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  1. I have finally finished my Lancaster. But before I present the photos I would like to make a couple of comments in regards to the Airfix Kit. I don’t think is news to anyone to say this kit is quite mediocre. Throughout the building, I’ve constantly find myself fighting to it rather than enjoining the process. From the get-go, there was something weird about it. As soon as I opened the box an awful stench came out of it! it really stinks. Not sure if all Airfix kits are like this or only my box, but it was so bad that I have to put it far from my workbench. Second, called me spoiled, but I’m used to nice quality instructions from Eduard or Tamiya, this one instead, is very poor, with many wrong call outs and mistake and with no logic at all. Another frustrating thing was the soft plastic. In particular, when glueing small parts they just melt!…And what about the warped pieces and bad fit? …Seriously!. It really bothers me that this kit cost $78 dollars here in Australia. To put it in context, you can buy a fantastic Eduard Profipack (with PE and mask) in 1/48th scale for $48 to $52 Australian dollars. This is simply not right!. Airfix has been around almost longer than any other company and they still can’t produce something decent! ( I know for some their Hellcat in 1/24 is “amazing”, but I don’t do that big scales, so I don’t know) What annoys me the most is the fact that this is the Avro Lancaster! One of the most iconic, if not THE most iconic bomber (sorry B17’s fanboys 😜 (I like it too)) of WWII and there are no good alternatives. I’ve heard worst things about the Hasegawa and Revell 1/72nd kits and the Tamiya 1/48th is almost 40 years old!. The only hope was the Wingnut Wings 1/32, but that would never happen now, and for many of us it is way too big anyways… (the HK Models 1/32nd is good, but not close at all to the sample model presented by WW) …Ok, enough of my rant. Sorry about that 🙄. Now to the photos. I've tried to improved the simple surface detail by adding some missing panel lines and rivets. Thanks to elger, Simon Dyer and warhawk for providing me with the drawings! I’ve replaced the plastic wheels with the resin set from Eduard and I’ve used AK real colour lacquer RAF Dark Green and RAF Dark Earth as well as some AMMO washes, filters and oils to give a little of colour variation and weathering. I hope you guys like it and any comments are welcome. Mickey the Moocher QR-M EE176 of A Flight, No. 61 Squadron. Stationed at Skellingthorpe One of less than a dozen to have survived over one hundred bombing missions in active WW2. And one more with some size context 😉 cheers Jorge
  2. I decided that I did not have time to build another plane due to other committments, so I thought I would have a shot at this, I bought it about 10 years ago along with the Airfix Saladin and Saracen, but I never opened the box it seems, so I had a bit of a surprise just now. Clearly the one piece wheels and tracks are not normal for Airfix so I had a look on Scalemates and all was revealed. About 20 years ago I bought a couple of kits of the British Light Mk VI tank made by a British company called JB Models during the 1990's. Later, in around 2008 Airfix started selling the same kit, and it seems that they must have aquired the moulds from JB. They also aquired some others, this M113 together with the "fire support" version, the Saladin, Saracen and the LWB Land Rover with trailer. JB also made the 105mm "light gun" and a Bedford lorry and tanker. Airfix have re-boxed all of them at some point. Curiously, JB also released a Scorpion/Scimitar light tank, but it turns out that that was a re-box of the old Airfix kit! Strangely however, they do not seem to have aquired the moulds for the Landrover 1 tonne truck and Ambulance which appear to have gone to Eastern Europe. Anyway, this is clearly quite a simple kit but nicely detailed as were the Mk VI tanks from the same source, and Scalemates say that all 3 versions which decals are provided for actually served in Vietnam. However, the support version whch Airfix sold as "M113 US Fire Support Vehicle" is actually the version fitted with the turret and gun from the Saracen Armoured car, which was also used in 'Nam. but by the Australians, not the US. The only slight disappointment is the lack of stowage and clutter such as spare wheels that often was to be seen on these APC in service, but I can probably do something about that as I have some resin stuff I bought from Millicast a few years back - boxes, camo netting, roled canvas etc According to Airfix it has black rubber tyres on the wheels and just about everything else is green, but I won't be following their suggestion to use Humbrol Hu30! Besides the 3 rotating gun shields it can be built with the top doors/hatches open, and the water trim vane open or closed. Does anybody know what the interior colour was - white/cream perhaps? I would imagine that the inside of the hatches would have been the same colour as the hull though. Anyway, I will make a start on this shortly - should not take too long but I have said that many times before only to be proved wrong! I was also considering building a T-54 tank, but am not sure what markings it would have so probably won't bother. Cheers Pete
