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I was going to go for A06019, but that was in the garage and my A06019A boxing was on the shelf An insane amount of decals quite a lot of sprues too:

Joining with this kit, I'm sure you're all familiar with. Costing me £17.99 on 27 July 2021. I remember being called by the model shop, and eagerly cycling in to collect it. Then getting absolutely soaked on my way home - in one of those brief summer storms. This one scored a direct hit! Parts. Slight deviation from this scheme, to this with red wingtips - as I remember from the 1970s, when I was a cadet in the ATC.

As a second entry I will building this old tool Hurricane alongside the Legato one: I found this in the stash, I’d forgotten I had it and it’s not listed in my stash on Scalemates. This is the perfect opportunity to build it. The plan is to build it as a 80 squadron plane flown in Greece by Bill Vale with the spaghetti camouflage on the nose and leading edges. I will be building this old kit OOB with the addition of a Vokes filter from the Legato MkIIc kit, and a Yahu IP. The rest of the sparse cockpit will be filled with the pilot figure. The only other improvement I plan on making is to cover the void in the gear bay with some plastic card. Sprues: I’ve made a start by cleaning up and priming some of the parts. AW

Saturn V Gift Set (A50201) 1:144 Airfix It’s over 50 years since Man went for a walk on the moon, which was instigated by JFK's rousing speech and their collection of German rocket scientists that were brought back to America under Operation Paperclip at the end of WWII. Most notable of the relocated scientists was Werner Von Braun, who had dreamt of going to the moon since his childhood, and would work for anyone to accomplish that dream, even the Nazis. The monstrous Saturn V rocket was the result, and at the very tip of that gigantic stack of fuel tanks was the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) under a protective cowl, and the Service Module (SM) with the Command Module (CM) at the very top under the Launch Escape System (LES) rocket pack that was destined never to be used (thankfully) in the event that the launch process went awry during its early atmospheric stages. There were earlier manned launches of the smaller Saturn 1 and 1B rockets, after which the Saturn V became the sole launch platform for the Apollo missions, totalling 13 successful launches by the end of Apollo 17's trip there and back again. An adapted and newly redundant Saturn V was also used to launch the Skylab space station into orbit, playing host to three successive three-man crews over its service life, eventually making a controlled re-entry once the station-keeping thrusters had exhausted their fuel, burning up on re-entry. The Kit The tooling for this kit originates from the 1970s, when Saturn rockets were still going back and forth to the Moon, and the American space programme was vital and hopeful for a better tomorrow. It proved just how fickle the public were however, and once the viewer figures dropped for subsequent missions, politics came into play and the remaining flights were cancelled. The kit arrives in a large end-opening box with a painting of a Saturn V launch vehicle blasting through the upper atmosphere after leaving its launch pad, a trail of condensation that is lit from within by the rocket motors, and another view on the reverse. Inside the box are five sprues of white styrene, and there are a lot of tubular shapes there, as you can probably imagine, a rectangular white base, plus a small decal sheet, an instruction booklet that is printed in spot colour on matt paper, with painting and decaling guide on the rear pages. As this is a gift set, there is another bag that contains seven thumb-pots of acrylic paint, two tubes of traditional plastic cement, and two paint brushes sized 4 and 0, both tips protected by a clear plastic tube that keeps the bristles from being ruined during shipping. Detail is good for the era, and the sprues don’t look any worse for wear than they were when I was a child building the kit that my parents had bought for me to butcher. Construction begins the noisy end of the rocket, where the powerful F-1 rocket engines of the first stage were sited. The four strakes are applied to slots in the rocket fairing bulges, adding a pair of short trunking inserts in opposite recesses down two opposing sides, then inserting the floor of this portion that holds all five engine bells, which are all two parts each, held in place by a pair of large pins. The rest of the first stage is assembled above this section, comprising two tubular halves with ridged areas around the mid and upper sections, topping the stage off with a domed fuel tank top. In accordance with the general “model = toy” vibe of the day, the various stages are interlinked by bayonet connectors, which would need work if you were planning to pose the stages separated. An interstage tube with ridged outer surface is assembled from two parts, with additional bayonet ring at the top to link it to the second stage, which is next on the agenda. Stage 2 consists of two halves with a tapered upper section, capped at the top with another fuel tank dome, and at the bottom with a tapered fairing that has five two-part J-2 engine bells inserted via a simplified stabilising structure that also represents a fibreglass honeycomb heat shield on the real rocket. A streamlined fairing is fixed to one side of the lower portion of the stage, adding a corresponding short section to the interstage ring. Stage 3 is of smaller diameter, but of essentially the same construction, made from a cylinder in two halves that has a fuel tank dome at the top, and another tapered cone to the lower end, with just one two-part J-2 engine required to propel it out of the thinning upper atmosphere. More fairings are added around the lower end in the ribbed portion, and this stage links to the tapered Stage 2 via another set of lugs without glue. As a youth I never quite understood how the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) ended up roof-to-nose with the Service Module (SM), despite being below it in the stack at launch. The LEM is first to be built from a pair of halves, plus four folded legs, and four separate manoeuvring thruster assemblies in each corner of the uppermost Ascent Module structure. It is painted up and decaled to be ensconced inside a tapering ring at the top of Stage 3, and a two-part cowling that opened like petals of a flower on the real ship to allow the LEM to escape, manoeuvre and link up with the SM. The SM is a two-part cylinder with separate thrusters on each of the four compass points, a lower bulkhead with engine bell, and a bulkhead closing the top, which then receives the Command Module (CM) which is a two-part cone that has three astronaut figures installed within, despite there being no actual windows, unless you decide to open them up. The CM fits on top of the CM via friction, and is covered by a conical fairing that has a two-part Launch Escape System (LES) rocket on a lattice structure in the top-centre, fitting the fairing over the CM without using glue. A two-part base is included in the box, consisting of a rectangular stand that has a placard moulded into it for the name decal, plus a tapered cup that is glued in a central hole, allowing the model to be located accurately on the central engine bell. It would be good to add vertical ribbing around the base’s edges to make it look similar to a launch platform, and match the SLS Artemis kit we reviewed recently, as you’d really want to display them both together, wouldn’t you? Markings This boxing depicts the configuration for Apollo 11’s flight to the Moon and first human landing, their mission beginning 16th July, and ending on with a triumphant splash-down in the ocean on the 24th July 1969. From the box you can build the following: Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. You will be responsible for masking and painting the black registration marks around the various stages, so to avoid the mistake I made, make sure you burnish the tape down firmly over the ridges to ensure the paint doesn’t creep under and make a lot of work for you. Conclusion The Saturn V is an impressive model in any scale, while 1:144 makes it more manageable for the modeller with a realistically-sized house. There isn’t a single kit of the rocket that’s flawless, and those are well-documented on the internet with fixes available for those that feel the need to correct and detail their model. The consensus still seems to be that this is a great start to a well-detailed representation of the Saturn V, as many issues were corrected in a mid-life retool, and the new decal sheet has taken advantage of careful research, as evidenced by the acknowledgements on the profiles. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi All, My latest completion is Airfix' recent tool B17G, completed as KH999 of 214 (Federated Malay) Sqn, based at RAF Oulton in 1945. The squadron formed part of 100 Group, which was tasked with electronic countermeasures and flew as part of the bomber stream. The aircraft were fitted with various countermeasures, and flew with a second navigator and a 'special operator', a German-speaking radio operator who acted as a fake 'ground control' voice to confuse enemy night fighters. Here's a photo of KH999: Although this boxing offers some parts (and decals) for a Fortress III, the story is not complete. A number of 'improvements' were therefore added (all designed an 3D printed): - Replacement of the presented tail turret with an earlier 'Stinger' type - Addition of a drift sight in the nose - Addition of the Type 'Z' IR installation in the nose, along with blackout curtains - Addition of a 'special operator' position in the radio room - Addition of oxygen bottles and other bits & pieces in the interior. Here's the WIP if anyone is interested: Here's a shot of the interior during the build ( for the sharp-eyed amongst you the nose section was yet to be added): Anyway, on with the photos: Here's a final couple of shots - one with another 100 Group aircraft: And another with an earlier iteration of the Fortress in RAF hands: I have thoroughly enjoyed this build, and it's nice to get another unusual Fortress in the collection. Thanks to those who have added their support and kind words along the way - it has been much appreciated! Thanks for looking, Roger

