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Here’s my just completed model built from the newly released Airfix kit. It’s like the curate’s egg: good, in parts. I fixed the incorrect aft bomb bay fairing with some styrene rod, and I appreciated the mask parts provided for the wheel wells. The cockpit and bomb bay are well detailed for the scale too. But … the kit is let down by the transparencies. The nose cheek windows would be a foot thick in real life and the main canopy framing lacks finesse. I’ve been building a Tamiya B.Mk.IV alongside this one and the clear parts are far superior. Still, it’s a big improvement on the Matchbox kit and I’m mostly happy with the finished model.

Just had an e-mail from my LMS saying that the Rotodyne will be re-issued in the Vintage Classic range. Anyone else heard this? I would certainly welcome such a release as it fits nicely into my 1950's /60's civial aviation themed build

Here’s my 1/48 Airfix Chipmunk T.10 in University of Liverpool Air Squadron markings. These aircraft were based at RAF Woodvale. This was a fun and easy kit to build. I used the Kits-World 3-D printed instrument panels and seat belts, which were a measurable improvement over what’s supplied in the kit. I’m already planning my next one.

Here’s my 1/72 Airfix Blenheim Mk.I finished just last week. The model won 3rd place in its category at the Granitecon show in Manchester, NH this past Sunday. It was a well attended show with over 500 models entered across the various categories.

IJN carrier Shokaku, Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941.

Here are my four 1/72 Fw 190s finished over the weekend. They are an Eduard A-5, an Airfix A-8, a Hasegawa A-8, and an Airfix D-9. They were all entered in the Granitecon show in Manchester, New Hampshire on Sunday. One of the A-8s won a second place in its category, I’m just not sure which one as they only announced it as an Fw 190A-8 not the make of the kit. I’m pretty sure it was the Hasegawa that placed as the Airfix has some seam issues. Hasegawa on left L-to-R: Hasegawa, Airfix, Eduard Hasegawa and Airfix Eduard Hasegawa Airfix Airfix D-9

Having only built aircraft to 1/72 scale I thought it time to test myself on a larger scale. Having enjoyed the build of Airfix’s 1/72 Stuka I thought I’d have a bash at their 1/48 87R B2 version. The kit is well moulded with some nice detail and goes together well. There are various build options to choose from which is nice, but I wasn’t keen on the standard European scheme that’s suggested so after a bit of digging on t’internet I found that the aircraft chosen by Airfix also served in North Africa so a set of ROPos decals were purchased along with Eduard’s PE set for the kit. Paint is Tamiya acrylics, lacquers are Humbrol and the aerial wire is Uschi van der Rosten thread. For the weathering effect I pre-shaded with dark grey and white followed by four different shades of RLM 79 sandgelb which gives an uneven effect on what would otherwise be a really monotone scheme. The lower surface is simply the usual RLM 78 hellblau, again with some pre-shading. No washes were used on the model but I did use oils to give further effects. It’s never going to be a show winner but I think it’s probably the best aircraft kit I’ve done to date so I’m happy, which is what the hobby is all about, making us happy. As ever, all constructive criticism welcome.

Not the most unusual subject to be presented here, of course, but here's another little Airfix Hurri. It's built out of the box in 85 Sqn markings with just some seat straps added. I've done a few of these now, and better options are available in this scale, so this will be the last - I think... With my last attempt at this kit: Best wishes, Ian

