Search the Community

Hey All, I finished and photographed a couple models this weekend. A JB-2 Loon, R-11 Fuel Truck, and this little guy. Pretty easy kit, tiny parts count and great fit. If you want a quick build to restore some mojo, I highly recommend. Thanks for looking, Mark

Hi all! First just to say a quick hi to everybody! This is actually my first post and my first model in a really long long time, actually it's my first armour kit. The model in question is an old issue of a Panzer Ausf. V G 1/48 from Academy, which is a motorized version. Although I am not planning in focussing much on the motor bit. I got this model back when I was a kid so I had to go through undoing a big gluey mess I did back then. As I am using this model to learn all the techniques back again I would much appreciate comments on how to improve things! As you see I cleaned the side objects there were glued to the sides of the hull and have started adding Miliput plaster for the Zimmerit cover. I have made a custom mould for the zimmerit pattern out of plasticard with a scribbler. I have also added some brass mesh to the air intakes at the back to the tank. Here is a detail of the zimmerit pattern: And here from the back of the tank: As you see there is still plenty of fitting issues at the back of the hull and also on the front. Here is a detail of the front: Also as you can see I have started adding some plasticard to the sides as I plan to add some scratch-built armour plates to the side. This is it for now. I plan on keep on adding the zimmerit and give it a light sanding. Also finish adding the armour side plates and modify the upper bit of the turret where the gun joints to give it the proper shape of the Ausf. G. I was also thinking in adding the curled protection plates to the exhaust at the back of the tank. Thanks in advance for your comments! All the best, Alex

The 1930s was a hugely interesting decade for a lot of different reasons, not least because of the incredible speed in which aeroplanes developed. Torn between the age of the biplane and the new times, the unfortunate He-51 was basically outdated as soon as the paint dried on its wings, like so many other designs from the early to mid 1930s. Shipped to Spain to prove itself it had a very short period with success against even more outdated planes, but had to be withdrawn as a fighter plane before it embarrassed the Third Reich further and redeployed as a ground attack aircraft. It did find some success there and was eventually produced in a pretty impressive 722 examples, which lingered on as advanced trainers and perhaps factory protection for the first years of the war. As a ground attack plane it got its only nickname, "Caza de Cadena" or "Chain Fighter", after the way they attacked ground targets, coming in one by one to draw fire away from the plane that had just finished its attack. A pretty boring nickname for a fighter I guess few remembered fondly, or even at all. But still, it is from the 1930s interwar period that I enjoy very much, and while in my eyes not as pretty as some people think due to its somewhat bulbous cro-magnon forehead created by the BMW engine, it did appear in some handsome colour schemes. The kit is Rodens He-51 B.1, which is a nicely detailed kit I hope will go together well. It will be built mostly OOTB with after marked decals, a bit of Quickboost resin and other stuff, plus some amateurish scratchbuilding where needed. So not really OOTB at all then.

Hello Britmodellers! 👏 Finally, the work is done. There are so many discussions over the Net about this kit, but I’d like to say that the kit is well-designed and great. With a help of my friends here, now I can post the final results. Thanks 🤝 So, the starboard side: The port side: The belly: I spent a lot of time on reshaping an intakes, as the Kitty Hawk provides us the wrong ones: The kit parts are great itself, an afterburners looks fantastic: The landing gear is well-detailed, too: Even if I placed an actuators wrong, it’s looks nice! Also, the protector lines were scribed and the wheels were slightly «weighted»: The walk areas decals were cutted and reshaped: The yellow squadron markings are painted, I decided to not use a decals: A closer look: The starboard side drop tank: The same: The tail position light was scratch builded from the clear sprue: The front view: The canopy with an UHF antenna: The cockpit details are very nice out of the box and an IFR probe looks interesting: I think she’s have a great shapes, and the Kitty Hawk properly recreated this: The Voodoo: As for me, the kit had its issues, but it was pleasure to build it! Thanks for watching. Cheers! 😺

Revell Scale: 1/48 Type: Dassault Rafale M Extras used: Eduard GBU-12 bombs, Renaissance MICA EM missiles. Paints and colours used: Mainly Vallejo with AK Xtreme metals where appropriate. Flory Dark Dirt Wash, various oils, Alclad II Aqua Gloss, Tamiya Matt varnish and Flory weathering sponge. Hi again! I'm spamming today, got a few finished off and photographed... So, this is another one I finished a little while ago but only just had a chance to photograph. A lovely kit, only issue is really is around the air intakes. Also the missiles aren't great due to an awkward to clean join, which is why I used resin. Other than that, nicely detailed and relatively straight forward build. If I was to build another one, I'd probably got for an after market seat too. Decals were nice as well/ So here she is: That's it! Thanks for looking! Val