Heinkel He.111H-6 (A07007C) 1:72 Airfix The He.111 was a pre-war development by German aviation manufacturer Heinkel that masqueraded as a civilian transport for a while until it was unveiled as a fast medium bomber, once Hitler no longer cared what the Allies thought of Germany’s adherence to the Versailles Treaty. It served in an earlier incarnation in the Spanish Civil war with the Condor Legion, in the form of the more traditional D and E models that had a stepped cockpit and a separately glazed nose. This was later replaced with a streamlined all glazed nose for the P variant and later. It is in this guise that it is probably the most recognised German bomber of WWII due to its service over the cities of Great Britain and Europe, most famously the Battle of Britain, where it suffered extensive losses due to the RLM's complacency regarding its defensive armament as well as the exploits of the brave RAF pilots in Spitfires and Hurricanes. Over 700 airframes were lost during that short period, due in no small part to that lack of foresight, but predominantly thanks to the .303 bullets of the RAF pilots of many nations. Although production of new He.111s was halted in 1944 when Germany went on the defensive for the last time, it continued to serve until the end of WWII, with the Zwilling (twin) being the most unusual - simply two He.111s joined by a custom central wing that held 3 engines, totalling five. The outer wing stayed the same for ease of design, and it was initially developed to tow the Messerschmitt Gigant glider without incurring significant development delays and costs associated with a totally new airframe. After WWII the original design was continued in production in Spain as the CASA 2.111, but the Junkers engines originally used were replaced ironically with British Rolls Royce Merlins, and it is these post-war aircraft that served as He.111s along with Buchons playing Bf.109s for the film Battle of Britain in the 1960s and other later movies. The Kit This is a reboxing of the 2015 release that was a brand-new tooling, updated with new parts the following year to depict this variant, retiring the ancient kit to the archives of modelling history, and leaving it in the dirt in terms of detail. It arrives in a long top-opening box in the Airfix red scheme, and inside are five sprues in dark grey styrene, a sprue of clear parts, a decal sheet and the instruction booklet that is folded vertically in half to fit within the box. Detail is excellent and extends to the bomb bay, cockpit and landing gear bays, as you’d expect from a modern kit. # Construction begins unusually with the fuselage halves, which have detail inserts applied over the indented wing-root fairings, and have further details added to the sides of the cockpit walls before two bulkheads are placed behind the cockpit with short spars moulded-in, as well as bulkhead details and crew access-ways. Another bulkhead with sloped floor section is fitted behind the bomb bay area that is a C-shaped floor section with ribbing moulded into the underside, fixing a two-part seat into the cockpit area of the starboard fuselage half along with a decal. As the fuselage is closed, One of the two moulded-in remote MG17 barrels are removed from under the tail “stinger” as this variant didn’t carry both. The underside of the wing is moulded as a fuselage insert, and omits the two-part representation of the bomb cages from the bay openings, gluing it under the fuselage, and attention turns to the cockpit, which has no floor at this stage. The floor is full-width for part of the way, and has a bomb-aimer’s “bed” hanging over the edge, with the pilot also perched on the edge with only the rudder pedals and control column between him and the glazing. There are three hands-on-laps pilot figures included in the box, and two of them can be used in the seats within the cockpit after painting. The main gear bays are large rectangular boxes that are made up from individual faces, with ribbing and other details moulded-in, which are mounted in the centre wing section, to then be covered over by the upper wing halves, then joined by the shorter lower halves to create a strong offset join once the glue has set. The flaps and ailerons are all separate, giving the modeller the opportunity to pose them deflected if they wish. The same is true of the elevator panels and their flying surfaces, which use an asymmetrical slot-and-tab method to ensure a strong joint and correct orientation. The rudder is also a separate part, and has a large two-part actuator mechanism that is threaded through the fin. The cowlings for the twin Junkers engines are next, formed from two halves plus a top insert with additional intake, then another radiator insert underneath with its own fairing around it. The twin rows of exhausts are each moulded as a single row, and a narrow intake is fixed to the port side top cowling on each motor, settling into a shallow depression for accurate positioning. The two cowlings are then mated to the cut-out in the leading edge of each wing, and building up the landing gear can be started. Or not. If you want to go wheels-up, the retracted tail-wheel fits into its bay, and the two bay doors are supplied moulded as one to close over the main bays. If you are putting down the wheels, a deployed tail wheel and separate door are installed in the rear, then the H-frame main legs are inserted into the bays along with their twin supports and retraction jacks, removing the disposable braces from between the diagonal struts once they are in situ. The two bay doors are then glued to the sides on their two hinges while the two-part wheels with radial tread are flex-fitted into position once all the glue has set. While the model is inverted, the clear lower gondola is inserted into the gap under the belly, and has the gun installations pushed through the separate end-glazing before they are glued into position along with an aerial and a double towel-rail antenna just behind it. The main canopy has its top section prepared with two instrument panels that have decals to depict the dials before it is glued over the cockpit, adding a side panel on the pilot’s side, and the final curved section underneath that has a styrene bomb-aimer’s fairing fixed in place on its outline. The mid-upper gunner’s ring has a seat moulded-in, and has the MG and mount ring installed in the top, plus the optional third crew figure, and two sections of glazing that can be posed closed or open to the rear. The side windows are also installed from the outside, and you can also pose the top hatch on the canopy open or closed if you wish. Two torpedo mounting fairings are applied over the bomb bay openings, fitting four windows down each side of the fuselage, the rearmost on each side having an MG slipped through a hole before fitting. The engine fronts have a spinner disc inserted into the front that is secured by a pin before it is glued to the front of the engine cowlings, with the three-bladed prop fixed to the spinner plate, and the cap placed over it. As well as the gunner’s canopy, the final part of the cockpit glazing is fixed at the last gasp in the open or closed position over the emergency exit hatch in the roof, inserting the rotating front gun dome with the MG part to the open hole in the nose. The port wing has a pitot probe and landing light fixed to complete the build of the airframe. This edition has a choice of either a pair of torpedoes that are built from two halves each, plus a pair of extra fins and a four-part box tail to slow it down on entry into the water, or a large two-part bomb with annular tail. Both installations require a pair of sway-braces each, using four for the two torpedoes, or one for the bomb, which is carried under the port attachment point. Markings There are the usual two decal options included on the sheet, and they’re both wearing very different schemes, partly due to their location. From the box you can build one of the following: Kampfgeschwader 26, Bardufoss, Norway, July 1942 Kampfgeschwader 100, Kalamaki, Greece, April 1942 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The stencils included on the sheet are shown on the back page of the instruction booklet separately from the main decal placement guides, to allow for uncluttered placement of these small markings. Conclusion Airfix have come on leaps and bounds this millennium, and this He.111 is a good example of just how far 1:72 modelling has come with Airfix. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I've been doing a lot of traveling with work this year, seriously curtailing my already slow building pace. A perfect storm is upon me this September, with back to back trips to the US followed by China. The day before I left I had the bright idea of grabbing a starter set and seeing if I could squeeze enough tools into the suitcase to do some modelling while I'm away. I've now been in Louisiana for a week, mostly over the jet lag. It's the weekend, so I'm anticipating some free time. Took the opportunity of an hour or so before dinner to get started. This build won't win any prizes, I haven't packed any filler ( might regret that!) and I've only got the paints in the box. But it's going to help kill some time and means I don't have to spend all my time just reading about modelling 😁 Here we are after an hour or so. There's no cockpit detail in the starter set, so it's straight into major assembly, which is a nice change. Gone together nicely, ideally I'd fill a couple of bits but hey ho, we'll just go with it 🤷‍♂️ That's it for now, stay tuned! Al