  3. This will be my entry to this GB, Special Hobby's lovely kit of the Meteor NF.12... The Kit ...I usually try and do something different than what's in the box, the kit provides markings for 25, 46 and 64 Sqns RAF, unfortunately the 25 Sqn markings are incorrect as Special Hobby show the bars as being silver and blue, not silver and black which is correct. For this build I'll be building a 264 Sqn jet stationed at RAF Middleton St George in 1957, these markings will come from Modeldecal sheet 93 and are the yellow and black bars... The stickers ...I've also got the Peewit mask for the multi panelled canopy although I have heard rumours about their lack of tenacity so they may just end up as templates for normal tape. What's not shown here is the Aerocraft clear resin, open canopy as seen in this link, the kit has a very good interior and it would be a shame not to show it off! I've got quite a lot of references for the Meteor, the aircraft sits squarely in my preferred era of subject so I've accumulated quite a few references on the type... References I've got quite a lot going on in the Heller Classic GB at the moment so I won't be getting around to this one any time soon.
  4. A model from 2 years ago. Civil aviation once had the very democratic dream of providing everyone with a personal plane, as it was happening then with cars. It didn't do it off the goodness of its heart, let's be frank, it wanted to create a market -already filled with home appliances and such-. The dream (sorry, can't help it) never "took off". But the trend spawned a legacy of "flivver", "personal" planes, though, that make the delights of some modelers (I have built a few). Besides the floppy beginnings of the aeronautic endeavors of the Ford company and the later success of the -copied shamelessly from Fokker and Junkers- trimotor transports, the company turned its attention to the personal market. The glossed-over figure of -ideologically very dubious- Henry Ford merits no further mention in this article, but let's start by saying that as the result of that directive Otto Koppen designed the Flivver in 1926, which was reputedly an original idea of William Stout, in charge then of the company's aviation program. The diminutive Flivver had an Anzani of 35 hp engine, a wooden airscrew, a wide landing gear track, Gottingen 387 airfoil, and a span of 22 ft. The Flivver came in two flavors: the first one, with an Anzani 3-cylinder engine, no dihedral and no braces, and the second one with a 2-cylinder engine, dihedral, inverted wing bracing, different tail and inset ailerons. Many other differences apply. The first Flivver was modified a number of times (shorter ailerons, for example) and photos show changes in the engine cowling, upper fuselage and instrument panel. As usual, if you want to build one, check your photos and written references. Since no manufacturer wanted to kit it in 1/72 due surely to its limited bombing capacities, I decided to scratchbuild it (there is a William Bros. injected kit issued in 1/48, many times mistakenly stated as 1/72 due to its small size). This very little model has a chubby and cutely stumpy appearance, and it wouldn't have been out of place in the comics and cartoons of the 20s and 30s. Its stance is proud, and you expect it to walk away swinging that wing to one side and the other on its short lading gear legs. An old Aeroclub prop was used (thanks, caballero Armando!) and the adapted cylinders came originally from Matías Hagen (gracias, Mati!). No decals for this one, since I will depict the model unmarked as it appears in trial photos with a particular prop, spoke wheels and a shorter engine cowl (and in Flight magazine, Feb. 17 1927). As explained above, the plane was modified many times, and decorations and details vary. The Flivver is reproduced here as it appears in photos in what seems early test flights. No markings and a different fuselage top and nose than in later modifications. Photos show a spoke wheel -this model- and covered wheels -my other 1/100 model-. The finding of the photos with the absence of markings was a blessing for me, since I did not want to publicize a brand associated with the historically glossed-over figure of Henry, whose discriminatory ideology was extremely questionable in many regards, as articles in his newspaper of the time prove. But since the plane was the product of other minds and hands, and it is a really a cute little thing, I thought it deserved the effort of a scratchbuild, twice! since I made the 1/100 (by mistake) and 1/72 versions. Please don't sneeze. A 1/100 minime: The dreaded bane of small models and parts:
