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My first larger print and my long road to brush painting has started. I want to concentrate on the bust so I can paint over winter in the house, not in the col loft space or garage where I normaly airbrush. I did airbrush the skin, not that brave yet! Happy for any pointers and feedback.

Hi All, Here we are following on from the 1/32 Malta Gladiator by far my best build so far. With the next build, I've decided to do something more challenging, creating an almost extinct inter-war torpedo bomber in a scale never seen before... I give you the 1/32 Vickers Vildebeest, this aircraft was a design that first flew in the late 20s and managed to cling on until the early parts of WW2. It's a all metal structure bi-plane covered in fabric and from a CAD design point of view a head-scratcher... as very little info remained from that period hardly any drawings survived and only two fuselages both in NZ survived one Vildebeest and one Vincent. so I started designing the fuselage around 2 years ago mucking about with line drawings off Google and managed to get a basic representation of the shape i have now improved this into something I'm happy with, 3d printed resin is great for detail but can warp, it is very fin so that has been something i have had to design around. after already printing my original fuselage and not being happy with the results I redesigned the fuselage and got a 1/72 special hobby kit for reference and to check scales which to my surprize were pretty good!! this image shows the scale of the vildebeest very large for a single-engined aircraft CAD Model of the RH fuselage size prior to being sectioned for printing. Here are the prints of both halfs ready to have supports removed and assembled. first mockup with the engine (Bristol pegasus from Vector resin). First print of the floor. A lot of work is required yet I'm currently trying to get the interior and cockpit complete and fuselage glued before the exterior gets a lot of attention. The fuselage frame is constructed from styrene rod with 3d printed fixings. Some of my hall from Telford included airscale PE and decals which should make it all come together. small prints such as levers and bellcranks are visible from the side windows so I have modelled them this print wasn't perfect but the parts were useable. thanks to a generous member of my local model club (Thanks Simon) for lending me some images and info he had for this aircraft one of the most valuable items was a rare instrument panel drawing which I have modelled will be improved with the airscale goodies, the extra bit at the top is due to the different profile of my fuselage but this should be hidden once the model is complete. If anyone has any questions I'm always willing to try and answer them the best I can. Thanks James

Hi, I am giving up Ebay, I am glad that I stashed all I wanted in 2020, because that site is unusable now. The prices in shipping are a joke, as everyone is trying to avoid Ebay fees. 50 USD for shipping? Yeah right. I would rather print one. I was looking at a Eduard 1/48 DFW T.28 Floh, this guy: but it is just not worth it. For the joke, I checked if someone have it as a model, and here it is: So, I downloaded the pieces, and used a Ultimaker 2+ Connect printer I have access to. Happy with my first piece, but I realised that the orientation was not the best. Back to the printer, and this time printing it on a way that the fuselage curves are one in the xy-axis, not in the z-axis which will always be "pixelated" Much better now. Also, since the Floh pictures I see do not have exhaust pipes, I decided to print two "port" pieces, one mirrored so I can do my own exhaust holes. The rest of the pieces were mashed together on a single session. I am not sure if I will use the 3D printed struts, but at least they are useful for measurements. The wing was also an experiment, to see how the rib indents would print out. Yeah, it looks terrible. Printing the wings with the leading edge down. They look thin, strong and retain the airfoil curve. The only con is that they do not have the rib indentations, but that is not a big deal. Adding a tail for the second prototype using sprue sheet. This is going to be a quick kit only to test the 3D printing capabilities. So far I am enjoying a lot, this kit looks doable in an acceptable way, although I will skip most of the cockpit details. Plastic is harder and more annoying to work with (and probably glue), but that also comes with the benefits of thinner pieces.

Afternoon all, Like most modellers, I do love to be surrounded in tiny little cute things, so it has been wonderful becoming a dad this year. That said, the modelling has definitely suffered, and will continue to I suspect! The ray of light has been 3d design, and of late I have spent many a happy 5am with Minime strapped in the sling tinkering with CAD, when I should have probably been playing Mozart or doing baby yoga. I've got quite a few of these in the pipeline, and heaven knows when I shall get round to building them. This one has been done in frantic snatched half hours (I do not like modelling with a deadline) and I'm not very happy with the finish, but happy with the proof of concept - it looks like a plane, it looks quite like a Mooney, and hopefully better builds will follow! There's a huge essay to be written on this process but I will refrain from verbiage until I get the chance to do a WiP on one of these projects. I have been concentrating on designs with no known kit - as you would - and GA is fertile ground. There is an old Bandai kit of the Mooney in 1:48, but that is the original, short body version. The M20J is one of the most numerous Mooneys and I would say highly representative. It is much loved aeroplane, judging by the number of proud owners posting videos on YouTube of their undercarriage (most informative too), and sad to know that Mooney finally shut up shop last year. Anyway, here is a Mooney: TTFN, Harry