This is the old 1/48 Hobbycraft kit. A model that's at least 10 years old now.🙂 It’s pretty much an OOB build, although I did detail the cockpit a little, and I added some doo-dads to detail the landing gear and bays. I used a vac-canopy from Squadron, the dark gray is Humbrol, the Sky type -S is ModelMaster enamel. The stripes were done in MM acrylic flat-white and a custom-mixed dark gray with Humbrol. Cannons are hypo tubing inside brass tube. Decals are the AeroMaster “Sea Fury Pt. 1” 48-702 set. I had a lot of trouble with the canopy; I had a hard time fitting it, and after it was finally attached I saw a lot of crap inside the canopy and a nice big glue smear-inside too of course. Oh well, I was really tired of fighting this one at that point and let it go as it was. All in all, it turned out as another pretty fair “four footer”. At least I hope it looks good from 4 feet away. 😉 The model represents Lt. Peter "Hoagy" Carmichael's Sea Fury, of 802 Naval Air Squadron, flying from HMS Ocean. For years, he was credited with downing a MiG-15 on August 9, 1952. However, now it seems that the MiG was actually downed by his wingman, Sub Lt. Brian "Schmoo" Ellis. From the attached article: "In the four minutes of air combat, it was a MiG ‘kill’ and two or three damaged, probably beyond repair. It became a cause célèbre in the Fleet Air Arm. Many Sea Fury pilots were disappointed for Schmoo Ellis, who kept his own counsel on the matter even when flight leader Carmichael was awarded the victory." So, with that said, here’s Lt. Peter Carmichael’s MiG Killer Sea Fury, at an unlikely stop in central Texas. Hey, thanks for taking time to look her over and please leave a comment! https://www.aerosociety.com/news/sea-fury-vs-mig-15-the-true-story/

A few years ago my very first GB was a P-38 GB on BM. I didn’t have anything in the stash and so I picked up a couple of kits. If memory serves I built an RS Model 1/72 or at least tried to. As with many of my GBs since I didn’t finish... Anyway if it is ok with everyone I would like to join the GB with the other kit I bought an 1/48 Academy P-38F of the famous Glacier Girl. There are numerous references on line setting out the history of this aircraft from production to being found 268 ft below the snowy surface of a Greenland glacier. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glacier_Girl for the full story. I am having a few issues with Flickr so will post some pictures later. Dave

Just finished my 1/48 Sea Vixen FAW.1, using the Alley Cat conversion of course, as XJ488 of the RN Test Squadron at Boscombe Down. This was a real pleasure to build, the conversion works a treat, just requires a bit of caution when cutting the original kit parts. Didn't go to town with much detailing although I did use the Aires cockpit and Master pitots. If you want to see it done properly, check out Ex-FAAWAFU's WIP thread, I'm in awe of his work! On to the photos...

Hello this is my entry for this build. The Hobbycraft F-94A Starfire. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/hobbycraft-hc1597-f-94a-jet-night-fighter--205576# I haven't decide which markings yet but am liking a few options. I will post sprue shots later, however i included a link to the Scale-mates listing for the kit. A few of the front runners are the 4th FIS. The 56th FIG, 61st FIS With these shark-mouthed aircraft. And last up is a Civilian aircraft operated by NACA the forerunner of NASA. Questions, comments, or jokes please ? Dennis

Atalef Hallo again. This is my 4th helicopter to build. The kit is from Kitty Hawk Dauphine II and the conversion is from Wingman. The colors from Gunze are quite simple: All over is C308 and the blue C392. This blue is new for sowjet a/c like Sukhoi. The equipment for this helicopter is something else. It is equipped for search and rescue ops. Here it is very important to have the Wingman conversion. In this conversion set you find a huge amount of resin parts. They are very tiny and so I recommend to use a US cutter and a Japanese saw. I got them all out without any loss or damage. You will find links to these tools on my posts already. If you need any more information, so let me know. The build is straight forward. My way on helicopter building is, to add all glazing to the very end of the build. It is impossible to avoid the dust. And also impossible is to clean them all afterwards. Well, until next time. Happy modelling Pictures of the original: ATALEF walkaround

Hello; Latest piece is ready for its inspection. I am prepared for a thorough review, please don't hold back if I've done something that could be improved, especially in terms of accuracy. Almost all the markings are painted, Tamiya and Vallejo for the paints. Airbrush and silver pencil for the weathering. A full description of the build, lots more pics and why I chose this subject (and its context) can be found on my site, Making-History.ca Cheers; Mark.

