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Airfix is to release in Summer 2025 a 1/72nd Westland Wessex HC.2 kit - ref. A04068 Source: https://uk.airfix.com/products/westland-wessex-hc2-a04068 Box art Renders Schemes V.P.

Hi everyone! Thank you to the Group Build leaders for hosting this GB and for being very welcoming! This is going to be my first GB on Britmodeller as a newbie and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's different Phantom builds over the coming months. My original intention was going to be to build a pair from RAF Leuchars, an original early FG.1 and a later FG.1 using Airfix kits I already had in the stash. However, I've spent a lot of free time at home and on my lunch breaks at work recently researching British Phantoms and the various surviving airframes which has resulted in a slight change to that plan... I've decided to have a go at building the 3 different variants under the care of the British Phantom Aviation Group. FG.1 XT597 using the latest boxing of Airfix's 1/72 British Phantom with Xtradecal decals for the markings and some aftermarket parts for the splitters - I haven't quite decided on which particular scheme yet. FGR.2 XT905 using the FGR.2 boxing of the Airfix kit, with Xtradecal's 74(F) Sqn sheet - I picked up this kit second hand a few years ago from Hattons Model Railway shop and it was still sealed. And last but not least F-4J(UK) ZE360 using the Finemolds F-4J kit with a mix a Xtradecals and Kits World decals plus some Reskit accesories - this one looks like it will be a really good kit to build, the detail is really... well.. er.. fine, as per the name Haha. Hopefully this won't prove to be too ambitious for me and that at least one will make it to the finish line 😂 Thanks for looking, Lewis 🙂

Hi everyone, i was chatting to a model shop owner yesterday, and as far as he can tell Airfix might be / have finished production of the 1/48 Sea Vixen. has anyone else heard this? Would be a real shame, especially as i haven't got around to one yet!!! Please if you have any info on this it would be useful. Thanks. kev