No, this build won't include Browning machine guns, rotating number plates or an ejector seat. This is more about refining some of the details of this venerable kit, and taking a trip down memory lane as it is another kit I built back in my early teens. I've been working on this in the background of my other builds for a few weeks. This is the box art, which I think is slightly different from the version I built the first time around. I knew that the biggest issue would be the body, with a mix of flash and sink marks to correct. Here is the body straight out of the box and you might spot a little flash if you look carefully. What I wasn't expecting was the panel lines, I'm not sure if they were originally designed as raised edges or recesses, but over the years they have become both and neither at the same time. I decided I'd take the risk to try and scribe the panel lines myself. The front end is where the worst sink marks are found, and the bonnet scoop needs opening up. At the back Airfix simply didn't bother with half the boot shut line. Careful work with scriber and razor saw, I've tried to get the lines as steady as possible but they may be a little wobbly in places. Creating the bonnet panel gap was really tricky. The passenger side. Boot panel gap added, Not sure how accurate it is, but it's better than nothing. To try and get the tail lights fitting properly they were added to the body before any paint so that I could make good with filler. I've also had to scribe the fuel filler door. Front valance fitted and checking that the chassis fits. Pity about the gap at the edge of the floor, not sure there's much can be done with that. Starting to open up the bonnet vent. And cut open. Great gobs of filler! More filler on the valance. First coat of primer, just to see what further correction is necessary. Not quite sure about that face. Driver's side. At least the door gaps don't look too bad. Even the boot gap doesn't look too awful. Something I knew I'd need to address would be the kit wheels. As with the Airfix Jaguar E-type I built last summer I decided to go for some slot car wire wheels. First mock-up with the wheels just plonked in the arches. One handy thing is that you don't have to cut away any of the chassis to fit these wheels, the boss sticks out pretty much the same distance as the boss on the kit wheels. Sitting on the suspension, it looks better at something closer to the proper ride height. The suspension is not too badly represented, the rear assembly is quite fiddly with its separate coil springs and radius rods. It's probably not going to get much more than a quick spray with black paint. Plenty of rubbing down has happened (and camera lens was cleaned). That window line isn't right and needs improvement. That looks a bit more like the correct shape. Underside primed and rubbed down, Those stub axles need to be a little thicker for the wheels to sit better. Something else I noticed was the complete lack of detail for the sides of the interior, I'm not sure how much detail I'll add but I felt that some sort of representation would be better than nothing. You also get a weird gap where the rear seats and wheel arches don't quite meet. Adding some styrene to correct the gap, yes it needs trimming down. To keep this build well away from the best-known DB5 it isn't going to be silver or anything close. it will be burgundy with a black interior. I'm not usually a fan of black interiors but it feels right for this sort of Aston.

I'll sneak in with this one, if I may - the Airfix Bristol Blenheim Mk IV in the 'red stripe' boxing and 'all action' artwork. Look at that sky blue plastic!!! There were a couple of extra clear parts in the box and there is an 'empty' spot on the trees - might be a bit missing. Locate and cement.....

