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Hi All, My latest completion is Airfix lovely little Tiffie, converted to a 'car door' version - I originally started the build using the Brengun kit but it was not a happy experience. The finished result therefore uses a few elements of this kit (canopy, three-bladed propeller, Vokes filter) to build DN323, which was assigned to 451 Sqn RAAF in 1943 for evaluation. Here's a photo of the aircraft: I built this in tandem with a Kittyhawk of 3 Sqn RAAF - here's the WIP if anyone is interested: And here's the photos: Here's a photo with its build buddy (which I shall post separately): And here's a final shot with a recently built Mk.Ib of a later version, from the same kit: All in all a bit of a struggle of a build, but I'm not displeased with the end result. Thanks to all who have offered kind words and encouragement along the way - it has been sincerely appreciated! Thanks for looking, Roger

A third entry, and for me an iconic Baby Boomer, following the release of the film Goldfinger, the Corgi version of James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 became the must have toy back in the mid-60's. For this build I am using the 1/43 Airfix starter set version which should make up into a nice little representation of this classic Grand Tourer, by John L, on Flickr Here are the main sprues, by John L, on Flickr and the clear parts decals, paints and glue. by John L, on Flickr John.

My 2nd contribution to this GB is a real Boom Boom, the North American X-15-2 research plane. This will keep me occupied while the filler is drying on the Vatour! Most if not all will know this plane and its exploits so no need for more info here. Suffice to say only 3 X-15s were Built with the 2nd being involved in a landing accident early in the program. This plane was rebuilt 28" longer for more fuel capacity and the kit is of this longer plane meaning only #2 can be built from the box. Number 2 was the record breaking plane so the preferred subject. I bought this kit a while ago and think it will fit well here as a Baby Boomer. The kit looks fairly basic although there is a lot of superbly detailed resin. Since the plane dropped its lower fin on landing to reveal a flimsy undercarriage I'll build it in flight. This will avoid most of the resin which is a shame. The actual record of the fastest manned aircraft at Mach 6.7 was made with the plane in a while ablative coating which was designed to melt off the plane as part of the cooling process. I quite like the appeal but think I'll stick to a more traditional black scheme expecially with the very excellent looking decal sheet. Colin

Following a couple of challenging builds in the Baby Boomers I'm going a bit more mainstream here with the new Airfix Seaking. I'll be aiming for a Mk1 all folded up on HMS Ark Royal. Anyone else running out of cabinette space? Rather than kit decals I'll be using the Model Alliance set. No shortage of info as I made a trip to Historic Helicopters in Chard a few weeks ago and had a good crawl around their AS5. I'm still wondering why Airfix released the Merlin 10 years ago when this would have been a better proposition? I'll be using @Ex-FAAWAFU build from last year for any additional info. Colin

After some prevarication I think I'd like to put this into the group build.... I got this as part of an auction bundle of car kits and would very much like to get it done. But there's a problem. I made a rudimentary start back in December, assembly of the main bodywork parts, then quickly realised that several key components were missing. I have no instructions but I found the required document on Scalemates.com, no problem. But study of the drawings showed that I have no chassis parts, rear axle or suspension, or front axle arrangements. It was like someone had built up the chassis assembly and then put it on a shelf while the rest of the kit stayed in its box. And I got the box! I think I have the wherewithal to try a scratch built solution and the added impetus of being in a group build might just be the motivation to see it through (or fail gallantly 🤩) Here's what I've got... And this is the basic shell with the petrol tank attached to the rear... That's well under the 25% threshold, I'd say, although if the hosts say otherwise I shall reconsider my choice, of course 😉 It'd be great to get my little MG sorted out

I generally build WW2 Allied aircraft, but I do have a bit of a thing for early British jets. So, I am going to go with an aircraft that amazed me in late 70’s at Duxford (I think) going pretty much straight up off the end of the runway. My dear old Dad used to drive me to quite a few airshows, so it might have been somewhere else. On reading up on the EE Lightning I discovered it was nicknamed the “Frightening”. I presumed this was to do with the rate of climb, the ceiling or more likely the speed. Some pilots said it was like being saddled to a skyrocket, but no…….. The Lightning was nicknamed “Frightening” because of its challenging crosswind landing characteristics. I would never have guessed that one! This is the 2013 tooling from Airfix. All the bits look pretty good. A little bit of flash here and there, but nothing bad. I did notice when I got the plastic out of the box how heavy it seems for 4 smallish sprues. I am planning on doing the green/aluminium scheme as I served in the Army in West Germany in the 80’s not long after these beasts! I've seen that @Enzo the Magnificent has beaten me to it on this one, so will keep a beady eye on his build for some tips 🙂 George

A 23 Squadron Boston III nightfighter to be built from the AMT kit

Expected in Spring (May ?) 2024 - ref. A09010 - Consolidated B-24H Liberator https://uk.airfix.com/products/consolidated-b-24h-liberator-a09010 V.P.

