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Your nice models have brought me some memories... You were a reader of "Skrzydlata Polska" in 1980s, weren't you? ;-) I used it as a base for my model too. I hope you won't mind if I dare to put its photo here: Now I think the artwork in "SP" was wrong. I see dark circles under stars here: ...so I made an Aleutian Tiger again.

Thank you all for your kind opinions. It is not the most weathered model in my collection and I think the Olive Drab paint could be more discolored. But I'm always afraid to do too much in this matter. Yes, it is Gunze SM01 (I didn't notice any color differences between panels in this area), but with matt Gunze C182 on it. It looks like a little faded aluminum and I like the effect.

Sure we are! I don't have his photo with Emil yet, but I can show you 3 years old Gustaw with our first model built together, which was a Gustav of course: And two pics od Gustaw building his Gustav:

P-47D-3 Thunderbolt 42-22637/38 "Daring Dottie III", 348 Fighter Group, 341 Fighter Squadron USAAF, Finschhafen, New Guinea, march 1944. Pilot: Capt. John T. Moore (7 victories). Kit: Tamiya (1/72). Decals: AviPrint.

Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4 W.Nr. 1480, Stab II/JG3, pilot: Oblt. Franz von Werra (21 victories). On September 5, 1940 the plane was shot down over Kent and has landed in a field near Marden. The pilot bacame POW - the only one who managed to escape from Canada to Germany to keep fighting. Kit: Airfix (1/72). I have built this model together with my 7 years old son, Gustaw.

I think it should be MiG-29S in our alphabet.

Hello, At the end of 2013 a new magazine appeared on Polish market to celebrate 75th anniversary of Defense War in Poland, 1939. It is called "Wrzesien 1939" ("September 1939") with subtitle "First to Fight". Recently number 19 was issued. Every issue consists of thin magazine and a box with a plastic model in 72nd scale. 15 issues had vehicles in the box and last 4 were issued with set of soldiers figures. I'm generally interested in aviation, but I decided to collect the series (they cost just about 6 USD each) and here are the first 7 models I managed to complete. Group shots: Individual shots - I'm putting just one or two pictures of each vehicle to keep the topic smaller. You can see more if you click the photos. Polish tankette TKS: In the series there are also other variants available: TKS with 20 mm cannon, earlier model TK-3 and artillery tractor C2P. PzKpfw I Ausf A and PzKpfw III Ausf E: In the series also PzKpfw IB, IIC, IID tanks and SdKfz 265 command vehicle were issued. Renault FT-17 "Irena". I have changed the painting scheme to depict the vehicle from 1st Tank Battalion. Lvov (then Poland, now Ukraine), late 1920: Fiat 621L of 10th Cavalry Brigade evacuated to Hungary, September 19th, 1939. Two models of Fiat 621 were issued. Basically the same kit, just AA gun was added in the second kit. Two Wz.34 armored cars with different armament, side walls and camouflage style: The kits are simple (they are designed for wargaming) but very well molded. No fitting problems and nice result when finished even without modifications.

From "Zero In Action".

One remark: Rufe's wing tips could not be folded. Good luck with your build!

This was not a red paint, but a patch of red fabric glued onto the leading edge to protect the guns. The patches (or traces of patches removed for guns maintenance) are visible on every photo of 303 Sqn Hurricane (if guns area is shown) in "Polish Wings #4".

Yes, at least LF IXc MH712 WX-D had the bigger rudder retrofitted.

I usually paint the stripes first, following the "lightest colors first" rule. Yes, there is black in the stripes, but usually with no contact to other colors than white. So the colour sequence for RAF is: White Yellow Sky Black Medium Sea Grey Ocean Grey Dark Green Recently I have built also a Spitfire with very weathered stripes, so I have used method 3. I have painted whole camouflage with acrylics (Gunze Mr.Colors), put decals on fuselage sides and varnished them (also Mr.colour). Then I painted the stripes with small brush and Humbrol enamels with lot of turpentine to slow down drying. This gave me lot of time to add and remove the pant and make the stripes as bad as I liked. Then I covered the stripes with clear gloss Mr.colour and the model was ready for prospective steps (rest of decals, postshading, weathering, wash). Here is the result: I'm going to use this technique for my future Mustang Mk.III which also had bad-looking stripes:

Yes. Five Griffons are waiting in my stash, including two F.21 (Eduard and Special Hobby), two F.22 (Airfix and Xtrakit) and one Seafire FR.47. One F.21 and one F.22 will have markings of 615 Sqn RAuxAF - guess why ;-)

If you like Spitfires (who doesn't?) you should have the JoyPack. "Spitfires are like potato chips, you can't have just one". I have 2,33 JoyPacks (4 models still to do) plus Tr.9 and I'm going to finish all of them. AZmodel is not as easy to make as Tamiya, but with a little more effort you get similar result.

