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Not sure what scheme but will probably be pretty much oob.

Hi folks and friends, I'd like to show (off?) my latest release, a backdate set for Kinetic's new tool F-16A kit. With this set you can build early Block aircraft, from 1 to 10. Contained are small stabilators with static dischargers, early type main isntrument panel, the corresponding coaming with HUD camera, a replacement fuselage panel with the early type ECS exhaust and a couple of antennas. With the exception of the ECS panel, all other parts are drop fit replacements for kit parts, no surgery needed. There is also guidance in the instructions on how to modify some kit parts to further increase accuracy for the early Block airframes. The stabilators are cast in extra strong resin (from a 3D printed master), the other parts are direct 3D print parts. https://www.hypersonicmodels.com/product/f-16a-backdate-set Many thanks for your attention, I hope you'll like this set. New F-16A (early) decals are on the way from Bullseye Model Aviation and PK Productions, something to look out for as well. Jeffrey

Here is my Javelin FAW.9R XH766 of No. 60 Squadron. I hope You enjoy reading the short aircraft history and watching the photos. "Echo" was originally built by Gloster and upgraded to a FAW.9 in November 1959. From August 1960 XH766 served with No. 64 Squadron as "Echo" until a further modification to FAW.9R standard started in September 1962. She returned to RAF Duxford during November the same year and continued serving with No. 64 Squadron still carrying the letter "E". XH766 was then "shipped" (dates and method are not known) to the Far East and transferred to No. 60 Squadron. The exact dates are maybe lost forever; according to the "Movement Card" she was transferred to 60 Squadron in October 1964 as "Tango". However she was photographed at RAF Kuching (Borneo) during May 1964 already in the colours of 60 Squadron. As "Tango" She saw some action near Lundu when on 16 May 1964 crewed by Plt Off B. Todd and Flt Lt G.T. Hall an Indonesian launch was made to obey the Halt command given by a Royal Navy vessel. Records mention "An impressive low level beat-up". When No. 64 Squadron took over the responsibility of the Kuching and Labuan detachments 60 Squadron gave all their FAW.9Rs to the new "owner". "Tango" was transferred to 64 Squadron 28 May 1965 becoming "Echo" once more. No. 64 Squadron finally disbanded at RAF Tengah and on 16 June 1967 "Echo" was transferred to 60 Squadron for the last time. Before this on 10 June 1967 a massive 16 Javelin formation (both 60 and 64 Squadron) flew around Singapore Island for HM Queen Elisabeth's birth day. XH766 was the lead aircraft crewed by the both Commanding Officers (M.H. Miller and B.E de Iongh). The "new" FAW.9Rs of 60 Squadron were put in alert almost immediately; HQ FEAF instructed the squadron to deploy four Javelins to RAF Kai Tak. On 22 June 1967 M.H. Miller led four aircraft to Hong Kong. Did "Echo" participate in these detachments (called "Gas Iron")? I don't know. Finally in the morning of 1 May 1968 XH766 took the short transit to RAF Seletar and was SOC the same day and eventually scrapped. "Mind your head I'm bringing the hood backward..." Here are the drop tanks I have been talking about. They look...striking won't you say Some photos together with the real thing. Finally few photos that were essential to this build There are three(!) more photos in 60 Squadrons archive that show the decorated drop tanks. The photos seem to be extremely rare. And then there is this; pay close attention at 0:42 Best Regards, Antti

Kit - Airfix Paint - Lacquers & Tamiya acrylics. Decals - Xtradecal 48 220 Extras - None. I've built it, I didn't enjoy it, at all ! There's an unintentional coincidence between Vampires being the subject of horror films and trying to get this kit to 'work'. Soft, poorly defined details, poor fit & engineering around the nose, simply an 'opportunity missed' in my opinion. Reminds me far too much of the old Hobbycraft kit from way back in the day - I actually gave-up on that one. What I find hard to get into my head is the lack of continuity across recent Airfix new releases; the wee JP, that I've also posted, the Blenheim, Dornier 17, B-25, 1:48 Hawk 81A and Mustang were all superb... the 1:48 Meteor, 1:72 Gnat and this... not even on the same page. Such a disappointment, honestly I couldn't wait to get it off the bench. Please feel free to make any comments at all. Cheers. Ian.

