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Hi all, The new Airfix 1:48 Jaguar is complete! What a kit... the fit, the detail, everything about this kit is amazing. I went with a Royal Omani Air Force aircraft in a very distinctive two tone desert camo, thanks to a now very rare Model Alliance decal set. This is a kit I will definitely be purchasing and building more of and it's worth every penny - a very enjoyable build which I would seriously recommend to anyone! Finished in my favourite, go-to Hataka Orange Line paints which gave me a lovely smooth finish. If you want any more information on this build, please ask in the comments below. Cheers all!

Hello, Here's my next project, a dual build which will carry me through most of the year. I'm continuing the trend of building my oldest kits first, in case I can still use the decals 🙂. One of the kits is a newer repop I purchased in 2019 in Airfix's soft light grey plastic. The other was purchased in 2004, and it's the harder dark grey plastic. They will be a Seafire FR.47 and a Seafire F.46 respectively. I've seen build reports outlining fit issues with the FR.47 and I know the soft plastic works well with TET and may make the build easier. I'll also use a bunch of goodies, like the Barracuda propeller blades and the requisite Rob Taurus canopies. I also got miscellaneous bits (flying surfaces, exhausts, wheels, cockpit bits) from Hi-Tech which I'll put to use on one of them, likely the F.46. I'll have to check my "Spitfire Goodies" box as well to see if there is anything else there worth using. Here is the start. The newer decal sheet is much crisper in printing though I'm not sure if there will be a difference in behaviour. And the first challenge has raised its head: the instrument panel. It's molded in three levels, and I doubt any decal sheet would conform to all of them. The panel in the older sheet is also useless. IMG_5089 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr Unfortunately Airfix moulded all but one instrument face as flat discs, so my usual method of painting white first, then flat black and scratching the instrument details won't work here. I thought of punching out the individual instruments from the decal sheet, yet with only one usable sheet that's not a good plan. I've painted the panels with Tamiya LP-2 White for now while I figure something out. The other challenge is the control column with a solid spade grip. What was Airfix thinking? I'll scratch build the grips as the Mk 47 has a differently shaped grip. IMG_5090 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr While the kit is good, there are many things to correct and enhance which can make the build interesting. I've just completed a shake and bake kit, now it's time to get creative again. This may be it for a while. Cheers, Wlad PS - I recognize beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so please don't be offended if you prefer the Mk.47 over the Mk.46. 🙂

Manual-feeding a multi-page drawing set through a work-from-home bubble-jet printer ... loitering at the computer ... what better time to start a new thread! All going to plan, this thread will lead to a two-part finish! Finish 1 My local club is working towards an ambitious goal to mark the RAAF's 100th Anniversary; as part of the annual ScaleACT public show (for 2021, COVID delayed to February 2022) the club is preparing a display of one of every machine the RAAF has ever operated. This has involved much effort by the subcommittee to collate & administer a master spreadsheet, collecting members builds & new-build commitments to account for all types. I have found one of the dwindling final remaining machines which works for me, this Percival Vega Gull, as operated by RAAF No 1 Communications Unit & No 82 Wing Headquarters: This machine was 'impressed' into service in January 1940, retaining it's civil maroon & silver paint scheme, with registration replaced by roundels & RAAF serial no. As shown here on DEKL'S II decals sheet; So my plan is to build and finish in this scheme, to contribute to the club display, but with decals not sealed in, so they can later be easily stripped off ... Finish 2 Before stepping in for war service, this privately-owned machine was quite a competitor, being entered into at least two pre-war air races. One of these was the 1936 South Australian Centenary Air Race, from Brisbane to Adelaide, and this machine was the winner of the Speed Section! Despite the race being over 1,440 miles - via Coffs Harbour, Sydney & Cootamunda in NSW, then Melbourne & Nhill in Victoria, and on to Parafield South Australia - the Vega Gull beat the second-place Stinson Reliant by a mere 1½ sec!! So after I peel off the RAAF decals, I will add VH-UVG registration & race number 49 in white circle like so, returning it to pre-war race livery to sit with my other air racers: This is the kit, received in the post earlier this week: And this oh-so-beautiful sole surviving - airworthy - UK machine shall be my benchmark for the 'maroon & silver' base scheme common to this machine's RAAF & Racer finishes: OK, printing nearly finished, time to sign-off. February deadline requires rapid action, so I ought to have something to post of progress soon ...