Hawker Hurricane Mk.I (A02067A) 1:72 Airfix If you were asked to give the name of the primary British fighter that took part in the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire would undoubtedly be the most common response. However, the aircraft that provided the backbone of the defence in that infamous battle was the Hawker Hurricane. Designed in 1935, it was quite a step forward from the existing front line RAF fighters of that era, key features being a fully enclosed cockpit, retractable undercarriage, eight machine guns, a powerful Rolls-Royce V12 Merlin engine and most notably, a single cantilever wing as opposed to a biplane configuration. Despite its revolutionary look, the design and manufacturing techniques remained old school, a steel frame with predominantly fabric skinning, so it was very much an evolutionary rather than revolutionary design despite its vastly different look. This traditional construction method was to prove useful both in manufacturing and in the event of battle damage, making it easy to produce, repair and maintain. When compared to the birth of the Spitfire that used entirely new manufacturing techniques to create its stressed aluminium skin. Whilst offering enhanced performance, the Spit was hindered by its complexity both in production and after battle, having to return to a repair centre for simple through-and-through bullet-holes, whereas a Hurricane could be good to go after a few doped fabric patches had cured. Early Hurricane Mk.Is went through a series of design enhancements as technology progressed at wartime pace. Initial aircraft had fabric wings that limited dive speeds, whilst the spin characteristics were a concern for test and novice pilots alike, which was remedied by the addition of a strake below the rudder, becoming a key characteristic of its profile. The fabric wings were also changed by 1940 for new metal skinned units that increased maximum dive speed by some 80mph. Other notable improvements on the Mk.I were the addition of 70lb of armour plate for the pilot, self-sealing fuel tanks, and a 3-blade constant speed propeller. The availability of 100 octane fuel early in 1940 gave the Merlin an additional 30% boost in available power, compared to 87 Octane, which was a significant boost when combat turned deadly. The first production aircraft entered service in 1938 with the RAF and a few export customers, its first blood achieved on 21st October 1939 when a squadron of Heinkel He115s were bounced by 46 Sqn. whilst they were searching for Allied shipping targets in the North Sea. The engagement resulted in 4 enemy aircraft downed with more being claimed by 72 Sqn. Spitfires. France was to prove more challenging for the Hurricanes, as stiffer opposition was encountered in the shape of the more lethal Bf.109Es. What became the Battle of France was to prove bloody because of the type and numbers of aircraft the Luftwaffe were able to field. German forces pushed forwards at Blitzkrieg speeds, forcing RAF and ground elements to retreat, eventually to British soil via Dunkirk, paving the way for the Battle of Britain where the Hurricane achieved its legendary status alongside the Spitfire. Of the 2,700 victories claimed during this battle by the RAF, nearly 1,600 fell to the guns of the doughty Hurri. Due to its traditional construction, the Hurricane soon became outdated as a front-line day fighter in Europe, but it went on to see considerable success in other campaigns and in other roles throughout the war. Adding bombs and cannon under the wings, it became an effective ground attack aircraft, and its history is firmly rooted in the battles of the Mediterranean, Russia and the Pacific, not to mention early night fighting over Europe where many aces earned their status. The Kit This is a reboxing of Airfix’s 2013 kit with new decals, and arrives in a small top-opening box with new artwork depicting a trio of Hurricanes flying toward the viewer over broken cloud. Inside the box are five sprues of dark grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and the instruction booklet that is printed on matt white paper in spot colour, with colour profiles on the back two pages. Detail is good, and the darker styrene helps to show that off, extending to restrained scalloping on the “rag” wings and aft fuselage, finely engraved panel lines with raised and recessed rivets and fasteners, plus a well-detailed cockpit and gear bays. Construction begins with the wings for a change, installing the combined spar and gear bay front wall in the lower wing, which is full-span, then completing the bays with three more parts, plus a pressurised bottle in the centre-front. The bay walls and roof that’s moulded into the underside of the upper wing, which is also full-span, are painted aluminium, then mated, remembering to add the recognition light in the rear of the lower wing before proceeding. The cockpit floor is moulded into the centre of the upper wing part, and the pilot’s foot trays are applied over it, then joined by the control column and rudder pedals, while the rest of the cockpit is made separately from a choice of two styles of rear bulkhead, one with additional armour, the seat, and the instrument panel, plus a dial decal to improve the detail. This is glued into the port fuselage side after painting the cockpit and both sidewalls, and drilling a 0.7mm hole in the port side according to a scrap diagram nearby. The fuselage halves can then be joined together, and the seams dealt with in your preferred manner. Progress so far is rapid, joining the wing and fuselage assemblies together, then fitting your choice of underside below, with or without the strake that became so synonymous with the side profile of this aircraft. A different tail wheel is inserted depending on your choice of rear fuselage, and the rudder uses a different part too, while the elevators are common between both decal options. A boxy radiator fairing is created from a main housing, into which the front and rear radiator faces are inserted, adding a sculpted intake lip to the front, and putting it in place behind and between the main gear bays under the belly, accompanied by a small part in the bays, and an intake just under the nose. To depict your model in flight, there are a pair of bay door parts that have narrow versions of the wheels moulded-in, and these fill the bays as if they are retracted. To deploy the gear, each bay has a strut with separate retraction-jack, plus a captive bay door that fits on the outer face of the legs, while the single-part wheels attach to the stub axle on the inner face. The wheels don’t have weighting flats moulded-in, but that can easily be achieved by a few swipes with a sanding stick on the lower portion of the balloon tyre. An L-shaped pitot probe is added under the port wing, then you have the choice of a two-bladed or three-bladed prop, the two-bladed variant having the spinner moulded-in, while both have a rear insert, the three-bladed option having a trio of grooves that nestle against the rear of the blades. Both options have a stepped plug that is retained against the back of the prop by a pin, leaving the blades free to spin if you are careful with the glue. This is probably best done after adding the exhaust stubs, which offers yet another choice of styles for the two decal options. A pair of landing light lenses are inserted into the leading edges of the wings, and you can insert the supplied pilot figure at this stage if you wish, before gluing in the windscreen and the canopy. The last few parts are a small flared tube that inserts in the hole drilled earlier, plus a radio mast on the spine behind the cockpit. Check your references if you plan on stringing a wire between the mast and the tail fin. Markings There are two decal options in the boxing, both wearing early-war green/brown camouflage over aluminium undersides, one with the early black/white lower wings that were used to differentiate between friend or foe at that stage of the war. From the box you can build one of the following: L1568, No.73 Sqn., B Flight, RAF Digby, Lincolnshire, England, Summer 1938 L1909, No.56 (F) Sqn., RAF North Weald, Essex, England, 1939 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 A nicely detailed rebox from Airfix of this early war front-line fighter, with one pre-war the other during the ‘phoney’ war before the fan was well-and-truly covered in bad stuff. Good detail, plenty of choices, and high-quality decals round out the package. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Finally finished the Airfix B5N2 Kate, this one has been in WIP since January 2019 so I think its the longest running build I've ever had (so far). Built pretty much OOB less photo etch from Eduard in the cockpit but most of this is covered by the folded wings unfortunately. Fairly good kit with some minor thing to look out for when building, usual brittle small parts hence the wing probe (shattered into 3 when removed from sprue) missing and one of the undercarriage legs decide to mutate after being glued into place. If building with the wings folded go straight for super glue as the connection point is quite small. Painted with Tamiya acrylics, XF12 JA Grey for the base colour and XF81 was free hand sprayed after applying the decals for the camo pattern. Used the kit decals which worked pretty well except one of the hinomaru which must have had a defect and broke up as I was applying so had to spray red over it. As usual all comment are welcome. Walk ways were masked and sprayed before the camo green was applied rather than using the kit decals.