Watched the latest Dune last week and I was really blown away by it so I decided I need a few ornithopters in my collection. As I’m on a pretty tight budget and seeing as there isn’t a kit of the two seat ornithopter, the plan is to 3D print the main ornithopter and scratch the other. Still haven’t settled on a scale but it’ll be either 1/72 or 1/48. So far I have a download 3D model of the big ornithopter which I’ll need to scale and slice, then once my printers back in action ( waiting on parts in the post) I’ll print it off. And a set of drawings I’ve put together in Amadine for the two seater. I’ll probably make a wooden buck for this one and vac form the fuselage components. I’m hoping I can borrow some of the components from the main ornithopter like the blades and landing struts. The two seater approximately scaled to 1/72.

F-35B Lightning II Upgrades (for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin & Löök Tamiya have released a range of F-35 kits in 1:48, and as usual, their models are highly detailed and go together well. You probably already know what I’m going to say next, but I’ll say it anyway. You can always improve on the limitations of injection moulded styrene, so if you’re in the mood for some extra detail, read on. Eduard have released a range of sets that you can choose your focus from, using whichever matches your needs, budget or skill-set. The Brassin resin sets arrive in deep cardboard boxes, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, sheets of foam top and bottom, plus the instructions folded around acting as extra padding. F-35B Lift Fan (648995) This set consists of just two parts in 3D-printed resin that are a direct replacement for kit part V24, adding extra depth to the fan in two layers rather than one, which will be visible under the stators moulded into the upper fuselage half. The surround is painted a metallic shade, while the blades are painted white. The parts are printed diagonally for best fidelity, and are removed from their bases by separating them from the tendril-like supports and flatting the remaining blemishes as required. Cockpit (6481000) Consisting of fifteen 3D-printed parts, some of which are substantial, plus a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) that is nickel-plated and pre-painted, and a small decal sheet, this set replaces the kit cockpit with incredible detail. The build begins with the ejection seat, which is constructed from nine resin parts, three PE parts, plus a full set of PE belts that are draped over the cushions in a total of eleven stages that also includes some fine wire from your own supplies around the rear of the seat. A set of profiles show the painting and decaling of this intricate assembly that will far outstrip the kit seat once installed. The cockpit has comparatively few parts, but the detail is similarly impressive, with equipment in the rear linked by realistic-looking wiring, and sleek side consoles. The tub is almost complete out of the box, and has a set of rudder pedals installed in the foot wells, along with some well-described detail painting, and three controls that include a HOTAS pair of sticks. The expansive wide-screen Multi-Function Device (MFD) spans almost the full width of the cockpit in front of the pilot, with a centre console below and two side panels incorporated in the part, plus a choice of illuminated or switched off panel decals, and detailed painting instructions in a scrap diagram nearby. The last major resin part is the canopy frame, which is printed with lightening holes, handles and subtle riveting, some of it in places that would be impossible using anything other than 3D printing. A tongue at the front of the part slots into a recess in the cockpit tub, and a pair of PE actuators are attached to pivots under the frame, sliding into the kit slots on either side of the cockpit sill. Löök Cockpit Set (644259) If you don’t want to go the “whole hog” with a cockpit like the one above, the Löök set should fit the bill as a quick and easy improvement. It consists of a 3D printed resin instrument panel that is also pre-printed with instrument and control details, which replaces the kit panel part number W26 within the coaming. The PE fret includes a full set of crew seatbelts, plus a pull-handle that gets the pilot out of his incredibly expensive aircraft when things become untenable. The kit part should be cut flush with the seat surface, and a small hole drilled between the cut-out in the cushion to give the new PE part a recess for added grip. Conclusion This has been one of those sets that has caused an increase in my stash again. I picked up the kit because I just couldn’t resist the detail in the sets we’ve had in for review. Extremely highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Martin Baker Mk.3B Ejection Seats for Vampire T.11 (483D010 for Pilot Replicas) 1:48 Pilot Replicas We reviewed the new injection-moulded kit of this interesting early jet trainer here, and Pilot Replicas have created a number of sets in 3D printed resin to accompany the model, increasing the detail beyond the capabilities of injection-moulded styrene. This set arrives in a small brown cardboard box, with a sticker on the top identifying the contents, and inside are two 3D-printed resin seats on a single print base, supported by narrow finger-like tendrils from below. Cutting the parts from the base is simply a case of nipping the supports away and sanding back any small raised location marks, which have fortunately been placed in areas where they won’t be so obvious, such as the rear and underside of the seats. Detail is exceptional, and the parts have been printed at an angle and resolution that has made any layer lines invisible, and where a few are evident, they are so fine that a coat of primer should see them disappear. The seats both have an ejection handle between the pilot’s knees at the front of the seat base cushion, and these should be removed for the T.11, as noted in a small sheet of paper that is printed in colour. A stunning pair of seats for your model. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello everyone. This is the last of a pair of Sea Vixen FAW.1s that I started building as a project in 1/72 scale back in 2019 in order to go beyond what was available in kit form in terms of quality and detail. The first of these aircraft - XJ481 - was completed last October in her Martel trials livery and can be seen here. The aircraft represented here - XN708 from 890 NAS - crashed into Lyme bay killing both crew on the night of 25th Nov, 1964. A fuller history of both aircraft, as well as the build log for designing and printing them, can be found here: Source materials used in developing the CAD designs comprised of the Sea Vixen maintenance manuals cross-referenced with photographic imagery, a combination I've come to rely on in terms indexing what you see against its actual function. Aside from printed resin, the build also required the use of vacforming for the pilot's canopy and the production of homebrew PE for a range of internal and external features. All markings are painted using custom mask sets. Walkaround: Wingfold: Radar and nose area. (Yes, the scanner dish moves...) Engines: I've a list of people already who want a copy of this to make a FAW.1 for themselves so I'm going to be producing it as a multimedia kit in resin, brass and vacform over the coming months, to include all the details shown here. If you like what you see and want to register an interest in having a a copy as well, please feel free to drop a PM. As ever I'd like to finish simply by thanking all those forum members who gave so generously of their time, humour and expertise in following along with this project: it's always chastening to realize that no matter how certifiable my ramblings, there are other equally disturbed individuals out there prepared to read them. All power to you, and of course, peace. Tony Ps. The pair of them together...