Hello Everyone, This one is going to be my main project. I was recently sent this kit by a very good friend of mine, who knew that I wanted to build another one especially after I saw the last James Bond movie, No Time To Die. I have previously built an Airfix 1:350 Type 45 destroyer kit as HMS Daring when the kit was first released and had always meant to build another one to go with my few other Royal Navy warships models (HMS Illustrious, HMS Turbulent, HMS Astute). This build has not been started yet (except for washing and priming the sprues), so I will post some photos of the untouched sprues and then include photos of the various build steps as I go along. I will most likely start the painting and building process tomorrow. All the best, Rick

I built these late last year while waiting for the Kotare 1/32 Spitfire IA. For one reason or another all of my early Spitfire builds in larger scales have turned into unmitigated disasters, so I thought I would try and break the hoodoo with two of the most recent offerings in 1/48 before starting on the real deal. This let me play around with painting, weathering, masking and decaling without mucking up the Kotare kit. I finished the Tamiya kit as P9374, Spifire ‘J’ of 92 Squadron, but modelled for that short period between the adoption of additional identity markings for service over France, and the removal of the Squadron codes for the aircraft’s aborted participation in a VIP escort mission to France. It seems a reasonably likely scheme, and avoids the need (not faced by the restorers) to paint the aircraft with a depiction of scraped off or painted over Codes, which would just look ugly. The model is mostly out of the box, I just added the R/T aerial from Modelkasten rigging wire and Airscale instrument decals - because I ruined the one’s Tamiya provided. The decals are from the Fundekals sheet for early Spits - on which the code letters are a near dead match for Sky Grey. Paints are Colourcoats, the very light weathering is courtesy of a Flory grimewash, some light chipping with a prismacolor, and Humbrol enamel oil stains. The Eduard Spit is finished as THAT Spitfire, DW-K of 610 Squadron, using another Fundekals Spitfire sheet, and following the advice on that sheet to paint the undersides Sky Blue. I did first use the British Standard hue of Sky Blue, but ended up coating it over with the RAF sky blue, which is lighter and greyer. All paints, again, are Colourcoats enamels. The biggest contrast between the two kits are the the very different approaches to depicting the surface detail. I liked the Eduard approach on the fuselage, with the raised domed rivets aft, but preferred Tamiya’s restrained approach on the wings. I did mask off and fill in the Eduard recessed detail forward of the mainspar with Mr Surfacer as it was just too rivetty for my liking. I weathered the Eduard model more heavily, as it appears quite used in the photos taken at the time. I used the Barracuda resin wheels on this kit but honestly needn’t have bothered. Incidentally the code letters on this Fundekals sheet are a very good match for medium sea grey. When I build my next Eduard Spit I am also going to gently sand back the tops of the domed rivets on the fuselage a little - its not so much their prominence as their profile, which is more like little pin heads than domed rivets, which makes decalling over them a bear. I made the decals conform by using vast quantities of setting and solvent solutions. With enamel paints and gloss coats there is no fear of melting the paint doing this. Another contrast between the two kits is pose-ability, for want of a better term. It’s easier to deflect control surfaces on the Eduard kit, while Tamiya wants you to build the kit just as it comes. The Tamiya approach to modeling an open or closed cockpit is also, I think, taking things a bit far. A small tip, if you want the side cockpit inserts to fit perfectly, leave the fuselage halves on their respective sprues and glue your chosen inserts to them in situ. This holds the fuselage halves in perfect alignment to make the inserts a drop fit, and gives you both hands free for the careful gluing process. Both kits look like Spitfires when finished. I didn’t find either more difficult to build than the other. I will build both again when I can. Now I have seen both of these 1/48 scale versions of the Spitfire 1A, and also the Kotare Spitfire, which in many ways combines the best of both these approaches, I still think the most authentic treatment of the Spitfire’s surface textures , domed and recessed rivets, fabric, smoothed surface forward of the mainspar, is Revell’s 1/32 scale effort from 1967. Whoever did the surface tooling on that kit was a genius. cheers Steve