Hi, I would like to start and share my new build of a De Havilland Mosquito 1:48 scale. The kit is the old, but still very nice Tamiya of the FB Mk VI. I believe that neither a presentation of this aircraft nor of the kit is necessary. Since long, I wanted to build a model of this aircraft because of its fame and because of its remarkable design. For me, this is the first mosquito build as a grown up modeller if I exclude the ancient Revell 1/32 kit that I built when I was a kid. To start my build, I followed to the letter the Tamiya instructions which called the engine nacelles as a first step: I just thickened the frames for added 3-D effect and added few interior details. The white panel shown on the inside of the walls is an artistic license of mine having used a piece of thin styrene to hide annoying ejection pin marks which I didn't want to fill and sand. In the following, the nacelles are shown completed: Finally, they are test fitted with the wings and the main undercarriage struts to check that no interferences with the new parts are present: That is all for this first instalment, I hope you will enjoy following it. Best regards, Dan

ARMA HOBBY 1:48 HAWKER HURRICANE IIb TROP Hi all here’s my Arma Hobby Hurricane IIb Tropical. Ive wanted to do a desert scheme Hurricane for a while now and when my wife picked this kit out my stash earlier in the year I was eager to do it sooner rather than later so with other builds out the way this is my 5th kit build of the year so far ( only built 5 kits for the whole of last year!) Kit: Arma hobby (40008) Scale:1:48 Type: Hawker Hurricane IIb Scheme HL795/V 274 squadron EGYPT/LIBIYA November 1942 Aftermarket Extras used: Quinta Studio 3D Decal cockpit set (QD48410), Eduard Brassin fishtail exhausts (648916) Primer: MRP fine surface primer black Paints: MRP, MRP-111,-119,-121,-108,-135,-122,-123,-124/ MR HOBBY SM 201 Thinners: MRP MR.THINNER Slow Dry, Mr COLOR LEVELLING THINNER 400 Varnishes: MRP-048 Gloss and MRP-127 Matt Ammo panel line wash Humbrol weathering powders This was an enjoyable build from start to finish although I did have a small hiccup right near the end of the build I spilt a bottle of MRP paint on my workbench and some unfortunately splashed onto the model so I had to do the necessary corrective work to get the model back to where i was happy with it. one area I have trouble with in modelling is paint chipping I can never make it look right I’ve tried several methods over the years to no avail. I did try on this model but didn’t like the result so sprayed back over with the camo colours. This is my first build of a Arma Hobby kit and I must say the level of detail and the fit of the parts is second to none. Although I did find the the plastic is rather soft so extra care was needed when cutting parts from the sprues and the subsequent clean up. Paints used were from MRP and Mr hobby and I must say absolutely loving MRP paints as they sprayed beautifully. Thanks for looking and all comments welcome Happy Modelling

Hi everybody, calling all Corsair maniacs experts for this build, such as @corsaircorp and @Corsairfoxfouruncle just to name the two I'm more familiar with I always loved the Corsair, but know very little about it, so any help, hints, tips, references and pointers will be greatly appreciated This is more of a bookmark than an actual start, I still need to study some proper documentation about the subject, anyway here are a few pics. The kit: It's the well known Tamiya 1/48 box - I don't think there's much to say about it, anyway here are the sprues: The second pilot figure, in the "jumping on board" pose, is very tempting... Clear parts Decals (as usual, I plan to use very few of them ) and the scheme I want to reproduce, Jolly Rogers' BIG HOG Actual works to start soon-ish, I may venture into a foray in another field of modelling before/along this, we'll see. Meanwhile, I'm all ears Ciao Edit: I almost forgot to add that my friend @corsaircorp had sent me some resin bits to tart up this build: I'm not sure if I'll be using the whole engine or just replace the crankcase of the kit with the resin one - definitely going to use the resin seat, though

This is not a completely new thread. Rob started it back in May and let me tag along adding what I could to help with the conversion. I won’t be reposting all those build photos I posted but will pick up where we left off when the build(s) stalled somewhat when we encountered a problem and hadn’t decided on what to, or whether to, do about it. The thread is here if the subject interests you and you weren’t following to begin with. Quite a bit of scratch building experimentation and Rob’s handy work with aluminium sticky tape. This is the donor kit, Revell’s really very nice Lockheed Ventura. This is the look we were aiming for, or at least what hoped our build would resemble. And This was the problem we encountered. The belly of the Ventura was fairly flat. Rob recons it eas squared off to accommodate the bomb load and no doubt he is correct. He’s leaving his model as is since it is closed up and foiled. Perhaps a modelling nightmare to de-foil and reshape the belly. The belly should look something like this: not completely a semi circle but not too flat either. And this is how, after much mulling over, I’ve decided to deal with the problem. TL: To get the shape I thought I needed a made a template of the top of the nose piece and tacked it to the bottom. Note the “corners” which will be eliminated. TR: that piece was removed and a block of balsa carved to match the shape of the template. BL: male and female moulds were fashioned. BR: a new forward piece as plunged out of .040 styrene. The rest of the belly, right back to the end of the bomb bay opening will be done this way. So, that’s it so far. I welcome any comments, suggestions or criticism. I will no doubt have do a little editing but just wanted to get this posted. Thanks for lookin in. Dennis