Hi All, It's time to get heavy! I haven't yet completed a heavy this year (I don't think the Manchester qualifies), so it's high time there was some 4 engine action. At the start of last year I completed an Aussie Halifax of 100 Group, so I thought I'd continue the theme with this build. You can see the Halibag here: A couple of years ago I also built an RAF Fortress Mk.I, so there is a theme here: Anyway, back on topic! I'm going to be building this boxing of Airfix' latest B17G: Here's the sprue shots (of which there are many): The transparencies: The decals: I'll be needing one of these: The build will otherwise be OOB, although possibly with stencil-cut markings depending on the scheme I choose. The boxing allows for this scheme: There are a couple of examples with noseart, so I may choose one of those instead (any photos or information appreciated as ever). Anyway, this should be a decent sized project, so I'm looking forward to getting going! Thanks for looking, Roger

To complete my WWI tank builds I thought I would do this. Airfix brought out their Mk I tank in 1967, initially as a male. I built one as soon as it was released but I suspect my current one is a later offering. As you can see the sponson mounted machine guns that I added as Airfix did not provide them have been lost as have the rear wheels, though I suspect I took them off to make it look like the real tanks later in their life, after it was decided that not only did the wheels not really help in steering the tank as intended, but that they also were too prone to damage. In 2009 Airfix added another sprue so that a Female version could be made and I bought one a few years back. Pete

Thought I’d share some pictures of one of my favourite builds, completed a couple of years ago. Airfix’s new-tooled 1/24 Spitfire was the subject, built mostly out of the box, with the exception of some HGW fabric seatbelts, Eduard 3D printed resin exhausts and a mask set from Montex. Painted with AK, MRP, SMS and Gunze paints and finished in a North Africa Scheme. This was actually built as a dual build of the same kit, over a period of about 6 months, a photo of its companion is at the bottom.

