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Right now Moe is done and dusted its time to move on to the next one! So this is the Goblin Scoundrel from a range of 3D printable characters from a series called Goblin Mines. As soon as I saw this it really caught my eye because of the cool detailed base and I really like the face and the hood they have a lot of creases that can really catch the light. IMG_20250307_155106 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20250412_164549 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20250412_164603 by Nick Frost, on Flickr So the plan for this guy is to have the light source coming diagonally down from his right side across his face and body, and up from the opposite direction his blades will be a separate light source lighting up bits of the base and the creases on the other side of him. They will be a light source because I'm planning on doing them as enchanted daggers that have lava blades, so they will look like they are still molten metal. I haven't done much much for now, just been doing a bit of clean up, firstly I got him scrubbed over with a toothbrush with soapy warm water followed by another scrub with surgical spirit to clean off any resin residue from the print process. Then after rinsing that off I left him to dry. IMG_20250412_195003 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Once dry I used some milliput to fill the two holes that were under his arms (presumably as vents for uncured resin) IMG_20250413_165109 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20250413_165625 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Then after a bit of sanding I gave him a blast of chaos black primer. IMG_20250415_194431 by Nick Frost, on Flickr So that is where I'm at with him so far, the next step will be to get out the airbrush and give him a zenithal effect from the light sources direction with some white ink as a reference for my highlights and shadows. Thanks for looking, more soon :)~

Hi All, My first completion for 2025, and it's a big one! For the last couple of months I have been working on designing, 3D printing and finishing a conversion of the Airfix Lancaster (A08013A) to the earlier Avro Manchester Mk.I. This is the base kit: This is the aircraft I have chosen to model: L7427 was part of 83 Sqn, based at RAF Scampton in April 1942. The aircraft was lost on its 15th mission to attack the Blohm und Voss shipyards in Hamburg on 8th April - all crew perished. The aircraft had completed 10 missions at the time this photo was taken, denoted by the mission tally on the side of the nose. This is an extensive conversion, which has entailed the design and 3D printing of the following: - Wings at 90' wingspan - Nacelles for the twin RR Vultures along with propellers - Empennage at 28' span, with smaller vertical stabilisers and central fin - Main and tail wheels - Bomb bay doors - Control column and Mk.IX bombsight - Mast - Vacuum formed FN7 dorsal and FN4 rear turrets, along with landing light cover Here's the WIP if anybody is interested: All the printed parts were produced on an Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra using water-soluble resin. This is the final result: Here's a shot showing the kit of parts with the finished article: Here's a final shot with another unusual Lanc derivative: This has been an ambitious project (for me), and I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I have had much assistance along the way - @Walter Lindekens and @brewerjerry were most generous in supplying information on the type. @AdrianMF, @Marklo and @TeeELL were all most generous in offering vacuum forming advice to a noob. Thanks to everybody else who has added kind words and encouragement along the way - it has been much appreciated! For those who are interested, I will be making this kit available for sale in due course, Thanks for looking, Roger

Hi All, Well, what have I gone and done now? Emboldened by the relative success of my recent Manchester conversion project, I have decided to jump in with both size 10s and attempt a whole aircraft design and build. I did toy with another Lanc conversion (I'm thinking RAAF Lincoln Mk.30/31, which is still a distinct possibility for later down the line), but the idea of a whole aircraft would not go away. With the Valom kit the only available option to build the Albermarle, it was an obvious choice. Twin engines, tricycle undercarriage, lots of transparencies - what a challenge! There is also the enticing prospect of invasion stripes, and even the possibility of a diorama with a Horsa glider - I am positively frothing just thinking about it! With excitement levels at 11 I decided to order this: Until that turns up I have the small matter of a pair of Bristol Hercules XIs to occupy my time. This will definitely be a slow burner, so this is a bit of a placeholder. Let the dance begin... Thanks for looking, Roger

I really ought to concentrate on getting one model finished, rather than having 20 of them 5% done, but it seems I'm just not wired that way. 🤷‍♂️ So, the latest shiny object to catch my attention was a car body on a 3D file repository. It was cheap, so I took a punt. Having compared it to reference images, it will need some loads of remedial work, but I think I can fix it - more on that later. Now, it was just a body, so I have to come up with everything else. The obvious place to start was the chassis, so here's where we're up to. If anyone is able to recoginse this from my attempt at modelling it, award yourself a gold star.