Because I have a knack of making things difficult for m'self I decided to build my 'Late' Tomcat as an 'Early' (1982) version without the extra lumps'n bumps. I was cautious of all the hype around Tamiyas' Tomcat, however, it turns-out that it really does build that well. There's so many shades in this 'overall Light Gull Grey' finish, that I honestly don't think I'll be doing another USN build for a couple of years - sadly they don't really 'pop' in the photos, but they're definitely there. I've used Mr Color &Tamiya lacquers throughout. Decals are from Furball (sheet 48-060), and behaved flawlessly as always. Also used Quinta decals for the first time (the only after-market on the build)... two words 'game changer' simple as that. I slightly changed the loadout to represent an early and rarely seen 3 + 3 configuration just to add more visual interest. Not too much more to say, please feel free to make any comments & observations or ask any questions. Enjoy the Easter break, cheers from NZ. Ian.

Being a CH-53 pilot (now retired), I always wanted to build a decent model of a German CH-53 in 1:48 scale. The Revell kit is from the early 1980s and represents the technology of that time. Revell has researched the newer versions very well, added new parts (new rotor blades, tanks, radar and missile detection system, chaff and flare dispensers) for the CH-53GS and GA editions but the main parts remained unchanged during the many reissues of this kit. Nevertheless, It is worth every cent of it's price, because it offers the opportunity to spend a huge amount of time working on it. How boring is a Tamiya kit compared to that, where everything is correct and fits perfectly? Well, it was more than 10 years ago, when I started this kit and I gave up, when it was already masked, painted and partly decalled, and put it into the so called shelf of doom. I was not in the mood then to correct all the shortcomings and flaws. About one month ago, a former comrade asked me to repair some broken parts from his model, which he had bought somewhere. I did so and remembered my old started model in the basement. And all of a sudden, I enjoyed rediscovering all the missing details and flaws that needed attention and working on it. Here is the result, still far away from being perfect. Some things I haven`t changed, because the model was already airbrushed, but I learned from then for the other two models I am working on right now, a GS and a GA verion. This model had to be one of my former regiment, Heeresfliegeregiment 15 in Rheine-Bentlage (ETHE). The numbers of the decal sheet allowed the 84+75, which was fine. This model represents the aircraft between about 1989 and 1997. About 1989 all the static discharge systems were removed, because it had proved to be ineffective, and 1997 the old Aluminium rotor blades as shown here were replaced by more modern and aerodynamically more effective so called "Improved rotor blades" . Things I have changed or improved: - Remove the part for the air refuelling boom from the glass part and polish it, - shorten all three landing gear legs by 2 mm - add details to the top of the instrument panel like map storage and stand by compass - Remove the crude mechanism of the tail rotor and rebuild it - add hydraulic lines to the main rotor head - reduce the height of the main rotor head above the blades by 2 mm - add yellow stripes to the main rotor blades as forklift markings - add engine front intake covers, as the compressor is nicely modelled, but too far forward - reduce the height of the front wheel cover by 2mm and add a small stripe of plastic on the bottom - add details to the wind shield wipers - add two small pins above the cockpit for the ice detection system and the outside air temperature gauge (which is already gone again) - add the shimmy damper to the the right front wheel (that cylindrical thing) - add various hydraulic lines for the blade fold mechanism at the main rotor head Things that should be done, but that I avoided, because the model was already assembled and painted: remove the premodelled wind shield wipers drill holes for the air intakes in the "dog house" above the cockpit for heating and Auxiliary power plant (APP) rebuild the front landing cover, because it is way too thick Here are the pictures, which I took at Rheine Bentlage airfield, which is still a military installation, but not used for military flying any more. greetings from Germany, Norbert

Hey folks So this is my Eduard 'Weekend Edition' 1:48 Focke-Wulf with just generic seatbelts added. Painted with Mr Color lacquers for the camo and decals for a 5/JG300 machine from the spares box. Weathering/stains/leaks are all Windsor & Newton oils. Not too much to say about the kit that hasn't been said here & elsewhere over the years. My first time building this kit and enjoyed it so much I've already added an A4 to my basket at my favourite on-line model shop ! As always, C C & Q's welcome, cheers from New Zealand. Ian.