Hi All, It's mid Spring here in the Antipodes, and that means Summer is around the corner. My 488 Sqn Buffalo build is slowly wending its way to completion (another update soon) I have given some thought to my Summer projects, and the following ideas came to mind 1) Kick start my RNZAF Sunderland MR5 Build - I put that aside last Summer as there are a number of issues to sort to make it a correct MR5 , the impetus for this was a visit to MOTAT with my Daughter and a very special visit for with her Grandpa's Sunderland. It was her 16th Birthday, and because she is a descendant of a Serviceman who served on NZ4115, the Awesome MOTAT Volunteers went all out to get her a tour of NZ4115. My Daughter sitting in the cockpit/flight deck the "Tour Guide" was a Sunderland Navigator who served in the RNZAF/Lauthala Bay the same time as her Grandpa RNZAF Sunderland MR5 Build link So Earlier this year in the ANZAC Group build, I started a Memory Lane build with an RNZAF Avenger Target Tug build - NZ2504 was a Gate Guardian at RNZAF Base Te Rapa, and we used to see her in our travels (RNZAF Official - Air Force Museum of New Zealand - Used with Permissions) So, that along with some photos my Sister sent to me from my Dads collection, I decided to do some target Tugs from the era, my Dad began his RNZAF Service, the 1950's. Before I reveal the other two aircraft, a little history as I like to do in my builds. Obviously the 1950's was still "Post War", but while that is true, 1950 began a period of "Modernization" for the RNZAF, my comments are validated by this Book in my collection The Architect for the Modernisation was AVM Nevill who took over form AVM LM Isitt. Upon his recommendations the New Zealand Government agreed to order new(er) aircraft (this came with newer Schemes/Roundels and so forth). AVM Nevill CAS (Graduate of Duntroon and member of NZPAF/RNZAF since 1930) (RNZAF Official - Air Force Museum of New Zealand - Used with Permissions) AVM Nevill was followed by CAS AVM Carnegie (RAF) taking over in 1951 (RNZAF Official - Air Force Museum of New Zealand - Used with Permissions) So the following were ordered (Best part is I can use my Dad's photos) Bristol Freighter ( photo date circa 1958/59 note Fern Leaf on Roundel of Harvard - RNZAF Station Wigram) DH Devon (Photo at RNZAF Station Whenuapai) DH Vampire (RNZAF Station Wigram - Note Kiwi on Roundel so after Nov/Dec 1970 when changed to Kiwi) This Photo is definitely early 1950's, Note the Vampire in main hangar at RNZAF Station Hobsonville. Note the Auster with floats HP Hastings (NZ5801) I have flown on a Hasting (only young mind you, between Whenuapai and Fiji), this particular airframe when SOC, parts were donated to MOTAT (including flight deck (I have a photo of this, but can't find it at present) below is the power egg from this Hastings Last but not least Short Sunderland Mk V/ MR5 - this is 1960/61 at least, only one code letter, foremost Sunderland is NZ4107 - Lauthala Bay So on with the history blog, the 1950's saw New Zealand and our Armed Forces in overseas conflicts, namely Korean war, Malaya Emergency, where RNZAF Aircraft flew Fire Dog Missions (Bristol Freighter/Dakota), we lost a few aircraft and crews there Other events were of note the London to Christchurch (New Zealand) Air Race this is a photo of an RAF Canberra at Harewood Airport (previous RNZAF Station Harewood) from mt Dads collection From the RNZAF Museum Archives a close up/additional Photos Pilot & Navigator (RNZAF Official - Air Force Museum of New Zealand - Used with Permissions) RAF Guards to keep the Colonials in check (RNZAF Official - Air Force Museum of New Zealand - Used with Permissions) This Race/ending in Christchurch, has a personal family connection (other than my Dads photo) This next photo from the RNZAF Museum, is of the then New Zealand Governor General Sir Willoughby Norrie presenting first prize to the RAF Canberra crew, - I am related to him through my Paternal Grandfather (Great Uncle) (RNZAF Official - Air Force Museum of New Zealand - Used with Permissions) Anyways on to what other two aircraft I am going to build? Well next aircraft is a 42 Squadron Mustang, again inspired by Dads photos this is one of Dads photos of an RNZAF TAF Mustang (No. 3 Christchurch Sqn at Wigram) A photo of my build topic - the NMF scheme will test my modelling skills (Used for Illustration Purposes only) Finally - the third aircraft is an RNZAF Catalina based at Lauthala bay circa 1951 My discussion with the RNZAF Museum, give me three aircraft there at the time, being NZ4050, NZ4046, and NZ4055. I don't have a photo of NZ4050, but my Dad has photos of both NZ4046/4055 NZ4046 - on the hard at Hobsonville NZ4055 in the main hangar Lauthala Bay -Note twin guns in "Eye Ball" turret OK, lastly the box art and I'll leave it there for tonight Avenger - yes that's a Queen Mary with it (see Original Photo of NZ2504 above) Mustang Last but not least the Catalina - Yes it's a PBY5A - The RNZAF flew PBY5/PB2B-1's, so major surgery there Well I'll leave it there tonight, I have more history/photos to share, so more soon. Thanks for looking in Regards Alan

I am belatedly joining the party with a 1/72 Airfix BAE Hawk in Midnight Hawks markings. The kit is a re-boxed Red Arrows kit with Airfix club decals (which I am not using) so it is missing the weapons pylons usually seen on these Finnish Airforce Hawks. I will build it OOB and might dig into the spares to see if I can find some pylons. I started by painting the internal greys on the parts while on the sprues Because the kit had an 'aftermarket' decal sheet included the decals for the instrument panels were not included, so I had to dig into the spares to find a Red Arrows kit sheet where I was able to rob those decals for this build. The cockpit parts were assembled and decals added, I will trim the excess decal film when the decals have set. (sorry for the blurry picture!)