  5. As There is still a few weeks left to run in this group build I thought I would do another build. From the stash I have retrieved the 1/72nd Amodel kit of the Piasecki HUP Retriever. I am going to build it as one of the three Canadian helicopters of this type and using decals from Print Scale. The Retriever was designed to a USN requirement for a rescue and communication helicopter for use on aircraft carriers and ships. A prototype first flew in 1949 and entered service in 1951. There were four variants. The HUP1 had horizontal stabilisers on the tail, which were deleted on the HUP2 as this was fitted with an autopilot. Some were built for antisubmarine use, but apparently saw little use in this role. The HUP3 was similar to the 2, with more powerful engines and some were converted (including the three Canadian ones) from a US Army version called the UH25 Mule. the UH25 was to be used as a light transport and communications helicopter, but was found not to be rugged enough for Army use. The A model kit is moulded in a hard white plastic with little flash and some reasonable detail Some parts like the engine support look quite delicate and will be visible through the air intakes on the spine. As moulded only the upper set are open and photos vary as to whether the lower set of intakes are open are not. The photos of the aircraft I am building so them to be open and it is straightforward to open them up as there position is indicated on the fuselage halves by engraved lines. Nice to build a kit that can be stuck together with styrene cement.
  6. My latest model finished the end of last week of a Lockheed Hudson I of P5143, 'VX-M' of 206 Sqn, Bircham Newton, May 1940. The Hudson was derived from the Lockheed Model 14 airliner to meet a RAF requirement for a General Reconnaissance (GR) aircraft or as a trainer. Buying a US aircraft for potentially operational duties caused a lot of comment at the time, as some believed the RAF should use only British aircraft. It was then decided,with the threat of war looming, to use the Hudson in its GR role as it offered better performance than the Avro Anson currently used. The Blackburn Botha was the intended replacement for the Anson, but was unlikely to be available in any numbers and when it did appear the Botha proved to be a disappointment, being underpowered and most ended up as trainers. The Hudson first entered service with 224 Sqn in May 1939. 206 Sqn first received Hudsons in March 1940 as replacements for Ansons although the latter lingered until June 1940. The model was built using the MPM kit that first appeared in the mid 1990's and has been reissued by Revell. My model is from the original release and was a resident of the Shelf of Doom for some time, partially because I became disenchanted with the kit at a time when life and work were quite stressful. The kit, even for a limited run kit of the period is not the easiest. Although MPM had moved on to injected moulded transparent parts by that time, it still relies on butt joints in places where some more locating points might have been helpful, like the nose. Fit of some of the parts was also quite vague and not helped by the instructions. The kit has quite a few alternative parts to cater for later marks and this does not help the fit. For me the major jarring note is the Boulton Paul turret, that looks no advance shapewise on the Airfix kit from the sixties.. Thanks to a conversation with Tony O'Toole of this parish at the Bolton Show, the turret has been replaced by a spare from the Revell Halifax III kit with a scratch built interior. Also from the Bolton Show I purchased some Deluxe materials 'Looks Like Glass'. not cheap, but you get a lot for your money and really does look shiny and clear. Paintwork is from the Mr Hobby Aqueous Colour range for the Dark Green and Dark Earth with Vallejo White Aluminium Metalcolor undersurfaces. The kit offers the decals for the aircraft modelled, but looking ata photo of the real aircraft, these were replaced with markings made up from various Modeldecal sheets. now it is finished I am fairly happy with it and can now give my full attention to the Group Build York. As the Marketing Department of the Sirius Cybernetic Corp. would say, 'Share and Enjoy'
  7. Morning all! This is my planned build for this GB using the gorgeous little Arma kit and Xtradecals 72-113 to make Hurricane IIc BP588 coded RS-X of 33 Sqn in Lybia during 1942. Here's the kit and decals... I have bucket loads of Hurricane references, I was a bit unsure of this option having some doubt about the markings but after getting clarification in this thread, I'm happy to go ahead with it. Initial progress will be slow as I have to finish off my final university project first but the end is in sight on that one, there's light at the end of the tunnel... ...or is that an oncoming train?