Three Spitfires LF.IX from AZmodel JoyPack, made together. I decided to have them all from Polish Air Force and with Invasion Stripes for the 70th Anniversary. Besides of that I tried to make them as different as possible - different squadrons, different shapes and condition of the stripes, one Spitfire has pointy rudder and other has no wheel disk covers. Things under wings are also different and include beer kegs of 'streamline' type used by 308 Sqn. I have used 3 sets of Master cannon barrels and QuickBoost exhausts, 2 sets of QuickBoost masts (3 masts in a set, but one mast was broken as I have dropped a model upside down), 2 sets of Kora flat-disk wheels (not very good quality) and some details from CMR resin Spitfire - bombs with racks for WX-D and kegs for ZF-P. Racks for kegs were scratchbuilt with CMR ones as a template. The propellers have axes from brass tubes to let them turn easily for in-flight photos. Decals from various sets of Techmod (including the ones in Sword kits). Feel free to click the photos to see more of them on my website. 1. ZF-P NH186, 308 Squadron PAF, Chailey, England, June 24, 1944. The kegs were used to bring beer to brothers in arms in Normandy. The plane was hit y flak and lost on September 11, 1944 near Nieuwdorp. F/O Jerzy Mazurkiewicz evaded capture and returned 6 weeks later assisted by Dutch Resistance. 2. WX-D MH712 "Pat", 302 Squadron PAF, autumn 1944. Pilot: W/O Henryk Dygała. 3. SZ-G NH342, Chailey, England, autumn 1944. Personal mount of G/Cpt Aleksander Gabszewicz (9,5 confirmed kills, 1,33 probables, 3 damages) from June to October 1944 has markings of 316 Sqn PAF, although she was not part of it. Gabszewicz was pilot (and commander) of 316 Sqn till June 1942, then Wing Commander/Flying of 2nd Polish Wing and finally the 1st Polish Wing. He was also attached to the Command of 131 Wing RAF in February 1944, leading the wing during the invasion of Normandy.

Hello, I'm looking for FS colors numbers for this type of camouflage: http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/1/2/3/2221321.jpg Sword kit instructions and DACO's "Uncovering..." say it should be FS16473 and FS16081. I don't think it is correct. The colors produce high contrast as in the schemes below: http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/8/5/8/1314858.jpg http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/8/5/8/1314858.jpg http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/8/6/8/2442868.jpg http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/8/6/8/2442868.jpg The first scheme is less contrasting and appears the same as on http://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/f-16/f-16c_profile02.shtml F-16s (FS36270 and FS36118). Could it be the same scheme? A picture of both schemes together. Differences in contrast is visible: http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/3/0/2/2219203.jpg http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/3/0/2/2219203.jpg

Yes, fighting Poles really appreciated their support. ;-)

Ukraine maybe?

What version are you doing? If it is the PK-G, you better take the Techmod decals. Tamiya ones are different to the real Mustang. I can tell you more if you are interested.

In the early 80ies here on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain we had usually Polish or Czech kits for the beginning. My first kit was RWD-8 trainer in 1/144. It was not painted and survived only a few days. It looked very much like this one: The second was a Yak-1M (as it was called on the box; in fact it should be Yak-1b) in 72nd scale. Much better kit, but I have started it with decalling. I assembled it next and did not paint (well, I have painted it a few years later). Here is a different example of Yak-1b I made much later. The first one was in the light green color of plastic. The first kit I have finished according to all basic principles was PZL-37A Los bomber in 72nd. I have painted it inside and outside (except for the undersides because it was made of light blue plastic). Some time later I gave it to my grandfather and I have no photos of it. It was not as good as this one (not mine): PZL-37 Los kit was one of the most popular kits in Poland for many years. I think most of model makers in my country have built it. I never made it again (for over 30 years), however I still have three of them in my stash. The first foreign kit I have built was the Czech La-7 from Kovozavody Prostejov (KP). It is the oldest model I still have in my collection. It was never damaged or rebuilt, is displayed behind a glass, so it looks just like in the beginning of my modelling:

I also have the Vingtor's decals and I would like to make the F-16/79. I even have bought a Hasegawa Phantom to get a spare nozzle. But I still have a big problem - the Revell F-16B is not available for a couple of years. I hope that F-16B will appear in Tamiya offer.

Wouldn't it be easier to use A wings from Mk.I, keep the radiator and ailerons intact, and just rescribe some lines, add (aftermarket/spares box/scratchbuilt) cannons and bulges as I did? Kitbashing of Mk.Ia and Mk.Vb seems to be more complicated and more expensive.

This is my Mk.IIb converted from Tamiya Mk.I (1/72): Cannon barrels: Master, cannon bulges from Revell Mk.Vb, windscreen from Italeri Mk.IX (spare Mk.V not used in Mk.IX kit). Some panel lines filled, some other scribed. Coffman starter bulge (from Airfix) was not there in Mk.Ib.

Sword fabric wing Hurricane was out before 2000 and was reissued by AZ Model 2009.

Very nice Polish Spitfire here! But forgive me some remarks. I'm not going to criticize your work, just give some background update, because this plane is wrapped with a myth that has to be explained. For many years the Spitfire AA853 was described as a mount of W/Cdr Stefan Witorzeńć during operation Jubilee at Dieppe in August 1942. None of this is true: There is no evidence that Witorzeńć ever flew this aircraft; There is no evidence that white stripes on noses of aircraft were used over Dieppe. In fact, the photos above were taken at Croydon on 6th of July 1942, during preparation for Operation Rutter. W/Cdr Witorzeńć was not there at the time. The special markings consisted of white stripes on nose and tailplanes plus white spinner. Note also unusual underwing roundels, repainted from older type A, but proportions are slightly different from typical C type. The Spitfires at the time had no antenna wire. I also do not remember a Mk.Vb from Polish Squadron, carrying a bomb under fuselage. Still, I admire your model. Its painting finish is a masterpiece, especially as done with brush. Good job!