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.

P-40E SPACE (3DL48208 for Eduard) 1:48 Eduard Hot on the heels of Eduard’s newly tooled P-40E Warhawk kit in 1:48, this new SPACE set will give the modeller a premium cockpit upgrade that can be accomplished with minimal effort. The set uses new 3D printing techniques that lays 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 first decal depicts a dial mounted on the cockpit floor in the pilot’s eyeline, followed by a three-part replacement for the kit's instrument panel, which includes a panel that fits over a blank spot on the main lower panel in the top right. The sidewalls have small areas of styrene removed that are marked in orange, replacing them with new decals that portray dials, switches, and a large document pouch, with a choice of two layouts to the starboard wall, depending on which kit part you are using. The PE sheet includes a full set of four-point harnesses for the pilot with a comfort pad under the lap buckle, using the same parts for either of the seat designs that are provided in the kit. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Lockheed P-38F/G Lightning Right (Starboard) Engine (6481037 for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Tamiya’s recent new tooling of the P-38J/F/H Lightning in 1:48 gave the modelling world a new de facto standard kit of the type, and provided us with an excellent, well-detailed kit of this iconic twin-boom fighter from WWII. You can always improve on the detail possible with injection-moulded styrene however, and we’ve already had some aftermarket sets from Eduard. Now we have a larger resin engine set to allow you to open the cowling to display the Allison V-1710 engine, but bear in mind that the engines themselves were handed to cancel out torque steer, so if you intend to open the left/port engine, this set won’t be suitable, and neither will the cowling parts of course. As is usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in a Brassin-themed black-and-yellow deep cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags on a layer of grey foam, and the instructions folded around the top, acting as additional padding. The Set Inside the box are forty-one 3D-printed resin parts, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) with just one part, a decal sheet, and a thick instruction booklet that consists of five sheets of folded A4, printed in colour on both sides. Throughout the 29 steps, Gunze Sangyo colour codes are given, and where additional wire from your own stocks is needed to add extra detail, you will be given the length and diameter to help you plan ahead. As is normal for 3D printed parts, they are attached to their print-bases by many fine fingers that taper at the top end to reduce clean-up once you have liberated the part(s) from the base. A little light sanding is usually sufficient to make any marks disappear, after which you can start putting things together. Construction begins with removal of the kit engine nacelle from the kit parts, carefully following the red markings shown in the first four steps of the instructions. Small sections of other parts are also removed in this step, so take care and cross-refer with the kit instructions to ensure you don’t slip up. At the side of this series of steps is a separate diagram showing the location of all the decals on the engine block and some of the sundry parts around the nacelle, and as they don’t appear to be picked out during the build, you’d be well-advised to mark them on the instructions before you get too far. The first two parts will need extensive painting and those make up the engine block and the ancillaries behind it, which plug together after some extensive detail painting, and the addition of a little nose-weight inside the hollow engine to replace the kit-supplied ball-bearing that would otherwise fill the space. The prop-shaft housing has a circular PE ring applied to its front, adding two short lengths of wire to the aft end of the tubes that run down the top edge of the inner face of both cylinder banks. The ancillary block is wired up with short lengths of different diameters of