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Hi, While I'm building the P-47M for the GB, I also have several Razorback P-47D's that I have started years ago. I'll have a go at finishing them (or some of them) for the inspiration gallery. There's one from the 353rd FG that would first in line. I think it will look great with those black and yellow diamonds on the cowling. My goal is to have (a couple of years from now) a fighter from each of the Fighter Groups of the 8th AF (including a P-47 of each Squadron of the 56th FG). With the "twin" GB of 2024, I could add a P-38 and of course a P-51 from that STGB. Cheers, Stefan.

I've long had a soft spot for the P-40. And so although this is not my normal genre (what's that spinny thing at the front?) and not my normal scale (in fact my first 1/48 build), I'm keen to make a second contribution to the GB by modelling 3 Squadron RAAF CO Bobby Gibbes' Kittyhawk IA ET953, code CV V. Arguably the GB doesn't need another Kittyhawk, but I reckon it does need a RAAF one! I'll use the Hasegawa kit. With its familiar sprues. Complemented maybe with some etch. And with decals from Novascale. (Anybody used Novascale decals before?) Of course there is a bit of conjecture and discussion online about this aircraft's markings. Some photos show the aircraft with what look to be white squadron letters and others what is thought to be blue or red. So at some point in the brief 3-4 month career ET953 had as Bobby Gibbes' personal aircraft (by about September 42 he was flying a Kitthawk II/P-40F) at least some of the markings were changed. And then there's the type A rounders under the wings but type Cs on the fuselage, which photos do seem to confirm. (I found a link to the IPMS NSW magazine with a great article exploring the markings of Gibbes' desert Kittyhawks here - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ljyz_249Morhw_JOlF6CsrQeUL2bbmFD/view ) Here in Aus a Kittyhawk has been restored to represent ET953, which features white squadron codes but the undersides look to be light Mediterranean blue with period incorrect type D roundels on the wing undersides. Pics here. So I think I'll stick with the scheme as on the decal sheet (dated August 42), which seems to have a nice representation of Gibbes' famous nose artwork of a kangaroo kicking a helmeted daschund... It's getting late so I might post some more info about Bobby Gibbes (an ace pilot in more ways than one) and 3 Squadron as the build progresses. But for now, I've made a start with the cutting of some plastic, and am already paying close to attention to all the other terrific P-40 builds in this GB for guidance and ideas! Should be a fun build! Gerard

Hi All, having recently embarked upon a themed build of the Messerschmitt Bf109 and its Hispano-built offspring in Spanish skies, I thought I'd kick off another similar project. This time, though, it'll be a major departure for me in that it will feature only civil aircraft, to whit, racers. My plan is to build a representative collection of Golden Era racers, such as competed in the Bendix, Thompson, King's Cup, MacRobertson, Schneider etc air races. The subjects will only be ones that particularly appeal to me so there will ultimately be an eclectic mix, I'm sure! The occasional post-WWII ex-military example may well creep in, too - who can resist a much-modified-Mustang? This is likely to be another long-drawn-out trial-by-waffle that I dip into occasionally, and I'll build only one of these birds at a time. My intention is to edit this first post with links to the introductory post of each build as it begins so its easier to "jump" to a specific build. That's assuming anyone's still with me and interested enough to want to, of course I've already got a couple of the old Hawk/Testors 1/48 racers in my stash, namely the Travel Air Mystery Ship and the Laird Solution, but my first subject will be: Seversky S-2 Buckle up - it's gonna be a bumpy ride! Cheers, Mark