From the looks of the chat thread, I will be one of several choosing to build Airfix's new B-24D which, in the box, appears to be a pretty fun build. I plan to use some Eduard PE ( designed for their H kit), Armory block tread wheels and DK Decals. I also have my fingers crossed that someone (Eduard, hint, hint) will come out with a masking set before the end of the year. Although I can see my self building several of the excellent subjects from the 90th BG on DK's sheet, I've settled on "Crosby's Curse" for this group build, a plane named after and blessed by the singer himself. A couple months before they shipped out, Lts. Everett Wood (pilot), Bill Henery (co-pilot) and Joe Guidry (bombardier) were out at a club in Hollywood when Henery, an aspiring singer, mentioned his love of Bing Crosby's music to the bartender. The bartender then informed him that Crosby was actually there in a private room and that he should go say hello since Bing was partial to servicemen, especially the flyboys. When the three officers went to the room, Crosby's friends, which included one of his writers and musicians, said they just missed him as he had left for another party. They then asked Henery to sing a new song they wrote for Bing and they were quite impressed with his voice, so they gave the trio Bing's address and told them to swing by his house later that night. As they were told the men went to Crosby's house and the man himself was eager to meet his new friends. Crosby had a keen interest in the military and was disappointed he wasn't able to serve himself. Henery sang again, and Crosby noted that he may have a future in show business after the war if he worked at it. As the evening went on and the drinks got stiffer, Crosby again lamented how he wouldn't be able to join the boys overseas, so Henery suggested they would name their B-24 after him as a tribute. After the men threw out a few ideas, Henery suggested "Crosby's Curse". Bing liked it and was overjoyed to know he would have a part in the war, even if it was just his name painted on the side of a plane. The Curse was one of the first planes assigned to the 90th BG's 321st BS and Wood and his men experienced everything good and bad from those early dark days flying out of Iron Range airfield in Australia. Henery eventually got promoted to first pilot and he and Wood would then switch off flying The Curse. Wood, a man who never quite adhered to the military's strict routines, pushed himself and the plane to the limit numerous times and was chewed out at least once when a superior officer discovered he was using his B-24 like a B-25 and skip bombing ships from wave top height. Even though it was shot up numerous times, The Curse survived every mission it flew and more than once it was the subject of articles in newspapers back in the states telling about the latest daring raid Bing Crosby's bomber took part in. Throughout the war, Bing kept in touch with the crew, with Wood sending him a crew photo that Bing proudly showed to anyone he came across. Unlike many of the early B-24s in the 90th, The Curse survived and was eventually scrapped in December 1944. Wood, who went home after his first tour, would end up flying over 60 missions with the group by war's end after a stateside incident with a superior officer earned him a second tour of duty. Unfortunately, Bill Henery, the man who named the plane, died in a stateside training crash in 1944 after completing his tour when he became disoriented in a thunderstorm over the Rocky Mountains.