So I was swithering whether to start this build now or wait for three weeks for the 60's Group Build over on What If Modellers. Its Fairey obvious that I have decided to start it now as I intend to have this finished by mid to late April in time for the Scottish Nationals and with my build rate, the sooner I start the higher the posibility of finishing in time. So what is this Project 75, which by itself sounds like something from a cheap sci-fi novel of the 1950's. The answer is the first kit in 1/72 by Aerocraft, the Fairey Project 75 to GOR. 339 which ultimately led to the TSR.2. The model is a nice and clean high resolution, 3D printed hollow model in multiple parts with lots of printing supports as you would expect from a kit in this medium. The fuselage parts look like this when removed from their supports. Here they lack any interior or the nose and tail cones which are cleverly designed only to fit into the relevant part due to a key printed into their ends. The above picture was taken on an A3 cutting mat to show the scale which is comperable to a 1/72 scale TSR.2. The undercarriage, seen below, is well designed, allowing the tyres to be painted separately from the rest of the bicycle style main undercarriage. The face that there are outrigger wheels in each engine naseles reminds me somewhat of the Sud Aviation Vautour. The Print Supports I have kept as they may be useful for any sci-fi project I may undertake in the future, we shall see. More later as it's too cold outside right now to prime the nose section prior to painting. Gondor

B-25B/C/D/G Mitchell Wings Air Intakes Correction Set (P48009 for Revell & Academy) 1:48 Special Hobby The Revell/Academy B-25 Mitchell kits have been around for a long while now, and the sprues were first seen in Accurate Miniatures boxes as far back as 1999, but it’s still a great kit. It does have some simplifications and minor issues however, and one such simplification is the intakes found in the leading edges of the wings, and their corresponding outlets in the trailing edges. This 3D printed set from Special Hobby intends to correct this deficiency, and does it very well. As usual with their resin sets, it arrives in the familiar clear vacformed blister pack, with the resin parts safely inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the header card at the rear. Photo-Etch (PE) parts are separated from the resin parts by a clear piece of acetate to prevent scratching and damage during transit. The four 3D printed resin parts are surrounded by an open-sided box with perforated top and flat lower that protect the delicate parts admirably during shipping and in storage. The “lid” is easily removed where there are nicks in the uprights around half way between top and bottom, allowing the modeller to either nip or (more safely) saw through them and uncover the parts within. There are two deep intake trunks, and another pair of outlets, plus four circular PE meshes, linked into pairs by a connector, making installation and gluing a breeze. Once the 3D parts are cut from the finger-like supports, a little sanding removes the pips on the rear, and reveals the groove between the two round intakes that corresponds with the shape of the PE parts. The first step however is to remove a small section of the wing leading edge next to a stiffening strap outboard of the engine nacelle, and another small section in the trailing edge just forward of the elevator line. The areas are marked out in red on the instructions, with widths given to assist you with accurate cutting out of the surface, which is best done gradually, cutting a smaller section out and enlarging it until the new parts fit snugly to reduce any making good of the area around the inserts. The PE meshes are glued into the rear of the intake part, which starts as a single ovalised slot in the leading edge, and bifurcates deep within the wing where the air is filtered by the mesh. As deep as it is, the meshes will be visible to the intrepid viewer, so it is well worth the effort, especially when comparing it to the kit’s approximation of the intakes, which are barely a few millimetres deep as you can see below. The outlets are similarly shallow on the kit wings, so the new parts are equally worthy, and have a ledge on the leading edge to assist with location of the part within the wing, which should simplify the process significantly. Painting the intakes is best done carefully from both ends of the intakes before applying the mesh parts, taking care not to allow pooling or sags, which will mar the vastly improved new parts. It’s an excellent set that has been well-engineered, and will appeal to anyone with one or more Mitchells in their stash, and they’re at a very pocket-friendly price. I think I need a few more sets. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Marvin the Martian 3D print. Quite a fun little print, which I printed out piece by piece according to the filament colour required. IMG_4130 by Brian Innes, on Flickr IMG_4131 by Brian Innes, on Flickr IMG_4132 by Brian Innes, on Flickr IMG_4133 by Brian Innes, on Flickr Sliced by Brian Innes, on Flickr Helmet by Brian Innes, on Flickr