Werk Nr.1304 ‘White 1’ (AE479), formerly flown by Feldwebel Karl Hier of I/JG76. He accidentally landed at Woerth near Bas-Rhin on the French border on 22 November 1939. The French evaluated it at Bricy before it was passed over to the R.A.F. on 2 May 1940 and flown to Boscombe Down under fighter escort. The aircraft then went to Farnborough for more evaluation by the Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment. It was in Farnborough that White 1 was re-painted into R.A.F. colours and given the serial number AE479. On 13 June 1940, 'Sailor' Malan (No.74 Sqn) flew this 109 over Farnborough to test its performance. Bob Stanford Tuck (No.92 Sqn) may also have flown AE479 over the RAE to compare it to the RAF's own fighters. It was then passed on to No. 1426 Enemy Aircraft Flight at Duxford. This aircraft was eventually shipped to the USA on 7 April 1942, but it crashed during a test flight in November that same year and was finally scrapped at Chanute Field on 26 November 1942.

The Airfix 1/48 Meteor 8 is the first 1/48 model I have completed in over 40 years! The build was a kind of commission for a friend, Bob. The model was bought for him as he had an uncle who served in 85 squadron on Meteors back in the day. Although Bob likes to build the occasional model, he is not by his own admission an experienced modeller and he found the contents of the box and the instructions quite daunting. He wanted it to be built by an experienced modeller, and he couldn’t find one of those so he chose me! The brief was simple, straight out of the box, no additions, no super detailing, just the kit as is. Since returning to the hobby around 7 years ago, an OOB build would be a pleasure, as I just can’t stop myself from deviating and adding detail. My first reaction having built almost entirely 1/72 and 1/144 aircraft, was that this was big! I’d like to say construction was straight forward, but it was not. It’s a nice kit, with excellent detail, but this one had some serious warping on the rear fuselage, which took some heavy clamping and superglue to fix. I also found some of the fit of parts not the best, but at least it comes out looking like a Meteor, and I’m certainly intending to build more 1/48 aircraft now, and probably more Meteors, having a Sword NF14 and a Classic Airframes FR9 in the stash, both 1/48. Those will not be OOB..... Although I did not do a WIP for this build, I did keep a reasonable photographic record on the way, so some of that is shown here. I used Vallejo metallic for the first time ever, probably a risky gamble on someone else’s model. They were ok(ish) but needed sealing as soon as possible for handling. They tended to rub off quite easily Dull Aluminium was used for the whole airframe and Dark Aluminium for the U/C internals. Initially the whole airframe was given several light dustings of Ammo Satin Acrylic. This was not a good result for me, remaining sticky and weirdly white slightly white in appearance. I left the model for some weeks deciding what to do, then on some recommendations gave the model a coat of Mr Hobby GX gloss, which hardened the finish and seemed to resolve the white issue. Phew! The Airfix decals are simply superb, if just a tad (hugely) numerous in the stencil area. This process took over a week, doing areas step by step, using the proven Micro set and Micro sol processes. The one area where I did not use the decals was for the yellow rectangles along the cockpit canopy bottom edges. Too many very small shapes to line up, so I masked them off and sprayed them yellow! A final sealing coat of Humbrol Acrylic gloss, followed a few days later by Humbrol Acrylic Satin. So here are some of the build pics, followed by a good few completion shots. And @Fritag @bigbadbadge @keefr22 and @RidgeRunner and any others who made such gracious comments in my glider build, the wait is over, hope you enjoy! So this is the box of parts that Bob gave me to work with: First up, the dreaded warping, easily discovered during test fits. This part looks ok....... But look at the rear! An out of focus shot, but you get the idea... Lots of other clamping needed: Fuselage fixed and wing to fuselage gaps filled with slaters finest: Some primer in the engine bays: Cockpit and seat painted with instrument detail picked out with paint. The internal detail on this is pretty good as it comes, although I would love to have used an aftermarket seat! Bob wanted the Derwents in, to be displayed. I used the basic kit parts, with paint to bring out details. These would be crying out for superdetailing! Primer coat used was Mig Ammo one shot grey. First coat of Dull Aluminum: And finally, much decalling and sealing later, we have a Meteor F8, OOB! Just noticed I need some black pin wash in those gun ejector chuts! And now with engines exposed Thanks for looking. Terry