Another build from me, and a switch back to Civil Aviation for this one. This is the Airfix boxing of the Boeing 727 kit and a quick check of the measurements indicate that it scales out to around those for -100 short body version and I will be using a set of 26 Decals for this classic Lufthansa Scheme. Here is an image from Airliners.net of D-ABIB at Stockholm -Arlanda in August 1964. Boeing 727-30 D-ABIB 18360 Box and contents photos. by John L, on Flickr The fuselage parts have some slight warping but should pull together OK. by John L, on Flickr The wing parts will need a bit of tidying to remove a bit of flash. by John L, on Flickr Here are the remaining parts including a stand, obviously issued when these came as a standard item in Airfix kits. by John L, on Flickr And finally my choice of decals for this build. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Hope to get started on this soon. John

#10/2024 After the Indian Tempest with Chakra roundels, my dad now completed an Indian Spitfire with cockade roundels. Airfix kit built oob, only added Eduard seatbelts. Painted with Mr Paint White Aluminium. Build thread here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235138269-cockade-style148-supermarine-spitfire-fxviiie-royal-indian-airforce/ After the Indian independence in 1947, the RIAF took over a whole bunch of Griffon Spitfires, XIV and XVIII, from the RAF. They were mostly used as trainers because the Tempest was the main fighter. But they saw some minor action in the first Indo-Pakistani War 1947/48. HS877, former RAF SM969, ended up as gate guard of the Western Air Command HQ in Delhi and found its way back to the UK in 1978. It was then restored, brought back to flying condition and became a warbird. DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0002 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0003 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0004 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0006 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0007 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0010 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0002 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0013 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0014 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0015 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0016 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0017 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0019 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0020 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0021 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0022 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0023 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0024 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0025 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0026 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0027 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr Chakra and Cockade style together DSC_0028 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0029 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0030 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0031 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr

Wasn’t planning on entering this groupbuild but came across this when tidying up the stash. Always like the look of the Mustang with the Malcolm Hood, so I will be aiming for a quick OOB build.

For this GB I'm going to build a "Sexy American Singles in South American Service" subject, a Bolivian P-51D. Sexy American Singles in South American Service involves building American WWII single-engine aircraft to represent eight South American nations. So far, I've built representatives from Chile (A-24B); Argentina (F4U); Brazil (P-47); and Uruguay (F6F). Bolivia will be the next addition. I had hoped Arma would have their P-51D out by now, but since they don't I'll use this Airfix kit I picked up. One day I want to build the Korean version from it, but for now she'll be Bolivian. I will use decals and the profile from Aztec:

Su-25, Peruvian Air Force 2005, no. 071 in 1/48. Made from an old OEZ Letohrad (Czechoslovakia) kit. I used photoetched parts from Eduard and Part. The rest is self-made (for example flaps, slots, airbrakes etc.). Decals are from Authentic Decals 4847 set. Miss of stencils is not a mistake in this case.

I have been avoiding the big Sanger 1/48 Avro Shackleton in my stash for a while now. I picked it up on eBay a few years back & then realised it was an MR2 version and I wanted the AEW2. So some great service from Sanger provided me with the correct bits to build the one I wanted. The Martine Reconnaissance version had been retired before I started going to airshows, although I think the Duxford one had not long arrived when I first went around 1976. The AEW2 all over grey Shackletons were still sometimes seen around airshows until the late 80s. I can remember the sound of those 4 Griffons, and one memorable time seeing one flying with the BBMF Lanc. Anyway, the kit. These are the two fuselages and wings with a 1/48 Airfix Lightning for scale The detail isn’t actually too bad And the white metal parts. As I said I have both MR and AEW parts. So 24 separate prop blades & vacform hubs. Nice and easy then! This is not going to fall together over night! I usually do lights & motors but even though technically a modified rc helicopter would give contra rotating props, I think the white metal blades would fly around the room! Might still squeeze in some lights though

Gonna add an Indian Spitfire to the Indian Tempest. Would have preferred to do the camouflaged "96" with the Chakra roundels. There are Iliad Design and Model Alliance decals for this scheme, but the Chakras are on white ground. Actual info is that the chakras on camouflaged aircraft were on yellow ground. So gonna do the silver Indina scheme with the normal cockades included in the kit. DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0009 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr

The Airfix Blenheim has been built a few times in BM and I previously built a both a MkI and a MkIV of 771 NAS based at RNAS Twatt. So a quick look in the stash revealed this one as well. I had laid down some paint previously but that’s all. I have some aftermarket, the masks are vital for the Blenheim’s glass house and turret, while I’ve got a selection of transfers. I’ll use the markings for 787 NAS the Naval Air Fighting Development Unit. I’ll add in some etch seat belts but otherwise OOB.

