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(I am posting this build from 5 years ago because I will start another release from this Polish manufacturer, the RWD-5, soon to be posted as WIP here): Those nice little kits. Not long ago I received a mysterious package from Lübeck, Germany. The sender’s address read: “Zönke - Evil Empire, Sekret Lair Unter Ze Volkano”. Intrigued –as the reader may have guessed- I opened the box and found a certain number of kits, of varied fur, quality and degrees of unbuildness. Some have been already started, some were pristine, some were arcane, some were known. Many treasures laid amidst or inside the battered boxes, bread crumbs, sandwich leftovers, insects, portraits of a woman called Helga and plans for death rays. I selected one to start the pile, the object of this article. I love nice little kits, even if they require, as it is certainly the case with this one, a small dose of love and care. The “Plastyk” Polish brand of kits was not totally unknown to me, although I had only the vague reminiscence of having seen an ad or two. They also released an RWD-5 and an RWD-8, among other subjects. Opening the box revealed the contents, which for the original –and current- price are a total bargain. The images that illustrate the article convey the idea of the items included: a number of detailed and not-so-well-molded parts, thick, scratched but not bad transparencies, a comprehensive decal sheet, extensive instructions, and a free visa to Poland, stamped in blue. Or may be that could be the quality control tag, who knows, I don’t speak Polish although I love Polish food. As you can see in the close-up images some effort was put in representing surface detail. There is plenty of it and even the fuselage internal sides have some detail. The fabric texture is just a tad off, and some raised panel lines are not really very subtle. You could sand them, over-prime them, or leave them as they are. There is an aftermarket photoetched set made by PART (PART S72026 1/72 RWD-6) that could be used to complement the nice kit, I didn’t think it was a must for me. Browsing the net showed a high number of these kits completed - some to a nice level of quality and detail - and posted, which is always a good sign. The RWD-6, although in the right time-frame and mind frame, is not a subject that aligns with what I normally build (or should I say abnormally build), but it is a stress-free divertimento that I take as a relaxing vacation from the hardships of the life of the scratchbuilder. If you do an Internet search you will find plenty of background info and images. Perhaps its most famous appearance was in the Berlin Air Show of 1932. As you start the kit some cleaning, refining and adjusting are in order, and perhaps a few parts should be better replaced with card stock, airfoil stock, or in some cases scratched; that is not really a necessity, but more of a personal choice. The wing panels’ trailing edges are a tad thick, so I sanded the aileron down on the intrados and separated the flaps, which allowed me to thin them down too. Building notes: The model presents two options. Single wing struts for the "-6", or “V” wing struts for "-6bis". Choose accordingly. In photos I can see a bulkhead after the seats, closing the cockpit, absent in the model. There are two protuberances on each wing tip that some modelers have mistaken for nav lights. They are actually wrongly-depicted tie-down holes, surely misinterpreted from a plan, since the holes are visible in photos. The Engine shield has a cutout for some engine element. The kit part depicts the cutout but said element is not provided. The kit does not provide instrument decals, but does present a little panel that goes on top of the coaming. Photos show both panels as having a black or dark grey background, three instruments for that little top panel and several for the "normal" panel bellow it. The clear parts once glued showed to be a tad bigger than their fuselage contact surfaces in width, about half a millimeter each side. The decals in this very old release I got are bad for many reasons (they may be better in current releases): the images are not good quality; for example, the edges of the registrations are a bit wobbly. The carrier is excessive (way beyond the images), thick and not really transparent. The decals take a long time to be released from their backing sheet, so be patient. They do not conform well to relief on the model's surfaces, even with decal solution. Trim your decals to eliminate as much carrier as you can. The Stanavo logo on the decal sheet is the wrong color, it should have a red background.

Another pioneer that I scratchbuilt some time ago, for the collection or aeronautic relics and your (hopefully) pleasure: The dream of getting into the blue yonder wasn't born in a specific place. Almost every man through history longed for wings. By the end of the XIX century, Alexander Mozhaisky, a Russian national, built and tested a steam powered monoplane that basically had the right stuff. It is arguable that he achieved a great degree of success, although the machine made a promising hop. Bureaucracy, lack of support, lack of funds, his own death, the usual things, prevented what could have had the chance to really make history, a fate many other pioneers would share. I will humbly dispute the numbers almost universally given for the size of this plane, which, if made with the given span and length, would be almost ridiculous. Fortunately, and after a certain time spent researching, an unexpected text (The Naval Institute Guide to the Soviet Navy by Norman Polmar) provided with the much more credible span of 12.2 meters. Why the other sources state, for example, that the main propeller was 28.7' (almost 9 meters) the span 74' (more than 22 meters) and so forth, seems to escape common sense; perhaps the common mistake of confusing metric and imperial? some other contemporary Russian measure system? Time will tell. Or Won't. What can I say, give me a glass of vodka and a balalaika (or better an Xacto)