Hi all, great to be part of a BM groupbuild again after almost a year. This time it's an ambitious punt - going to bring the Airfix 1/24 behemoth with an Aerocraft conversion set for an NF II based at Drem in 1945. It's KD127 which is quite well documented and beautifully built in smaller scale by @tonyot here: Luckily the aircraft was a brand new example and so my weathering skills (or lack thereof) will not be challenged! This will be an OOB build apart from the ignition cables and HF radio wire (there, I've said it now, so inevitably it'll end up with tons of added detail ) Will be starting this on Monday, hope everyone enjoys their Hellcat building Alan

This year is in dire need of ending as far as modeling goes. Seeing as my Vindicator hit a massive snag and killed my rather limited patience, need to get something done to boost my mojo and take with to the show end November. Anyway, this kit needs no introduction. Won't bother with a contents picture, by now it's a well known kit around these parts. Aftermarket consists of some True Details seats, brass pitot tubes and by end next month, a set of Reskit wheels. For scheme, I'm probably going with the box art shark mouth Vixen flying off HMS Eagle, but I could decide on the HMS Victorious bird simply because it's not well represented compared to the above. Will decide at decal time. Going for wings folded, saves space and my personal rule of thumb is to build things with wings folded when the opportunity presents itself. But again, that could change. Anyway, wish me luck....

I haven’t made an aircraft kit since last Christmas and my local hobby shop has a pile of these in stock, so thought I would have a go. Sprue shots: Looks like just the right amount of complexity that I can handle at the moment - reasonably detailed but not too complicated. Transparencies still all wrapped up. A rather busy decal sheet - although I’m going to do the Army one, so not so many of the little stencils to be done for that one. Here is the one I am going to do - Middle Wallop was just a short distance from where we lived (for multiple postings) when Dad was in the Army. Started work on the cockpit straight away. This is going to be a straight out of the box job. All went together very nicely. Then paint, a couple of coats of Tamiya XF69 NATO Black were brushed on, followed by some dry brushing with a light grey acrylic. A wash with Army Painter Dark Tone wash, and the finished with a coat of Italeri clear flat. I used a few dots of Tamiya X22 gloss clear for the instrument dials. While the paint was drying I had a go at the canopy - which has me a little anxious. Airfix provide a little jig to align everything. It’s a bit fiddly, but I took it slowly, using very careful application of Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, and it looks like it’s worked ok. Couple of tiny gaps that some PVA will fix. That’s it for today, so far it’s a good start.

Hi everyone, the A-4 Skyhawk GB is looming ever so close, and I have stupidly decided to finish this A-4B started eons ago. That is the plan no matter how silly it sounds. Silly because I am trying to finish my Etendard IV M from the Heller GB, and because I am entering another A-4B from Airfix in the A-4 GB... This one is being built almost OOB. I am using a Pavla Escapac seat. As the airframe I am modelling has the new type of rims, I have stolen the wheels from an Esci A-4E. And the underwing tanks a well, as they are better than the Airfix items. I jazzed up the cockpit slightly by representing the padding with adhesive aluminium foil marked with the back of a scalpel blade. Nobody will ever see it once the canopy has been glued shut! Here is a photo of the progress to date: Xtradecal will supply the markings. Thanks for watching. JR

This is the old tool Airfix Vulcan. Glad they put it out to pass as the moulds were getting really bad. Thanks to @bentwaters81tfw for a set of intakes from an original tooling, the ones in this were really bad. Decals from before Airfix started using Cartograf and were not great. Still its finished and of the Shelf O' Doom. Even in 1/72 it fills my large photo tent!