  8. This will be my entry for this GB, I won't actually get started until after I finish my studies in September. The aircraft is BuAer No.89411, 3.F.10 of the Aeronavale's 3F based at Bach Maï during the battle for Dien Bien Phu in 1954. I'll be using the Special Hobby SB2C-5 kit which is itself based upon the Academy SB2C-4 kit with some extra goodies to make up for the differences in the two sub-types. While the kit has markings for an Indochina based aircraft I'll be using the Model Art decals for the unit markings and serials at least. Whilst the aircraft was assigned to 3F, the Allied Wings book has a picture of this aircraft at Bach Maï and it still wears the badge of the Khourigba Station Flight, Kourigba being in North Africa, fortunately the Model Art set includes these markings. The aircraft got into quite a tatty state and was scrapped on its return to France, so I'm aiming for the well worn look with this one! Here's the kit and decals: And here are the references, the SAMI article has a useful build article for the Academy SB2C-4 which I'll be leaning on during the build. This will be my first build post studies so I'm hoping to be able to do it justice, it's so good to have time to return properly to modelling! Thanks for looking and good luck to all in this GB!
  9. Today I was delving into the stash to look for something and I came across a couple of Academy 1/72nd Texans. Upon opening the box I found the kit was reasonably advanced, I decided to take pity on it and rescue it from the stash. You can see, I'd got the big bits buttoned up, this definitely exceeds the 25% that would exclude it from being a GB entrant! It's a bit very hard to see, but I'd put some circular grips on the top of the control column, that and the extended exhaust tells me I was originally making this as a Harvard IIb but as I haven't made the fuselage alterations to the rear of the canopy my options are still open. I'd previously added some seatbelts, can't tell whether I scratched them or whether they're aftermarket, thinking about it they look too neat so they're probably aftermarket. Finally, I'd done some work on the propeller, the kit is based upon a T-6G so comes with a propeller boss typical of that version, the propeller beneath that is very plain, lacking any detail such as the pitch change counterbalance weights so hopefully, you can see I've added some detail. Again, this points to my original intention to make a Harvard but as I have spares my options are still open on that front, I could keep it and use it for a Harvard later if I decide to go down the route of a spinner equipped aircraft. Martin @RidgeRunner, the prop was altered in the method I'd described to you when you were asking about AT-6D, I'm actually quite pleased with this result. This will be a sloooow build, I've still got my studies to complete and that's after I've rebuilt my modelling desk which I had to clear the way for some electrical work to be done in the basement where the modelling lair is. I haven't decided whether I'm going down the Harvard IIb route (I have the CMR conversion), or whether to make a Texan, I've got plenty of options, the DC Caspar set for the Soccer War, a Blue Rider set for a Nicaraguan machine (thanks Martin), some other Latin American options on an Aztec sheet, the ArmyCast sheet for worldwide Texan/Harvard, Modeldecal and S&M decals for RAF options and finally, which probably come as no surprise to some, the Model Art and Berna decal options for French Texan's in North Africa... ...choices, choices, choices...