So it's been a little while but time to update on the next project, yep another F-15! This one is a late C model courtesy of the 1/48 Eduard F-15 kit which is an upgraded Academy kit. The upgrades include nice decals, resin wheels, ACES ejection seat and most importantly some very nice exhausts. The kit also includes some PE including colour PE for the cockpit which all together make it quite an attractive bundle. The only slight caveat is that it is still the academy kit which does have some fit issues especially regarding the engine intakes and nose-to-fuselage join. As most of the essential bits are already upgraded, I'm not planning too many additional items however, this will be lit up with some LEDs which always requires some additional thought/patience/sanity-check on a 1/48 scale model. Subject of choice will be a blue aggressor machine from the 65 AGRS at Nellis similar to this one (but not a twin seat version). Decals for 65 AGRS machines are courtesy of an old Afterburner set I bought ages ago (as who doesn't like some more Aggressor options!) and as this will also be an in-flight display, I'll need a pilot . Right onto the kit and straight into the first issue - which to be fair I knew when I bought the kit second hand. The cockpit had been started but it looks like initial efforts to assemble the PE elements had not gone well and subsequent attempts to rectify the situation with copious amounts of super glue had also not gone well. Even the cover-up paintwork failed to improve the look which was probably the point the previous owner decided to call it a day. Anyway, never shy of a challenge (and knowing that a closed canopy will hide a multitude of sins) I set about removing the super-glued paint as best I could with chemicals and assorted files/sanders. All the front cockpit PE was trashed so I purchased another set and set about to recover what detail I could. As you can see, there was not a lot left to play with. Some clever paintwork required here I think or more likely for my skill level, just rely on the seat and pilot covering up most of the issue. The new PE for the front IP should also help. Talking of the seat, at least the Eduard resin one is nicely detailed and some additional PE should detract nicely from the melty-mess of the rest of the cockpit. More to follow soon, intake heaven (not).

I have just finished a small Admiralty Steam Drifter (completed photos to follow), so its back to the RAF, and another stalwart from the early war period. I could build yet another Beaufighter, but the Wellington attracts as a good subject, with a kit in 1/48 that needs a tiny bit of work. The kit is, of course, Trumpeter’s 1/48 scale Wellington IC, first released in about 2006, and my chief reference, apart from what I will be able to find online, is the the very nice 4 plus monograph on the Wellington. I don’t promise a fast result with this build, as there are a number of things about the kit which need to be sorted out, and I will have some other things on the go while it is being built. But there is space on the workbench right at the moment, so I will try to get the difficult bits done before other projects intrude.

Another 1/48 Tamiya P-47D. The only other P-47 I have built was Hobby Boss’s 1/48 Easy Assembly Kit for the 2016 P-47 STGB. I used the Xtradecals “Yanks with Roundels” sheet to build a SEAC aircraft from 134 Squadron. I will be using the same sheet to build a NMF aircraft from 258 Squadron. This one was chosen as it is the only NMF fished aircraft that doesn’t have a tail fillet. The one in the photo below. Don’t expect quick progress with this one, I have 4 other GB builds underway. I have the week after Telford booked off work, my current plan it’s to build this in that week, assuming I don’t find some wonder kit at Telford that jumps to the top of the build pile.

I have been avoiding the big Sanger 1/48 Avro Shackleton in my stash for a while now. I picked it up on eBay a few years back & then realised it was an MR2 version and I wanted the AEW2. So some great service from Sanger provided me with the correct bits to build the one I wanted. The Martine Reconnaissance version had been retired before I started going to airshows, although I think the Duxford one had not long arrived when I first went around 1976. The AEW2 all over grey Shackletons were still sometimes seen around airshows until the late 80s. I can remember the sound of those 4 Griffons, and one memorable time seeing one flying with the BBMF Lanc. Anyway, the kit. These are the two fuselages and wings with a 1/48 Airfix Lightning for scale The detail isn’t actually too bad And the white metal parts. As I said I have both MR and AEW parts. So 24 separate prop blades & vacform hubs. Nice and easy then! This is not going to fall together over night! I usually do lights & motors but even though technically a modified rc helicopter would give contra rotating props, I think the white metal blades would fly around the room! Might still squeeze in some lights though

Just a place holder for the next couple of weeks. Jane and I are on our honeymoon, currently bobbing across the North Sea on a cruise to the Norwegian fjords. It's a bit lumpy out there at the moment Inspired by @danbuoy's Formation Monitor build, I thought I would do something similar. I'll be using Tamiya's 1/48 P-47D Razorback, which I have never before built but which is well-known and well-regarded. My subject will be 42-8567 "The Snoop" - NMF which will also be a first for me. Many thanks for looking in! Cheers, Mark EDIT The build starts here.

