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Hi everyone I just wanted to share my thoughts and progress using the Cricut Explorer Air 2. I received my Cricut last Wednesday, my wife brought it for me for my 50th birthday (thank you Leanne). Now I'm a bit of a luddite when it comes to technology and I'm incredibly lazy I just want things to work with out any messing around but to my surprise the Cricut is very easy to use and I think the masks that you can make are as good as any commercially produced items. I started by looking for any additional software that you might need to use for designing and producing masks, the Cricut software is ok but almost every user I could find recommended using Adobe illustrator so I duly subscribed to Adobe (£19 pcm) down loaded the software and had a play. I started by producing a series of RAF roundels circa 1939 - 45, I found several references online that gave the size of each roundel type in inches so I found an online conversion tool and converted these measurement's to cm and drew them in illustrator to 1/48 scale. I then sent the image to the Cricut software and cut my first mask a Type A.1 roundel in 1/48 scale. I used some white vinyl which has proved to be very hard to remove because its too tacky and it lifted the paint. I had another go, this time creating a mask for a 56 in, 28 in, 21 in upper wing roundel again in 1/48 and sprayed that (see both roundels below) Not too bad I think I could be onto something here? I then decided to create some templates for RAF fonts circa 1939 - 45 again a search of the internet threw up some examples so using these a place to start I produced my own set of fonts again in illustrator.. ..for my next test I scaled my drawings to 1/32 and created some more masks this time using Frisk film as the masking medium and this time sprayed my 1/32 Fly Hurricane paint mule again applying a Type A.1 fuselage roundel and code letters.. I think with a little more practice the Cricut will prove its worth enabling me to produce any set of codes, markings, camouflage, wheel and canopy masks. I think the Cricut is a great bit of kit, not cheap (my wife paid £260 for mine) but I'm the kind of person that will spend a small fortune on after market masks so I think that for my it will cost effective in the long run plus its quite enjoyable researching and making the masking templates. Cheers all Iain

I'll leave this here as a placeholder for me to start in the next week or so once I've had a big clean up of the bench. The kit was originally released in 1969 with Roy Cross artwork, but this is a later rebox from 2015 with different boxing and artwork. Don't worry, I'm not going down the hairy stick route with the horrible supplied paint pots. Shouldn't take long as its pretty basic, he says optimistically 🤣 Ian

My second entry will be this Scooby-do. It was actually developed and built in the UK by Prodrive, but has clearly got Japanese DNA, so is hopefully OK for the GB Cheers

May I present you my rendition of Tamyia's 1/32 Corsair: The VMF-321 F4U-1A flown by 1st Lt. Robert Whiting on Guam, August 1944. Every praise about this kit is true, it plays in another league. The fit and engineering is second to none and it was a very enjoyable build. From the aftermarket came: - HGW seatbelts - Baracuda cockpit stencils - Eagle Cal Decals - Barracuda wheels For the WIP see here:

Hi Folk's my contribution marking this momentous anniversary is Revell's newish tool Mustang,I will check references to see if the box art schemed aircraft flew on the operation if not suitable marking's will be sourced.

Hi all. First up from me will be my attempt to create the 'ultimate' 1/32 Le Mans Bentley Blower, by using the best bits from each of these two kits . Generally speaking, the Pyro is the better of the two, but is let down badly by Pyro's decision to simply use the body parts from their Bentley Straight-Six kit, rather than create new ones for the Le Mans So basically, I'll be using the Airfix bodywork/chassis and the Pyro bits for everything else. I actually started this project a couple of years ago, but progress is well below 25%. When I'm finished, I'll still be left with one complete, un-made kit, but unfortunately comprising all the worst bits! I'll be open to offers . Cheers

Hi all, First completed kit from me for quite a while - and certainly the first from me in 1/32. This is Bf109K-4 'Black 12', thought to be from KG(J) 6, photographed in both colour & b&w at Prague/Ruzyne at the war's end. Pictures show the a/c in an un-typical finish (for a 'K'), with the outer landing gear covers not fitted. Colours are debatable (despite the existence of a colour pic, albeit taken from the front), but cleverer people than me have suggested that the mid-war colours of 74 & 75 were in use longer than previously thought, so I went with that. The tones seem to be a match in b&w, at least. Painted mostly with Vallejo & Mig acrylics, with a Flory wash for afters. Hope you like the pics..