This model was a summer love. In July I've bought it to an old guy for just 10€. It was my perfect shot to build a 737 for my collection with the colors of my beloved TAP Air Portugal. In mind that I didn't finished my VARIG yet (and also my DC-10 from Lufthansa), I decided not to loose this opportunity and since it was an easy one to do I've started to do it, since I was alone in town because of the summer holidays. Knowing by hand decals for this plane existed, I've also order them from V1 Decals from Canada. Ben was really helpful and they arrived in one week! As you can see the picture from above, TAP's painting from the 80's/90's is very simple: White with a silver belly. And here is the guy! CE-TEO delivered brand new for TAP in July '83 and seen here in the beautiful Zürich Airport in May '95. This will be the exact plane I will do because it was the only registration available. So hands on work! In a first glimpse, the model looked very easy to do, without much detail. The two parts of the wings were very easy to attach to each other, among cabin and cargo doors. As usual, I've also puttied the windows in order to have that smooth surface to decals sit later on. I first sanded it and later on putty and after it got dried time to sand again. At the first look on this picture after the first sanding part there weren't much gaps on it. After applying the putty in the fuselage and sand it, I've attached the wings and the cockpit windows. Funny fact they broke in two pieces in my hand with the glue on the kit already. So I needed to do it in parts and in the end everything worked out very well. Due to this I needed to also put a bit of plastic putty on the cockpit gap and once again sand. And sand again. The airplane looked way more robust by now and the independent wing parts that alone looked very basic and out of shape started to gain some nice look as a whole now. I put the fuselage a bit aside and I've went to the elevators. Since they had a little gap between them and the fuselage, I've sanded a bit the part that attach them onto the fuselage and after that voila. No more gaps. I've painted them with a light grey (Vallejo 71 046). By the pictures this one was the most similar to the original color. After the grey got dried, I've masked them and I've painted the leading edges with a chromatic color just like I've saw on the pictures! I will repeat the process on the center belly as well in the wings. But first, I will apply the first layer of primary and then moving to the final paintings!

I'm working on a triple Spitfire build in 1/48, using a new issue Airfix Vb, a Special Hobby Vc, a Classic Airframes Vc (same as the Spec. Hobby) and they will all be Malta birds. The Spec. Hobby fuselages need to be stretched, tail canted down, and the wings moved forward using info and suggestions kindly provided by Troy Smith (thanks again). I'm using the Airfix Fuselage as a guide, as it matches the drawings I have nicely ... it's interesting how many of the available Spit's come up with a different length! With the stretch done, my attention turns to the cockpit. The Spec. Hobby kit has a nice cockpit with a few updates needed, The seats are accurate, but the cushion is to long, and needs to be shortened in order to use the nice photo etch Sutton harness provided. The Airfix seat in indistinct and too narrow, so I'll be using an Ultracast seat there. (Dark grey is Spec. Hobby, seat on left not modified yet, also frames drilled out on all) The Airfix panel has a compass, which the Spec. Hobby missed, so I had to make my own. I'll replace the Airfix one also as mine will be easier to paint and decal, compass being separate. The other thing I looked at right away was the weird (IMHO) way Airfix attached the landing gear. I cemented the legs together, then drilled a .020" hole down the center, about half way. I cut the leg back apart just above the upper flange and cemented in a .020" brass pin into the lower section. Fit the leg back together, and solidly cemented the trunion into position. Now the gear can be attached solidly later and fine adjustments made if required bending the pin. It's the first time I've tried a triple build, hopefully it won't take 3 times as long!