Seems Airfix are doing a stealth drop rerelease of the rather nice 2011 Seafire XVII. https://uk.airfix.com/products/supermarine-seafire-fxvii-a06102a 3 schemes, EDSG over sky in both High and low demarcation and one in TSS Nice to see this kit back, good schemes and presumably in the new dark plastic.

This one will be built as a F-47D used by Yugoslav air force after WWII. Decals from Lift here for Yugoslav Bolts will be used. Which of the options, I havent decided yet. Yugoslavia had 150 Thunderbolts in use - acquired 125 F-47 from USA through MDAP and 25 directly purchased from France.

There have been a lot of Swordfish builds on BM recently, which has prompted me to reactivate an old endeavour of building Swordfish in three scales that I started in 2016: 1/72 new mold Airfix, 1/48 Tamiya and 1/32 Trumpeter. I decided to build all of them as floatplanes, which in the case of the Trumpeter kit required scratch-building the floats /struts/float wheels. Previously I have built 4 Tamiya Mk I Swordfish, 1 Model Design Construction Mk ll and a couple of Trumpeter Mk 1, but never in float plane configuration. I finished the 1/32 Trumpeter floatplane conversion, but the Tamiya floatplane fell off the shelf of doom in a fairly early stage of construction and smashed the floatplane struts. The Airfix kit hasn't progressed past fuselage construction. It's my intention to salvage the Tamiya kit and complete the Airfix float plane. To start off with here is a comparison of the three cockpits. I've used the available Eduard photo-etch sets on all three: 1/72 Airfix I/48 Tamiya I/32 Trumpeter And side by side: And zipped up in their fuselages:

AJS37 Viggen 37104 - F15 Söderhamn June 1996 The Box The goodies The decal set by Moose Republic and the reference book Research has started. If all goes as planned, I will be starting on it mid december. Is there anybody around who would like to do a parallel build? See you soon, Sam

Hi, Now that I have cleared the last troublesome kit I will build from my stash, it's time to get to the Corsairs. It started with the F4U-5, then I found an AU-1 (F4U-6) kit I didn't know existed, and recently I found an F4U-7. I thought I'd work on them all together since they are all related. As everything will be in triplicate this will be a slow build. Cheers, Wlad

Hi All, here I am again with another themed build thread, this time featuring Republic's Mighty Jug. This will be another departure for me as the only P-47 I've ever built was Airfix's 1/72 scale 1970s-or-80s effort, which was finished in SEAC colours. These builds will be resolutely 1/48 scale, as are all my builds at the moment, and I'll be aiming to use the most up-to-date kits on the market at the time I begin each. As with my other themed build threads, I'm not aiming to build one of everything, just those that, for whatever reason, happen take my eye. The P-47 is still very much a closed book for me, but I've got a number of older publications to leaf through and a couple of other likely reference sources on my radar. However, I would be very grateful to the Thunderbolt experts out there for pointers toward good books on the subject! As I'm already building the Dora Wings Seversky P-35, albeit in its S-2 racing configuration (link here if you're interested), it seems rude to not include the Thunderbolt's ancestors such the P-43 Lancer in this project; I've got a bit of a soft spot for the Lancer, and Dora Wings' kit is already safely in my stash! There are also the prototypes such as the XP-47H, another personal favourite, which are more than likely to make an appearance. So, among those victims already selected are a 5th ERS P-47D Razorback, 395th FS P-47D Razorback "Miss Second Front", 56th FG P-47B (but not Hub Zemke's!), a.n.other RAF aircraft in SEAC colours..... Here we go: Republic P-47B Thunderbolt, 56th Fighter Group, Long Island, 1942 Cheers for now, Mark

