Roman Schilhart

Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's my 1/72 M24 Chaffee from Bulgarian company OKB Grigorov. This was my first build from that manufacturer, and I was pleasantly surprised. The kit has great detail, including metal parts, but it's not easy to assemble. I painted the model with Gunze/Mr.Hobby acrylics. All photographs by Wolfgang Rabel. Thanks for your interest, best greetings from Vienna!

Absolute top class model! Excellent choice of markings, superb paint job and clean assembly. It really looks like a well-worn service aircraft. This will be a sure winner at the next modelling contest. You could have maybe added more weight effect to the wheels, given the fully loaded aircraft, but I guess, that's just a matter of taste.

Thanks for the heads-up, Parabat! Close inspection of the kit reveals the problems: -guns don't line up with the fairings exactly -cockpit doors don't line up with the fuselage shape -wing/fuselage joint was totally off with the fuselage being wider than the wing root, resulting in tedious sanding sessions -vertical rudder is too short and requires extension with plastic, otherwise you end up with a nasty gap -fuselage/engine joint was problematic, with the part just aft the engine (naca intake ring) too wide to fit the fuselage -engine itself does not fit the cowling without modification I was somewhat disappointed that I couldn't bring this beautifully cast kit to the standard it deserves. Guess I need more experience with resin kits, next I'll try a tank!

Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's my 1/72 SBS Fiat G.50 in colors of the Croatian Air Force in 1943. This was my very first full-resin kit, and while parts look beautifully crisp in the box, assembly is complicated by some fit issues. Wing-fuselage and engine-fuselage joints were the worst offenders. In the hands of an experienced resin modeller, this kit could turn into an absolute show-stopper - I'm just not one of them …. Painted with Gunze/Mr.Hobby acrylics, photographed by Wolfgang Rabel. Thanks for your interest.

I didn't know how bad the Airfix kit is - but your build proves that, in the hands of a talented modeller, even the poorest kit can turn into an attractive model.

That's a pretty unusual camo on the B-17, but it looks absolutely amazing in that scheme!

I can imagine how much time and effort went into the engine section ... excellent work! PS. Your pictures only show when using Firefox, while I get blanks on Internet Explorer.

AaCee, I sincerely hope you will encounter less problems than I did. Interestingly, none of the online build reviews I came across mentions the issues I've experienced. I suspect there may be quality differences between production batches. In favor of SBS, I would like to point out, that the kit parts are among the best I've ever seen, and in the hands of a seasoned resin modeller, this kit will turn into a show-stopper.

Well, the problem is, you cannot 'bend' the resin parts as you can bend injection molded plastic - they will simply break apart. You may try to heat them up. I didn't dare to do so, given the high price tag of the kit. A full build review of the SBS Fiat G.50 will appear in an upcoming edition of SAMI. Here's some appetizers: I also have the Fly Models kit, which falls behind in terms of details, but will hopefully be an easier build.

Sorry to disagree, AaCee - I am currently building the SBS Fiat G.50. This is my very first full resin kit, and I was thinking it would be a good starting experience, too. As fabulous as the parts look in the box, assembly is complicated by several fit issues: - First problem is the firewall (#25), it needs to be reduced in height significantly, otherwise the gun covers won’t fit. - The front part (#13) does not conform to the shape of the fuselage. - Next problem is the fuselage itself - it is too wide to fit the wing root, overhanging the wing and resulting in a nasty recess. - The cowling is too tight to accept the engine. As I understood the instructions, the engine backplate should be butt-joined to the forward fuselage opening. This is not the case. The engine backplate (#33) should actually slip into the front aperture, otherwise the engine will stand proud of the fuselage. - The tail cone doesn’t fit either and leaves a nasty joint, running right through the elevator root. - The rudder itself is way too short, has a wrong angle and leaves a gap at the bottom. I would recommend the SBS kit only to experienced modellers who have completed a couple full-resin kits before. Having said that, I still believe this is the best detailled 1/72 kit of this type.

Marko, what's wrong with the Brengun Yak-1B? I just finished one and it looks alright, although I am not an expert on this type.

Most excellent C 202 ! Not many people dare to attempt this color scheme … me included… your result is stunning! Best greetings from Vienna, Roman

Absolutely superb, Sir! Great job on detail work (landing light, pitot, canopy framing). And the paint scheme is an eye-catcher!

The Buccaneer is a very attractive aircraft, and you've done a great job on the old Frog kit. May I suggest to add a layer of matt cote to the surface? Your paint job is very good, but it's a bit too shiny, if I may say. Matt cote also reduces reflection, which will make the ridges of the color demarcations less noticeable.

Dear fellow Britmodellers, I'm proud to present the latest Brengun release, the 1/72 Yak 1B (aka 1M in Polish service). I built mostly out of the box, but added a vacu sliding hood (Rob Taurus) and replaced the antenna & pitot tube. Painted with Gunze/Mr.Hobby acrylics, representing the aircraft of A.F. Lavrenov, a Soviet ace with 22 confirmed kills. The kit is very well detailed and builds without major problems. I'd say it is the best Brengun kit I have ever tried myself on. Highly recommended! Photographs by Wolfgang Rabel. Thanks for your interest, best greetings from Vienna! Roman