  10. This is my other build so far for this Group Build. The basic kit is the current issue Mk I with the long defunct Airkit Enterprises PRIF conversion kit. The PR IF was one of the first of the long range PR Spitfires and based on the Mk I airframe. In addition to the camera installation, all the armament and gunsight were removed. An unarmoured windscreen and blisters on the canopy were also fitted . The aircraft carried extra fuel in a new fuselage tank behind the pilot and in two underwing blister. Extra oil was carried in a deepened tank under the nose. This gave the PR IF the range ,under optimum conditions, to reach Berlin and back. The PR IF entered service in July 1940, just when a PR aircraft was needed that could range over the Continental ports in the build up to an invasion and have a chance of coming back All the PR Spitfires had a very surface finish to maximise performance. the Aitkit conversion set consists of resin mouldings for the new deeper oil tank in the nose, and tank behind the pilot and the underwing blisters. Another piece is also given for the camera windows in the fuselage, but so far as I am concerned, that is what drills were invented for as the conversion would have cut a fair chunk out of the rear fuselage/wing root, not the easiest part to deal with anyway on Spitfire kits A very thin vacform canopy is also given with unarmoured windscreen and side blisters. As the conversion kit is designed for the 1979 Spitfire Ia kit there may be fit issues. No decals are given, but I have some on an Almarks and a Model Alliance sheet for PR aircraft. One of the first steps was to remove some the detail on Airfix kit. Some of it because the detail is too wide and deep and some to remove the gun bay access panels. A thin layer of Miliput was used. The interior was more or less the Airfix kit apart from the removal of the gunsight and the addition of the resin fuel tank. This needed some material removing to ensure a good fit of the fuselage halves. The oil tank and fairings were removed from the kit. A test was made with the vac formed canopy and it was found, not surprisingly, not to fit. The shape of the Airfix kit around the windscreen makes it hard to fit anything other than the Airfix canopy and so I reshaped and polished the windscreen and will add the blisters cut from the conversion kit canopy later. First photo shows the parts with some Miliput on and the second the interior with new fuel tank. the fina photo shows the fit of the new oil tank and that it is not a good fit, but I would have been surprised if it had been. Now the York is nearly finished, I hope to get on with this quickly.
  11. Here's my recently completed build of MPM's Lockheed PBO-1 Hudson, complete with RAF Dk.Green/Dk.Earth/Sky finish in US Navy markings. I did this for the 'In the Navy' GB. Here's the build thread. It didn't go without it's problems and looking at it now I'm still not happy with the fit of the separate nose section. Also the port tailfin and main oleo leg are a bit scewed (heavy landing!). The decals were commendably thin but broke up just looking at them! Had to use bits of the spare decals for repairs. Used Vallejo ModelAir paints, Johnsons Klear gloss hand brushed on and Vallejo Matt Varnish, thinned and airbrushed. Davey.
  12. As a lot of you know, I wouldn't normally have time for modelling at this time of year due to my studies but we are living in interesting times and I'm finding I have some spare time and itchy fingers so I've decided to join this GB with the lovely little Airfix 1/72nd Spitfire F.22 released a few years ago. I don't normally like doing the scheme provided in the box because, well, anybody can do that, so I've been casting my gaze around for something different, I wanted to do something in the aluminium scheme. Poring over my references I'd found a couple of suitable candidates but then Michael @Ghostbase started a thread about aircraft his father had flown in whilst at 102 Flying Refresher School (FRS), at RAF North Luffenham and my interest was piqued. The Spitfires had been replaced in RAuxAF service by Vampires and Meteors by this time, service in units like the Flying Refresher Schools was the Spitfire's final swansong. The AIRFile book on RAF Trainers Vol:2 1945-2012 has a profile of F.22 PK399 coded M-50 which was in use with 102 FRS in 1951, a quick Google search turned up a small but nonetheless useful photo which showed errors with the profile (the profile shows no underwing roundels or serials, the photo definitely has roundels so I think it's also safe to assume serials would be present too). This build won't be quick, I shall be fitting things in around work, studies and gardening amongst other things.