Thought I would start a Work in Progress post for my new project - concurrent Italeri and Revell 1/48 Blackbird builds. When I say new, I actually started the Italeri SR71 about 20 years ago, and therefore before YouTube even existed. Without any access to the plethora of modelling tips now available on the Interweb, my initial attempts at this difficult kit were a bit feeble, and it sat in a box 90% incomplete and 10% in disaster for a long time. I've kept the thing all these years, as I'm loathe to throw anything away, and I'm a sucker for a lost cause. Since I took up modelling again a few years ago, I've been collecting a few aftermarket bits for it, and last year bought the Revell kit also, along with more aftermarket parts. (I tend to limit my 'stash' to aftermarket goodies rather than kits, as they take up less space and are easier to hide, thus avoiding awkward questions) So I've now got two different kits and a load of bits to make the same aircraft, but have decided that I don't want two big black aircraft, and plan to do one in the early black/titanium two tone scheme that I like. Therefore, the Italeri kit is to be converted to an early A12 Oxcart. The reason this is a bit of a 'Frankenstein' build is because I plan to use some aftermarket bits on the Revell kit, and some of the spare parts from it will then be allocated to the Italeri A12. My list of bits includes: A very warped Italeri Kit A new Revell Blackbird kit (it may not be the perfect kit, but compared to the Italeri one, its fantastic!) Some Afterburner Decals Armory resin wheels, early and late types Metallic Details 3D printed Cockpit. Metallic Details grills and jet nozzles photo etch Reskit nozzles Eduard Undercarriage photoetch Eduard Interior photoetch Redfox 3D instruments Master pitot tubes x 2 New Ware kabuki mask There's a lot of excellent information available on this Forum on both these kits, which I think I have read most of, and this is an enormous help in hopefully completing the builds. I'm afraid my A12 conversion (or SR71 for that matter) are never going to compete in terms of accuracy and finish to many that have gone before me, but there are two other criteria for me that are more important; 'Have Fun', and 'Get It Finished!'

I’ve been threatening to build one of these for a while, possibly the ugliest airplane ever built. First order of business, a buck got the fuselage, I’m going to split it into three moldings, one for the cupola and two fuselage sides. It’s glued/taped/screwed so once it’s shaped I can easily split it into three pieces for molding.