Hi, I think this is my most ambitious project so far. I saw this Bristol M.1C from Special hobby, but since I only build in 1:48, I had a terrible idea. Last year I was really into 3D printing, with my Floh project in PLA. With my Sopwith Triplane project not getting much time (but still ongoing and in the final act), I kind of compensated with a lot of Blender learning. So, the first victim was this Bristol, so I could get into the 3D modelling scene. The model is from PanzerOwl which has it for free in thingiverse. This was a good platform to learn how to thicken the pieces, join them, make holes, plan ahead, etc. Not without mistakes, of course, all part of a learning experience. I exported the pieces to a Form 3 resin printer. This is the PreForm print. With printing comes some lessons, as in, what is the minimal thickness for some pieces, how to orient them to get the best / strongest print, etc. I also used a vinyl cutter for masks. Some pieces I can reuse from unused kits, namely the Eduard Sopwith Camel which lends a 110 hp Le Rhône 9 cylinder and a seat, and a prop from a SE5. Wheels from a Fokker, and I also have an undercarriage taken from a Bristol Fighter. This is going to be really interesting, as not only I am assembling it, I also made the pieces, so really uncharted territory. Let's see how this goes, and hopefully, helps me get into finishing my other projects this year.

This is the Dragon H-1 kit, slightly modified to back date it to an H-0. I went with a left field scheme, with this one being Obslt. Fritz Auffhammer's airframe which he had instructed to be painted bright red to stop the trigger happy German ground AAA units from shooting him down as he took the airframe back to the Luftwaffe proving ground at Rechlin. Here, Auffhammer had a meeting with engineers and officials about technical problems causing delays and once he had heard enough excuse, its said he blurted out, "I don't care about your problems, you can kiss my bottom! I need these machines right now!" So, here is that very Ta-152H-0 destined for JG301, sometime in early 1945. Enjoy! ✈️ https://www.facebook.com/jamesbuildsandmore/

Spitfire MK IXe Black 58 Hi fellow modellers Here is my recently finished Eduard 1:48 Spitfire MK IXe (8288) I started this at the end of January I must say it’s been a throughly enjoyable build from start to finish. ( I even peeled the carrier film off the decals) My wife picked this kit out of the stash and also chose the markings. Finished as 2058 (ex TE515) 105 Training Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, Ramat David AB Israel 1955 I used some aftermarket for this build to compliment what already comes with this profipack kit. Aftermarket as follows. Eduard Brassin resin 4 spoke wheels (648115) Ultracast spitfire Mk IX top 1 piece top cowling (uc48265) Master spitfire Mk IXe/xvie brass barrels late version (AM-48-103) Primers Mr Surfacer 1000 Mr Finishing Surfacer 1500 black Mr Finishing Surfacer 1500 white Paints: Mr Hobby range H8, SM201. Tamiya range X7, XF-1, XF-69, XF-71 And MRP MRP-122 Varnishes: Mr COLOR GX100 SUPER CLEAR GLOSS and Tamiya X-35 SEMI GLOSS CLEAR. Ammo panel line wash Humbrol weathering powders I’d like to extend my thanks to Troy Smith for his knowledgeable input Thanks for looking and all comments welcome Happy Modelling