And I am off...first I cleaned off the bench. I've not done that properly since my first GB back in...I don't know...I've forgotten... Greece can be a dusty place and my flat is no exception, hence the glass-doored cabinets I have for the built kits. This is kit PK-8, Gladiator Mk.1 and I will make it in French livery for a nice, silvery change. This is my second build for this GB and I am eagerly awaiting the outcome of the 2018 voting! Oh boy, am I excited! All I ask is a clean bench and a kit to steer her by... Except for the decals from the excellent Extradecal Gladiator set, this will be OOB as much as possible. And my second Gladiator from that decal collection. I built the Greek bird last year from the new Airfix kit. Why do I think this will be more fun? --John

OK! And I am off... I am just waiting to hear back from Martian regarding colour schemes since we are both building the same very pretty little bird. I would like to build the aircraft from Wheeler Field in Hawaii, 31-246, but I am easy to change and it is still early. We both have the wonderful set of aftermarket decals from Starfighter and there are four options, all of which are really cool. At this point I have just primed the plastic and will begun some interior scratch building of the cockpit. There are excellent photos on-line for reference and some wonderful in-flight shots too! What a neat little plane she was... I will be using rattle can paints for the fuselage (see below) and the wings too. Humbrol Light Olive for the fuselage and Trainer Yellow for the wings. The rigging will be .005 stainless and I might try to make a new and thinner windscreen. Here are my opening images... I tested out several different 'greens' and even mixed a few up. I don't have the exact OD from the 1930s, and in the end I chose the rattle can Light Olive from Humbrol. The other examples are assorted Vallejo tints and a bit of Humbrol 159...too brown. The others were too green and the IDF Green is really nice, it was too grey/blue. ...and here are my sprue, primed. The grey primer is really grey, not so blue, so I apologize for the poor white balance. I think the trainer yellow will turn out just fine for this. If I need to brighten it up I'll do a quick scary of Humbrol Yellow from the can to do so, but so far this yellow has grown on me. Yes..it looks a bit 'mustard-y' but remember the white balance is off and I couldn't fix it for some reason. It really is more yellow, and deeper than the plain yellow flavour. ...and away I go...

Ok. Some you know this...but this is what I am going to build... This isn't my build thread, obviously. My goals? To take more time with this little beauty. Also, try to scratch some better interiors, which I usually skip. I might try to rig it completely with EZ-line. I think this will not be so weathered, since it was a civilian craft and not flown into the sturm and drang of warfare. It'll be OOB, except for whatever scratch I manage to construct. I am going o to try to make the build last 2 whole weeks...that will be tough. Happy modelling all! --John

Here is my latest and last before I begin the Floatplane GB...Eastern Express's Sopwith Snipe in Russian livery... A pretty straightforward build, not real snags. The colors are MisterKit PC-10 and British WW1 Doped Linen, Tamiya Royal Light Gray, Vallejo Aluminum...I airbrushed the lot except for the aluminum. MisterKit airbrushed really well as long as it isn't too thin. It covers much better than with a stick brush. The decals are OOB, but after some research, I trimmed off the white roundels around the black stars. I have seen the rudder in both CDL and light blue and I chose light blue for the look. The WingNuts page is an excellent resource for the rigging and I was pleased to see they did not encourage any double lines, so I did not as well. Rigging is the good mix of fishing line, EZ-line and stretched sprue, depending on where it was used. A nice little model and a good addition to the Post WW1 shelf. Controls horns fore and aft are brass wire through drilled holes. I chose to photograph it outside on the terrace in the shade to use the diffused light. I adjusted the white balance , worked with the shadow/highlights, colour balance, etc...then cropped. I think they are better than my usual pics. See you all at the starting line on Sunday!