A bit of a departure from my normal subject.. a More modern 'jet' though this is strictly speaking a Turbofan engined bird! It was the kit that got me back in to modelling which I started nearly 2 years ago.. on the ordnance load. I got side tracked in to my real love and interest WW2 planes... its a very well thought out kit in my opinion. The engines and the wings marry up nicely with the fuselage.i decided I'd like to depart from the serving suggestion of a cammo model pattern and go for a Grey scheme. I've not decided which decal set to use yet but I'm not that bothered about historical accuracy for this project. I just wanted to enjoy the build and experiment with something new.. that doesn't have a propellor! I got some AK Real Colours US Modern Aircraft Greys paint set and so far I've sprayed Grey Vallejo Primer and then the Dark Ghost Grey sections. I did think I could just use Primer and maybe mix my own Dark Ghost Grey but a little research encouraged me to splash out on the rather excellent AK set. The model is surprisingly large for 1:48 scale. I think this is my perception as I've been engaged doing smaller WW2 planes so much ! I've enjoyed the kit so far . I made some mistakes on the painting of the ordnance load I know.. apologies in advance .. but I'm finding the masking tasks a bit too much so I'll make it look mean and ready for a fight rather than accurate.. Any advice on weathering , especially the turbo fan exhaust patterns/ colours would be gratefully received! Also I'm guessing that the overall General weathering would be very restrained for this type of aircraft? I'm thinking non combat situations allow more time for cleaning aircraft and maintaining them ? I've always liked the Warthog. It looks like it means business! Here's a shot of the progress so far...Regards, Andy

Kit - Hasegawa Paint - Lacquers & acrylics Decals - Superscale 48-1249 Extras - Eduard etch, Hasegawa Weapons Set A McDD AV-8B Harrier II Plus VMA-513 'Flying Nightmares' MCAS Yuma 2011 No it wasn't an easy build - the work required to get the underside of the LERX's to meet the fuselage was extensive and needed cutting, plastic card, lots of PSR and a fair helping of harsh language. Strangely I found it all to be challenging in a good way and actually enjoyed the whole process. Had the kit and the decals for years and years and was never any doubt which of the three options on the sheet that I was going to build. Paint is Mr Color lacquers (Extra Dark Sea Grey, Dark Compass Grey and Light Compass Grey for the drop-tanks.). The typical Harrier soot and staining is all done with W&N Oils. The loadout may be a little anachronistic, it's not too far beyond the realms of possibility for a shore-based aircraft on a live-training hop. Please feel free to ask any questions, make any comments or hurl any insults. All the best from NZ. Ian.

Hi all, My first "In Progress" post. Done a few completed posts before so take a look at those if you wish. This is the first of many many Hunters I have planned (20+ in 48th in the stash and more planned when Airfix release the FGA.9 in the Summer). This is the F.4/5 kit but I'm doing a "basic" back dating to an F.1. I say "Basic" as I could go the full nine-yards and go as deep as possible e.g. the various different vents and holes and blah blah blah, but honestly, I just want to do as much as is necessary. This basically comes down to no Sabrinas and Squared off link ejector ports. I will enhance the kit along the way as will be shown here in this first update about the cockpit, but also other small things like drilling out the gun ports and giving the front nose wheel gear it's second *arm attachment* (no idea what it's called but you'll see what I mean when we get there. Scheme to be decided but probably from the Fantasy Print Shop sheet when they re-release it soon-ish. If anyone wants to give any other ideas about what to add, then feel free, but I'll do as I please and see fit! Any way... Cockpit! The kit seat is replaced with a 3D printed one, printed for me by my mate Lee. He also printed off some side control panels too. All these are primed with Alclad Black Primer and then painted over with Tamiya NATO Black to give a grey black interior. I then came in with some dry brushing with a few shades of grey - starting darker and working lighter. All raised details were picked out with white and then using references, various other colours came in over the top. To tone it all down, a few washes of Mig Ammo Panel Line Washes were used. Deep Brown, Dark Grey and Light Grey were all used in differing areas. Eduard Etch belts were used on the seat and the seat was given the same treatment as the cockpit tub. The gun sight, or lack there of in the kit, was cut in half to allow for a small piece of clear plastic, cut into a square to be glued in place for the gun sight. The dial just below the gunsight was a left over piece of PE from an Eduard Spitfire kit. More to come soon!

Macchi C.202 "Folgore" in 1:48 completed in Commander 153o Gruppo camouflage. Model straight out of the box and camouflage painted freehand.

It's some time that I joined a GB, but there is a kit in my stash that meets all the requirements to enter. Just to say it also meets my, self imposed, rule of only building models with a North Essex / South Suffolk theme. Picture, background and new title to follow. This will be a slow build.

I decided to improve my mood after painting smoke clouds with masks on MC.205 "Veltro". So I rummaged out of the closet the model MC.202 "Fogore" in 1:48 also from Hasegawa. A model known for years, it will also immediately workshop. From the extras it is only the pilot's belts from EDUARD.