I have the Dmold corrected item, had a look at it and thought: "so nearly round" I want to try my hand at turning one in alu and 'deforming' it to the right shape (will be hard, as it Is and elusive non circle) does anybody have four view drawings of the ring (front, back, side, top)? it would help in determining if it would be worthwhile.

Bugatti Chiron QuickBuild (J6044) Airfix Bugatti, now part of the Volkswagen Audi Group (VAG) empire stunned the world when they released the Veyron, a 200+ mph hypercar that could chew through tyres in a few miles at top speed, and had some pretty radical, polarising looks. Car designs are in constant development, barely standing still from year to year in order to separate us from our cash and convince us that our current car just doesn’t cut it anymore. Named after famous driver Louis Chiron, the new design debuted in 2016, with a complete re-design that carries over the W-12 engine, although in a very different form than its predecessor, which makes it capable of reaching an electronically limited 236mph. Why is it limited? Because the tyres capable of withstanding the rubber-shredding energies above that speed just haven’t been invented yet. Let that sink in for a second. The Kit This is a new Quickbuild kit from Airfix’s fun range that provides access to realistic-looking models without the need for tools other than perhaps a pair of tweezers to accurately place the stickers. This is a new tooling with 45 parts, and arrives in one of their orange boxes with a hanging-loop included in the top should the retailer wish to display them on a carousel. Inside are two bags of parts in tough ABS plastic with the clear parts in the smaller second bag, a sheet of stickers and an A3 fold-out instruction sheet printed in colour on both sides. The parts are in three colours with dark blue for the underbody, rear body and black for the tyres, dash & wheel wells, white for parts of the interior and the front of the bodyshell and silver for the rims, front grille and exhaust. The sprue-bound wheels have flexible rubber tyres that are also on their own floppy sprue, and another pair of short sprues holds the two small wing mirrors and the intakes behind the side windows. Construction begins with the floor pan and axles, moving on to the wheel wells, the interior door cards and dash with stickers, plus the seat. The clear windscreen and side windows are moulded as one, and fit over the interior with a scuttle at the front and the visible part of the engine bay with engine insert at the rear. Two black stickers give the impression of the limited rear-view windows here. The rear valance with moulded-in light clusters are stickered with some poorly fitting lights that wrap around top and bottom of their location, plus a full-width brake light that fits just fine. The side panels are each given carbon fibre stickers that wrap around the scalloped cut-out, and are an utter swine to fit. I ended up cutting mine in two and fitting them separately, being very careful that the sticker didn’t protrude past the edge of the panel. The wedge-shaped intakes go in next, then the white inserts with the wing mirrors finish off that area. The splitter at the rear has a twin exhaust stub and blue detail panel slotted into it before it is located under the rear, then another pair of awkward mesh stickers are applied to the front valance, with another aerodynamic panel under the chin. The front wings and central badge are next, and the multi-segment headlights are formed by stickers that fit well. The grille and emblem are another matter, as the sticker is oversized and the slightest pressure to make it fit better brings off the printing. If you look carefully you can see the end result of this in the accompanying photos. The bonnet panel is last to be installed, then it’s a case of neatly nipping off the rims, slicing the tyres from their sprue and bringing them together, remembering that the slightly larger tyres are at the rear. They clip in with quite a bit of force required in their form fitting wells. Conclusion This is the first of the Quickbuild range that has caused me some trouble, and a child would struggle immensely with the stickers, especially the carbon fibre ones around the doorframe, which must adhere to a concave curve whilst avoiding studs and sticking close to the edge of the panel. The front grille stickers were also intransigent, and one ripped while being removed from the backing, while the rear light clusters were a nightmare. Finally, I think a different colour scheme would have given the kit a much more upmarket look. Plain blue and white is rather basic. Recommended, but with caveats about the stickers. Review sample courtesy of