Okey-dokey...Here is AZ Model's 1948-era Egyptian Mk. IX, from the double kit which includes an Israeli version as well. For me, this has been a groundbreaking build: 1. Probably the first Spitfire since I was about 10 years old... 2. I have started using Tamiya acrylics properly, i.e. with thinner (and it hand brushes on beautifully boys...) 3. My first attempt at pin-washing with oils. What a difference! I will get better... Ok..the nuts and bolts...Tamiya Light Blue and Desert Yellow for the primary surfaces. I masked off and then rattle can sprayed Humbrol Acrylic Dark Brown. Masked off again after drying overnight and sprayed the tail section and the wing tips Humbrol Flat White. Notice there is a tone difference in the dark brown came areas? I had to best guess for some touch-ups and ended up using Vallejo Chocolate Brown with a little Desert Tan. It wasn't perfect but I liked it. It gave the model an element of "This is 1948 in the desert and we are using these old Spitfires purchased through arms dealers and we don't have the same shade of brown as the Brits..." The black stripes are decal stock, cut and measured. The radio antenna is EZ-Line and a bit of sprue. Hmm..what else...Oh yes...One flaw with this kit is the wingtips. You have to add them on. This is too bad, but I guess they have only one mould and they must use it for the Greek, Czech and other variants if this kit. One tip is to not sand or saw the ends of the wings before you put the top and bottom halves together. Do it after the whole fuselage is assembled and the tip fitting process will go more smoothly. Is that it? This was a good kit and went together fairly easily. I still need to work on my clear parts more precisely. I can mask, etc...it still looks wonky. Time will improve! I have also made the decision to buy an airbrush. I am tired of all the weird masking I need to do. Plus, how am I going to get those great Finnish, Bulgarian and Japanese camos right without it? --JDCM

Ok...here it is. Finished as far as I can tell and it wasn't a physical problem so much as an emotional one. I became so discouraged somewhere along the line that I almost shelved the project. Perhaps it was the heat here in Greece...Then the wind shifted and the weather improved and I buckled down and got on with it. I must say that once I had it painted and assembled (sans markings) I was more enthused and then when the stars-and-meatballs went on, I breathed a sigh of relief! It really does look like a Tommy! Paint is Valejo Russian Uniform Green, Flat Red and the nose is Humbrol Yellow from the can. Decals are scavenged from the excellent Kaydet sheet by Xtradecal. Rigging is a mix of stretched sprue (rear bits) and nylon thread (flying wires). Bit and bobs from the spares box. This is a fictional craft as far as I can tell. Not exactly a "what if?" I refer to this kit as the "Montgomery Clift"...from the right profile it looks like a star. Now on to something that is moulded well, fits together properly and, well...you know what I mean. I am very happy with this build and I think it may have been the last Merlin Tommy out there. I hope I did it justice. --John

For your perusal...HR Models Hanriot HD-2 floatplane. This was a nice little kit but needed a certain amount of TLC and skill to build. The instructions were rudimentary but sufficient and I ended up using plenty of on-line sources for the rigging, alternative views and weathering. I love making early floatplanes and aside from this kit (and others from HR), the Roden Albatros W-4s, and a couple of other more obscure kits, there aren't a lot out there in this scale. The rigging is a mix of .004 fishing line ( which means a lot of drilling!) and some stretched sprue for the little bits. Paints are all Vallejo and the decals are OOB, as is the build. --JDCM

Something post-WW2...The Revell Stearman Kaydet in 1/72nd scale, used in Israel in the late 40s and 50s as a training aircraft. The build is OOB, with only the rigging in .004 line (drilldrilldrill) and Vallejo colors. the decals are aftermarket from a wonderful set made by Xtradecal. Among the options are a Nationalist Chinese and Peruvian craft (that's next) as well as several US birds. I feel that when I find a kit that builds OOB easily and without fuss, I stick to the manufacturer's designs. This is a good example. An easy kit, some descent painting and lovely, thin perfectly registered decals make the model a bit more special. Hope you like it! --JDCM

My very first jet. Yes...after almost 40 years of this hobby I have finally built something without a propeller. I was astounded at the kit, actually. Talk about tight fitting pieces! Amazing. They must be molding their plastic with lasers. I really enjoyed this build and, as a big fan of Cold War history, this is a must for me and any other aircraft hobbyist. In fact, I have become so enamoured with the early Migs that I have ordered the Quattro box from Eduard and also some Mig-17 kits from AZ Models. Something about all those uses in the Middle East and Africa... I used plenty of sources for modelling and weathering from the interweb, some of which I think was from this site. Thanks folks! --JDCM