Hello everyone, I'm happy to show you my first ever P-47, the Tamiya Razorback in 1:48. I'll be making a start on it today. Scheme chosen will be "Little Chief," just because it has the bomber escort option with the three underside fuel tanks. It's also the more colourful option than "Spirit of Atlantic City."

My first Hobbyboss kit, Me 262 B-1a/U1 1:48 - not one I've seen a lot of posts for... To start with this is a very detailed kit, a lot of fine details and internal parts you just wont see...this is a great kit for those who favour a high degree of accuracy. The moulding is nice and sharp with clear definition - the plastic however is quite inflexible to the point where its a little bit brittle, this may be just a kit that's been sat around for a while! The fitting however was a different matter, the parts seem to be oversized and required quite a bit of trimming and sanding to make them fit together, some gapping with filler needed as well, overall the whole fit just seemed awkward. In the end not a bad kit at all, just let down by the fitting, also the addition of a replacement metal part to add weight to the front was a excellent addition and worth a mention. The cockpit was finished using the usual Eduard etched kit and the engines were a resin kit i managed to procure my scouring the internet for hours, finally being able to find one in stock in a Japanese hobby shop...makes you wonder why these don't come as a standard option on the 262 - turns out there are two options for aftermarket resin engine kits for this model, both are actually for Tamiya, not difficult to find which ones they are using the Hannants search engine, but good luck finding stock! The kit I really wanted to use comes with the full engine casing and is apparently the better fit, the one i had to go with was just the engines and mounts which took some fettling to fit but I'm happy with the result overall and adds a whole lot of detail. First real attempt at free handing the mottled cammo with the airbrush, not the best finish and did end up repainting it a couple of times - but a good attempt in my opinion - just couldn't get the finest lines, i was using a 0.3m needle and 1 Bar of pressure but maybe it was just me not having the experience and practice yet. Tell me what you think, all feedback is appreciated - the light on my phone is really harsh and sorry for the busy background, I don't have a lot of room on my desk at the moment 😁

On the workshop landed such a small and quick project Mc.205 "Veltro" from Hasegawa in 1:48. The model almost straight out of the box, the rest will come out during construction. As the model has its years this is the start of its construction. Another Italian but in JG77 camouflage.

Hi everyone, I'd like to introduce to you my latest release at Hypersonic Models. B-26K Coutner Invader wheels, in 1:48, for the ICM kit. The set is created in CAD to accurate dimensions and all components are delivered as 3D printed parts. Tyres and hubs are separate pieces, in order to facilitate the best printing result and make painting easier. Print supports are kept to a minimum, clean-up is roughly equal to a good resin cast item although each individual support is easier to clip away than a thick casting block. The detail includes very fine brake detail, valve stems, tyre sidewall detail (kept as small/faint as possible) and weighted/bulged tyres. The axle holes correspond to the ICM gear struts and also fix the off-centre issue of the kit hubs. Direct link: https://www.hypersonicmodels.com/product/b-26k-wheels I hope you'll like this set. Thanks for looking, Jeffrey

After much wrestling with plastic and filler, and a build that felt, at times, like it was never going to end, I am finally able to post up a few pics of my Barracuda - another Fleet Air Arm favourite of mine with its strange looks and dubious performance. This is the "Hi Tech" boxing of the Special Hobby kit, with some extra bits from the Brengun (formerly Griffon) set. The build followed a fairly typical course for a Special Hobby kit, in that the interior bulkheads were all a little too wide and lots of dry fitting was needed before committing to glue. The biggest difficulty I encountered was the fit of the port wing. From above it was raked forward at more of an angle than the starboard wing, and from ahead it was a mm or two lower. A plasticard shim, lots of filler and round after round of sanding and smoothing eventually resulted in wings that looked symmetrical - to me at least... I didn't like the look of the kit spinner so blunted one from a Seafire XV and used that instead. For the markings I decided to go with a post war scheme as I think it suits the aircraft and I haven't seen this kit in the EDSG over Sky before. The upper surfaces should, I think, be quite liberally festooned with various white stencil markings that I didn't have.... I ran out of steam a bit towards the end of this one - this shows in the wingtip nav lights which are only painted, and let the finished model down a bit; the underside is a bit too clean and the prop should probably be a bit weathered too... The markings are intended to show a machine from 815 NAS at Eglinton. And so to the pictures, and thanks for looking, Nick.