My build for this GB is going to be Airfix’s Canberra B (I) 8, finished in Peruvian markings: There’s certainly a lot of plastic in the box, but not that many parts for such a large aircraft: Aftermarket wise, I’ve got a Quickboost gunpod and some Reskit wheels: @modelling minion has also been kind enough to lend me some reference material: I’ll be using Model Alliance decals for this one, which are currently in the post. James

Hello All Here is my take on the Bf109E-4/B White 'B' of 4.(S)LG 2 flown by Unteroffizier Hans-Joachim Rank. Kit is the Airfix 1/72 Bf109E-4 modified to represent one of the single bomb carrying Jagbomber (Jabo) aircraft, c. September 1940. This particular aircraft has a slight local interest to me as upon its return from a Jabo raid on North Weald airfield on 29th October 1940, it was jumped and shot down by Hurricanes of 249 and 257 and crashed just outside of a local village: The pilot, Unteroffizier Hans-Joachim Rank, managed to bail out but succumbed to his injuries several hours later after being taken to the local hospital where my mother was born a year earlier, myself 26 years later and my daughter 60 years later. The Airfix Bf109E-4 is a lovely little kit which has very few vices. Panel lines are perhaps a bit deep, but IMO, didn't warrant further action (although I may fill and pencil line in on a future build). It was built mostly OOB, with a few exceptions: - Wings and fuselage rivetted. - Resin copy of Eduard Bf109G bomb cradle. - Custom made decals. - Replacement fuselage cannons. - A few Eduard PE cockpit parts. - Radio aerial hair donated by my wife. Paints used were mainly Vallejo Model Air and Mig Ammo. Varnishes were Pledge and Winsor & Newton Galeria Matt. Weathering was a Flory wash followed by oils and Tamiya weathering powder. Thanks for reading and taking the time to look. Comments and critiques will be most welcome. Gary

Finally finished the Airfix BAE Hawk T1 kit, a bit disappointed with this one but it is one of the earlier "new Airfix" releases but I found the clear parts were to small for the opening and poorly molded, under carriage is some what deformed similar to the P51 kits and the instructions were wrong on several points. Built OOB in the 1980's air defence scheme with Tamiya acrylic's with an oil paint panel line wash. I added some masking tape seat belts but then I forgot the control columns before fitting the canopy. At least the decal worked well. I'm sure I'd never built a Hawk before even as a first stage child modeller so it has joined the Harrier line up in the cabernet. As usual all comment welcome.

Hi everyone, I've recently built the new Bf-109F starter set from Airfix. I've been really impressed by how well it goes together, but the paint (specifically the #91) has turned out awful so far. I'm still relatively new to modelling, so does anyone have any suggestions of what do in this situation? Does it just need another few coats, or is it better to use some Revell Paint Remover on it and start again? Thanks for any advice, Alex P

My first completed model in nearly 3 months is the Airfix 1/48 Sea Fury FB.11. I went with the Australian Navy scheme as I like uniform colour schemes to keep it simple and a nice big blue plane appealed. Its a really good kit IMO, all went together very straightforward, no real problems with the construction apart from the seam line along the nose kept re-appearing, and the canopy is less than perfect fit though I could have done more about that. There is a tiny crack in the front windshield and I've written to Airfix asking if they can supply a replacement.... fingers crossed. The one complaint from me is that there is no pilot figure supplied so I had to spring him from the Spitfire XIV in the stash, and he's probably got the wrong helmet for the post-war Australian Navy. Its perplexing because Airfix do give a very simple & good wheels-up option for this kit if you want to build in-flight - so why no pilot?! Primed and pre-shaded with Vallejo black and white primers, the blue is Humbrol 15 Gloss Navy Blue as per the Airfix instructions. I washed/filtered it with some very dilute dark grey, and also brushed on some dark brown pigment trailing from the engine exhausts... but the wash and that pigment seemed to disappear when I applied the final satin varnish coat. But its still slightly apparent so happy with that. I cranked up the compressor to max for the airbrush to make the prop spin for some of the photos - that was quite fun, and used very high ISO to get a grainy effect for some of the B&W ones. Hope you like it!