I've finished battling with the 1/72nd scale BroPlan vacform kit of the S.E.161R Languedoc. The mouldings themselves were very nice, with crisp surface detail, but as with other kits from this manufacturer that I've built the plastic is just a smidge thicker than fag paper, and it's very easy to sand right through it. Therefore great care is needed with building these kits, and too much filling and sanding will only create a whole lot more! The decals were appalling and broke up and were lacking in colour density, so I used a mixture of ModelDecal and hand painted insignias such as the fin stripes. The undercarriage and propellers were quite crude injection-moulded parts, but they cleaned up ok. A very challenging subject, but I was pleased with the end result, and as far as I'm aware this is the only kit available of this interesting aircraft. I used Xtracolour aluminium for the main airframe and Humbrol paints for the detail parts. Clear-fix was used for the windows as none were provided in the kit. Rob

Hiya Folks, I`ve been on a roll with Hurricane models at the moment and I decided to see what I could do with the old Heller kit as I had a few in the stash. The raised detail was sanded away and I attempted to re scribe it while the plank like wings were modified by having the trailing edges trimmed to better match the correct wing chord. Anyway enough blurb,....here is the model finished in Portugese markings from Colorado Decals; Here is the model with the cut line marked out on the wings using a template; A set of 44gal long range tanks left over from a Revell Hurricane were also fitted, All the best Tony

Hello Gentlemen, this will be my entry to the F4U Corsair STGB. Tamiya 1/72 scale Bird Cage Corsair The model sprues. Xtradecal Set X72140 Yanks with Roundels Part 1 The Decal Sheet. Eduard Zoom Set SS270 Thanks for looking, Joe

This will be my build for the KUTA VIII Group Build. I first started building this seven years ago! I was making it for my Son's friend who was at the time, a serving member of the Fleet Air Arm. Since then, he has done his 22 years and left the Royal Navy. I feel this man has waited long enough for his model. So I intend to get my bottom in gear and try my hardest to finish it in the given time span. This will be my third group build. I finished the other two in time, so I think this will keep me motivated to finish this one as well. The photo shows how far I've got. The fuselage is just taped together with the other required parts bagged up. The first job will be to get the interior finished so I can glue the fuselage together. There are a few other bits and pieces that I can still attach before doing that, which I will do if it helps progress the build. The last helicopter I made was the Matchbox Chinook. That was a few years ago. I made it for a model airfield layout that I made for my Son. (I've just looked on line, and that kit was released in 1986!). So helicopters are not my strong point, but I'll make the best job I can of it. Thanks for looking, Joe.

This is the Hobby Boss easy assembly 1/72nd F4U-1 Corsair. I built this a few years ago for a club build at IPMS Romsey. If memory serves me correctly, we all built the same kit, but in the markings of our choice. As you can see, I went for the easy option building it straight from the box including the decals. Thank you for looking, Joe.

Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I. No. 264 Squadron, Martlesham, Suffolk, England, July 1940. This is the new 1/72nd scale Defiant from Airfix. I will use an Eduard Zoom set for the interior detail, Set No SS525. For the camouflage colour paint, I have Hannants Xtracrylix. The markings will be the standard kit decals. For weathering and panel lines I intend to use gouache. Thank you for looking, Joe.

Here's my attempt at Airfix's new tool Dornier Do17z. I fancied a break from some other longer term projects and wanted something that I knew would go together easily and create little fuss, and as usual with Airfix's latest releases it did just that. I have read that people have had problems with ill-fitting and warped parts in this kit, but I can report nothing of the sort - it was almost a case of throwing some glue and paint into the box, giving it a shake and out it comes. Dornier Do17z, 8./Kampfgeschwader 77, Laon, France, July 1940: It's been built 100% 'out of the box' with the only addition being the swastikas from an Xtradecal sheet. Paints were all Xtracolour enamels. Tom

Hiya Folks, Another one from my recent Hurricane modelling `fest', this is the excellent Legato Hurricane Mk.IIc built in the markings of an aircraft operated by the Inter Allied Flight of the Metropolitan Communications Squadron based at RAF Hendon near London. During 1945-46 this aircraft had its RAF roundels replaced by Belgian markings in preparation to joining the Belgian Air Force and although at least two aircraft wore the Belgian coloured spinner, this one doesn`t appear to be one of them but I couldn`t resist adding it,....call it a `what if' which might just have occurred? More to follow! Cheers Tony