  13. After much deliberation I went with the Airfix Biii special AJ/J piloted by David Maltby from 617 squadron. It was the 5th Lancaster to drop it's bomb and the one that caused the breach. Newer tool Airfix kit with Xtradecal X72093 617 (Dambusters) Squadron 1943-2008 History decals, the rest OOB So I guess I'll put my marker down for when we eventually start Ian
  14. Pretty late to the party, had a quiet 2019 modelling wise, ending with a major health scare a couple of weeks before Christmas, followed by major surgery which was successful, followed by a return to hospital because of an infection. (Deep breath!) So, while I've got a few months recovery, so no grandkids to childmind, and with SWMBO's permission 🙄, I'm gonna try and crack on with a few GB's these next few months. For this one I'm easing my way back into things with hopefully a nice straightforward build, Airfix's nice looking new tool Ju 87, in this case an R-2 from the Dog-Fight Double boxing paired with a Gloster Gladiator (which will get built sometime). I'm going to have a go at brush painting this, I've been using an airbrush since I got back into modelling a few years ago now, but I do that in the loft, and my wife may be a tad reluctant to let me up there for the time being while I recover from the op! I made a start on assembly, everything going together well enough. I like how Airfix have included two pilot's seats, one with belts and one without. Mine is going to be displayed on the ground so have used the one with the belts in place. Onwards and upwards! Davey.
  15. Hello Everybody ... Thought I would pop in and build Revell’s Hurricane IIB as a lend-lease to the Soviet Union. I plan on doing this one in winter distemper over the RAF colors. It should look like this if I succeed. The upper profile is something like what im going for. Though to be honest the Artillery spotting two seater is making me consider that option as well. Anyone have any info on the Two seater that might sway me ? Specifically looking for a line drawing or interior photos of the rear observers seat? Also Im looking for any info concerning the RS-82 rockets seen on the white-washed hurricane ? Work wont start for about a week. Im still involved in 4 other group builds with 5 aircraft currently. A couple of those will be done in the next week so that will free up the time needed. My thanks to the Host(s) for letting me join. Questions, comments, or jokes ? Dennis
  16. Recently finished for the Stuka STGB, it was built using the kit and markings from the 'Dogfight Double' boxing,the one with a Gloster Gladiator. Easy to put together, with nice cockpit detail, I liked the option of the pilots seat with belts moulded in or not. I decided to give 'Hairy Stick' painting a go, for the first time since I got back into the hobby a few years ago. XtraAcylic upper colours with Vallejo ModelAir below. 'Klear' brushed on (which I normally do with Airbrushed models), then brushed on Vallejo water thinned Matt Varnish. I'm pleased with the overall effect but need to practice a lot more, brush strokes visible galore! Had an accident with the decals, wasn't going to put on every stencil, but managed to tip half a bottle of Micro Sol over the sheet, apart from the main markings I could only rescue one of the warning triangles! The base is just one I made to occasionally take photo's of models on. Davey.
  17. Have just finished this as I wanted to take something to Telford.... also, shamelessly (considering the time I've been on BM), my first RFI on the forum too. Now, I just need more time to finish my other projects..... Finished He-111 1/72 Hasegawa by Totallyrad.co.uk, on Flickr Finished He-111 1/72 Hasegawa by Totallyrad.co.uk, on Flickr Finished He-111 1/72 Hasegawa by Totallyrad.co.uk, on Flickr Thanks for looking, any comments good or bad welcome
  18. Latest build finished. Cracking kit with no major problems, apart from getting the nose section to meet up with the fuselage ...a little tricky. Paints are a mixture of Vallejo and Tamiya and aftermarket decals from Xtradecal and the kit. I made a mistake in fitting the underwing night fighter aerial but it's too late to remove now so it will have to say put. Experimented with using a coastal kits background base set but unfortunately the 1/72nd scale one seems a bit too small for medium to large aircraft! 🤔 Photos not the best as they're only off my phone. Thanks for looking 🙂
  19. Ah entry of mine over in the P-40 (and relatives!) STGB. Built OOB, not too bad to put together, very nicely detailed, especially the panel lines. Just usual lack of clear placement instructions and tricky fit, re; undercarriage and clear parts. Vallejo ModelAir used throughout, I think it looks quite good in Dark Green/Dark Earth over Medium Sea Grey (?colour call out on the instructions, couldn't confirm this but went for it). 'Klear' gloss coat with Vallejo matt finish. Didn't attempt to scratch build the ring and bead gunsight, not with my shakey hands! looks the part I reckon, what'ya think? Davey.