Here's the epic Airfix Spit IXc. Purchased the kit when it came out, put it in the stash. Then it became personal... The long story: In May 2023, my wife and I went to look at a house for sale on the edge of Dartmoor, fell in love with it and put in an offer, even though we didn't have an offer on our own house by this point... don't really know why, but when we got home to Cornwall that evening I decided to start a new kit, picked up the Spit, opened the box and saw one of the decal options was for RAF Harrowbeer in Devon. Wondered where it was, did some quick googling, and realised it was within walking distance of the cottage we'd just offered on... so *obviously* the kit had to be started there and then! It quickly became, in many respects, my one and only attempt at "manifesting". Big ask for a plastic kit lol! But there was one combined goal; move to the cottage... and then get some pics of the Spit in its spiritual home. Things didn't go as planned. Got an offer on our house almost immediately, and things started moving forward - very slowly... during which I had a stubborn chest infection, which resulted in a few scans. Had a moving date set for early October, and during the same MINUTE we had the email from our solicitor saying we were ready to exchange contracts, I had a phone call from my Doctor saying I had suspected cancer, more scans needed... they'd already booked one for my moving day and advised me not to move as it would delay treatment... our buyer and vendor wouldn't wait, the chain collapsed, and that was that. Cue three months of more scans, during which I couldn't even *look* at this model. Then in February 2024I got the all clear - it was simply a stubborn chest infection, and nothing more. Put our house back on the market, lots of viewings but no offers for two months. Think that's around the time I started tinkering with the Spitfire again, not that I believed in manifesting... but it had to be worth a shot! *Then* the vendors of our dream cottage got in touch; they were back on the market, "were we still interested?" Damn right! Work on the Spit went ahead, all guns blazing. Finished the kit, out of the box, four days before we *finally* moved at the end of last summer - and the kit was then safely packed up, and didn't see the light of day until everything was out of storage some months later! Anyway, after all the above, finally got a chance to take some pics in the intended location. The B&W pic is completely real, no photoshop - that's the actual Cox Tor in the background! Hopefully no model will ever be subjected to such lofty hopes again

While the Chinook is hold until the decals I'm after are released I pulled this one out of the stash. I've had it a few years but always overlooked it due to its simplicity but should be quick turn around. I'll go for the wrap around camo scheme rather than the gloss black version. Cockpit assembled and sprayed XF80 and fuselage side sprayed XF83. Hopefully my new airbrush nozzle shows up today as the 0.4mm throw paint at high rate.

Good day, Here is my seventh completed project for the year. The highlights are as follows…………. 1. Colors & paints used A. Airframe : AK Atom RLM 65, AK Atom RLM 79, AK Atom RLM 70, Polly Scale RLM 71 B. Cockpit : Vallejo RLM 02 ( base color ), Tamiya Flat Black XF-1, Tamiya Brown wash C. Propeller : Tamiya Black Green XF-27 ( blades ), Spinner : Tamiya Flat Yellow XF-3 & Polly Scale RLM 71 D. Bombs : Tamiya NATO Black XF-69, AMMO Dust wash, AK Lt Earth dry brush 2. Misc : Eduard metal Luftwaffe seat belts, Uschi bobbin thread antenna wire 3. Weathered with paint, pastels, and washes This is another very nice offering from Airfix. Fit between parts is excellent and surface detail is superb. The cockpit is well appointed and apart from the aftermarket Eduard seat belts, there is no real need to purchase extras. Of course, the Eduard mask is a must have item for the complex windscreen framing. Oddly, the nose section consisted of no less than 11 separate pieces. Airfix provides parts for either an open or closed canopy. Aircrew is included although I sent the two to the spares box. A neat feature is the “bulged” tires are molded to be placed perfectly within the gear covers. The kit decals are excellent and I opted for the famous “snake” motif along both fuselage sides. Even though the kit is straightforward without any difficulties, I would still recommend it to those with a bit of experience. Thank you in advance. Respectfully submitted, Mike

Planning to build a model resembling this; From this kit, selected for its two-blade propellor, and at minimal cost. The kit cost me £5 at IPMS Avon show last year. With this as reference, which contains a few more photos.