I had originally intended just to build the Airfix Female version of the old kit but as you will see in my build thread, it soon became apparent that the kit was based on incorrect information. I ended up building both a Male and a Female using the impressive correction sets from @TeeELL and a little DIY modification to produce rather more accurate versions, and whilst I was at it I rebuilt my old Male kit as a Mk.II which is what the kit was erroneously based on apparently. Here are all 3 having an outing on my old Airfix Waterloo Farm House base. They are still not entirely accurate but a lot better than they would have been OOB! It took a bit longer than I had anticipated but I think it was worth it. Pete

Hi all, Haven't done an RFI for a while, and this is a BIG one! This was built using the Airfix Mk IXc kit with the excellent Buchon models Mk XVIe low-back conversion. The pics look a bit HDR saturated, but the colours look better in real life! Bubble canopy especially for @Scooby Underside with a bit of oil staining, but this was a pretty new aircraft at the time of service. And that's a wrap! LOVED building this, it was a brilliant kit all round, including the conversion parts by Buchon Models. Short build thread is HERE. For just a smidge over £100, the base kit is absolutely amazing value and practically builds itself. Can't recommend enough. All the best and thanks for looking, Alan

Consolidated B-24D Liberator (A09011) 1:72 Airfix Consolidated's Liberator always seems to have flown in the shadow of the more popular B-17 Fortress in the media's eye even though they were more numerous, and in some aspects it was inferior, with poor low-speed handling and a lower ceiling, but it saw more than its fair share of action in almost every theatre of WWII, both in US use and in the hands of the RAF. It was a specification written around its main design traits, and had a long wingspan, twin bomb bays and four super-charged engines to provide motive power. It was unusual in having a high wing placement, tricycle undercarriage, and tamboured bomb-bay doors that retracted up the side of the fuselage, and was fitted with a fully glazed nose cone with .30cal machine guns for protection from head-on attacks. This was later updated to a front turret fitted with .50cal guns and a glazed lower for the bomb aimer's position, but many of the earlier D models were still in use concurrently. Taking a leaf from the B-17's defensive armament book it could be fitted with up to 10 .50cal M2 Browning machine guns, with the layout amended during production changes, when various options were found to be unsatisfactory, such as the poorly defended nose, and the underside guns, which were eventually replaced with a Sperry ball turret that could be retracted into the fuselage to reduce drag, and must have pleased the crew (especially the gunner) no-end if they had to make a belly landing. The name "Liberator" was coined by the British, and soon spread to other operators, as they were early adopters of the type after the fall of France, serving with Coastal Command, and later with the RAF after the fuselage had been lengthened. In US Service the Liberator flew with the B-17, and later superseded it when the shorter range of the B-17 began to be an issue, with the Ploiesti raid being one of the most notable operations that featured the B-24, suffering heavy losses due to the low-level nature of the attack. After the H introduced the nose turret and the J perpetuated the design despite shortages of the Emerson-made mechanism, the N was intended to be a major upgrade that incorporated a standard single tail fin to improve handling. Due to the end of the war this was cancelled, although the tail was still seen on the PB4Y-2 Privateer operated by the US Navy until long after WWII. After the huge success of the B-29 and the dawning of the jet age, the Liberator was drawn down at the end of the war, with only the Privateer carrying on, as mentioned. A civilian airliner derivative was prototyped as a potential offshoot, but that didn't proceed due to the same issues. The Kit This is the second boxing of a new tooling from Airfix, and will no doubt be welcome by many of our bomber fans that model in that scale, and any larger scale modellers that lack the space for anything bigger. The kit arrives in a large top-opening red-themed box, and inside are three bags containing six sprues of dark grey styrene, a bagged pair of clear sprues that were linked together by an additional runner to prevent chaffing, a large decal sheet that is slipped inside the instruction booklet, printed in spot colour on matt paper in A4 portrait format, plus an A3 painting and decaling guide printed in colour on both sides and folded in half so that it can fit between the pages of the instructions. Detail is good including crisp engraved panel lines, with many raised and recessed features that will give the model extra visual interest. Viewers of our review of the initial release will now know why the fuselage was moulded in two halves, to accommodate the significant differences between the initial fully glazed nose, and the better protected nose of the J onward. Construction begins with the instrument panel with centre console that is glued over the top, and has a pair of control yokes fitted over the dial decals that are provided, with another on the centre console. It is glued to the cockpit floor, which has rudder pedals moulded-in, and the two-part crew seats are installed behind their respective controls, adding the stepped bulkhead behind on a large tab. The new nose section of the fuselage is a separate assembly, made from two halves that have ribbing moulded-in, and extinguisher and sidewall details fitted to both sides, a section of floor, the Norden bomb sight at the front, and pair of inserts to the sides of the nose gear bay. It slots in under the cockpit in the starboard side, adding 25g of nose weight between the front bulkhead and the instrument panel before mating the two halves. The next compartment back begins by adding an instrument box to a stepped bulkhead, fitting a box under the floor that should contain another 30g of nose weight, closing the open end when it is mated to the bulkhead. A crew seat and radio gear are added to the interior, plus two oxygen bottles for the crewmen, fitting racks of two more bottles on each side of the main fuselage while drilling out two flashed-over holes in front of the waist gunner windows, preparing the fuselage interior with a mixture of zinc chromate and unpainted aluminium, following the notes printed at the top of the page. If the crew access door under the belly is to be fitted in the open position, two tabs around the perimeter should be filed away, then the bomb bay roof has a pair of spars glued to its top-side and threaded through the holes in the sides of the fuselage until the roof touches the fuselage side. A tapering centre support has a canister added before it is fixed in the centre of the bomb bay under the bay divider moulded into the belly. A rear