Hiya Folks, Here is the latest model to join my Malta collection, it is the recently released Revell boxing of the Hudson done as a Mk.III from 24 Squadron at RAF Hendon, AE581, ZK-L, `Spirit of Tobruk II' which along with others such as AE533 `Spirit of Washington' flew the UK- Gibraltar- Malta- Egypt shuttle. AE533 was the aircraft which carried the George Cross to Malta! I have to say that this was amongst the worst kits that I have ever built,.....as nothing seems to fit! Some airliner style seats from the spares box were placed inside the cabin as here; One of my main references for this model came from the Pathe News website and I`m sure that they won`t mind me sharing these views from their very interesting website; Here is the finished model; I have added mission markings to the nose in the same manner as those applied to AE533 `Spirit of Washington' although I`m not certain whether AE581, ZK-L actually wore these and also fabricated some sun blinds for the cockpit roof using tissue paper and some guitar string! The cabin doorway was also cut out, although the view of the interior is almost none existent due to the dinghy pack which forms the inside of the door ,......Hope you like it, Cheers Tony O PS- Hand painted as usual but using Humbrol enamels and I was very happy with them. I did try to mask off the windows during painting but some fell inside the fuselage and the paint leaked onto others so most were replaced using Kristal Klear. PPS- I`ve just re attached the Pathe photo of the Hudson nose which had dropped off the thread.

Hi guys 'n' gals. Here's a look at the new Airfix TigerMoth and for fun, a comparison with an older boxing. I bought the older version at Southwell last year for a fiver after a pleasure flight in G-ANSM had inspired me. The old boxing has a top opening box with artwork depicting an RAF machine. The new tool is in an end opening box with artwork showing G-ACDC. Each model has similar contents. An instruction sheet, a small decal sheet and an Airfix club slip along with the model kit encapsulated in a polythene bag. The instruction sheet in the new tool is much more detailled than the old single sheet of the old style instructions. It resembles a booklet now and has elements printed in colour to help discern what goes where. Old.... New... The colour chart for the old kit is on the reverse of the instruction sheet whereas the new model features the colours on the reverse of the box. Old... New... There are three sprues of grey plastic in each box with an additional small clear sprue in the new boxing for the two windscreens. It is immeadiately obvious that the new tool is more complex but not hugely so. Most of the added complexity relates to optional parts like the opening doors and anti-spin strakes. If the modeller chooses to leave these bits as is the kits are much more similar in parts count. What is apparent on closer inspection is the fidelity of the new kit compared to the old version. As can be seen in the above image, the stretched linen effect is significantly more subtle on the new model. This should come as no surprise given the age of the earlier pressings. Here's a comparison of other parts. ....

Hiya Folks, While building a number of the new fabric winged Airfix Hurricane`s in 1/72nd scale I also had a go at the old 1979 release with `metal wings' and with the help of a SAM resin Vokes filter and Valiant Wings DH propeller and wheels I had a go at replicating a Hurricane which I`ve always fancied doing, one of the silver Mk.I`s/Mk.X`s flown by the Rhodesian Central Flying School circa 1945. All of the panel lines were sanded down and re scribed and after locating photo`s of the subject aircraft which covered each side the anti glare panel was found to be different on both! Anyway enough blubp, here it is; It is still a good kit after all of these years but it is quite a chore to box in the undercarriage well, rescribe the panel lines and obtain extra parts such as the Vokes filter, prop, canopy etc so please Airfix,.....can we have a new metal winged one too,.......please,...please??? Cheers, Tony PS- I meant to say that I also put the cockpit from an old scrapped Academy Hurricane into it too!

Hi guys, Just perusing the Wonderland models site and they detail a 1/72nd scale dH88 Comet for release during 2014. http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/airfix-172-de-havilland-dh88-comet-racer-red/ I'm guessing this is another re-release of the old tool kit but can anyone confirm or deny my guess? The blurb does suggest that it was created using CAD so I'm optimistic that it is new tool. {~fingers crossed emoticon~} Cheers.

My entry to the Group Build is the Special Hobby kit of the Mustang Mark 1, in 1/72nd scale. It is from 430 Squadron, one of a number of RCAF squadrons tasked with low level reconnaissance during this period. I will be using the DPCasper decals for Operation Bodenplatte, which includes one of these aircraft, listed as being at Eindhoven when the Luftwaffe attack occurred. Here is the box top:- The kit is a little unusual, as it contains two major sprues, each with a full set of fuselages, wings and tailplanes. To get the Mk. 1, you have to "cross kit" the fuselages from one sprue with the wings and tailplanes from the other. You also have to cut out the cannon from the wings and replace them with resin inserts, as the Mk. 1 had six machine guns in the wings, instead of the mark 1A's four cannon (as well as two in the fuselage, on either side of the nose). Here are the sprues:- The kit also has a nice bit of resin, not just for the wings, but also to dress up the cockpit, and replacement resin wheels (with "CMK" marked on the base). Thanks for looking! Philip