Hello Everybody! Finally I finished a model that was on my list (and bench) for a long time. As the newer Italeri kit seems to be no shake and bake either, I decided to go with the ancient Airfix release, which comes with a nicely sculpted crew and better looking engines. Also I like its general appearance more than the Italeri model – I’d just say that the sculptor did a great job back in the 1970s! I love old planes as I love old kits, so I took on the challenge… My build was mainly inspired by a spectacular picture created by a flightsim-skinner, many thanks from here to the artist! The goal then became a 386th BG Invader with a glazed nose and the early canopy. After looking around for a while, the only object I could to find was 322312 “Rat Poison Jr”. I printed serial number and code letters, but failed to print a useable noseart. No drama here, I didn’t like the blue painted cowlings anyway and so my rendition may look a bit fictional by showing 322312 shortly before the painter went to business. A pair of Quickboost airscrews replaced the clunky kit parts. The gun barrels belong to Revell’s B17 and were kindly provided by Revell Germany. All the rest was made from scratch or modified. Apart from all the additional work the kit parts went together nicely except for the ill-fitting engine nacelles. Sheet styrene was needed to fill the huge gaps. I happily got the problem solved, but didn’t notice that the nacelles now sat on the wings in slightly different angles. The disaster was showing up weeks later, after I had carefully aligned and glued the wings to the fuselage and suddenly spotted the starboard engine pointing downwards! Twice I had to cut off the right wing. The second time I milled out its mount and ended up with a barely satisfying result, but the model was standing a bit crooked on its legs now. The only remaining and simple solution was to deflate the starboard tire. You will see it now you know it. Please don’t tell anybody… 🤭 Painting was done with Mr. Hobby acrylics and different shades of Silver H8. For weathering I used pastels and AK paneliner. There’s no build thread around, instead I will add some WiP pics here. Meanwhile I found that my first and sole US twin should have a little friend: An ancient Italeri B-25 is in the works here. It was around Easter when that old dog bit me for the first time, what’s not a bad thing as it made me finally pushing the Invader over the line (sorry I’m slow). On to the pics now, I hope you like it!

On the night of 12th August 1941, the still modest force of Bomber command was divided between three targets, Hannover, Berlin and Magdeburg. 70 aircraft were sent to attack the Air Ministry at Alexander Platz, Berlin. The Wellington MkIIs of 104 Squadron were part of this force. It was later deduced that 32 aircraft actually arrived over Berlin to release their loads. One of the 104 Squadron aircraft W5461 R-Robert took off from Driffield at 21.36 that night with the crew of S/L H Budden. On the return journey, about 60 miles west of Berlin, W5461 at 01.25 h was hit by Flak from Flak Abt 907 and Flak Abt 232. The entire crew bailed out and Sgt Morgan, the co-pilot broke his ankle on landing, amazingly the whole crew survived whilst the aircraft crashed at Darrigsdorf. Another 104 Squadron Wellington W5443 was also hit by flak on the same raid and crashed with the loss of the whole crew. Middlebrook and Everitt (1990) The Bomber Command War Diaries Boiten (2019) Nachtjagd Combat Archive, The Early Years Part 2 Chorley (1993). Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War 1941 The Airfix 1/72 Wellington is a pleasure to build, well apart from the iffy engine nacelles to wing connection. I bless Airfix for giving the option of having a pilot's canopy with windows slid open. The interior is dressed up with Eduard PE and the engines have resin CMK exhausts, the turrets having Quickboost gun barrels. The crew figures are J Dyson 3D printed which can be obtained from Ebay and are quite amazing. The gun turrets have a lot of scratch building improvements, which I enjoyed doing. To attempt to recreate W5461 I used the set of 48" codes and serial numbers from Kits World. The courage of the aircrew in Bomber Command as they entered their aircraft in the evening is truly sobering. By 1943 only one in six could expect to survive a tour. Hope you like the model Andrew

Canberra WK118 was originally built as a B.2 in 1954, one of 75 Canberras built by Avro at Woodford. It served with numbers 59 and 103 squadrons until 1970 when it was converted to a TT.18 at Hurn. It then served with 85 Sqn until transfer to 100 Sqn where it flew from RAF Wyton until retiring in 1991. The aircraft’s nose section is now preserved back at the Avro Heritage Museum at Woodford. https://www.avroheritagemuseum.co.uk/english-electric-canberra-cockpit This is the 1/48 Airfix Canberra, with the Alley Cat TT.18 conversion kit and decals. The conversion kit includes several different target pods and a canopy section though I ended up just using the kit canopy and cutting and sanding off the extra porthole. Painting was all with aerosols, and plenty of Tamiya masking tape for the underside stripes. Some of the old Alley Cat decals broke up, but I managed to use some spares for the serial numbers. Also huge thanks to @mark.au for the fantastic Q code templates which enabled me to finish the kit. All comments welcome as always!