Chapter 1 Blame Alistair (and maybe Colin..... but definitely Alistair) Well now, isn't this nice? A nice fresh blank page in a nice fresh topic, ready to build a nice fresh pristine kit. All nice and er........fresh. And new. And as yet unsullied, untouched by the incompetent hand of Quack. What could possibly go wrong? Even I don't know the answer to that - isn't it exciting?? Anyway, cock-ups there will be, cock-ups aplenty - and it'll all be the fault of @AliGauld. Mostly. Why? you ask. Well some of you good people were kind enough to have a look at my Revell 1/48 Tornado.............. ..........and will have noted Alistair's recommendation for building the Canberra PR.9 Well I had a fevered dream visit from Colin, not your one but this one sounded a lot like Andy Secombe. He thinks the Canberra would be a cracking choice. Of course in a purely selfish way I wouldn't be adverse to that one. Asking for a friend you understand. So be it. Canberra it is. And it'll all end in tears as usual just you wait and see, and it'll all be Alistair's fault. So there. Colin, the guardian of Quack Towers dungeon regions (and consequently also Guardian of The Stash), has been kind enough to provide me with the Airfix 1/48 Canberra PR.9 kit. Well, I say he provided me with the kit, but that's because he won't let me into my own dungeons these days. He's been a bit abrasive of late, and I only got the kit by throwing him the dungeon keys at which point he settled into the cellar and polished off my last few cases of the decent Chateau Margaux before dropping the kit into the moat. Hope the decals are ok...... So. Where do we start??? Well we begin with ............the kit I suppose. This one. With a CMK aftermarket cockpit set. 01 by Dr. Quack, on Flickr 03 by Dr. Quack, on Flickr And I'll be doing this one, which is from late in the PR.9's career. I like the scheme and I'll use the kit transfers. 02 by Dr. Quack, on Flickr There have been several astonishingly well researched and well executed PR.9's here on BM, and I've used some of them to glean information about how best to approach the build, and looked through a number of reference photos to try to gain a modicum of accuracy. Some builds are highly accomplished and involve significant surgery to the tailplane mounts - I'll be settling for fairly simple stuff with a view to finishing the build with all of my digits still attached. First list of observations is as follows. (Notes to Self) Fill the atrociously deep lines on the rudder. Fill the access door panel line on the LEFT side of the fwd fuselage, leaving the one on the right 'cos it's meant to be there. Fill the double Doppler (?) panel under the RIGHT wing, leaving intact the one under the left 'cos it's meant to be there too. Plug the antenna mounts on the tail as they are enormous and way too big for the parts to be fitted, then drill a nice new smaller hole. Plug the hole for mounting the ram air scoop low on the LEFT chin as it will need to be repositioned high up close to the cockpit sill. Leave the one on the right side as it seems correct. Fill the slot for the fuel dump vent on the right rear fuselage as it will need repositioned rearward, close to the tail bumper. Plug the holes for the wingtip tanks - not used as far as I can tell. 2 pitot units will need added on the Left fwd fuselage at the end of the build. Modify the openings on the upper surfaces of the forward portions of the engine nacelles. The LEFT side looks broadly correct but the RIGHT side should be identical in layout, not the mirror image moulded by Airfix. These vents (are the starter exhausts??) also need opened up with mesh detail in the bases, rather than the blind pits in the mouldings. May need to drill out circular camera windows on both sides of the nose, low down at the paint demarcation line - these are represented by black transfers by Airfix - not sure if I'll opt for drilling or not....... Open holes for the towel-rail antenna on the LEFT chin next to the nosewheel bay - Left only. There's still a lot of photo research to do to work out the antenna fit for this late-career PR.9. For one thing the large white box near the rear of the spine should be replaced with a small disc GPS antenna. More though needed but for now my brain hurts. Started marking out the bits needing plugged....yes that's what the arrows are for. At the same time, it's important to use the correct cockpit plug for this era of PR.9 which had the radio antenna sited well forward next to the canopy 04 by Dr. Quack, on Flickr Made a small start - plugs of stretched sprue glued in place to fill holes - these will be cut close to the model surface then sanded smooth. The rectangular fuel dump has been blanked at the rear with a view to filling it in layers. I'll probably finish with sprue goo then sand it down to the fuselage contour. 05 by Dr. Quack, on Flickr So - a start has actually been made - glue has been shed though no parts yet stuck together. My builds are usually slow, but I think this'll be a long one. See you at Christmas! Meantime... Keep Calm and Mangle Plastic. Q

My aircraft WIP started off with a couple of 1/48 RAF Phantoms I was building, but somewhere along the way I started putting together a background to photograph them with. This turned in to a hair-brained scheme to build a Hardened Aircraft Shelter (HAS). I live near Wattisham and have taken some photos while passing of the site, and using google maps I got started on some plans. A full size hanger in 1/48 would just be too big, so a single aircraft HAS seemed do-able. So this is what I was aiming for: Most of the build so far is on my other thread, so I won't repeat it all here. Suffice to say it got rolling with a bit of rolled up cardboard: The main structure is about 76cm x 45cm. But then add the apron in front, doors, vent at the back, annex, etc, etc. Its got pretty big.

HI everyone!🙂 this is my HASEGAWA 1/48 Aichi B7A2 "grace" It's not famous,but I realy like the shape of this airplane.. the kit is almost 25years old,however,I think it's a good kit the IJN green has always been a challenge fo me.. try to build this beauty as good as I could.. hope you guys like it!