Chieftain? No. Vickers MBT? Neither. Challenger? Especially not! An inconspicuous hero of the Falkland Islands, also used against Saddam. The first of a large (+3,500 vehicles) family of light tracked AFVs, including tanks and tank destroyers, personnel carriers, recce, engineering, command and ambulance vehicles. In other words: FV101 Scorpion - holder of the current Guinness World Record for tank speed (82 km/h). Introduced into service in 1972, the Alvis Scorpion was a transposition of the interwar British idea for a light tank to an era 40 years later. Therefore, the 3-person crew benefits from the full NBC protection. Only 15 ft long (like the classic Jaguar 420, from which it took the legendary 170 hp XK 4.2-litre inline-6 DOHC engine), it is armed with a 76 mm gun (even 90 mm in export versions) and exceeds 50 mph . Thanks to its weight of only 8 tons (aluminum armor), it floats well and can be carried by larger helicopters (e.g. CH-47 Chinook), while the C-130 Hercules transports them in pairs. The FV101 light tank was the most numerous (1,240) variant of the entire family. The FV107 Scimitar (600) recce vehicle had an identical low hull and rotating turret (but with a 30 mm cannon). The rest were raised-roof variants: FV102 Striker (350) missile-armed tank destroyer, FV103 Spartan (970) APC, FV104 Samaritan (100) ambulance, FV105 Sultan (130) command vehicle and FV106 Samson (140) ARV. Some of them are even faster than tanks and reach speeds between 60 mph and 100 km/h. Already in the 21st century, several hundred Scorpions and Scimitars were refurbished. Fitted with different turrets, the FV101s became FV101 Sabre recce vehicles with a 30 mm gun, and the FV107 Scimitar Mk.2 now have the existing turret built on a raised-roof FV102-106 type hull. Previously, all members of this family had their engines replaced with modern 190 hp Cummins 6BTA turbodiesels. The model is a 3D print made 3 years ago by my son, who wanted to solve the problem of the unavailability of the 1:72 FV101 kit on the market (and hence the lack of it in my collection). Once upon a time I was supposed to make miracle honey out of it. But recently, after 5 years of hunting, I managed to buy the ACE 72417 kit on Ebay and probably in some time it will be added to my cabinet in the colours of the Royal Hussars from the Falkland Islands. That's why today I present the result of my fun with a 3D print taken out of the drawer on Christmas evening: FV101 Scorpion with licence plates 00GH35, which took part in Operation Granby in Iraq in 1991. The construction of this tiny (2.5" long) model took literally a few hours and consisted of sanding, painting with an Italeri brush (Humbrol 74) and applying decals (from the ACE kit). The Vallejo acrylic matt varnish was brush-applied overall. The photos are taken with an LG smartphone. Comments are welcome Cheers Michael

Download from Thingiverse and printed on my Creality Ender 3 the parts sub assemblies o had a bit of trouble with the print following which the printer died so the tops of the legs are scratched from bass wood and the white thighs is styrene sheet. ( next job after the blitzbuild is to fix my printer) Almost fully assembled

Model downloaded from the web and printed on my Creality Ender 3 The ‘kit’ Base and stand body head and arms(legs ?) attached Primer Rattle can black over primer.