This is the Piper Enforcer I'm planning to build for the GB. Although not a true Mustang, this has been approved by Patrice @TEMPESTMK5 and will be the Halberd Models resin conversion for the Revell P-51D-15-NA kit in 1/32. Here's the raw materials... The very nice Revell 1/32 kit. This is the later edition with the fin fillet to complement the earlier -5-NA. It's not as finely cast as the more expensive versions, but it goes together really well. Great parts breakdown, especially in the cockpit. Enables much finer detail than the traditional moulded sidewalls. Lots of armament options as well, with two drop tank variants, 500lb bombs, and 5in rockets. Three canopy options, including the required blown Dallas canopy for this aircraft. This is the ludicrously good Halberd Models conversion set for the kit. As @trickyrich will tell you, the quality and fit are superb for a resin/3D conversion, especially considering the size of the parts. As you can see this is a very extensive set - two replacement fuselage halves being the most substantial parts, plus the tip tanks, prop and spinner, cockpit floor, ejection seat and lots of pylons! On with the show... Cheers, Alan

Hi. Here's another one from me. The Frogeye Sprite (aka the Bugeye in the States), was produced between 1958 and 1961, and utilised the 948cc engine from the Austin A35 and Morris Minor 1000. Whilst the A35's engine produced around 35 BHP (the clue's in the name), for the Sprite this was boosted to 43 BHP. This gave a top speed of 83 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 20.5 seconds. For its time, the car was pretty nippy and went on to provide an affordable way into motorsport on both sides of the Atlantic. The Airfix kit was first released in 1961, but mine's a '90s release. All my parts are still factory-sealed, so I'll open things up for a closer look, once I get started. Where possible, I like to base my car builds on real, preserved examples and I'll be using this beauty for this one. Cheers

Hi all, Looking forward to this GB, I'll be starting with this excellent resin/multimedia kit from MDC and designed by Radu Brinzan. Let's have a look in the box! A surprisingly compact box for a 1/32 WW2 bomber. Some nice documentation and parts guide in the box. Unfortunately I am missing a couple of bits Nice inclusion here of the canopy glazing and frames. A lot of decals are provided for the framing! Decals for 6 options (4 bombers and 2 recce variants.). Loads of PE and some additional detailing wire, which is nice to see. And of course, there are a lot of bits! All washed and drying. The casting quality is among the best I've ever seen. Creamy smooth resin parts with minimal casting blocks. Very few pinholes for bubbles. This stuff is amazing. The fuselage halves are very well cast. Both were slightly warped, but a nice hot bath and some reshaping sorted them out. This upper canopy part was quite significantly out of whack but again it survived a hot bath and I was able to shape it back to something useable. The eagle-eyed among you will notice there is only one main gear wheel. There's no sign of it in the box, bag or round the bench, so unfortunately it would appear to be a manufacturer error. There is an AMS Resin set but the only one I could find was from Sprue Brothers in the US. Item cost: $17.99. Shipping cost: $60.71!??? Are you having a freakin' giraffe, Sprue Bro? So I was just about to cry and resign myself to an inflight model when I remembered I had some Halberd wheels for the Do 335 - I wonder if they might be around the same size? Well lucky old me, they're close enough! So that's my new plan. The other missing part is the tail unit for one of the 250 Kg bombs Luckily no shortage of aftermarket options for those. Hey ho. The resin casting detail in this kit is excellent. Engine intake and 'bullet' Recon cameras Main gear bay, even though it's practically invisible Surface detail is very fine as well. Well, that's your intro - hope to start mangling resin and making superglue splodges everywhere soon! Alan

My modelling interest in this period lies mainly with Naval Aviation, specifically the Silver Wings of the Fleet Air Arm and the Yellow Wings of the US Navy. Going with the Yellow Wings, previous GBs saw me build in 1/32 the Grumman F3F (Revell) and Boeing F4B (Hasegawa). For this GB I will be building the Curtiss BF2C in 1/32 from Hasegawa. The BF2C had a short service life, 1934 to 1937. Withdrawn in 1937 after it became apparent the wings had become weakened due to the stresses caused by dive bombing. The kit decals look like they have seen better days, so will be using an aftermarket sheet from the appropriately named Yellow-Wings Decals to build an aircraft from VF-5B, USS Ranger. I believe this was the only squadron that flew the BF2C.