Hallo The aircraft and operation of JG 300 are in many ways an interesting topic for me. In the first aspect of night navigation in the airspace of the big area of the Reich. The other one from the issue of flying in the hell of anti-aircraft fire. Finally to get a score and if lucky, to find home are find a suitable landing ground! This is my first Tamiya kit on the Bf-109. After a long series of 26 models of this type and scale. My verdict of the Tamiya kit is simple: Typical Tamiya. Build groups are complicated divided to get the magnets and metal in. Other detail is that way that installation is totally different from everything. But idiot save on the other hand! So you cannot get wrong. I stepped full in the 109 trap, since an open cooling hood does never work with a drop tank. They kiss each other. The surface, I used the decals, it was not intended to do so. I wanted to spray them, but the insignia masks I used were first time NewWare masks. If you stick with them once, you have no chance to reposition them. Different from his canopy masks, it is the size which distortion it. In opposite to Montex. Big masks of thin paper has Galaxy (for Sukhoi) but the material and the glue is much different! Well, so have a look and enjoy it. Happy modelling

So the Go Large or Go Home groupbuild is currently ongoing and I have a 1/32 Bf109K-4 and a 1/24 Fw190D-9 in progress, but I quickly realised I've never built any second world war German aircraft (aside from an Avia S-199) and never actually tried a mottled camouflage scheme. Now I don't fancy my first attempt to be on one of those big kits in case I make a right mess of it so I got myself the 1/48 Hobbyboss easy-assembly Bf109G-6 and Bf109F-4 to practice on first. I've built a few of these hobbyboss easy assembly kits and they always go together in no time, perfect for me since the paintwork is my focus. I have the Vallejo late-war Luftwaffe set already which I know sprays lovely and my dad has about 40 years more experience than me so I'm sure he can give me a few pointers 😅 I'm on a bit of a Luftwaffe kick at the minute too so I'll likely add a few more 1/48 kits to the collection and maybe get them built up in here. Thanks for looking in!

Hallo The camo was the interesting topic here. I built already some of the aircraft operating in the east.# But this is my first snow camo at all. I did use the Gunze C316 for the white and afterward I used a 3600 grain grinding textile to tread the surface. Usually I need it for breaking edges of outlines of sprayed demarcation lines. Here I used it more intense on the white surfaces. If you are interested in my WIP: The Zvezda kit is an analogy to the Tamiya kit with some big differences. All over. But basically the same idea, but much more simple and straight forward! I would not give a final verdict what I prefer. If I look at the finished model, you can get the same result. Have a look on the pictures, and enjoy them. Happy modelling