Hetzer/StuG IIIG (Late) Remote Controlled MG34 (P35020 for various manufacturers) 1:35 CMK by Special Hobby There are many StuG IIIG kits and a few Hetzer models out there in 1:35, which is great for AFV modellers, and this set is designed to add a remote controlled MG34 installation that was sometimes found on the roof of these tank killers, allowing the crew to defend against troops attacks without putting themselves in the way of incoming small-arms rounds. As usual with CMK's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar clear vacformed box, with the resin parts safely inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the header card at the rear. Photo-Etch (PE) when included is separated from the resin parts by a clear piece of acetate to prevent scratching and damage during transit. There are ten 3D printed parts on two bases in orange resin, which seems to blend two desired qualities of flexibility with strength to ease their use with your model. The MG34 is mounted on a circular base with mechanisms to elevate, fire and rotate the gun without crew being outside the vehicle, as well as giving them a sight-picture via a periscope that passes through the armoured roof. This is a single part, to which the gun mount is fitted, along with a short length of wire that you must source from your own stock, which operates the trigger under the weapon once it is installed. The gun is without a stock, but has a drum magazine fitted on to the left side of the breech, slotting into the mount on two locations. A clamp with turnbuckle holds it in place, and a short length of spent link is glued to the ejection port, drooping under gravity. If someone has to go outside to cock the weapon, clear a stoppage or swap the magazine, you have a choice of two styles of sharply raked splinter shields, one cut to fit the Hetzer’s roof, the other for the StuG, both of which attach to each other at the front, and four mounting pads that correspond to recesses on the bottom of the armour for a firm connection. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Bactrian Camels x 2 (F72399) 1:72 CMK by Special Hobby The camel, known colloquially as the ‘ship of the desert’, is a large mammal that is as cantankerous as it is capable, having a huge fatty water storage hump on its back that allows it to travel for up to 40 days without a proper drink, its long legs and large padded feet making it a capable of travelling vast distances without taking one step forward and two back on sand dunes. They’re still used everywhere there’s a desert, although 4x4 transport is taking over where the need arises. We have already reviewed a few more camels than we ever thought we would, and still they keep coming. This set from CMK is something like the 7th now, if we count both 1:48 and 1:72, and it’s highly likely that we’ll be updating this review with additional pictures to show the 1:48 Bactrian camel set, as they have a habit of arriving in pairs, much like the humps of this shaggier camel variant. Unlike the Dromedary, the Bactrian is also capable of enduring extreme cold and high altitudes, which along with their stamina and tolerance for meagre rations, were probably prime reasons for their use travelling the Silk Road in days of yore. The set is 3D printed in 1:72 for your next desert diorama, or one already built that simply needs more camels in it to achieve perfection, whether it’s in the background or playing a more central role. The set is supplied in the usual clamshell box with card header, with the small instruction sheet trapped in front of the header, all secured by a single staple. The instructions are simple, consisting of a line-drawn visual of the model with markings examples. There are two camels in different poses in the box, and they each still have supports attached to the underside, which are easy to clip off and sand the remaining pips back flush. One camel is sitting with its legs folded, while the other is in an ambiguous standing pose that could be walking or stopped to admire the view, and both have shaggier fur that is concentrated around the tops of their humps, necks and in a fringe around the top of their heads. Conclusion They’re camels, miserable spitty things that are lucky they’re good beasts of burden, or they wouldn’t be so numerous. CMK's designers have done a good job of replicating their look and the texture of their fur, then it's up to you to paint them as well as you can. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