The choice for this GB was either the Tamiya 1/48 F-16C/N or the Meng 1/48 F-35 - I fancy another masking challenge so its the the F-35 !! The usual box / Sprue shots - all still nicely wrapped up, I will be adding the Eduard cockpit set to brighten up the plain cockpit - these fancy modern jets with everything on the TV screen or in helmet HUD ! and she will be marked up as a Hill AFB bird - the first place I saw an F-35 flying

Good evening. Here is my take on the beautiful C-47 sky train, specifically the "Camel Caravan to Berlin", a good story and based in Neubiberg, a stones throw away from where I live. The kit is Revell, 1/48, with various mods and a few table spoons of putty. Enjoy and thanks for looking. CF

Hi comrades! Here result of my build (full build is somewhere in the "in process" section) Resume: very recommended kit Enjoy and thanks for looking

Hello! Not my new job. The second life of a broken model. Enjoy watching

Hi comrades! I got this beauty from Hannants two weeks ago. I'll start it immediately (just one day to finish the Canberra). Everything I need is in the box-brass and masks. Plastic looks fantastic! I have two reference books. And, yes, I choose the crazy camouflage... Thanks for looking

Hello guys, final model for now I promise! This is my latest completed model, the old-tool Eduard Tempest converted into a Mk.VI using the MDC conversion. I also used some resin wheels I had hanging around in the spares box, some scratchbuilt additions and Aeromaster decals. I planned to use the alleycat rear fuselage however I wasnt happy with the shape so I extended the fuselage and thinned the tail fillet myself. I have another one of these to convert into a Pakistani Mk.II but I think I will take a break from Tempests before attempting that one! Hope you like it! Chris p.s. I plan to do something about the ejection ports and the non-glazed landing lights! Brain is a sieve these days!

This Grumman Wildcat was my very first Tamiya kit. I finished it in 2011 and I have to say that all I had heard about its ease of construction was pretty much true. The upper side color is Model Master medium gray enamel and the lower color is MM gull gray. I used the Tamiya decals and had no trouble with them. I did make some seat-belts and did a bit of detailing on the engine. The portly little Wildcats held their own until more advanced types arrived to help out in World War Two. I've always liked their pugnacious look too. Here are a few pics of the Wildcat, taken at the Cameron airport not long after completion. Thanks for stopping in and having a look! Gary

A pair of recent completions, the Hasegawa 1/48 P-47D Thunderbolt I and Spitfire VIII, both in SEAC colours and both basically OOB. The Spitfire is in the markings of 152 Sqn, while the T-Bolt is of 146 Sqn.

Hi all, another recent completion, the Hasegawa F6F-3 Hellcat. I used the more detailed engine from the Hobbyboss kit, a resin cowling and wheels, a squadron vacform canopy and Techmod decals. It was my first use of Hataka acrylics and to my eye they look spot on (the photos in the bright desert sun makes them appear more vivid than reality). Hope you like it! Chris

Hello everyone, having recently finished a long and stressful course at work I decided to get back into modelling again. Here is one of my most recent finished models, the Hasegawa P-51D Mustang. I used a set of resin flaps and wheels plus Aeromaster decals. With the paint I used various metallic shades to represent the various different materials used, for example the painted wings and unpainted fuselage. Hope you like it! Chris

This model is the one that was built concurrent with my Iraqi MiG-21MF. Both were popular "export fighters' in third world countries and I wanted both shown in client state livery. The kit is the ancient Testors (ex-Hawk) 1/48 F5-A. According to the timeline posted on scalemates.com, this kit started life in 1966 as a Hawk kit! We can get a good look at what scale modeling offered back then, and see how much the hobby has evolved since. I have always loved the lines of the Northrop F-5A. Sleek and elegant with that great area-ruled fuselage, it is a real classic. I can well remember having a toy, white F5 as a kid, zooming it around my room. This model was built back about 1992 (back when I was working a kit almost everyday). I’d love to build at that pace again; perhaps the muse will strike again soon. Heaven knows I have a huge backlog to work with! I was trying different paints for NMF, or silver-painted aircraft and this one was done in Floquil Bright Silver and the decals came with the kit. This model represents a plane in the Philippines Air Force. I used the pilot figure to take up space in the oh-so sparse cockpit. It’s another model that had never been photographed until I hauled it, along with five others, over to Rockdale, another nearby small town, a few years ago. I had heard that the municipal airport there might provide a nice setting for some pics. It was a beautiful day, although the wind did get a bit gusty but that wasn’t a problem with the amount of ballast stuck in the nose of this one! 😀 One of the nice pilots I met at the Rockdale airport told me he had trained in the T-38 variant and said how much he had enjoyed it…he said, “Hey, they’re still using it today so something must be right!” The airport there is pretty cool, complete with a very old hangar visible in some pics. Oh, you might note that it is missing one of its 20mm nose cannons. Oh well. Que sera sera! Thanks for popping in and taking a look; comments are always welcome… but y'all knew that. 😉 Gary