bulkhead is assembled with another cylinder, fitting a tapering floor section with a hole for the belly turret covered over by section of ribbed floor, inserting the bulkhead, then the floor into the port side of the fuselage, installing a waist gunner hatch with a clear window if you are posing it opened inwards, but leaving it off if you are closing it. Another insert with another O2 bottle is fixed under the window and to the side of the gun mount, a simplified version of which is moulded into the bottom of the .50cal that is fed from an ammo box and feeder chute to the front. If the waist gun hatch is to be closed, the chute is left off, and the gun is positioned facing aft. A pair of crescent ribs with a strut between them are installed in the roof above where the lower turret would be in later models, and a small bulkhead is linked to a narrow walkway that has a toilet (Elsan or equivalent) attached to one side, terminating behind the rear turret and forming part of the ring. A quadrant is attached to the inner rear frame of the waist hatch, then the same process of creating the opposite waist position is carried out in mirror image, adding the rear belly hatch before joining the two fuselage halves together, omitting the gun if posing it open, fitting it later if closed, then sliding the port side over the other end of the spars. When the glue has cured and the seams have been dealt with, a keyhole-shaped fairing over the belly gun cut-out and the nose can be joined to the fuselage, taking care with alignment of both aspects, and fixing a tail-bumper behind the former. Outside the waist gunner hatches are wind deflectors, using different parts to depict them extended while the hatches are open, and flattened against the fuselage with the hatches closed to reduce drag. Eight bombs are included on the sprues, each one made from two halves plus a square fin that attaches to the rear, fitting two to each bomb ladder that install on two holes in the roof and on the centreline at the bottom, including a pair of supports near the centre divider in each bay compartment. If you went the trouble of installing all the bombs, you’ll want to display them, which will also show off the unusual tamboured bay doors that slide up the sides of the fuselage on tracks, reducing wind resistance of bay doors hanging open into the air stream. If you decided against opening the bays, there are four alternative bay doors that drop into position, flush with the rest of the skin. The H-tail is based upon the elevator panel, which is made from upper and lower surfaces, with a large lozenge-shaped fin and rudder panel made from two halves each and fitted perpendicular to the elevators at each end, then lowered into position over the rear fuselage, the fairing smoothing the airflow around the tail. The B-24 used the high-aspect Davis Wing, which was fuel efficient and low drag that gave it a good top speed, as well as giving it an individual look in the sky. Each wing is in upper and lower halves, with the top surface having part of the engine nacelles moulded-in. The lower wing has the gear bay cut-out, over which a framework of ribbing and a retraction jack are placed before the two wing halves are mated, taking care that the upper wing remains straight, as per the accompanying scrap diagram. The lower nacelles glue under the wings, adding the superchargers from two parts each into depressions in each one, and a small flat slab in the rear of each nacelle. You have a choice of posing the cooling gills open or closed on the nacelles, layering two cylinder banks and fitting your choice of gills to the rear, then slotting the cowling over the assembly, times four. Each engine has a pin inserted through the bell housing before it is glued in place at the front, fixing them in position, two per wing. Ailerons are separate two-part assemblies, and can be inserted deflected if you wish, and the long flap sections can be posed flush with the wing for normal flight, or deployed for landing/take-off by using different parts with the actuators moulded-in. This will expose the nicely moulded flap bays that are present under the upper wing, and add plenty of visual interest there. The wings plug into the fuselage on twin spars, at which point you realise what a large wingspan this aircraft has. For an in-flight model the wheels are made from three parts, and are placed in the wheel bays after installing the combined strut/door part, covering the nose gear bay with a single rectangular panel. To depict your model ground-side, the main gear legs are made from two parts plus a small angled door that is shown from the side in scrap diagrams, with more diagrams showing how they should appear once installed. The wheel hubs are each two parts, as are the tyres, sliding the hub inside the tyres evenly, as the scrap diagram shows, sliding them over the axles of the main gear legs. The nose gear leg is a complex shape made from two halves, installing it in the bay, and fitting the four-part wheel, plus two side-opening doors to the edges. The Liberator was well-defended, building up the various turret from bases, mechanism and glazing, not forgetting the guns with breeches, barrels and ammo boxes that are all depicted, without the belly turret for this edition, the upper and tail turrets are placed in their locations, adding small windows plus guns and the two ‘whisker’ pitot probes to the sides of the nose, plus the canopy and astrodome, not to forget the nose glazing, which has a surprising three guns inserted via three moulded-in holes. More rectangular windows are installed down the sides of the fuselage and under the tail, remembering to add the windows to the waist gunner hatches at this stage if you posed them closed. The four props are each moulded as single parts with their spinners integral, sliding over the shafts, followed by an aerial and faired-in D/F loop on the fuselage spine, the open waist gunner weapons in the deployed position, and a ladder into the rear hatch under the tail if you left it open, which can double as a prop to prevent a tail-sitter if you didn’t include enough nose weight. Markings There are two decal options in this boxing, which is pretty standard for Airfix, each one wearing a very different scheme, including a sand-coloured airframe as a change from the usual olive drab. From the box you can build one of the following: Consolidated B-25D-25-CO Liberator 41-24301 ‘Lady be Good’, 514th Bomb Sqn., 376th Bomb Group, Ninth Air Force, United States Army Air Force, Soluch, Libya, March 1943 Consolidated B-25D-25-CO Liberator 41-24290 ‘Hell’s Belle’, 400th Bomb Sqn., 90th Bomb Group, Fifth Air Force, United States Army Air Force, Iron Range Airfield, Queensland, Australia, mid-1943 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Another welcome release for fans of 1:72 Heavies and 1:72 modellers in general. An earlier B-24D with a glass nose, having the same level of detail and many of the same parts as the initial H release. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