B-25D Late/G/H/J Mitchell Pilot Seats (P48007 for HK, Acc. Miniatures & Revell) 1:48 Special Hobby For a long time the Accurate Miniatures’ B-25 Mitchell has been the dominant kit in 1:48, but the status quo has been upset recently by the arrival of the Hong Kong Models (HK) kit in this scale, which brings modern tooling and 3D CAD design to the process, and results in a more detailed model. You can always improve on “more” however, which is where Special Hobby come in. This set arrives in Special Hobby’s orange themed blister pack, with a header card and the instructions forming the slot-in back to the package, and holding the resin in place within the blister, using a sheet of clear acetate to separate the Photo-Etch (PE) parts to the rear. The printed resin parts are supplied in orange resin on a single printing base, and comprises three seats, one taller pilot’s seat with headrest, and a choice of two low-back seats for the other crew member, one with a wood framework, the other metal. It also includes a sheet of PE that is nickel-plated and pre-painted in colour to depict the seatbelts, with enough parts for lap belts for your chosen seats, and having fine unpainted areas at the outer ends that are folded up into position to represent the clasps that link the two parts of the belt together. Detail on the seats is stunning, as we’ve come to expect from 3D printed sets from Special Hobby, with a large back cushion for the pilot that has organic, natural looking creases and indents that will look great with sympathetic painting, while the base cushions are flattened out by the weight of crew, with a slight crushed look to them. The seat frames and panels are extremely well-detailed, and all the seats are attached to the base from underneath, so clean-up should be simple, especially as this orange resin is strong and flexible, so quite forgiving whilst removing parts. A simple upgrade that increases the detail in your Mitchell’s cockpit without too much effort or expenditure. Incidentally, the Accurate Miniatures kit has been in several other manufacturer’s boxes over the years, including Academy, so the set should be appropriate for almost any Mitchell kit in 1:48. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Having (after many tribulations) finished my 1/96 RealSpace CSM with 3D printed detail from The Aerospace Place, I thought I'd move on to a 1/96 LM, to replace the truly horrible version that comes with Revell's 1/96 Saturn V. Here's what arrived from Shapeways. It's made of slightly rough plastic, but mostly this won't be a problem. The Ascent Stage is missing a couple of RCS thruster nozzles, which I found loose in the packaging and reattached. The whole thing is a much better shape than the Revell version, and contains more detail, though some of it is quite chunky. One problem is the ladder, which is printed thicker and much narrower than the real thing. Scratch building such an object was beyond me, so I cut the Revell ladder off the kit part, and then removed the 3D printed version. Here's a comparison of the recycled Revell part and the Small Scale Shop version. I'll mount the ladder on the landing leg after I've wrapped the leg in foil. For reference, here's the Apollo 9 LM (a detail from NASA image AS09-21-3183): You can see that the Revell kit part, though still chunky, matches the ladder dimensions better. Also arrowed (and the reason I chose this photograph as reference), is the chunky, roughly conical shroud around each of the paired upper landing-leg struts. (These are difficult to see in most pictures of the LM, where they're seen against a black sky background.) David Weeks's drawings make them look nice and neat: But after peering at various Apollo 11 images, the black foil wrap seems to be quite lumpy and irregular, and the rear and front leg wraps (-Z and +Z) seem to be more extensive than those on the two side legs. I've no idea what these are, but they're absent from the Small Scale Shop parts. So I thought I'd model them as best I could. First a slipped some appropriately sized sheet styrene discs on to the struts: Then I built up the lumpy cones with filler: I also decided to address the chunky plume deflectors, by scratch-building them from 0.5mm brass wire and thick aluminium foil. The original printed part is at right, for comparison: To positioning the vertical plume deflector struts, I temporarily glued the upper stage in position, so that I could get the height and position correct: After a bit of tidying up of the filler, I gave the whole a coat of Tamiya grey undercoat, and brush painted the necessary surfaces black with LifeColor matt black, which is my go-to paint for a good matt finish. Then it was a matter of cutting and gluing two shades of gold foil, to simulate the two thicknesses of gold Kapton foil, and some bright silver kitchen foil for the Nickel 600 foil. Here's what I ended up with: Next job will be to get the landing legs painted and foiled.

In the interest of doing something different and seeing as how I’ve just gotten a 3D printer I thought I’d do a couple of Daleks. Not sure the scale, they’re about five inches tall which I’m guessing makes them about 1/16. First step pre Blitzbuild is to get all the models and print the two kits…. And here’s batch two of four getting done…

Hello all, I've not produced anything in this part of the forum before so feel a bit like a trespasser. As a first step in fulfilling a long-standing desire to produce my own version of a Gemini space capsule, I'm posting this placeholder to ensure that this is the next subject I do after my current Wasp build over in the aircraft section. That way there's no backing out.... 😁 The spacecraft in question will be the Gemini X mission flown by John Young & Michael Collins, July 18-21, 1966. As well as photography, the build will be based upon use of the following research materials: Carrying the Fire: Michael Collins, W.H.Allen 1970 Forever Young: A Life of Adventure in Air and Space: John Young & James Hansen, Univ. Press of Florida 2012 Gemini X Mission Report NASA 1966 Gemini X Notebook: Michael Collins 1966 Gemini Familiarization Manual Vols. 1-3 SEDR 300 NASA 1965 Transcript, Gemini X Voice Communications (Air-to-Ground, Ground-to-Air and On-Board) NASA 1966 Gemini X Mission Highlights NASA 1966 Project Gemini: Technology & Operations NASA SP-4002 1969 Gemini X Technical Debriefing Vols. 1-2 NASA 1966 On the Shoulders of Titans NASA SP-4002 1969 NASA SP-4203 1977 Gemini Operations Handbook: Spacecraft 10 Vols. 1-3 SEDR 300 NASA 1966 Gemini Technical Memorandum NASA 1966 Gemini X Final Flight Plan NASA 1966 Summary of Gemini Extravehicular Actvity NASA 1966 Interim Report, Manned Spaceflight Experiments, Gemini X NASA 1967 Of particular value in this reasearch and from which many of the above are drawn has been The Michael Collins Papers collection held at Virginia Tech. Michael Collins Papers, Ms1989-029, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va. More in due course.... Tony