Hi, This was a "quick build" based on a picture my father took of a derelict P-47 back in 1967. It is meant to represent it before it was left to rot, yet at the end of its career with the Brazilian Air Force. This was 45-49244 before it became FAB 4139. WIP here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235145798-tired-p-47/ Kit: Hasegawa 09477 - P-47D Thunderbolt ‘65th Fighter Squadron’, 2003 (originally 1996) Paints: Alclad - ALC 102 Duraluminum, ALC 106 Dull Aluminum, ALC 113 Jet Exhaust Gunze - H90 Clear Red, H93 Clear Blue Model Master - 4757 Aircraft Interior Black, 4851 Yellow Zinc Chromate, 17178 Chrome Silver Mr. Hobby - SF-287 Mr. Primer Surfacer 1000 Polly Scale - 505086 US Neutral Gray A/N 603 Tamiya - LP-2 White, X-1 Black, X-19 Smoke, X-21 Flat Base, X-24 Clear Yellow, X-25 Clear Green, X-35 Semi-gloss Clear, XF-1 Flat Black, XF-2 Flat White, XF-3 Flat Yellow, XF-4 Yellow Green, XF-7 Flat Red, XF-10 Flat Brown, XF-16 Flat Aluminum, XF-26 Deep Green, XF-49 Khaki, XF-69 NATO Black Vallejo - 71.250 Bronze Green Aftermarket: Arrow Graphics C-75-48 - 8” High Serial Numbers and Letters for Royal Air Force and Commonwealth Fighters & Bombers World War Two “Stencil” Style FCM 48-01 FCM 48-06 FCM 48-10 Woodland Scenics DR511 Woodland Scenics MG739 Tamiya 61096 - P-47M (seatbelt decal, distributors) Scratch built: Machine gun blast tubes Propeller governor control pulley On to the pictures. IMG_5077 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr IMG_5078 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr IMG_5079 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr IMG_5080 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr IMG_5082 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr IMG_5083 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr IMG_5084 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr IMG_5087 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr IMG_5088 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr Thanks for looking. Cheers, Wlad

Hi, While I had planned to take a break from building, I couldn't resist starting on something new. Time to build the oldest kit from my stash, bought in 2003. It will be this old P-47, while it was still active and not so derelict. P-47D-40-RA 600 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr The first session went rather fast. The major parts fit really well. I was able to start painting and built the wings with main landing gear wells. IMG_4833 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr The second session was much slower due to all the cockpit details. I am not being fussy here, and will use what the kit provides. IMG_4834 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr That's where things are at now. Next I'll add Future to the instrument panel dials, rub off the bronze green from the cockpit floor and rudder pedals to show the duraluminum underneath. Then start putting things together. It's great to be back on a styrene model, rather than a polyurethane resin one. Cheers, Wlad

Following up on the quick and 'mojo regain' build of the Trop Spit, I looked for something that looks nice, not too complicated and will allow me to regain some of the skills I lost during the year and a half I was away from the bench. It also should be a kit that is cheap and easy enough to buy if I totally wiffle up I hope this Hobbyboss Me-262 will proved to be a good pick.

Hi fellow modellers Here is Revell’s 1:48 Mosquito B MK.IV well the less said about this kit the better poor fitting parts and vague instructions and please don’t get me started on the undercarriage absolutely awful. this model nearly ended up in a bin on more than 1 occasion, anyway I’ve not let a kit beat me yet and I’m certainly not going to start now. hopefully I’ve done it some justice Finished as DZ415 of 627 Squadron RAF Woodfall Spa in early 1945 Tamiya paints used throughout thanks for looking and happy modelling

Hi, My first build in 2025 is Italeris SBD-5 Dauntless in colours and markings of an SBD-3 from 1942. Watched "The Midway" and got urged to do an SBD-3, but only SBD-5 in 1:48 was available to me at the moment. Italeris plastic was terrible to work with... too soft, a lot of flash. Some large pieces were deformed and fitting was a nightmare. Instructions were mostly unusable. This was my third Italeri kit in the last year and all were made from terrible plastic. Made a mistake with the decals. First I applied decals that weren't good size and then I applied new decals over the first ones and they are a bit translucent in white areas so you can see the old ones. My laziness, no excuses. I might overdid the zinc-chromate chipping... it wasn't my original intention.

My last build in 2024. Eduard ProfiPack OOB

Following this awful year and a half (starting Oct. 7th, 23) and the sad end (or halt) in the MH-53E build, I felt I need something to bring back the mojo, or a least a smile. Nothing better then a Tamiya kit, that will almost build itself. Poked through the stash, and after having this though again and again (I'm way too old to finish even a quarter of those), I finally picked this Spitfire. I already have a couple on my shelfs (Mk. XVI and Mk. V) but I liked the paint scheme and this nice chin air intake. Part count is low and it looked like a good pick: Rules I set for this build: 1. Goal: get back on the bench - and enjoy it. Get some smiles, good time, some time spent thinking about the build during my workday, get back to looking forward for some bench time. 2. It IS going to be a 3-4 feeter. Not a problem. 3. NO AMS. I repeat NO AMS. Just keep it simple and stupid - and enjoy 4. It should get onto the shelf eventually.

Comments are welcomed Ran

The tricky 1:48 Revell Tornado GR4. It included Eduard and extradecal extras and using MRP paints.