SLS Artemis Gift Set (A50202) 1:144 Airfix Most people are fully aware of the legendary Saturn V rocket project, which finished in the early 70s after landing twelve humans on the moon during six missions. It was also used to launch Skylab, America’s first space station in Earth’s orbit, using one of the cancelled Apollo launch vehicles as the powerhouse that lofted a replacement third-stage that contained the station into orbit in 1973, a station that finally broke up in the atmosphere during its descent in 1979 after three successful occupations by crews of three. The Saturn V was replaced as NASA’s lift vehicle by the Space Shuttle, a fleet of which provided US access into space for the coming decades, despite some horrible accidents, although returning to the moon was precluded due to the Shuttle’s maximum orbital range only capable of reaching low-earth-orbit, a capability gap that still exists at time of writing, but is intended to be filled by the new Space Launch System (SLS) Artemis launch vehicle, with a crewless first mission taking to the sky in 2022, and a second mission scheduled for 2026 to take a crew of astronauts back around the moon after over 50 years away. Artemis is an expendable launch system, sharing that drawback with the Saturn V system, leaving reusable Space Planes to the US military for extended secret missions that use the comparatively small and crewless X-37B system, and SpaceX with their reusable rockets that occasionally explode unexpectedly. Artemis builds on Space Shuttle derived technologies despite eschewing the reusability aspect of its predecessor, utilising Solid Booster Rockets (SRBs) to massively increase launch thrust, falling away once spent in a similar manner to the SRBs that accompanied the Space Shuttle during the first portion of its launch journey. The main body of the rocket is constructed from two stages, although they use a different naming convention. The Core stage is a massive Liquid Oxygen and Hydrogen fuel tank with four RS-25 rocket engines in the base, most of its height insulated by the same orange-coloured foam as the Space Shuttle’s main tank. Above it sits the Upper stage, initially a cryogenic-powered propulsion stage that is developed from the cancelled Ares I programme that preceded Artemis until it was cancelled. Later, the new Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) is expected to replace the upper stage, expanding the rocket’s capabilities and matching the diameter of the Core stage, making room for a crew module that will eventually carry people back to the moon, with the intention of establishing a permanent base there at some point. Whether the current US government will cancel flights is currently unknown, as SpaceX seem to think they can do the job better and cheaper. If the Artemis project does survive the vagaries of politics and cronyism however, flight nine will see new SRBs utilised for additional thrust and carriage capacity, during this process, the vehicle’s height will increase from the initial 322ft to 365ft for some missions. The Kit This is a new tooling from Airfix, hopefully in time to precede a triumphant trip around the moon sometime next year as I write this. The kit arrives in a large end-opening box with a painting of an SLS about to leave its launch pad, a giant and expanding ball of condensation that is lit from within by the rocket motors and SRB boosters to either side. inside the box are four sprues of white styrene, and there are a lot of tubular shapes there, as you can probably imagine, a black base, plus a large decal sheet, an instruction booklet that is printed in spot colour on matt paper, a painting and decaling guide on a folded A3 sheet of glossy paper in full colour, giving a full 360° view of the stack, and the location of the decals. As this is a gift set, there is another bag that contains ten thumb-pots of acrylic paint, two tubes of traditional plastic cement, and two paint brushes sized 4 and 0, both protected by a clear plastic tube that keeps the bristles from being mangled during shipping. Detail is difficult to see easily due to the brightness of white styrene, and even more difficult to photograph, but it is present, and up to Airfix’s recent standard, making separate parts of aspects that would have been moulded-in during days of yore, which is a step in the right direction, and makes for a more representative build of this giant stack of aerodynamically efficient fuel tanks and computers. Construction begins with the Core stage, the instructions showing where the sprue gates should be removed from the mating surfaces for a good weld without damaging any of the detail on the exterior. Taking one half, four bulkheads are glued in place, the upper-most forming the domed top of a fuel tank, while the bottom two are hollow, which might be of use to those intending to light their models. The opposite half of the stage is brought in and mated with the other, taking care with alignment to minimise work in cleaning up the seams. The dangerous end at the bottom of the stage is made from two short half cylinders, closing the lower end with the base that accepts the four RS-25D rocket motors, which have an improved thrust thanks to some technological upgrades that will be further improved if they manage to get the E variant into production. The base has a trunk running up one side that gives a locating lug to align the two assemblies correctly, adding four tapering collars to the underside, which accept the four slide-moulded engine bells with moulded-in cooling trunking all around their outer faces. The top end of the stage is a one-part tapered section that glues in place on a couple of tabs, fitting two 90° elbows near the top of the stack, which are joined by the pipework that travels up most of the Core stage externally. A pair of narrow pipes are added alongside the main run, one going to the top of the Core section, the second stopping short, using three and two sections respectively. The SRBs are similarly made, removing the sprue gates from the mating surfaces of the four halves, and fitting a single bulkhead around the halfway point inside two halves, then mating the other halves to the assemblies. The flared skirt at the bottom of the booster is a separate moulding, fitting a toroidal part inside the lip, then pushing the exhaust bell in through the centre, and mating it with the bottom of the cylindrical booster. Here the build process of the two boosters diverge, being handed for fixing to the Core stage, one each side. A pack of four Thrust Vectoring Control rockets are fitted to the skirt at the bottom of the rocket, adding a semi-circular bracket just above, and a block at the top of the skirt to one side. The tapering nose cone is the last part to be fixed to the top of the booster, then they can be mated with the Core stage, using the bracket at the bottom of the rocket, and locating lug at the top of the main body. Scrap diagrams show how closely the boosters sit to the core at the bottom, which explains why the RS-25s require extra insulation against the extreme heat. The upper stage completes the stack, beginning with a four-spoked wheel-like carrier that receives three portions of the outer skin of the upper part of the stage, then repeating the process with another shallower wheel that acts as a carrier for four quadrants of outer skin, the first section marked A-C, the second A-D. The short section has a domed tank fitted into the bottom, and a shallow ring is fitted to the bottom of the longer upper section, joining both sections together with the ring between them. Another castellated ring is installed in the top of the growing assembly, acting as another carrier for four outer skin sections that are again marked A-D. The top of the stack is completed by a gradually tapered cap that merges into an escape-rocket tower, into which four rockets are inserted at the four points of the compass, facing downward and out, to lift the (potentially) crewed capsule clear in the event of a catastrophic failure during the early part of the launch process. It is glued to the top of the Upper stage, which uses a key to locate it correctly. A fuel tank is created from another cylindrical wheel-like carrier, with domed tank surfaces inserted top and bottom, and this portion of the Upper stage is supported beneath the main part by a matrix of tapering X-shaped parts, eight in all that have a ring of small lozenge-shaped parts suspended within at the intersection of the Xs. The completed sub-assembly is mated to the underside of the stage, fitting a heat shield between the tank and the single engine bell that powers the stage away from the Core stage after its fuel is spent and it separates. The completed Upper stage is then mated with the Core stage by inserting it and twisting it into position on a trio of lugs within the tapering cowling at the top of the Core. The final part of the kit is a large, contoured black base that has a pair of domed areas with four supports around each one in a simplified simulation of the launch pad, which has prototypical heavy ribbing around the edges in a similar fashion to just about every launchpad. The gantry from the box art is of course not included, and if that isn’t mentioned somewhere on the side of the box, it probably should be. Markings There is but one available decal option as of now, and that’s what you can build from the box. One side of the folded A3 sheet covers the Core stage and SRBs from four angles, each diagram labelled A, B, C or D to correspond with an overhead scrap diagram. You’ll use a lot of orange paint for the Core, and many of the decals, with registration markings up the sides of each of the SRBs, plus the stylish NASA logo in a 70s Sci-fi font. The other side of the sheet covers the Upper stage from the same four angles, with a lower decal count that includes the NASA meatball logo, and their partner ESA’s logo beneath it, plus a few well-placed US flags, and the obligatory registration chequer-boarding here and there. An Airfix branded name plate is also included for the base, which has a raised plaque on the front of the moulding where it should be applied. It’ll take quite a while to paint the model with the brushes provided, so it may be as well to use an airbrush, or at least a wide flat brush if you don’t have an airbrush. Whatever painting method you choose, thin coats will work better to preserve the surface texture moulded into the Core stage, replicating the appearance of the foam that is sprayed onto the substrate. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. If the curves on the NASA logos look a little pixelated or distorted to you, that's not an error, but to cater for the curves of the trunking that they are applied over. Careful location of these decals will result in a perfect finish. Conclusion Even at 1:144 scale it’s a big model, at 682mm tall or almost 27” in old money. Detail is good, but it won’t take up much in the way of floor space with a base of 21cm x 14.5cm, or 8.27” x 5.7”. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Airfix is to release in 2014 a variant from the new 1/72nd "fabric wings" Hurricane (ref.A02067), a Hawker Hurricane Mk.I "metal covered wings" under ref. A01010. A fabric wings in the illustrations/box arts??? Displayed as ????? Error? Source: http://www.airfix.com/shop/new-for-2014/172-scale-military-aircraft/a01010-hawker-hurricane-mki-172/ But also as stater set (fabric or metal covered wings Hurricane?) Ref. A55111 Source: http://www.airfix.com/shop/new-for-2014/172-scale-military-aircraft/a55111-hawker-hurricane-mki-starter-set-172/ V.P