Revell Chinook HC.Mk.1 1/48 Model kit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Something of a departure from my normal builds, but one I’ve been promising to get done for a year or two for a friend who had the model sat under his desk in the office for about ten years and wondered if he’d ever find the courage (as a non-modeler) to tackle it; we’ve worked together for about twenty years, so I offered to build it for him. It will essentially be an out of the box build but with a few changes to decals to represent the first aircraft he worked on (so many) years ago. I was quite surprised to see that there were very few articles on the build of the Revell kit (a few of the Italeri version – which I think is the same kit) and hadn’t realised that the kit had become a little scarce. As I said, it’s a bit of a departure for me, as I usually build aeroplanes and in 1/72… so to tackle a 1/48 Helicopter (pronounced heli-co-peter) 😊 is putting me somewhat outside my comfort zone, but we’ll give it a go. I started with some kit familiarisation of the sprues and the instructions, and looking at where all the painting instructions were hidden. Ok, confession… I’m not much of a fan of Revell instructions, which seem a bit random and basic. I spent quite some time marking up the sheets with colour annotations, but realised that using the instructions alone was never going to tell me everything I needed to know. More of that to come. Anyway… the sprues A first look at sprues by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr An article on the Italeri kit that I’d read about in Phoenix Aviation Modelling suggested the need to “droop” the rotor blades. I took a close look at the rotor blades on the sprue and noticed that these ones are least are pre-drooped. Poor photo but shows blade curvature (droop) by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr I appreciate that when parked, the blades (or some of them at least) can look even more drooped that this. The day before IPMS SMW at Telford I meet up with some good mates at RAF Museum Cosford for a wander around (well… what else would you do?) and I took a good look at their HC.Mk.1 that they have (Bravo November)… including some studying of the rotor blades, and whilst the blades on the front rotor do exhibit more of a droop, they’re drooped at the root and not along the blade length. I’m no Chinook expert so I presume this is something to do with Parking of the blades… I’ll need to look at the photos I took when I get to this stage… but I was left with the impression of not needing to bend the blades at least. Another aspect that the article I’d read had left me with the impression of was that the overall fit of the model was less than ideal. To be honest, this is the first model I’ve made with both an inner and outer fuselage, so I was interested in doing a little test-fitting to see how all the parts went together, to see what I’d need to face later on. To be honest… “false alarm”… as having taped the inner sections together, I cocooned it in the outer shell and, despite some slight warping or the under-side, it seemed to go together “ok”…. Yes, a little disobedient along the top section, but some strong tape as glue dries will sort that (I hope). One impression I was left with was the “heft” that this model had. I’m not used to such large models or ones that are dual skinned… it was quite impressive. Inner and outer fuselage components taped together for fit check by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr I was interested to see how much would be visible inside… always good to know; this test assembly helped the understanding. Looking to see what will be visible inside by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr The glazing and nose cover were added and despite a few gaps, I hope these will be treatable with a little persuasion of the parts when them need to be glued. The glazing did have a few scratches, possibly due to having broken loose of its sprue when in the bag/box… so I spent an evening polishing these out. There are still a few imperfections, but these look to be in the material, so we’ll need to live with these. A little clamping and filler will hopefully sort these gaps by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr This is the interior all taped up for the just-described test-fit. Interior fuselage components test fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr So… getting back to the dearth of detail in the instructions, I’d spent some time searching for a useful book to refer to for this build. There really are not many books on the chinook. I found WWP Chinook In Detail and thought that it might help (yes it will) It’s a bit like the Danny Coremans “Daco” books that I use for reference in other builds, but getting a copy took some doing, what with it being out of print. Yes, a Japanese site said they had several copies… but that copies would be dispatched once in stock (suspicious!) so I eventually paid a little more from a UK second-hand book supplier and it arrived a few days later. This has interior and exterior details of US and UK examples, so has proven very useful. Useful reference by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr With the photographic reference book in hand, I could start painting with a little more confidence. I started with the interior as this needed doing first (of course). I used Halfords primer on everything, then applied a few light coats of a light grey (matched to photos – noting that floor, panels and padded walls and roof are not all quite the same shade). I mixed some Tamiya grey shades with white to get the colour I sought… adding more white where it was needed. Once good and dry, I masked off the grey sections so that I could apply a dirty-black (a very dark grey) Floor painted and masked for "black" areas by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Once airbrushed some variations in tone, the floor was unmasked looking ok. Once hard, I applied a few light coats of Aqua Gloss to seal everything for weathering. Floor section black areas applied by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr A similar approach was taken for the walls and ceiling, albeit with rear sections given a few coats of “interior green”, which I mixed using about 10 to 12 drops of yellow to 1 drop of black.. which with some experimentation seemed about right… mission models paints being used here. The seats had also been primed, and then given a light coat of Tamiya white… followed by a few light layers of Mission Models Insignia red. Once dry, I added a couple of coats of aqua gloss to seal it in, then painted the silver/grey sections by hand using Mig Ammo Bare Metal Matt Aluminium which went on with a small brush excellently. Finally, I made a few variations of light grey or hemp colour (using mission models paints) to brush-on the seat belts. Photos show these to be a bit of a mix of colours on any particular aircraft, so that’s what I did. The end result was sealed with some