Mi-17 Detail Upgrades (for AMK) 1:48 Eduard AMK released their take on the Soviet Mi-17 heavy military helicopter last year (2022), with subsequent boxings broadening the range. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Cockpit Interior (491352) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other bare brass for structural elements. A complete set of new layered instrument panels, sidewalls, equipment boxes and side consoles with added levers for the cockpit are in full colour, with two pairs of foot pedals for the crew controls; brackets, webs and stowage boxes for the cockpit interior; appliqué panels on the exterior; scissor-links for the oleos, and a set of two-part windscreen wipers. SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48119) The Eduard SPACE sets use new 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin, creating highly realistic almost full complete panels that are supplied on a decal sheet. They can depict metallic shades, plus glossy, satin, and matt colours too, which really ups the detail on everything they print. In addition, a small sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE is included for the aspects of the set that lend themselves better to this medium, such as seatbelts and rudder pedals. The decal sheet contains a full range of instrument panels and equipment box fronts, complete with glossy dials and excellent 3D relief of the parts. The electrical panel is also replaced by a new front, with all the main decals having the traditional Soviet blue/green background around the instrument bezels. There are also drop light boxes with traffic lights in the cockpit that is replicated in the doorway of the aircraft to let the passengers know when to release a load or passengers from the door. The two main instrument panels have an additional layer added in the centre, further improving the depth of the panels, and of course all these decals should be applied over the background once the original kit details have been removed by scraping or sanding flat. The PE sheet contains two full sets of crew four-point seatbelts for the pilots, plus a couple of boxes on which some of the decals are applied to replicate missing boxes from inside the kit cockpit. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1353) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. Similar to those in the SPACE set above, the package contains two full sets of crew four-point seatbelts for the pilots, available for those not opting to go the 3D printed route. Cargo Floor (481110) This larger bare brass set contains an important upgrade to the floor of the passenger compartment, starting with a long skin for the floor with details and treadplate etched into the surface, adding numerous treadplated access panels over this, along with two long runners, the kit representations of which will need to be removed from the kit floor along with a trapezoid shape at the front. With the kit bulkhead between the cockpit and passenger compartment, the trapezoid shape on the new floor is augmented by laying a folded part with supports into position where the kit part would have been. Cargo Seatbelts STEEL (491353) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. The set comprises six sets of pale grey belts per side of the aircraft for application to the seats under the circular windows in the fuselage of the Mi-17, made from thirty-seven individual parts, and including belts for the jump seats found in the compartment. Masks (EX942) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, side windows and other clear parts, with a few compound curved panes handled by using frame hugging masks, while the compound curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape at your choice. Masks Tface (EX943) Supplied on a larger sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything above, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the interior and give your model that extra bit of realism. Having used these sets on my own models now, I can confirm that they are extremely accurate, and it's best to place the outer masks first to act as a guide for alignment of the inner masks. Conclusion A great range of sets to pore over and choose from to improve the detail on your new AMK Mi-17 kit in the places that you are interested in to make the focal points of your model more impressive. Review sample courtesy of