PZL LIM-5 A03092 1:72 Airfix Although outwardly similar to the MiG-15, the MiG-17 was in fact a heavily revised design that drew upon the lessons learned in the development of the USSR's first swept-wing fighter. While the forward fuselage, landing gear and engine were carried across from the MiG-15, the rear fuselage was longer and more tapered. The wing was entirely new as well, being both thinner and more sharply swept. This both raised the maximum speed of the aircraft and aided controllability at transonic speeds. Although it shared its armament with its predecessor, it also gained a radar gun sight, cribbed from a captured F-86. The MiG-17F was fitted with an afterburner, which significantly boosted the rate of climb and meant supersonic speed was just about possible in a shallow dive. The MiG-17 was built in huge numbers, with over 10,000 rolling off Soviet, Chinese and Polish production lines. It was used in combat by several nations, most notably in the Vietnam War where it was credited with 28 aerial victories. The LIM-5 was licence built by the WSK-Mielec factory with 477 being built. These were supplied to Bulgaria, and East Germany, as well as Poland. The Kit This is re-boxing of the MiG-17 from Airfix in 2020. The parts are nicely moulded but the panel lines are on the heavy side, which is always more noticeable on a small kit like this. From reading Airfix's workbench blog it's clear that this is a Lidar-scanned model, so the dimensions and general arrangement of shapes should be spot on. There are three sprues plus a clear sprue in the box. Construction starts with the cockpit, and like most kits of the MiG-15 or -17, the cockpit tub is made up of parts that also form the inner part of the intake fairing. Moulded detail is actually very nice. Not on a part with Eduard's MiG-15, but then the two models are not really comparable in terms of engineering and philosophy. Decals are provided to add extra detail to the instrument panel and sidewalls. I'm not sure what happened to the ejection seat, but Airfix appear to have carried this across from the MiG-15 rather than replicating the seat commonly fitted to the MiG-17. Should this trouble you greatly, aftermarket alternatives are available. Once the cockpit sub-assembly is complete, the engine exhaust and afterburner can be assembled. Because the external faces of the jet exhaust also double up as the insides of the air brake assembly, there are alternative parts with and without moulded detail for this area - a really nice touch from Airfix. Once both of these parts are assembled, the fuselage can be joined. A clear part which represents the radio compass cover must also be fitted at this stage. Once the fuselage halves have been joined, the front-lower part of the fuselage, which includes the muzzle detail for the cannons, can be fitted, along with the engine air intake fairing. The wings are next. If you wish to fit the optional drop tanks, you will need to drill the pre-marked holes in the lower wing surface at this stage. The wings are pretty simple to build, with the wing fences moulded in place. The kink in the wing leading edge is present and correct, but you may wish to re-profile the leading edge if the apparent lack of sharpness troubles you. With the wings in place, the tail planes can be assembled. The landing gear is nicely detailed and there are some nice touches such as detail moulded on the inside of the gear doors. As mentioned above, the air brakes can be fitted in open or closed positions, although you'll need to have committed to one option or the other earlier in the build process. The canopy is nicely made and has the periscope moulded in place. There is even an oil drum included to prevent the model from sitting on its tail if you didn't manage to cram in the necessary 20 grams of weight. Decals Two options are provided on the decal sheet: ⦁ Red 905, Jagdbombenfliegergeschwader 37m East German Air Force, Drewitz Air Base 1986 ⦁ Red 1717, 45th Experimental Air Sqn, Polish Air Force, Modlin 1993 The decals themselves look thin and glossy and a full set of stencils are included. They are produced by Cartograf so you know there will not be any issues. Conclusion This is a nice release of the Original Kit with different decals for the Lim-5. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I really enjoyed the Nordic GB last year - so much so that I built all the Swedish planes in my stash - Tunnan, Lansen,Draken,Viggen and Gripen. I thought I had nothing left for this GB but then I remembered this. I had two of these kits and was intending to build both of them in the 109 GB but this never got started, and as it has post war Finnish markings as an option I though I might enter it. It is not a bad kit externally but for some reason Airfix never quite got round to providing a proper cockpit, but that is easy enough to remedy, as I did in the other one earlier this year. It is a basic and rather simple kit but I should be able to slip it in between several rather more complicated builds I am thinking of doing in other GB. Pete