  20. I was born in February 1954, 11 days before the first Swift F.1 entered service with 56 Sqn. Much has been written about the Swift, a lot of it not terribly complimentary and it did have a number of flaws that made it unsuitable as an interceptor. The F.1 lacked manoeuvrability at the altitudes it was expected to fight at. Handling was made even worse by the insistence by the RAF on a four gun armament in the F.2. Low speed handling when landing was poor and there were issues around its ease of maintenance. The F.2 entered service in August 1954 and that is what i am intending to build. The F.1 and 2 were withdrawn in March 1955 and any effort to turn the Swift into a useable fighter were abandoned, despite the appearance of the F.4 that addressed a lot of the shortcomings of the Swift. However, all was not lost as the Swifts low level performance was good and it was solidly built. This made it a suitable replacement for the Meteor FR9 in the fighter reconnaissance role which it fulfilled with 2 and 79 Sqns in RAF Germany as the FR5, the subject of the RAF 1/72nd scale kit I built an F.2 about 32 years ago by carving up the Pegasus 1/72nd FR5 kit (the plastic was that thick!), but the model was damaged beyond repair in a house move and so the arrival of the Airfix kit and the Freightdog conversion set enabled me to think about building another one. This Group Build has spurred me to take the kits out of the stash and get them built. The two reference books shown give, in my opinion, a fairly balanced view of the life and times of the Swift and I am eager to start.
  21. Hello folks, Here's my entry into this Group Build and I'm quite excited about it too as I'll explain later! I had planned to make an English Electric Lightning, specifically XR720 which flew a few days before my birthday in 1964. XR720 is an F.3 which would mean converting the Airfix 1/72nd kit using the Alley Cat conversion, then the reality of my situation hit. I am a very slow modeller, mostly because I have lots going on in my life but mainly because I only have a small window of opportunity to do some modelling anyway! Many of you will know that this man in his fifties is studying part time for a degree, fitting it in with work and the aforementioned lots going on in my life, taking on a conversion probably wouldn't be the wisest of things and probably wouldn't get finished before I have to recommence studies. Therefore, something OOB was called for. Fortunately, the long announced CMK/Special Hobby 1/72nd Dassault SMB.2 Super Mystère has finally, after what seems like an incredibly long wait (accompanied by lots of teasing glimpses of progress), has been released! I was very excited when this was announced, the Super Mystère has long been a favourite of mine, really since seeing a picture of the EC.1/12 Tiger Meet aircraft in 1972, it's a classic Cold War jet and as it's French, it has a certain je ne sais quoi. The Airfix kit from the early 70's is a nice kit but isn't up to today's standards, the more recent AZ kit has some shape errors so when this kit was announced I was very pleased indeed! It certainly looks in the box, to be the definitive SMB.2 in this scale! This would be my OOB subject. Although the kit has been manufactured by Special Hobby, French concern Azur got first dibs on the releases, this is the "Early" boxing and features NMF subjects, the "Late" boxing features camouflaged aircraft. AFAIK, the kit contents are the same. Unfortunately, none of the subjects in the box were from the year I was born. Fortunately, I've got plenty of decals from Berna Decals which include some other options. Berna Decal sheet BD72-78 features three aircraft one of which is No.151/12-YN from EC.1/12 at Cambrai in 1967... ...not 1964, curses! Searching through the excellent EM37 book on the Super Mystère, it lists the histories of every single aircraft which shows that No.151 was delivered to EC.1/12 on 01/08/63 after its first Major maintenance at Dassualt, it stayed with the unit 12/09/67 when it went to IAI at Lod for its second Major maintenance. Therefore the aircraft was on the unit strength during 1964! Hurrah!! So to cut a long story short, my subject will be Super Mystère No.151/12-YN, from EC.1/12, based at Cambrai in 1964.