I have just remembered that this was lurking on top of a wardrobe. I built the original Saturn IB and V back in the late 1960's/early 1970's together with the Russian Sputnik/Vostok/Soyuz that Airfix released but they are long gone, though my later Space Shuttle survives in a rather battered condition. A few years back my wife had a day trip to Abergavenny where she saw the above kit in a model shop and decided to buy it for me, probably mistaking it for the Saturn V. I had intended to build it in a GB last year but never got round to it so maybe I will do it now. Pete

Here are the pics of my recently finished Hawker Hunter Mk.58 in the colours of Jonathon Whaley's "Miss Demeanour". Built for him by me. link to build here Only editing is the background removed and replaced by a blue sky. Thanks for looking

No, not Russel Crowe in Aspen, but a Swedish J8 of the F8 wing in Barkarby at the end of 1938. I used Eduard PE set, resin gun barrels (probably Quickboost) and a resin engine & cowling by SBS, also the decals are from an SBS sheet (but the rudder was painted using Tamiya paints). The "metal" parts were airbrushed with Gunze C8, the "fabric" ones with decanted Tamiya TS 30 Silver Leaf. Rigging is invisible mending thread and the aerial by Uschi Fine thread. Thanks for looking.

Airfix 1/72 MRCA Prototype XX946 This was produced sometime around the early 1980s from the original Airfix MRCA release which I think had decals for the original red/white scheme only. A very basic kit by today's standards but hey - the wings swing and tailplanes move!!

As my build of the Hasegawa Churchill Mk. II is nearing completion I have dug another Churchill variant out of my stash. A while ago Airfix released some revised boxings of their ancient Sherman and Churchill kits - I did not bother with the Bridgelayer as it was essentially a post-war version being based on the Mk. VII, but I did buy the Crocodile and the Crab as they were more relevant to my collection. The Crab was OK, but the plastic "flails" looked wrong and so rather than fiddle about adding in excess of 40 short lengths of fine chain with little "balls" on the end to correct it, I just built it as a gun tank. The Crocodile has lingered on in my stash since then, and this GB gives me an excuse to build it at last. Given the 44 small wheels, 22 suspension units etc I suspect it will take rather longer than the Hasegawa kit! Pete

Decided to stick with the Gulf War theme to be consistent with my recent Jaguar, and I’ve a buccaneer waiting to add to the fleet in due course. Just need a find decent Tornado… went slightly off piste decal-wise and did this as ZG820 / F just so I could add the ‘Navy’ stencil to the port boom. Couldn’t find a photo of any airframe carrying it on the starboard side so I’ve left this blank. Also managed to make a resin copy of the tail boom so I can display it as either folded or extended. Tried curving the rotor blades (not too successfully) on the outside of a glass jug filled with hot water. I’m convinced Airfix cast them upside down! Finally, a big shout out to @farmerboy who kindly donated a folded rotor head to replace mine, which suffered catastrophic failure following an interaction with my office chair. Thanks again pal. This one is with my Hasegawa Whirlybird conversion from about 15 years ago: Thank for looking.

Hey everyone, been a minute. My reputation of pledging to GB's, starting 1 after mentioning 5+ builds, and then not posting anything for a year probably precedes me 😅 Hopefully however, this one will be different and I can knock a few builds out. I've been itching to build the Airfix 1/72 Tempest, and was hoping to use Xtradecals 72-194 for SAoH/JN812. Light research showed that this plane served as JFoM with 3 Sqn was actually a series 2 Tempest (among the first), and was shot down Oct 1, 1944. Nothing on 486 Sqn RNZAF. Looking again at the kit (and it does look wonderful), I noticed the second marking option was 486 RNZAF, being SAoN/JN766. To top it off, the kit has D Day stripes as decals, so I can use the lower ones on the wings for a slightly different look. I also have an Academy P-40N, with RAAF markings included. These will be the two main ones I would like to do, although I also have: several Mustangs, a 1/48 Spitfire VIII, and an F-4 Lightning. In the spirit of (possibly) actually completing one, we'll keep it simple for now. Some pictures: Academy calls for Foliage Green over... blue? grey? I don't remember, but photos seem to suggest OD/NG, with a slightly different color (likely foliage green) where the US star used to be. Progress pics soon.