more aqua gloss and looked a bit “bright” but would tone-back a little with some weathering. Seats, painted by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr On to that weathering I mentioned; I took an easy route of using Tamiya panel liner brushed on liberally and then wiped off… which worked ok. Weathering interior sections by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr The bulkheads and cockpit panels that lacked transfers (overhead panel and cockpit entry sides) were all painted up (using photographic references). There are a few issues here as the kit parts are a bit “hybrid” in some areas – or rather nothing like any photos I could see… so some artistic licence was needed in places, but I think they look ok… given how much will be visible afterwards. Interior painted by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Cockpit and bulkhead sections by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Although not shown, I later painted in the details in the rear fuselage "green" sections, and transfers were added to the fuselage sides (prior to weathering) I assembled the cockpit and test-fitted the seats to just take a look. It was only after the cockpit panel transfers had been added and sealed with a matt coat that I noticed that the HSI colours are upside down… at least, I presume the aircraft isn’t flying through a brown sky over water… hmmm. But it was too late to rectify that. Thanks, Revell. Before everything was assembled, I applied a unifying flat coat to everything. I don’t usually do anything flatter than semi-gloss (or satin) coats for exteriors, but for interiors, especially where there’s lots of soft coverings such as the insulation on the walls and seats) a flat coat seemed to be better. This tones everything back a bit and worked quite well for the interior floor, walls and ceiling. I’d do the same for the ramp later in the build. Cockpit assembled and seats test-fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Front section fwd-view by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Realising that before I could close the interior and exterior fuselage, I’d need to assemble the rear ramp… and thus paint it too. The kit provides for this to be fitted early in build, and has two brackets to attach it to the rear of the floor section. So, I assembled the rear ramp sections as shown. Now… here I have a bit of a gripe with the kit as the attachment brackets are angled and you need to take care which way they’re attached. Here’s where I feel-down a bit. Following the instructions, I added them one way… and when doing a test fit with the fuselage, found that the whole ramp sat a bit low… with a big step-up to the cabin floor level (which could not have been right). I looked at the instructions again … no, that’ the way the brackets are shown attaching… look at a later step in the instructions and it shows them the other way up. It’s not the part flipped… the brackets are reversed. So. I opened the ramp up and managed to remove the brackets and added them the other way up... packing them out a bit with plasticard to strengthen the whole thing. Initial ramp assembly by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr When I then tried to fit these, I found that it would not close-up properly at all, I was a bit peeved! Having slept on it, I decided to go for a different approach and make some forks that could slot into the rear fuselage once complete... and thus not need to be fitted until final assembly (much easier) I disassembled the rear ramp.. which took a little doing Ramp disassembly and bracket removal by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr I then made the two forks from four laminates of plasticard, and cut a wedge from each end so that the fork would be angled forward of the ramp, to allow a dropped angle for the ramp at the end. The reinforcing just beefed up the structure given that it would now be a separate part. Shown on test fit (for test fitting to the fuselage) and after gluing Revised fitting for ramp... test fit by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Fettling the ramp to work with attachment "forks" by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr In the latter photo above, the two chamfers are evident in the outer shell, allowing the forks to sit close to the outer skin once assembled. The ramp was assembled, some details added with a pin-vice and Rosie-Rivetter and primed. A shade of grey similar to the interior was added (as close as I could get it) and then this was masked for the back sections. Masked and black areas applied to ramps by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Notable in the above shot are the two ramp sections that sit atop (or down from) the main ramp. To sit these parts flush on the main ramp, they were sanded flat on their undersides. Once finished, these will just sit on top of the main ramp... ready for use if needed. Once finished and weathered, the ramp looked ok. The upper clamshell section for the rear fuselage opening sits inside the ramp when open; it is visible sticking-out of the main ramp here. Ramp completed, with weathering by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr That was 2023… it’s now 2024… so back to it. Happy New Year all. The seats were glued in place and I set about taping up the fuselage interior sections for gluing. Interior assembly stage by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr I used plenty of masking tape to hold it all together then glued everything using Tamiya thin. Once dry, I beefed this up with my sprue-goo mix (Tamiya thin and sprues) along the seams. Interior taped up whilst glue dries #1 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Interior taped up whilst glue dries #2 by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr One thing that may be noticeable from that last photo is that there’s a gap between the rear undercarriage bay plate and the fuselage walls… I therefore cut out a couple of sections of plasticard and glued these into the gap, using tape again to hold it all together. Added "packing" to rear undercarriage bay assembly by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr Whilst all of the glue was drying overnight, I wrapped the outer fuselage sections around the outside, to keep everything true or square whilst it set hard. That gap by the rear undercarriage part being very evident here (prior to fixing) Outer fuselage added to keep interior "square" by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr And finally…. after a good 24 hours, all tape was removed and some final check made. I re-clamped the rear section and added some more glue, along with some more sprue-goo to bolster the grip, and then used this on all slightly open seams (although they’ll all be covered by the outer skin once added. Final clamping and glue and some sprue goo. by Jonathan Hughes, on Flickr So that’s it for now. Not my normal type of build but another case of learning as I go. Thanks for reading… Jonathan.