A late entry. That’s not unusual for me. My mother said I was late for my birth and have been arriving late ever since. And yes, I did clear it with moderator that aircraft of the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm are eligible for this Group Build. We need a few kangaroos amongst all those aircraft carrying targets. RAN FAA The RAN first acquired an interest in naval aviation just prior to World War I. In May 1913 naval strategist, Commander Walter Thring, RAN, advocated for the acquisition of ‘water-planes’, and the following year the First Naval Member, Rear Admiral Sir William Creswell, RAN, recommended that the 1914-1915 estimates allow for the establishment of an Australian Naval Air Service. Without British support, which the RNAS was unable to provide, the proposal went no further. The RAN’s interest in aviation grew more over the course of the war. Naval aviation found a champion in the form of Captain John Dumaresq, RN, HMAS Sydney’s Australian-born Royal Navy Captain. Dumaresq was at the forefront of the campaign to develop an embarked aviation capability in the Empire’s cruisers. In 1920, a deployment of an Avro 504 floatplane aboard HMAS Australia and HMAS Melbourne was attempted. This proved to be unsuccessful as the aircraft were not built to withstand the rigours of handling on a naval ship. Undeterred, in April 1921, the Australian Government announced its intention to acquire 12 Fairey IIID seaplanes for service with the RAN, a number that was later reduced to six due to financial constraints. The six aircraft arrived in Australia in late 1921 but were placed under the operational control of the RAAF. The RAN had not given up its ambition to establish an air arm and, on 16 June 1925, the following order was promulgated: "The Naval board have decided to establish a Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Australian Navy, based, as far as practicable, on the scheme adopted in the Royal Navy." Two new County Class cruisers, HMA Ships Australia and Canberra , were to be constructed to the tonnage limits of the Washington Treaty, and both would be able to launch aircraft from a catapult. It was further suggested that the RAN might take up a merchant vessel modified as a seaplane carrier. However there was major inter-service rivalry with the Air Board interpreting the order as establishing a FAA on the British model, i.e. within the RAAF and under RAAF control, whereas the Naval Board interpreted it as establishing the new branch within the RAN. Ministerial approval for the establishment of a FAA in the RAN was given in January 1925. Then on 10 June 1925, six days before the order establishing an FAA was promulgated, the Governor-General, Sir Henry Forster, while opening Federal Parliament, announced the Government’s intention construct a seaplane carrier at Cockatoo Island Dockyard. However, wrangling between the Naval and Air boards over control of the FAA continued. The final result was that the RAN FAA was disestablished at a meeting of the Federal Cabinet on 18 January 1928. It was not until twenty years later, after World War II, that the RAN was finally able to establish a Fleet Air Arm in 1948. It’s initial equipment was motley collection of ex RAAF used for training purposes. The first operational aircraft were Hawker Sea Furies and Fairey Firefly aircraft which were embarked on HMAS Sydney in March 1949 and she then sailed to Australia. My model will represent one of those Firefly aircraft, albeit as a target tug, some ten or so years later. IN THE BEGINNING: There was the PP Aerokit, AK001, Fairey Firefly FR4/5 purchased circa 1994. This was a ground breaking kit for its time and very detailed for a ‘cottage industry’ product. It was multimedia having the fuselage and wings vac moulded, some 40 odd metal parts, 90 odd etched parts, and 20 resin parts. As can be seen in photo below, I did start the kit, cutting out the vac formed parts and doing a little work on the cockpit. Then, for reasons I no longer recall, (I think moving from one country to another may have had something to do with it), it was relegated to the shelf of doom. THEN CAME: What I thought was a great bargain at a ‘Swap and Smell’. It was the, then relatively new, Grand Phoenix Firefly MK.1 kit. I bought with the intention of cross-kitting. I could replace the vac-formed parts of the PP kit with the injection moulded parts of the GP kit. The engine could be replaced with one cut from the PP kit and the latter would also provide the radiators and clipped wingtips. Seemed like a great idea until I realised that the GP kit was missing one fuselage half. Oh, s..t! I’d been dudded! So the project went even further to the back of the shelf of doom. FINALLY, INSPIRATION!! BM started a group build “Here Comes the Fleet Air Arm”. I consulted with our esteemed moderator and it was ruled that the RAN FAA also qualified. So, out from the dusty recesses of the shelf of doom, my Firefly kits saw the sunshine again. Yes, I could have gone out and bought a newer kit, but I had these two, and I do call myself a modeller, although same may dispute that. Anyway, I like a challenge, so here goes. The build will be a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm Fairey Firefly T.T.6. I have yet to decide which particular A/C.

This is the dragon kit in the markings of green 3 + -- flown by obfw. Josof Keil. Who was the only ta 152 ace. Dragon kit ( lower wing rescribed for ta 152 h-0 panels, and also below cockpit starboard side panel) Fine moulds brass pitot tube. Brass tube for mg 151 gun barrels. Fusion propeller and radiator. Aires cockpit, Barracuda studios wheels. Eagle cals 48134. Thank you for looking.

This is a kit from a small maker, Pavel Nikitin, who is based in Ukraine, and new to me. I ordered the kit (along with a Shallop) direct from the maker in Kiev. It did take a while to be despatched. Once on its way, shipping was no slower than from other eastern European countries (Poland, for example). Postage does appear steep. If, as I suspect, that included customs duties (i.e. VAT) as well as carriage, then it isn't so bad. Pavel Nikitin's website: http://shipsofpavelnikitin.com/shop The box The box says 'Santa Maria Boat', but, that title caused some controversy on ship modelling forums. There are no drawings for any boats carried by Columbus's Santa Maria. On the maker's website, this is now a "15th Century Wooden Boat". What is in the box? A 3-page A4 instruction booklet, and two packs of laser cut wood wrapped in cling film. The larger pack is cut from MDF sheet, and contains a building jig (skeleton jig?). The smaller pack contains sheets from a range of wood species. Beech I recognise, the others, I'm not sure. Sheets 5 and 6 are the hull planking, and mirror each other. And a sample instruction page.