wire, which are marked in separate colours to set them apart. Over the top of the ancillaries a pair of ignition distributor boxes are laid, one on either side of a joining tube, with a pair of scrap diagrams showing it in relation to the wires that have just been added. More wire is threaded from the front to the rear and underneath the engine, fitting a tapering trunk for the supercharger, which should end outside the starboard engine bearer, which has more wire routed down its top side and under the prop-shaft, with two accessories also attached to the bearer. Turning the engine around, the port engine bearer is fitted, flipping the assembly over to add another hose under the accessories, and with the assembly righted again, yet another hose that runs from back to front is threaded through and joined by another accessory on the starboard side. More wire links the new accessory box to something that will be mounted later, meanwhile fitting another box and a curving hose that has a scrap diagram showing where it links to the rear of the engine. There’s yet another box with some wire leading into the mass of accessories at the rear, with more wires leading to both the boxes already in situ. At the rear is another firewall assembly that mounts behind the motor, detailing it with two more hoses, one wide, the other narrower, bringing it in to mate with the engine bearers, linking up the loose wires that finally find their end-points. At the end of the intake tubes is a paired intake lip that is attached on a pair of keyed pegs, with some detail painting in case you’d forgotten that this had been going on. The underside of the nacelle is an impressively detailed part, and needs painting inside and out, fitting a hose down the starboard side, and printed at the rear a complex intake trunking that slots in from the rear. A scrap diagram shows some more detail painting that will need to be done at this point, adding two filters into their recesses, a horseshoe reservoir at the front, and hoses, plus another long length of wire from your own stocks. The engine is lowered carefully into the nacelle, which is starting to become a rather impressive assembly, finishing the path of two hoses with curving sections that dive into the depths of the engine, with another scrap diagram helping with locating them as well as the other wires installed earlier. Exhaust collectors are installed on each side of the motor, followed by the top framework that is a curved cruciform shape, which has a resin tube and a length of wire run down the underside of the spine before it is applied over the engine within the nacelle. The nacelle is complete, but you still need to paint the surprisingly large number of surface panels that are removed to access the engine for care and maintenance. Each one is printed vertically, and on some you can just about see some layer lines, so after priming them, check to see if those have disappeared, and if not, give them a very light sanding. There are eleven in all, and the inner faces will be silver, while the outers will be camouflage colour, but you might want to loosely apply them to the model to ensure you have any demarcations noted before you start painting. Markings The whole instruction booklet is dotted with detailed colour indicators that have the H and C codes for Gunze Sangyo’s Mr Color range, along with the names of the colours in case you can’t get to a paint conversion chart at the time. The small decal sheet is printed digitally, and the carrier film can be carefully peeled away if you wish, leaving just the thin printed part on the model, which is an improvement if the presence of carrier films bothers you like it does me. Conclusion There just aren’t enough superlatives to cover the quality and detail evident on this set. The space between the cylinder banks however is almost a victim of its own success, as you might struggle to get your paint brush in between the equipment that is moulded into the monolithic block. It’s an awesome example of 3D printed model parts, and the amount of effort that has been expended in designing it is incredible. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

