GraemeT

Hi All, First posting for some time - the Airfix Bristol Blenheim Mk IV in 1/72 scale. Not the new one, but the old one. A Series 2 boxing from around 1986 (according to the box lid), I've inherited from family. I actually built this when I was a kid in the early 1980's, captivated by the long nose windscreen, and it may well have been one of the final kits I built in my first phase of this hobby. So, how was the build as a grown-up in 2021? Painful. - A warped fuselage and some gouged plastic from the sprue gate required sanding down of the rivets to try and smooth the surfaces. It may or may not have had the desired effect. I still needed putty. - Minimal internal detail, not unexpected. Not overly bothered so long as I made the aircrew look respectable. - The windscreen: a real adventure for the frame, so used acrylic paints for this as it was easier to correct any overspill. I kept the enamels for the remainder of the kit. - The Gunner: wasn't happy with that circular mounting piece that was obscuring his face, so I removed a chunk of it to look like a tidier gun placement. Quite happy with that, until I dropped it trying to impress the wife with a show of my skills in miniature. Recovered the pieces and got it together again thankfully. - The engines: super-happy with how these turned out. - The landing gears: nearly broke me, after I broke them. There's a dollop of putty in the port wheel well, to keep the flimsy struts together. Then I set the kit down a little hard near the end and bent the tail wheel. Very fiddly, very delicate and a product of its time. Still, in a perverse kind of way I thoroughly enjoyed it and would like to have a go with the modern Mk I and IV Airfix toolings in the future. One final thing to add was a delightful documentary I found on YouTube - The Forgotten Bomber (1989). I knew it was quickly outclassed during WWII, but my admiration for this plane and its crew have my total respect. Anyway, some pictures. Thanks for viewing, Graeme

And a grand job you’ve done with this Dave.

Fabulous looking Shack. That's a model which has been put together very, very well indeed. Graeme

Great job. Lovely finish. Like the windows Graeme

Hello All, I bought the Revell Lufthansa Airbus A320 kit about nine years ago, at a time when I would eagerly pick up any new release that came out. I think I bought two kits that day for the first (and only) time. But to be honest I'd lost interest in it years ago. It sat in the stash until September 2017 when I started the kit partway through a ship build that was flagging. Could I try something different? I hit on the idea of modelling the plane on take-off, with retracting wheels. That meant cutting into the plastic a bit. If it went wrong then so be it, although the thought of messing up any model kit is an uncomfortable thought. Considered dropping the flaps slightly but that looked like a step too far for me. Typically straightforward build with good decals as usual. Revell paints with Humbrol varnish. Happy enough with it. A bit of fun this morning, thanks to some rare blue skies. Okay, proof it is mounted on a clear stand. And an indoor image of it on the shelf. Thanks for viewing, Graeme

A couple of Christmas's back, during a lunchtime phone call with my father, he happened to mention he'd seen some Revell model kits - sailing ships - in one of those well-known four-letter German supermarkets. The Bounty and the Alexander Von Humboldt. "The one with the green sails?" "Yes." "Ah, that'd be good. Get it please, and I'll tell my brother he's just got me my Christmas present." I didn't get my hands on it until the following April but that was okay. So at 1/150 scale, this one has taken about 10 months. I managed to source a couple of Humbrol paints for the hull - matt green (119) and matt red (153) to get around the Revell paint mix suggestion. Overdid the decking initially but brought it back from the brink. Apart from the railings it seemed to go together reasonably well. I managed to lose part 38, but at the same time I'm not convinced it was ever there in the first place. A good secure stand included, compared to the delicate balancing act of the Santa Maria and Gorch Fock. It needed more rigging but I started to get a bit lost in the instructions and with where it was all supposed to go so left it before I broke anything. Makes a nice enough ornament for the living room. Thanks for viewing

Many years ago near the dawn of the 3rd age of my modelling hobby I got close to picking up the Revell 767, but baulked at it because I didn't like that the kit parts were comparatively few. Then sulked for a while when it was no longer available at my local shop. Picked up the Zvezda 767-300 when it became available and its time has finally come. Having previously built the Ilyushin 86 (Revell boxed) I had high hopes for the quality of this kit but it frustrated me in a few places. The fuselage halves wouldn't gel very well for me so I needed to putty them to get a flush seam which ended up being sanded many times over. And the engines weren't as slick either. No way was I going to attempt that optional Boeing house livery so Aeroflot it was. Some fun with the decals which were a bit brittle but they worked fine. Augmented with some spare decals and cut-sprue/putty antennae and vents. Delighted with the end result although oddly drained after it too. Never perfect but I consider it the best airliner I've done. Next project may be a sailing ship... just need to build up my modelling mojo again. Thanks for viewing, Graeme

I like the Swift and I like this model. Well presented too. Might be tempted to get one myself.

Great job. As mentioned above the cockpit windows are very well done

Wow! I've seen a few attempts at modelling damage, jet plumes and even fire but this looks brilliant. Well done

Thanks for the feedback. Alex1978: I also built the GoldbAIR scheme a few years back and didn't feel like it worked out very well either. Graeme H: The engines followed my usual method of steel coloured blades and internal structure. I was so eager to get started on them and used a different yellow paint, rather than wait to make a trip to the model shop for the correct yellow paint. Also quite happy with the Humbrol gloss for varnish across the plane in general. Finally a pencil was run across the pylon panel lines for weathering.

Hello everyone My first plane submission here on this forum. This must be the sixth 737 I've built and I'll be happy to never see another one for another six years, unless the livery is ace. Bought this when it came out and has sat in the stash for a few years. Made a good start with it but then made some daft mistakes such as the wing decals the wrong way around; more remarkable I then managed to get the wing wheel struts on the wrong side - never done that before. Some issues with the gold paint late on and one or two of the decals were either too small or broke requiring some additional paintwork. That said I'm happy with how it has turned out; hope the pictures do it justice.

Saw this months ago and made a note that I had to leave a comment at some point. This is excellent! Superb weathering Graeme

Hello, This is my first posting on this site: the Revell 1/253 Gorch Fock. My second ship build following the Revell Santa Maria a couple of years back. I usually build Airliners but have a soft spot for Sailing Ships. They also look more ornamental on the shelf as well which my other half agrees with. This build has taken most of the year to complete and I've thoroughly enjoyed doing it. A couple of nitpicks are getting some of the sails the wrong way around which I only realised when I got to the two at the back and hanging those annoying lifeboats which did their best to drive me up the wall - (can we accept that the crew didn't hang one of them correctly?) I still need to work on representing the sails a bit better too. Next project will probably be a plane but I have a couple more Revell ships in the dry docks, and will make some effort to do a 'work in progress' next time. Here are some images: Thanks for viewing Graeme

A good recommendation I got was Red Gore (Citadel Colour) from the Games Workshop. I was verry happy with it. Best part was explaining to the chap in the shop why I needed that colour when he casually asked what I was using it for. (Not what he expected to hear) Graeme