It's taken some time but I've finally finished the Airfix BF109E-3 gift set pack I picked up for well under a tenner. Yes, it's far from perfect but I really enjoyed this one purely because it was a chance to try some new techniques, become more confident with my airbrush and do a spot of research on the aircraft, not just simply building it. Weathering is still an area to work on and the build isn't too bad considering it was a cheap and cheerful kit. Go gentle with me folks, I'm still learning!

North American B-25C/D Mitchell (A06015A) 1:72 Airfix The Mitchell was a twin-engined medium bomber that served with distinction during WWII, with over 10,000 being produced by war's end. Named after General Billy Mitchell, the type reached prominence early on in America's entry to the war, as it was used in the famous carrier launched Doolittle raid on mainland Japan, leaving USS Hornet to bomb Japan, and attempting to land on fields in East China after the mission. It was a good aircraft to fly, and was well-liked by its crews, as well as being able to soak up a tremendous amount of punishment from the enemy and still remain flyable thanks to its rugged construction. These traits led to the Mitchell being used in almost every theatre of war, and in addition to bombing duties it was also converted to a "gun-truck" for ground attack, and was fitted with various armaments, including cheek mounted machine guns in fairings, and sometimes the 75mm cannon from a Sherman tank in a solid nose cone, as well as four .50cal brownings in the nose (B-25G) that was named ‘Strafer’, plus the turret guns that could be aimed forwards to add to the hail of munitions. The J-model was the last production variant in a long line of upgrades and improvements, and although many were built with glass noses, they were often converted in the field to a solid nose for ground attack duties. The Kit This kit was first released in 2018, and this boxing adds new decals to the existing tooling and new box art to match, depicting a gaggle of Mitchells flying low over desert terrain. Inside the box are five sprues of different sizes in dark grey styrene, two clear sprues, decals, and the instruction booklet, which is printed in colour with decal option profiles on the rear pages, accompanied by a separate page of profiles for the common stencils applied to the aircraft. Detail is good, and this 1:48 modeller was quite surprised by the small size of the Mitchell at this scale, probably because I’ve been handling a 1:48 B-25 kit recently for another review. It includes a detailed cockpit, bomb bay, turrets, and gun position details, with options for dropped or retracted flaps plus poseable tail surfaces, and raised or lowered wheels to add some personalisation to your model. Construction begins with the cockpit, based on a stepped floor, to which the twin control columns with integral centre console is added, with the instrument panel in front, applying a decal to depict the dials. A bulkhead is fixed to the front of the floor, and two crew seats are slotted into sockets in the floor behind the controls. Another bulkhead is slotted in from the side behind the crew, and an additional lower floor part it fixed to the bottom of the assembly after drilling out two flashed-over holes in one side. At the rear of the assembly, a further bulkhead with moulded-in spar is mounted, then the nose compartment is detailed with a small seat and a bicycle-like seat in the very front of the floor. The bomb bay is just behind the cockpit, and the fuselage halves are thinned here to accept the bay wall inserts, which also have the bay doors moulded-in to give it a strong join, and is detailed with the bomb ladders down the sides of the walls. A note in this step tells you to skip ahead if you plan to leave the bay doors closed, which I missed initially, so make sure you don’t. The cockpit assembly is installed on the port fuselage after detail painting, sliding it into position by feeding the spar through a hole in the side of the fuselage. Another spar is prepared with an extra layer to the bulkhead, located on circular pads, then it too is slipped into the port fuselage, adding 25 grammes of nose weight under the cockpit, making use of the box-like structure there. The bomb bay roof is fitted between the two bulkheads, and an insert is added to the belly behind the bomb bay with the socket for the belly turret and its pivot point moulded-in. The bombs are provided in this boxing, making four of them from three parts each, and gluing two on each side of the bay, adding retraction jacks and their mounts to the front of the bay opening. With both sides of the bay built and painted, the fuselage halves can be closed, and the seams dealt with in your preferred manner. If you elected to leave the bay doors closed, a separate part is included with a panel line down the centre to represent the two doors closed against each other. The wings are built on the spars projecting from the sides of the fuselage, adding the upper surface first, and installing the clear landing light lenses in the leading edge, drilling out some flashed-over holes, which are used to locate the aerodynamic fairings over the exhaust ports on the trailing edges of the wings. The lower surface is then glued in place, two clear inserts are fitted into holes in the fuselage sides behind the wings, which cater for various window arrangements through the different variants, and should be test-fitted carefully so that they are level with the rest of the skin of the model. The elevators are built from top and bottom halves with separate flying surfaces trapped during gluing, which can be deflected according to details given as the assembly is glued onto the rear of the fuselage ready for the rudder panels to be built. Again, the panels are made from two halves with separate rudders, one per side, and these too can be deflected according to the numbers given on the diagrams, plus another diagram that confirms that the rudder panels should be posed at 90° to the elevators. The next choice is whether to pose the gear up or down, with gear down the first choice to be described, starting with positioning the main gear legs, using the outer nacelle half