L-39ZA Albatros SPACE (3DL72046) 1:72 Eduard Eduard have just re-released their Aero L-39ZA Albatros that we reviewed here, and have also released some new upgrade sets to improve on the detail already moulded into the kit’s parts. 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. To prepare for application of the decals, you need to remove the moulded-in details from the two instrument panels and the four side consoles, which will involve sanding or shaving away the raised components with a sharp blade, taking care not to stab yourself in the process. New 3D printed decals are applied to the instrument panels, ensuring that you use the correct one for front and rear, adding grey sidewall decals over the interior of the fuselage as indicated, and finally fitting four side consoles, two per cockpit to the flat tops that were prepared earlier. The pre-painted and nickel-plated PE parts are used on the ejection seats, and include a full set of four-point harnesses, anti-flail leg straps and pull-handle at the front of the seat’s base, plus equipment and levers that fit to the sides of the base frame. The headbox sides are skinned with two triangular panels, adding a tangle of belts and a handle to the top of the box, representing the drogue ‘chute’s mechanism. This is done in duplicate of course, as the aircraft is a two-seater. It's a huge upgrade to the cockpit detail that offers pre-finished dials and instruments that begs for an open cockpit to show it off. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-39Q Upgrade Sets (for Arma Hobby) 1:48 Eduard Arma Hobby recently launched a brand-new tooling of the P-39 Airacobra in a growing range of variants, and it’s a well-detailed model, but as usual, you can always improve on injection-moulded parts by using other mediums. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner, and this batch are suitable for most P-39Q variants. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE), 3D SPACE, 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. Upgrade Set (491477) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. A complete new nine-part layered instrument panel and centre console with three levers; trim wheel; gun cocking handles; the extensive radio box, plus other details for the floor and rear bulkhead; making up two more boxes and adding more details on the cockpit sidewalls. There is also an entire pilot seat that is folded up to form the chassis, adding extra strengthening layers to critical areas, and the diagonal strip across the back of the base. Externally, the kit oleo-scissors for the main and nose gear legs are replaced by more in-scale parts, the belly-mounted intakes are given new in-scale doors with a mesh insert at the rear, and a filler cap for the drop-tank is also supplied. Going back inside again, a rear-view mirror and ring sight are fitted to the windscreen from inside, with paired handles fixed to each of the kit doors after removing the moulded-in nubs. SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48196) 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 kit seat is upgraded with four-point belts with a comfort pad under the buckle, followed by a complete replacement of the moulded-in instrument panel facets, first removing the kit details, using five new dial decals, and adding PE cocking handles to the gun breeches. The cockpit sidewalls, floor and aft bulkhead are given eight decals, plus several PE parts, adding a rear-view mirror and ring sight to the windscreen frame to finish the set. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1478) 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. As well as the four-point crew belts, you also get a comfort pad for under the buckle of the harness. Conclusion Another raft of upgrade sets that are specific to the P-39Q variant of the Airacobra, adding detail and colour of extremely high calibre. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-39 Airacobra Resin Upgrade Sets (for Arma Hobby) 1:48 Eduard Arma Hobby recently launched a brand-new tooling of the P-39 Airacobra in a growing range of variants, and it’s a well-detailed model, but as always you can always improve on injection-moulded parts by using other methods. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner, and this batch are suitable for most P-39 variants, so will fit just as well with any of the boxings. Although these sets arrive in flat packages, the directly 3D printed parts are safe inside a clear plastic clamshell box within the package, which also has a sticky pad inside to prevent the parts from rattling about. The parts are printed resin with the exception of the gun barrels, attached to the base via thin tendril-like fingers that are easy to cut off and sand the little upstands away, leaving them ready for action. Exhaust Stacks Fishtail (6481049) This set is a straight-forward replacement for the kit exhausts, consisting of two parts that are incredibly well-detailed, and have hollow tips, with a splitter between the two halves of each outlet. Simply cut the parts from the print base, and use them as you would the kit parts, but fixing them with super glue (CA) instead of the usual plastic glues. Exhaust Stacks Rounded (6481050) Identical in use as the set above, these exhaust stacks have hollow rounded tips as part of their detail upgrade from the kit parts. Gun Barrels (6481053) Traditionally cast from resin, these four parts include two gun barrels with perforated jackets, plus a choice of two styles of muzzle for the centre-of-prop 30mm cannon, one with a shroud around a recessed barrel, the other unshrouded. They are drop-in replacements for the kit parts, but take care when handling them, as I managed to ping off a barrel when putting them back in their packet. Pilot’s Seat (6481054) Consisting of one print-base with a highly-detailed seat, plus a small fret of STEEL Photo-Etch (PE) that is nickel-plated and pre-painted for your ease, this set replaces the kit’s seat directly, and the added dimension and realism of the belts will be far superior to the decals that come with the kit. The seat has many strengthening grooves moulded-in, and the belts will drape well over the seat’s sides due to the softness and thinner gauge of the material that it is etched from. Conclusion An interesting and useful range of simple sets that raise the level of detail on the base kit with little effort. Review sample courtesy of