Hello all, I started this project a couple of years ago, but shortly after starting it, I took a long pause until I got an airbrush. Now I'm back on it The aircraft I am replicating is an MBB BK117, N445CH, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, a common sight around where I live. https://www.jetphotos.com/registration/N445CH So far the interior is almost complete, the walls just need to be put up. I picked this kit up for a bargain from a local hobby shop. Yes it was open box, but everything was there, for USD$35. A quick search on eBay shows the same kit for double the price. Revell kit # 04897 DRF Luftrettung scheme was default, obviously not going to be used.

Hello people! This is my first post of the year, I will be building the infamous 1/32 Revell UH-1D Gunship with the Dominican republic air force paint scheme and configuration, I'll be building the UH-1H FAD 3032, I want to try to do the best I can to get this kit up to today's standards.

First serious bit of modelling I've attempted in about forty years – so guess that makes me a newbie! My first experience of photoetch, acrylics, airbrush... you name it. So I wanted to do a subject I felt a connection to, and something that would stretch me to the max. So it's Revell's 1/32 Schnellbomber which will assume the guise of 4D+DH 'Dora Heinrich' of 1.KG30.
 This Ju 88A-1 fell to the guns of 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron on 16/10/39 during a Luftwaffe raid on RN ships in the Firth of Forth. 'Dora' was the first enemy bomber downed by the RAF over the British mainland in WWII, and was on the receiving end of the first ever Spitfire victory.
 I was born by the Forth, and have lived half my life on its banks, my family have worked for generations on its waters and in its docks and I live just a few miles from where 'Dora' ditched almost eighty years ago. So I thought I'd make her the first half of a 1/32 'Dogfight Double'. Eventually I'll get around to tackling her nemesis – XT-A 'Stickleback' a MkI Spit of 603 Squadron. Over a year in, having too much fun, here's some (unfinished) pit shots. Apologise for quality – taken with an iPhone4 Cockpit side walls, still needs wiring/some piping added Eduard PE, Aims and homemade decals Floor and curtains printed on inkjet Pilot seat, control column and BZG2 Bombsight

Greetings all, An Easter holidays completion from me - Revell's 1/32nd scale Hawker Hunter FGA.9 more or less OOB, other than some aftermarket decals from AeroMaster and some home-made FOD guards. This kit is really under-rated in my humble opinion - it has lots of detail OOB and beautiful surface detailing from a time when Revell were at the top of their game. I had no issues whatsoever with the build - it's about as close as you can get to building Lego - and it went together in a few days. Paints were Xtracolur enamels with a splash of Humbrol Matt Cote to finish it off. Some light weathering was done with Mig pastels. All in all a very enjoyable build - and it only cost me a tenner under the table at a show! All the best, Tom Hawker Hunter FGA.9, XG207, 58 Squadron, RAF Wittering, mid-1970s.

Here's my recently completed Kotare Spit. You don't get many parts for your near-£100 quid but you do get great accuracy, meticulous research and no loss of building enjoyment. The detail in the casting is exquisite - you can't quite see the raised rivets at the back of the fuselage in my photos for example, but it is there. Of course you could pay a bit more for a Tamiya Spit and get a much higher parts count and a full engine if that's your thing, but it won't be an early version - you pays your money and takes your choice. Both are a joy to build in their own way. Thanks for looking J.A.

Happy Easter folks! Here is my attempt at Revell's new(ish) big Hurricane. Decent enough kit for the price, although some quite clever design in places is let down by the soft plastic as the pieces aren't as sharply moulded as they might otherwise be. Nothing a bit of effort can't overcome though. Thanks for looking, J.A.

I've not been idle for the last 6 months or so: this has been on the bench, and now it's finished. Here are a few photos until I get out and do some "beauty shots". The model is Italeri's 1/32 GR4 in one of the box schemes, the Tornado retirement scheme for IX(B) Sqn. This squadron was the first RAF operational unit to be equipped with the Tornado GR1. IX Sqn flew several types in WWI, and was briefly disbanded in 1919. It reformed as a bomber unit in 1924 - hence the "(B)" in the title - and starting with the Vimy, flew Virginias, Heyfords, Wellingtons, Lancasters, Lincolns, Canberras and Vulcans, before reforming on the Tornado. Italeri's GR4 builds up quite well: it needs a little work to make it fit, but in the end it is a solid construction. I did use rather a lot of aftermarket, to whit: Eduard canopy masks; Bandit Resin Factory empty Sidewinder rails; HGW safety ("RBF") flags; Jet Passion 1500 litre tanks, exterior detail set (partly not used as not needed imo) and replacement back seat monitors (scrapped and reverted to kit parts for reasons I won't bore you with); Master pitot tube; Scale Model Developments (SMD) seats; Tradewind67 (eBay trader name) intake and Jet pipe covers, other covers, and back seat grab handles); and home-cut masks for the roundels and serials. And until I get what I call the "proper camera" out, here are a few quick post-finish bench shots. Comments and feedback welcome, thanks for looking.