as a jig to locate the strut, but not applying any glue to the nacelle part at this time. It can be left in situ while the glue on the gear leg cures, and in the meantime the engines and their cowlings can be made, which are common to gear up or down options. The front row of pistons has a central axle trapped between it and the reduction bell-housing at the front, then it is glued to the combined bulkhead/rear bank of pistons, providing detail that will be dimly seen through the spaces between the front bank of pistons, and via the cooling gills at the rear if you have sharp eyes. The cowling is prepared by adding seven small raised fairings around the main part, sliding the completed motor into the back of the assembly before fitting the cowling gills using the tabs and slots that are shown in the diagrams. The nacelle halves are joined together, assuming the glue has cured on the main gear legs, and these two parts are augmented by a short forward section on the outer half, then mounting a bulkhead and intake to the front, repeating this for the other side in mirror image. The completed nacelles are then lowered over the main gear legs and glued onto the underside of the wings. For the gear-up option, the legs are omitted, and the small curved bay door covers the opening before gluing the nacelles to the wings, removing the two hinges from one end first, which is done again in mirror image for the opposite engine. The engine cowlings are then glued to the front of the nacelles, regardless of the gear option chosen, then the two flap sections per wing can be glued in place lowered, or retracted by using different parts, doing the same on the opposite wing. Both wheel position options have the curved bump-stop at the very rear of the tail, then for the gear down option, separate scissor-links are glued to the legs, adding the doors and a retraction jack near the front of the bay. The wheels are each in two halves, and have a diamond tread pattern moulded into them, so take care aligning the halves once you have applied glue to minimise clean-up. The attachment points on the struts are specially designed to prevent mistakes, so check that the inner peg is aligned with the hole in the bottom of the tyre cut-out before you leave the glue to set. The Mitchell was unusual for a WWII bomber because of its tricycle undercarriage, and for gear-up the bay is covered by a small door that has been reduced in width prior to fitting. The gear down option has the strut inserted into the slot, a translucent scrap diagram showing how it should locate, then the uncut door is fitted to the edge of the bay, adding the wheel with separate outer hub to the bottom of the leg. The belly turret could be retracted so that it was almost flush with the airflow to increase speed and reduce fuel consumption whilst on the way to and from enemy territory and for landing. You have the option to pose it in either position, gluing the two machine guns into a different centre mount, depending on your choice. Both options are then inserted into the clear upper section of the turret, installing both in the cut-out under the belly, the mount holding each option at the correct attitude. The deployed turret clips into position without glue thanks to an expanding spring clip on the mount, but it is a one-time use clip, so make sure you’re ready to install it, and don’t be tempted to put it in early to see how it looks. The retracted turret has its guns aligned with two long recesses, so can be glued into position as there is only one possible position for them. Behind the turret is a crew hatch, which has four tabs around the lip that can support the door if you intend to leave it closed. To open it, the tabs should be cut away, fitting the combined door and ladder to the front of the cut-out, with the same process carried out on the door to the front of the bomb bay. The upper turret is next, fitting the twin machine guns to the central mechanism, and trapping them in position with another part of the assembly. The two ammo cannisters with a twin feed of link is glued to the front of the assembly, then the completed assembly is inserted carefully into the glazing, a scrap diagram showing how it will look from below. The completed top turret is then fitted into its cut-out, locating in a socket in the floor inside. The nose is open at this stage, allowing you to install a rack of ammo cans, plus the gun that is offset to one side of the bomb sight, which is another part fitted to the front lip of the floor. Under the nose is a small window that is inserted from below, then the top glazing is added, followed by the nose glazing, which has a flexible mounted machine gun pushed through the central hole, slotting the fixed gun through the other offset hole in the clear part as you install it. There are two styles of canopy included on the sprues, one for each of the decal options, and at this stage you can choose to seat the two pilot figures that are supplied or not. An astrodome is added to a hole in the fuselage behind the cockpit, fitting two landing light covers in the leading edges of the wings, installing some windows in the sides, and the glass dome in the tail. The final few parts dotted around the airframe include pitot probe in the port wingtip, two antenna masts on the spine, plus a D/F loop in an aerodynamic fairing, and the twin three-bladed props, one in each engine nacelle. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, one in US service in a desert scheme, the other a lend/lease aircraft in Soviet service, each with a full page of profiles to help you complete the task. An additional page of profiles shows where the stencils are applied to both decal options, using line drawings to simplify the process. From the box you can build one of the following: B-25C Mitchell ‘OH-7’, 41-13207, 445th BS, French Morocco, 1943 B-25D Mitchel ‘09’ 42-87594, 1st Sqn., Uman Airfield, 1944 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 B-25 in this scale with plenty of personalisation options that belies the scale, with a couple of interesting and more unusual decal options, which combines to make for a welcome re-release. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

