask any questions or pass-on any criticisms. Cheers from NZ. Ian.

I've just bought the same kit and the same stowage set ! . Hope mine turns-out as nice as this. Great build matey. Ian.

Superb clean build, really like this. Ian.

Thank you for the comments everyone. Really appreciate it. Cheers Ian.

Museum quality work, simple as that. Ian.

Kit - Tamiya Paint - Vallejo metals (bomblet tubes) Tamiya acrylics (rest of loadout, interior, tail stripes) Mr Color lacquers (camouflage) Decals - Iliad Design Extras - Eduard etch cockpit details & harness, Bren Gun resin, loadout from spares box. A-1H Skyraider Assigned to Col. Sam Berman CO. 6th SOS Da Nang, 1969. A (relatively) quick project, finished just less than a month from opening the box, but it did have the bench completely to itself. Biggest challenge was finding the Minigun pod in my huge stash of spare ‘dangly bits’ that I’ve amassed over many year of plastic fettling. When I did I had to scratch the front cone from a lollipop stick and Miliput !!. Paint was a joy, I’m officially a lacquer convert & fanboy, yes I know it’s smelly and dangerous, but the results are undeniable and as long as you take sensible precautions… First time using Iliad decals and they were fine, I didn’t use the tail-stripes, preferring to simply paint/mask/repeat using the blue scalloped section of the decal as a template to make a mask. The ‘filth’ is all W&N oils, but I went back to Tamiya X19 ‘Smoke’ for the exhaust plumes as on this machine it just looks better to my eye. Very happy with the result. Please feel free to make any comments, ask any questions or post any crits. Cheers from NZ.

Kit - Eduard (Weekend Edition) Paint - All acrylics Decals - Freightdog Extras - Eduard kit-specific Zoom set. Grumman Hellcat II 800 NAS Trincomalee, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Autumn 1945. Built this at the same time as the Hurricane I posted here a few weeks ago but only got around to finishing it this morning. Fairly straightforward build, could have done without the separate fin-tip antenna post which was instantly gobbled-up by the carpet monster but that may have been down to 'user error'. Paint is all Tamiya acrylics, as usual mixed by eye. Not too much else to say, very relaxing and rejuvenating project, now ready for something more challenging. Please feel free to comment, question or criticise. Cheers from NZ. Ian.

Actually quite shocked - in a good way - at the response. Sincerely thank you everyone, really appreciate the very kind words. Cheers Ian.

Kit - Tamiya 35203 (1996) Paint - all acrylics Decals - spares Extras - Aber etch grilles, figures from Tamiya 35201 Mentioned here a number of times that I love building TD's, think I've done four-in-a-row over the last couple of years. I try something new with each build, and for this one, it was the figures - I have always been 'low average' when it comes to painting 'little men'. This attempt is definitely better than usual for me, but I have a long-way-to-go. Very easy and typical 1990's Tamiya quality kit. No surprises and everything fitted very well, although I felt the side skirts could definitely have benefitted from a much more positive join to the hull. Colours are my own mix of Tamiya acrylics trying to match the more saturated green and paler Dunkelgelb that you see in later war vehicles, not sure if I succeeded but they're close enough IMHO. I detest pigments and was 'this close' to not adding any at all, but did so anyway. Don't think I'll ever get the hang of applying them. So that is that. Please feel free to make any comments, ask any questions or hurl any insults. Cheers from NZ. Ian.

Το εκτιμώ, ευχαριστώ. Μπράβο από τη Νέα Ζηλανδία.

One of the best Tamiya P-38's I've seen. Outstanding work. Cheers from across The Ditch.

Thanks all, really appreciate the likes & comments. Cheers. Ian.