P-51B Malcolm Hood Canopy Cockpit (6481032) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Eduard’s new Malcolm Hooded Mustang went under the microscope here, and now we have a finely detailed 3D-printed resin cockpit to augment the already impressive detail you’ll find in the kit. As is now usual with Eduard's larger resin sets, they arrive in the new deep Brassin cardboard box, with the resin and other parts safely cocooned in bags, a foam sheet in the bottom and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Inside the box are forty-three resin parts of various sizes, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) that has been nickel-plated and pre-printed, a sheet of decals and a slip of clear acetate with the gunsight glazing shapes printed on. The instruction booklet tells you remove some sections of interior detail on the fuselage halves, which are marked out in red for your convenience. It’s worthy of note that there isn’t a pre-painted PE instrument panel in this set, but there are a host of decals for the instruments and placards, which you apply along the way toward a complete cockpit. Construction begins with the seat in a choice of three styles that are printed as one part each, and are decorated with pre-painted PE four-point seatbelts, a common headrest that attaches to the seat armour and mounting rail part. The seat is attached to the new highly detailed floor and is fitted out with the control stick, fuel hose, with detail painting instructions throughout. A bulkhead between the pilot and rear of the compartment is inserted behind the seat, adding hoses and other parts for detail, with a choice of three styles of rear compartments behind the pilot. Two options involve installing different equipment boxes to the floor, and another rear-facing instrument on the bulkhead. Two types of radio gear can be fitted to the pallet and after detail painting it is straddled by a pair of ribs toward the rear, which will allow it to be mounted as a second layer above the equipment on the floor, which will still be seen by the intrepid viewer. The third option involves the original kit fuel tank that has its attachment pins removed before it is glued to the floor, mounting an equipment palette with equipment and the ribs replicated from the other options, and wiring it with a 20mm length of 0.6mm wire from your own stocks. The resin sidewall parts are well detailed to begin with, but they are both augmented with additional resin parts that vary between cockpit fitments, as well as having their own painting and decaling diagrams to complete the task. The result will be an exceptionally well-detailed pair of sidewalls, with a choice of variant specific instruments, providing you follow the instructions avidly. A built & painted example from Eduard’s website The three resin gunsight options have their glass replicated by a piece of acetate sheet of varying sizes, installing it on the kit coaming, which has a small portion cut away beforehand, using the appropriate coaming for your chosen option. The main panel is a resin part that has decals applied depicting the instruments, with more decals on the lower centre panel, mounting the new detailed rudder pedals on pegs in the rear, setting their alignment with reference to a scrap diagram showing the assembly from the side. The cockpit and sidewalls are brought together to create a tub, then the kit fuselage is closed around them, adding the coaming assembly and kit canopy to finish the set off. Conclusion A super-detailed set for a superb model of a legend of the skies with my favourite canopy style. Excellent use of 3D printed resin to improve a focal point to your model, with a choice of equipment options to add individualism to your P-51. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

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

After a bit of a final push I've got this guy sorted and have taken some final photos. This is a 3D printed figure that is actually called The Cleric, but as soon as I saw it i just loved the idea of him casting a spell the power of which was causing his cape to billow out. I've painted it as if the head of his staff is the main light source, to give the impression of the magic lighting the scene, and had a real blast painting it. Thanks to everyone who commented/reacted in the WIP, always makes a project more fun! Speaking of which here is a link to it:- Here are the final pics, I included one daylight shot at the end as I think it gave a slightly better impression of the colours I used. IMG_20241226_134515 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_134531 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_134540 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_134926 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_134939 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_134955 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_135017 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_135047 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_135057 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_135108 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_135124 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_135137 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_135148 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_135215 by Nick Frost, on Flickr IMG_20241226_135413 by Nick Frost, on Flickr Thanks for looking, all comments and questions welcome

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.

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.