F-35A Exhaust Nozzle & Ejection Seat Sets (648860 & 648858 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya can’t be described as prolific producers of new toolings, but their kits usually impress when they arrive, with the new F-35A in 1:48 being one such triumph of styrene engineering. Eduard have wasted no time in producing upgrades for those in our hobby that ask more of their modelling experience, and we’ve got two sets in for review from their Brassin range. As is now usual with Eduard's resin sets, they arrive in the new Brassin cardboard box, the exhaust nozzles having a deeper box due to its size, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. F-35A Ejection Seat (648858) This set replaces the kit part that is highly visible in the aircraft’s goldfish bowl of a canopy, which although it is tinted gold makes the seat and/or pilot a focal point of the model. Consisting of a bag of nine 3D printed resin parts, and another with a pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE) sheet and a small sheet of decals inside, both protected by a sheet of card. The seat chassis is printed as a single part, into which you place the seat cushion and headrest, followed by the back cushion that locates on three rounded pins that have matching depressions in the chassis. The central buckle for the seatbelts is resin and installs in a groove in the seat cushion, and is joined by either a resin or PE ejection pull-handle that is positioned just forward of the belt. Around the back of the seat, there are some short lengths of 0.3mm wire you need to provide, with lengths and shapes given to assist you with accurately cutting and shaping them, then a frame is glued over the seat back, and more short wires are added between the two parts. Finally, an oxygen bottle for high-altitude ejections is strapped horizontally across the frame, with a large roughly triangular box fixed above it behind the headbox. Turning the seat around, the seatbelts are made up and installed in a three-step process, which is best done after painting to protect the metallic and pre-painted belts from splashes. The location of the decals are shown on the last step, showing the colours of the various areas, although colour call-outs in Gunze Sangyo Mr Color codes are given throughout the instructions. It’s a superbly detailed set that will improve the cockpit immensely with some careful painting. Incidentally, the right seat handle was broken off on my example, but was simple to glue back in place with a little super glue, so check yours for damage. F-35A Exhaust Nozzle (648860) This set has just four 3D printed resin parts, but the detail is simply off the charts. The petals of the nozzle are crisp and well-detailed, which extends into the interior, where textures and shapes are replicated on every surface. The exhaust is attached to the hollow trunk, which is printed in a dark grey almost black resin, hiding the exquisite details rendered on the interior, which we have attempted to bring out by lightening the interior in the photos below. At the forward end of the trunk, the afterburner ring and rear of the engine are glued into position after painting with Gunze Sangyo Mr Color, the codes for which are used throughout. The completed exhaust assembly then plugs into the kit parts G17 and G18 within the fuselage. Again, the detail is exceptional, and when painted sympathetically, it will look about as real as most modellers can achieve without selling their souls to the modelling gods for additional skills. Conclusion Two 3D printed sets that will upgrade very visible aspects of this new kit from Tamiya, and really are worth the extra effort to use. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Here is a very popular aircraft for hauling freight or dropping parachutists. The 6-place powerful aircraft has been produced in large numbers. I built this model from the 3D-printed kit by VFRmodels. I like unusual aircraft, the ones you don`t see at every model show, so I tried this kit. As I have got some experience with resin kits, the encountered challenges were not new to me. The interior didn`t fit into the fuselage, but with a cut with a razor saw this problem was solved. The tail decoration is provided as decal, so the colour for the fuselage had to match that. I used Revell Aqua colours for that and Gunze White. Hope you like the little bird. cheers, Norbert

A6M2-N Rufe SPACE Cockpit Set (3DL48114) 1:48 Eduard The Eduard SPACE sets use 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin on decal paper, creating highly realistic almost fully complete panels that are supplied on a decal sheet. They can depict metallic shades, plus glossy, satin and matt colours too, which really ups the detail on everything they print. In addition, a small sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE is included for the aspects of the set that lend themselves better to this medium, such as seatbelts and rudder pedals. This set contains both a sheet of 3D printed decals and a small fret of nickel-plated Photo-Etch (PE) for the seatbelts, two straps to adapt the rudder pedals into a rudder bar, plus a ring sight that is installed at the front of the standard gunsight. The decal sheet includes fronts for the cockpit sidewall, the side consoles and equipment in the lower wall area, which extends to several boxes. The instrument panel and additional binnacles that surround it are also included on the sheet, and as with the rest of them, the raised details should be removed beforehand. It’s a couple of months since we’ve had a SPACE set in for review, and I’d quite forgotten how good they look. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

MG3 Machine Gun Vehicle Mounted Variant x 2 (P35008) 1:35 Special Hobby This set from Special Hobby is part of a new range that is using direct 3D printing using light-cured resins, which is a technique that is rapidly becoming suitable for making realistic models, even at the budget level. These sets are being produced on more high-end machines, and no layers were visible to my eyes, even with magnification! It arrives in a standard blister pack with orange branding, and lots of foam within to keep the parts safe during transport. The instructions are in the rear, sandwiched between the blister and the card header. Inside is a single printed block of parts that are printed in a light orange resin with what appears to be a lot fewer support struts ensuring that the freshly printed parts don’t sag under their own weight before they are properly cured. The shape of the support block is designed to protect the two machine guns inside, as they are very delicate due to the finesse of the printed parts. Cutting them free must be done carefully, and they should be handled with great care once free. There are two types of vehicle-mounted weapons, one with a stock to be operated by a crew member, the other without, perhaps on a fixed mount or within a casemate. The detail on both weapons is superb, with all the shapes rendered to perfection, showing its MG42 heritage, including the tubular cocking handle, front and rear sights that are so fine that they could easily be knocked off. Ask me how I know. With careful handling and painting though, the results will be phenomenally realistic, even down to the twin slots in the muzzle and cooling cut-outs on the barrel jackets that are hollow, just like the real thing. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of