Hello all, A new year, so also many New Year wishes.... This year one of my wishes is; build a model and finish it! Last part is hard last years 🙃 My contribution to The Salty Sea Dog GB...... A helicopter >> HH-60H Sea Hawk from Italeri scale 1:48 Hereby the pictures; To everybody; Have Fun! Arno Cornelissen The Netherlands

After many years I finally managed to find all the parts and complete the model Fiat G.55 "Centauro" Sottoserie 0, MM 91064 "11", 1 Squadriglia "Gigi Tre Osei", 2 gruppo ANR, may 1944 in 1:48 scale published by Special Hobby, the machine is in experimental camouflage. Despite these several years of lying the model I do not remember that there were any problems with it in construction, the fit of parts very good. The only addition is montex-mask masks. Enjoy your viewing.

While doing some organizing in my modeling stash, I came across a model of a Fiat G.55 "Centauro" sottoserie 0 in 1:48 a published by Special Hobby. The construction of it began a good few years ago. But during some work in the workshop I lost some of the finished parts and couldn't find them, and the model flew to the shelf waiting for me to find the parts. Finally, I managed to complete all the parts and you can move with the end of its construction. In such a state he was waiting for the end of work on him. And here's a set of parts that I lost somewhere for several years.

The model has been finished for a long time and it is also high time to take photos for the gallery and post them on the forum. I treated it as a typical rest and straight out of the box. It's just a pity that the extras for it are not available from Eduard. That's the way I would have gone over it a bit and pootled it. The model itself was very pleasant to build, well-fitted, the very pluses. By the way Italeri has just reissued it in their range, only the decal is for other camouflages. Gallery below, enjoy. The workshop is here:

Hello! I know I haven’t been in the forum for a long time, but that’s how it is with me. We started a little weekend project yesterday. My wife is happy because another box is disappearing on my closet. “Saetta” straight out of the box and without additives. Only these masks I make myself for the glazing. So far, only the contents of the box. It’s a pity there aren’t any extras. The studio isn’t finished yet, so the photos are completely finished. The glazing is beautiful and transparent. Painting is also chosen.

The model has been built for a long time and now it's time to put it in the gallery. This time is always too little for me, and the worst is when I put something on the shelf. Then the topic drags on and there is no end in sight. I trusted the additive manufacturers for it and a few mistakes are there and I don't correct them, maybe someday I will come back to this model to correct it. There was a bit of fun with it, but in the end it resulted in "Hurricane" Mk.IIc in camouflage from 309 squadron RAF (Poland), june 1944.

Its certainly been a while since I last posted on BM and the model building has taken a back seat due to work commitments however pushed through and finally managed to get this kit done, basically out of the box but the tail planes are from the Tamiya kit as they didn't sit as horizontal as the Kinetic ones. Moved from the shelf of doom and now hanging on the ceiling in the den Thanks for looking in... next kit, a 1:48 Gazelle in 705 sqdn colours :)

Here to chew up the last of my remaining display shelf space. I picked this up at a consignment store in Savannah, Georgia on a vacation in fall 2020. The time finally feels right to build it. Once this goes on the shelf, along with a few other larger types i have in progress, I'll actually be out of space. Something I've been stressing about for a few years now. What will happen afterwards? I'm not sure.

Kit - Tamiya Paint - All acrylics Decals - Kit & Aeromaster 48-149 Extras - Squadron vac-form rear canopy. Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat VGF-29 USS Santee Operation Torch, November 1942 Just over three weeks from opening the box until finish, not after a pat-on-the-head, it's simply that sometimes (often ?), it's just great to build a 'good' kit without the drama, bad language and high parts count. And I thoroughly enjoyed it ! So I'm not going into any detail about the process, there's so many folks who can do that far better than I can - some of them here on this very website - Suffice to say, the only additions are seat harnesses from masking tape and a Squadron vac-form (rear) canopy. What you see here is 98% from the box, including the decals. I carefully measured, sprayed and masked the yellow 'Torch' circle around the fuselage before any other painting was done. I used lightened Tamiya XF-18 & XF-19 as the main tones - there's a load of pre & post-shading that combined to give the final finish, followed by varying panel line washes & stains with oils, and some streaking and general dirtying with enamel washes. Not too much else to say, I took time away halfway through another more involved project 'just because...' and I'll go back to that build somewhat fresher and 'rejuvenated'. Feel free to make any comments, ask any questions or pass on any criticisms. All the best from Middle Earth. Ian.

Hobbyboss has updated 3 new models for November 1:72 15U175 TEL of RS-12M1 Topol-M ICBM complex ITEM No.: 82952 1:72 Russian BM-21 Grad Late Version ITEM No.: 82932 1:48 “HURRICANE” Mk.I ITEM No.: 81777 via: https://hobbyzero.com/new-arrivals/hobbyboss-has-updated-3-new-models-for-november-2022/