Phew, broke my duck for 2024. I was very pleased to finish this one, not least because it was an xmas present from my Dad. The kit was pre-owned and included quite a lot of aftermarket – the Ali Cat canopy set, Quickboost propeller and exhausts and the Master brass gun barrels set (this being particularly appreciated as the forward-firing MG17 in the kit seems to be a 30mm upgrade from the diameter of the barrel). I had another beef with the kit, in that it seems to be designed to be built with the wings folded and all the engine panels open... as a result the wings seem to be lacking the wing-root fillet at the top if you build them unfolded (it could have been me, but I couldn't find any such part or any part that looked like it might fit the bill) and the engine cowling panels don't fit at all well if closed up. Still, I made it in the end and as it's unlikely anyone else will produce an injection-moulded Ar 196A then you either build this one or you don't build any. I did add the HGW resin seat and fabric seatbelt set, and the Quinta instruments sets, as the kit's moulded seat belts weren't all that impressive and there were no decals for the instrument panel. The model was finished in the Maritime Scheme, with Colourcoats ACLW04 - Grun RLM 72 & ACLW05 - Grun RLM 73 over ACLW03 - Hellblau RLM 65, with the interior in ACLW12 - RLM Grau RLM 02, the propeller blades in ACLW02 – Schwarzgrun RLM70 and the bombs in ACLW11 - Dunkelgrun RLM71. Detail painting was mostly Vallejo acrylics with Tamiya Clear Red and Green for the navigation lights. I used the kit transfers, they were good but I did ditch the large stencilled laurel wreath marking which commemorated 100 catapult launches from Tirpitz – I didn't like the way it was sprayed over the hand-hold ropes and there must have been a time when it didn't have that marking applied (the first 99 launches, for example). I finished it with a mix of satin and matt varnishes, it still came out shinier than I expected but them's the breaks. Thanks for your patience, apologies for the verbiage Cheers, Stew

Few months ago, i started to built this seaplane, one of my favorite. I used all Eduard photoetch kits. Arado 196 B-0: Pre-series with central float, 5 aircrafts delivered at the end of 1938 for evaluation by coastal reconnaissance units, 10 in total built. I began by the BMW engine. Wiki: The BMW 132 is a radial aircraft engine, which was produced by BMW from 1933 onwards. It was the German version of the American Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet. On January 3, 1928, BMW bought the manufacturing license for the Pratt & Whitney nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine. The manufacture started with an almost unchanged version, called BMW Hornet. Soon, BMW began to develop its own version. The result was the BMW 132, an improved version whose production began in 1933. It was built in many different versions. In addition to the carburettor versions used mainly in civil aviation, versions with direct fuel injection were produced for the air force created by the National Socialist regime, the Luftwaffe. The BMW 132 was widely used to power transport aircraft. Thus, it was the main engine of the Junkers Ju 52 for most of its career, making the BMW 132 one of the most important engines for civil aircraft during the 1930s. Many aeronautical feats were accomplished with the BMW 132. The most impressive performance was the first direct flight between Berlin and New York, made on August 10, 1938 by a four-engine Focke-Wulf Fw 200 S-1 Condor. This aircraft linked the two cities in 24 hours and 57 minutes non-stop. Aircraft equipped with this engine: Arado Ar 196 Arado Ar 197 Blohm & Voss Ha 137 Blohm & Voss Ha 140 Blohm & Voss BV 142 Dornier Do 17P Fieseler Fi 98 Focke-Wulf Fw 62 Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor Gotha Go 244 Heinkel He 114 Heinkel He 115 Henschel Hs 123 Henschel Hs 124 Junkers Ju 160 Junkers Ju 52 Junkers Ju 90 Junkers W 34