P-51D-10 Mustang Assigned to Col. E Heller 486th FS, 352nd FG Winter 1944/45 This is an original issue Hasegawa 1:48 Mustang that I bought way back in 1991. I started it just two-and-a-half weeks ago as a side-build to my Tamiya 1:48 F-14. Also served as a test-bed for new (to me) metallic finishes as you can no longer buy my preferred AK Xtreme Metals here in NZ. Haven't tried too hard, didn't even add any weathering other than the exhaust & cordite stains, this is never going anywhere near a competition table, but just enough so that it doesn't look out of place in the cabinet with my other WWII Allied builds. The blue is yet another Mk.1 eyeball acrylic mix, yellows are Humbrol & Tamiya enamels. Metals are SMS, Tamiya & Mr Color lacquers - I especially recommend Tamiya's LP70 Gloss Aluminium for the painted main wing surfaces as (IMHO) it gives just the right metal grey (not NMF) tone. Also worth noting is Aeromasters' 30+ year old decal sheet IP 48-09, wonderful quality control back then, they behaved like they'd been printed yesterday !. As ever all comments, questions and criticism welcomed. Cheers Ian.

This is my favourite build from last year. ICM have really pulled this one out of the bag. The detail and engineering is off the chart! Helped a little with some photo etch from Eduard. Paints for this one are from ICM's own range released for this kit. The aircaft is from No22 Squadron RAF https://m.facebook.com/Mancavemodelsathome/

A modelling pal originally suggested I look on-line for a cheaper alternative when I said I was thinking of getting the rather expensive Tamiya ¼8 F-4B kit. I bought what I thought was a bargain second hand Hasegawa ¼8 F-4J Phantom II off ebay with the intention of building the kit in it’s featured “Showtime 100” Vietnam War era US Navy markings. I was disappointed to find that the Hasegawa decal sheet had yellowed massively with age, but the seller had also included what looked like a more recent CAM Decal sheet for two US Marine Corps aircraft in US Bicentennial markings. US Navy/Marine Corp aircraft markings in the 1970s were really in your face and the more I looked at the colourful VMFA-451 aircraft scheme, the more I liked it. No toned down modern grey stealthy look to these birds. They really strut their stuff and the US Bicentennial celebrations in 1976 gave them an excuse to get even more colourful and make a true “Art of War” statement. The Hasegawa kit is a nicely moulded kit, but it shows it’s age in several respects. Raised panel lines on the stores pylons being one of them. So having picked up a slightly suspect cut price bargain, I then proceeded to spend a fortune on aftermarket goodies to pimp it up a bit and I ended up spending way more than I would have if I’d just gone out and bought Tamiya! Anyway, may I present AA-206, BuNo 155521 of VMFA-451 as she very nearly looked in 1976. I say very nearly, because it was only well into the build when I had painted on the blue nose plus ventral tank arrowhead markings and started to apply the decals that I realised Camdecal had made some serious scaling errors on some of the key decals and I couldn’t accurately match the appearance of AA-206 in the single photo I was able to find on-line using these. Camdecal also got the BuNo completely wrong for their featured aircraft, which meant I spent a lot of time cobbling together the correct numbers for the back end. If you want to read the full tale as it unfolded, take a look at my prior Work in Progress thread here. I’ll always know she’s not a 100% accurate, but I like her anyway. One of the best overall quality of finish I’ve achieved thus far (if you ignore the dusty look in these pics) and therefore both an example of Kai Zen and another lesson in Wabi Sabi. Additional after market items used were: Eduard #FE319+49319 F-4J Colour PE Cockpit set for F-4J/S KA #MA48051 3-D Printed Resin Exhaust Nozzles Alley Cat #48030C full length resin intakes for Hasegawa F-4J Reskit #RS48-0447 3-D resin printed Navy Inboard F-4J Pylons Reskit #RS48-392 3-D resin printed Navy Outboard Pylons Reskit #RS48-0320 AIM-7E Sparrow III missiles Eduard/Brassin #648303 AIM-9G/H Sidewinder missiles Armory resin weight on wheels Key paints used were: Vallejo Model Air 71.277 Dark Gull Gray Vallejo Model Air 71.121 Light Gull Gray Vallejo Model Air71.279 Insignia White Mr Color Insignia White lacquer Mr Color Light Gull Gray Aqueous Mr Color Supermetallic 2 Super Titanium 2 Alclad 2 Duraluminum