  22. Here's my entry over on the B-17 STGB. Based on the academy B-17E Boxing to obtain the correct nose side glazing, realised I had to add an astrodome as well. 'Kitsworld' decals were used, but I did a bit of research and came up with photo's showing 'Hettie' with no upper turret and upper scheme extending over the cowlings, also a different spacing and layout of the Codes. It also seems as if the leading edges of the main-wings/tail weren't black. Anyway, this is my interpretation and I'm sticking to it! The decals, by the way, went on really well and reacted well to Micro Set/Sol. Paint was Ultimate White Primer, then Vallejo ModelAir RLM21 white. Xtracrylics were used for the EDSG/Dark Slate Grey upperworks. The excessive main-wing dihedral was an easy fix with 15 thou plasticard shimming, attaching the bottom halves first there was no gap on the bottom, just the top to fill in a bit. I didn't improve or correct the air/oil cooler intakes, apologies to the B-17 Buffs out there. I used QuickBoost cowlings and engines, not sure if the cowlings were much better than the kit parts, but the engines looked better. As I ruined the Pavla Vacformed nose piece I had, which fitted not to bad, I ended up using a nose glazing out of the Revell kit, which isn't the same shape towards the bottom, but it'll do until I come up with something else, or fair-in the academy nose to suit! These close ups show loads of faults! When using a toothpick to clean up the paint leakage onto the windows the rear most one was pushed in, so I just left it! I may obtain some crystal clear and try that next time. As usual (for me!) a bit rushed at the end due to my impatience, but I'm overall fairly pleased with the result and in terms of hours wasn't a long build, just felt like it! Comments and Critique welcome. Davey.
  23. Ok, don't know if I'll get this done as I'm having a bit of 'modellers block' (see 'Butterworth Blenheim' in the Pacific at War GB). Sprue shots show wing parts, fuselage removed just to test fit. I'm doing Kitsworld's 'Hekla Hettie', an early 'F' model, so using the 'E' as a basis as this has the correct forward fuselage side glazing. I have QB paddle blades, engines and cowlings (apparently the kit parts aren't that good), Falcon clear parts for the frameless nose glazing, don't know how much I'll use of the Eduard Etch I'll use as I'm late into this! Davey.
  24. I've just finished this over on the 'Pacific war' GB, build thread can be seen there. I basically built it out of the box, only 'extras' were Tamiya Tape seat belts. I built up both fuselage half parts, complete with glazing, before joining them together, made the joining of the main wing a little harder but worked out OK. Airbrushed with Vallejo 'ModelAir' paints, Black was 'Ultimate' Black Primer, Alclad Gloss Varnish with Vallejo Matt Varnish. Uschi thread for aerial wire. Finished in the kit option of Sqn Leader Arthur Scarf VC's aircraft, based in Butterworth at the outbreak of the Japanese invasion in 1941. All criticism welcome. Davey.
  25. Recently finished after a very long time on the shelf of doom. This one caused me a few problems and after a nasty incident with some defective paint, lingered without being finished for quite a while. I decided I would try to get it finished off today to make room for something else. The downside to the Fujimi Phantom is the complete lack of detail in the intakes but now that the Airfix kit is out, British Phantom lovers are well catered for. Other than the paint disaster, the kit was generally pretty good and fitted together quite well. I had some issues with the cockpit (my aftermarket bang seats were too big and needed a lot of fettling) and this ultimately led to the canopy not fitting perfectly as some of the more observant of you may notice! The only other issue I had was the lack of sidewinder pylons as these aren't supplied in this boxing unfortunately. Maybe I'll get round to scratch buiding some eventually but I doubt it! Anyway, on to the photos. Apologies for the poor quality as I rushed to take a couple of snaps before the light faded... Cheers for looking, GJ
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