I’ve started work on the Airfix 1:48 scale Ju87 Stuka, built laregly straight from the box. The kit seems to fit together quite well. It’s been fun to assemble so far! Here are a few pictures of the painted cockpit. Just basic seatbelts from tape and wire. I'm know the colors arent quite right but I did my best interpreting the few black & white reference photos I found online. After taking these pictures, I closed the fuselage and assembled the wings. I’ve lurked on the forum for a few years but this is actually my first post. I hope to share additional progress as I go. Cheers, Nate

Airfix is to release in Spring 2025 a 1/48th Supermarine Spitfire Tr.9 kit - ref. A05143 Sources: https://uk.airfix.com/products/supermarine-spitfire-tr9-a05143 https://www.facebook.com/officialairfix/posts/pfbid025p67UbcHsaGw31NDoe757dbq3zNoCCjaBeD3xiQDTzuaV8uEVZgyzCLcr7R7SJg5l Introducing the NEW MOULD 1:48 scale Supermarine Spitfire Tr.9! Arguably the most famous fighting aeroplane in history, with over 20,000 aircraft eventually produced, the Spitfire Tr.9 is a two-seater trainer aircraft. This highly detailed kit includes: • 128 parts • Two scheme options • Unique subject not previously available in injection moulded kit form • Fine rivet detail and slide moulded engine cowling • Specific post-war wing parts • Both canopies can be posed closed or open to reveal the detail in both cockpits • Decal options for an Irish Air Corps Spitfire Tr.9 and a famous post-war camouflage scheme Test build Schemes V.P.

This Buccaneer was originally built for the Fleet Air Arm and delivered in March 1965. After updating to carry the Martel anti-ship missile in 1969, by September the following year it had transferred to the RAF. XN983 served with number 12 squadron for almost all of its time with the RAF, being based first at Honington then moving up to Lossiemouth with the squadron in 1980. This model depicts the aircraft in the mid-80s, including its appearance at Fairford IAT in July 1985. I actually used the S.2C/D boxing for this model, so I made a couple of minor modifications including using a spare S.2B bulged bomb bay and slipper tanks and changing a couple of aerials, plus of course some aftermarket decals. The only issue is I had no spare walkway line decals, hopefully not too noticeable. Still two more in the stash, for XV Sqn and a 237 OCU jet with light grey undersides. All comments more than welcome! WIP here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235158353-148-buccaneer/

Finally finished, after more than 10 years. In short, old Airfix Marauder, completely rescribed and riveted, with addition of QB guns, True Details wheels, resin engines and props from Academy P-47. I also added wing lights and small position lights on the rear fuselage and horizontal stabs. Painted with Model Master Olive Drab, then post shaded with Gunze OD. Gunze neutral gray on the bottom, shaded slightly with Tamiya Smoke. Decals from Hasegawa Marauder. Weathered with combination of sponge, Tamiya Smoke and Tamiya D set. Chipped with sponge, silver pencil and MM Aluminium applied by fine brush. After that, I added and overall thin layer of Tamiya smoke, to even the finish. Finally, treated with Tamiya semi gloss varnish, and is much less shiny in reality than in the photos. I always liked these worn out Marauders, they seem to be more faded and chipped than any other ETO aircraft. Here are the photos:

I built this oob from the old 1997 Airfix kit, which I thought despite its age went together pretty well. The famous 'Tigers' of 74 Sqn were the first to fly the mighty Lightning, and the only unit to operate the first F1 version. Flying from Coltishall under the command of Sqn Ldr (later Grp Capt) Peter Botterill, the squadron's aircraft began receiving black fins soon after entering service, and formed the Tigers aerobatic team that displayed at Farnborough and other venues in the early 1960s. This is Sqn Ldr Botterill's aircraft, XM143/A. All comments and suggestions more than welcome. Keep safe out there.