No secret that this is my favourite aircraft, and the IDF operates probably the most advanced and combat capable variant currently flying. 1/32 is 'my scale' and we are currently spoilt for choice with four great kits of the various marks of this 5th Gen jet. Italeri got there first with this fully licensed kit and I snapped one up as soon as they were available. I started it back in 2021 but it soon got lost amid the wreckage from covid but I was able to complete it for the Go Large Or Go Home GB this year. The GB just finished so go grab yourself some big-scale goodness over in the gallery and build threads! So, here she is! The pilot represents 'Captain Shin' or simply Captain S., the Deputy CO of Sqn 116 'Lions Of The South' based at Nevatim in the Negev. Tricked it out in full Beast Mode IDF-style, with Python-5 missiles and Spice-1000 guided bombs plus GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, GBU-38 laser JDAMs and AIM-120D AMRAAMs. Cockpit details were Eduard panels, Metallic Details wiring and upgrades, and Anyz knobs, placards and switches. The decals were a mix of kit, IsraDecal's set for this squadron plus the incredible 1-Man Army stencil set. I made two pilot figures which came from an Etsy seller, so they're probably knock-offs of a more reputable producer (sorry!) The 1-Man Army stencils were astonishing - everything here is painted on. I used Colourcoats FS36170 enamel paint for the main colour, with MRP FS36170 Camouflage Gray lacquer for the panel joins. The enamel was applied over an Alclad aluminium base to provide the slightly reflective sheen. The weapons bays were the biggest challenge - I used Metallic Details upgrade set to add detail. I'll never build open weapons bays again in this scale!!! They look great with the Eduard GBU-39s and kit AMRAAMs plugged in! Pleased that everything fitted! All the bombs are attached using small neodymium magnets for ease of transport, if I should ever need to transport it! The entire canopy section is also detachable for protection when transporting. The entire nozzle and engine section is a resin replacement from Metallic Details. I also used Reskit wheels. This kit goes together very well, unless you want to try an drop the flaps or do anything else not in the instructions! It all looks very symmetrical and balanced out of the box. The wonky bombs are just because of the magnet attachment points and they got a bit knocked with me handling the model for photos! The armament was a big part of the build and came from Academy (Python AAMs), Eduard (GBU-39 SDBs), IsraCast (Spice-1000), Wolfpack (GBU-38s) and the kit (AMRAAMs). I called this a bit of a kitchen sink build, (in that I threw every bit of aftermarket I could stash bar the kitchen sink) and I'm really pleased it turned out more or less how I'd hoped. It's also a big ol' beast in 1/32! Here's how it measures up against its predecessor! Anyway - the GB is finished, and this goes back on the display shelf - hope you enjoyed a potted tour of the build and I wish you all a very merry and happy Christmas break All the best and happy 2024, Alan

Hello fellows! Here, my new project: the Tiger Moth, British training aircraft, from ICM in 1/32 scale. This is the boxart: : And a pic of the sprues: According to the instructions, I opened several holes in the fuselage and wings, in order to put the rigging. I passed through the holes standard sewing thread. After this, the fuselage was painted in green cockpit: Here, the two halves glued together: After, I assembled and painted the engine: Also, I added a couple of wires...I want this part be visible. For this, I'm going to use small magnets to fix the cover in place, without gluing, but allowing to remove it if desired. This other side, will be closed after assembly: A couple of pics of the engine and the cover open. The black arrow shows the place where the first magnet is glued: And here, the magnets in the cover side: Here, notice the magnet put in the front part. Finally, I needed four small magnets, in order to fix the cover properly: And this is the final result. The cover can be easily removed to show the engine: And close after. That's all for the moment. I hope you like it, and thanks for watching! Josep

Hello fellows, Let me show my last project. The Tiger Moth DH82 A- British Training Aircraft -1/32 from ICM. This model has been fun to make, and everything went well, until the time to put the wiring, where it was not possible for me to get the result I wanted. The rigging were loose, after several attempts to put them in tension. In this sense, the difficulty has exceeded my skills, and I have finally let some rigging loose. I hope that the next model with rigging will be better...🤞 Anyway, I leave you these photos of the finished model. I'm quite happy with the painting, camouflage scheme and the installation of some small magnets to be able to remove the cover and see the engine. Here, a link to WIP: As always, thanks you guys for your comments. Cheers! Josep