Hi All, My first WIP, and to be fair this one's been 'in progress' for quite a while. I've finally figured out photo posting, too -Thanks Bullbasket, I'm loving Village Photos! My Mojo for the build has been restored by this brilliant (as ever) Steve Ginter monograph, written by the guy who flew this gorgeous but ultimately doomed prototype. Bit of a double edged sword tho as I now have a shedload of really good photos and drawings of the thing (that will all have to be faithfully reproduced, so says that nagging little voice!) Anyhow - the shortcomings in this kit are well written up and bemoaned elsewhere - I just want to show you my fixes, for what it's worth! 1 - Awful (and really obvious) top of fuselage contour hollows amidships........ Solution - Traced the panel lines with frisket film, good old p-38 filler and then the panel lines were reinstated using the tracings. I also deepened the panel lines a bit on the bleed doors too, to break up a very stealthy and uniform top surface (which it was!). 2 - The Intakes (ohh the intakes) - no "before" pics from I'm afraid but they're readily available if you must look! ZACTOMAN is my hero here -he's doing a phenomenal 1/32 YF-23 project, I mean, just incredible! I've shamelessly plundered his project to knock these into shape ... His ones ... And mine !!!! Loads of reworking on the inside needed after this surgery! Hadn't really forseen that, but I cannibalised the kit trunking and broke out the Milliput to produce this.... Bit rough, but it will get another round of filler and primer and it will be pretty dingy in there anyway! And then (another) moment of lunacy - compressor faces (actually 1/72 Revell Victor ones as they are the perfect diameter for the kit's trunking).This had to be converted from oval to round with Milliput. Well, I know it's in there, as they say. 3 - bottom End - this was my biggest bugbear with this Kit. Northrop made two of these beauties - PAV-1 (Prototype Air Vehicle,BTW), with Pratt and Whitney YF-119 engines, and PAV-2, with GE YF-120 motors in. Result- two different back ends. Being the masochist I am, I wanted to do PAV-1, whereas Hobby Boss have depicted PAV-2. I just think the plane looks cooler in all-over Gunship grey. More surgery, then..... Heat-dissipating tiles rescribed - not 100% accurate (a tile spans the centreline of the trough in reality), but it's better than the Topps Tiles they've depicted!! Then a separate kit to make for the rear end conversion! I'll have to have another crack at casting copies of these bits - wonder if anybody else would like a set? and in situ (sidewalls anyway)...... Hopefully something like this will result. The edges of the trough will be covered with some thin metal foil or litho sheet or sommat, and embossed with a knife sharpening steel (in my mind!!) From what I can see the ZACTOMODELS kit will have both exhaust trough options, and not just the easy one!! 4 - Front office - What's in the box is fine. Aft of the seat the detail is mostly fictional, but who knows what access Hobby Boss had to the info. Most of the pics of this area I've seen come from the restoration projects, i.e. from after the PAVs were rescued from the desert. I added an Aires seat and scratched the Red/orange camera mounts. I razor-sawed some kerfs and scribed a bit to break up a rather flat and featureless wing or two.... And a few belly details amended, couple more to go!! and that's about it for now!!! Thanks for looking in, hope this has been of interest so far!!

This GB is nearly at the half way mark and I haven't joined in yet - time to do something about that. I had various options but felt drawn to the Kitty Hawk F-101B kit and the RF-101B option. I feel the need to build something big and this fits the bill. There's also a bit of nostalgia involved - I remember building the Matchbox Voodoo as an RF-101B when I must have been about 8 or 9. Here's the KH kit. I've also got an Eduard zoom set for the cockpit and Eduard steel seatbelts. Apart from these and a couple of simple corrections it'll be more or less OOB. A lot has been said about the fit of this kit so there will be a lot of test fitting but hopefully not too much cursing along the way! cheers Julian

Looking forward to this one. I hope Eduard add few extra fuels tanks for the wings, it always seems a little bare without them.