Hi All! Haven't done an aircraft WIP for a while so it's time to break out one of the four 1/24 Airfix Spits I've accumulated since the kit first released back in 2022. This one has the dubious honour of being a conversion attempt - haven't quite got my head around the conversion yet, but it's going to be a low-back LF.XVIe hopefully! The only other aftermarket is the excellent Airscale harness set, it's the most realistic one I've found to now. I've only heard good things about the kit, and it is a bit of a bruiser, so I'm looking forward to a nice couple of months putting this together! I won't be doing the full engine on this one, so I'll be concentrating on getting a nice result. haven't decided on the scheme yet, but there are several well-worn options available, even in this rare scale! All the best, Alan

Greetings all! Here I am again, taking the stupid brave unusual step of a second project in a Group Build..... what am I thinking? After the escapades of my Jaguar build and saying that 1/72 is not a scale I get on well with, I thought I'd give this a go as I quite like a helicopter, I seem to have acquired both versions of the 1/48 kit and; who doesn't like a lovely yellow Sea King? So, in a flash of complete stupidity I ordered this to face my fears develop my skills in this scale further ...... well that, and the fact it will fit in the cabinet, unlike it's larger mates. I'll start with a cheeky sprue shot and some of you might note that I even brought pink primer and the right thinners: I'm just sorting out paints as I definitely won't be using the ones included, although the two brushes aren't bad! Comments, advice from the knowledgeable and a bucket of luck are welcome. Keith 😊

I have always had a bit of a thing for the Gloster Meteor as my Uncle Frank flew them in the 1950’s. His flying training started in a Tiger Moth, before progressing to a Havard. Once he had mastered that (ish) he was into a single seat Meteor. He said it was really scary, but not in those words! A lot of pilots died in training flights in those days! I was fortunate enough to be able to retire at the end of last year. I had a slight worry in the back of my head that I might end up getting bored. In October 2024 I discovered BCWM (Bentwaters Cold War Museum). I had never heard of the Museum, even though I only live 30 mins drive away. Anyway, I visited on an open day and asked if they needed any volunteers? As they say the rest is history. I have been working 3 days a week in the restoration hanger ever since and they have a Meteor!!! BCWM acquired WH453 in January 2005 as their first aircraft. Here is a photo prior to further dismantlement and transporting to Bentwaters. Although a lot of work on the airframe was completed initially, other projects have taken priority and the Meteor has remained neglected at the back of the Hanger for many years. Over the last few months, a lot of progress has taken place which means WH453 is very much back in the sights and hopefully she will see the light of day again next year. When restoration is complete, she will have been reverted to an F.8 and will wear the markings of 72 Sqn. WH453 in her current state within the Bentwaters Cold War Museum HAS (Hardened Aircraft Shelter). History: WH453 was built by Armstrong Whitworth at Baginton, Coventry in early 1951. It entered frontline service (after modifications) with 222 Sqn at RAF Leuchars on 11th March 1952. WH453 was then moved to 72 Sqn at RAF Church Fenton in November 1954. In May 1956 the aircraft was assigned to 5 Civilian Anti-aircraft Co-operation Unit at RAF Woodvale. After nearly 15 years of service WH453 was transferred to the Ministry of Defense (Procurement Executive) for conversion to U.16 unmanned target drone configuration. Following completion of the conversion and after a couple of short stays/further modifications, WH453 moved to RAE Llanbedr in January 1975. The aircraft was operated both manned and unmanned and was used to simulate a target for RAF fighters and in later years as a “Shepard” aircraft for Jindivik target drones. WH453 was grounded on the 10th October 1990 after 4,106 flying hours. My plan for this GB is to convert the MPM F.8 into WH453 when it was a U.16 at RAE Llanbedr using the Alley Cat resin set. If I manage that and time permits, I will then build the Airfix F.8 as WH453 in 72 Sqn markings when it was at RAF Church Fenton (if I can source the decals). More to follow.......................... George

With the 'Small is Beautiful GB' subject in its painting stage, I can look to starting my next GB subject, a Churchill Crocodile using the Airfix 1/76 kit. So without further ado: The box. A bag of plastic. Paperwork. See you soon. Stuart

May as well get straight into another kit, and not many better for me than one of my personal favourite aircraft, the mighty Buccaneer! It’s always entertaining reading the memories on PPrune from those lucky and good enough to operate these fantastic beasts; 20 foot AGL at 600 mph and unbeatable in Red Flags, screaming past a RN ship below its deck level on exercises in the Med. What a jet. And arguably flown by some of the best aircrew in the world in those days it seems (though some Harrier/Jag lads might dispute that!). XX901, 208 Sqn - Operation Pulsator ‘84 XV340, 809 NAS, 1960s Onto the kit, and with two on the shelf already, plus two S.2Bs in the stash, I thought I’d build this first reissue boxing, but as an RAF aircraft. If I have the bomb bay open, I think (?) I can make an S.2B. Is there any other reason I couldn’t? I’ve got a few aftermarket and leftover decals so should have a few options. Still can’t decide between 12 or XV Sqn. I was going to do a 237 OCU jet but I wanted to do a Honington-based one so I can’t with the decals I’ve got. The red disc behind the cutlasses only appeared in the late 80s after the move to Lossie. I’m still undecided on wraparound camo or LAG undersides. I fancy an XN or XT serialled 12 Sqn Bucc, or maybe an XW serialled Laarbruch one. We’ll see as the build progresses. All advice, ideas and Bucc banter welcomed. Especially if any of you were lucky enough to work with them!