Since I was, at best, mediocre in my build of a 1/48 Tamiya Spitfire as I am trying to get back into this modeling thing, I was trying to decide which kit I could mangle next. I just happened to be on this bid site (addictions are a hard thing to oppress) and there was this 1/32 Hasegawa Zero for a ridiculously low price. So, I bid on it and ended up winning. Upon receiving the kit and opening it to see if it was complete or not, I found a Quinta Studio 3D cockpit set for a Tamiya Zero that retails for more than what I paid for the kit. Bonus, huh? I just happened to have a Tamiya Zero in the stash so why not build it and use the Quinta Studio set to enhance it. Then I got the brilliant idea of build both and if I am using the Quinta Studio on the Tamiya kit, use the Tamiya kit parts on the Hasegawa kit. Hence, this build took life. I am comparing the 1979 issue of the 1971 Hasegawa Zero kit with Tamiya’s 2000 new tool 1/32 A6M5 Zero. (I know the Hasegawa kit is old, but has it really been over 20 years since Tamiya came out with this first superkit?) First the obligatory box and sprue shots; Tamiya first: To go with the Tamiya kit I have the aforementioned Quinta Studio 3d set and Master metal gun barrels. Next is the Hasegawa kit The scheme right now for the Tamiya kit is the 204th bird. The scheme for the Hasegawa kit is the A6M5 C version. Before I can start, however, some attention has to be paid to the work bench as these kits will take a lot of space, so messes have to be cleaned! I decided if I do comparison builds with the idea I might start to make a dent in the stash. The 1/32 and 1/24 group The 1/32 and 1/48 group The 1/48 group And the 1/72 group I just need to live to be around 175 to complete all of these at my current snail pace rate of build. Now the issues I see with this build. I picked up a list of corrections for the Tamiya kit at this other site devoted to Large Planes (sneaky how I described that one huh?). I don’t know how many I will actually do based upon my laziness and skill level. In regards to the Quinta Studio set, it is for a different Zero version than I have so adjustments may have to be made. (Or I ignore it and blissfully know that 99% of the people that might ever look at my finished model won’t know the difference. As for the Hasegawa kit, there are 3 choices for markings but each marking is a different Zero version. I haven’t really closely examined the contents of the Hasegawa box and instructions, but I kinda doubt all options for the three versions are included and clearly delineated on how to do each one in the instructions. I am just guessing the kit is a mixture of different Zero versions. Anyway, that is where the start of this build is; the bare planning stages and get myself motivated to clean the work bench. I expect this to be done at my normal sloth like pace so maybe once a week updates. My work schedule is a bit intense right now, plus we have this drought thing going on in Texas and there is a bit more work involved making sure the cows and horses have plenty of food and water. Have to balance the hay needs, the lack of pasture grass, and how much they colic so nothing bad happens. Anyone who wants to see if I can muck this up is more than welcome to come along and all comments and suggestions on the progress (or lack of it) are more than welcome.

Hi all, This was my last build of the year, finished on 30 December just in time for the deadline of the I Feel Deserted Groupbuild. This is a perfectly serviceable kit with very good decals. It goes together very well with few problems and contains some very nice options like Vokes and Aboukir filters and a slipper tank. It was originally going to be a pristine show model but I just couldn't do it 😂 The kit comes with a basic facsimile of the Merlin engine but I built a replacement engine from the Tamiya Mosquito. I borrowed a genius idea from the excellent GWH P-40 and built two complete nose sections which are held in place by magnets. This means it can be displayed either fully open or fully closed up without needing ill-fitting panels or fiddly magnetic bits The kit is finished in Colourcoats enamels and using the kit decals, which were of superb quality. I grafted a corrected forward canopy from a Revell Mk IX as the kit contained the older Mk.I/II type. I also added the armour panel over the fuel tank using Tamiya tape, and the IFF wires from the stabilisers to the roundel. I also replaced the wheels with Armory resin ones to get the treaded tyres and avoid using the kit vinyl ones. The cropped wingtips were modified to reflect the locally-produced wooden ones that were common with 244 Wing aircraft at the time. I really enjoyed this build and was very relieved that the detachable nose idea worked! All it takes is to scratchbuild a new bulkhead in the recess so that both nose sections have something to grip onto. I was so pleased with it that this could become my signature gimmick from now on ☺️ Well, thanks for looking, and a very Happy New Year to you all 🍻 Alan