RNLI Severn Class Lifeboat (A07280) 1:72 Airfix Named after the River Severn, the Severn Class Lifeboat began life as the potential replacement for the existing RNLI all-weather lifeboats that were in service in the 1980s, improving range and endurance to put greater capabilities at the hands of the crew. The prototype was launched in 1991, and underwent development trials for most of the rest of the decade, while production class boats were in manufacture from 1995 onward, needing some alterations and upgrades before they went into service. Once the crews that were anticipating the boats at their locations saw the impressive new vessel that was the culmination of its numerous upgrades, they were keen to take them on as soon as possible, one such crew in Falmouth successfully requesting that the demonstrator be stationed at their boat house until their own was ready. The extended range and higher speed of the type made it an ideal replacement, allowing the crews to search longer, whilst covering more area, and help stranded craft further out to sea. They are built from a composite material that is fibre-reinforced for strength, paying particular attention to the keel and skegs that protect the screws, which were early victims of damage during trials. It is highly resistant to sinking, with up to two of the five compartments able to be flooded, and has all the latest communications, First Aid, and tracking systems onboard. It is powered by twin Caterpillar Marine Diesel engines for redundancy, and has a recessed bow thruster that increases the craft’s manoeuvrability at sea, allowing it to get in close proximity with vessels that it is attending. The Skegs are intended to protect the aft screws from damage in shallow water, and while the early incarnations were too easily damaged, the upgraded Skegs allow the boat to run over objects or aground without harming the propulsion system, giving the crew an audible warning in the form of a loud crunching sound if they’re getting too close to disabling their boat. For shallow water and other instances when the boat is too large for the task in hand, a Y-Class inflatable can be lowered into the water by the integrated crane to rescue or recover their target. Canada has also taken an extreme conditions adapted variant of the Severn Class boat on strength that are known locally as the Bay Class, although the Canadian boats are aluminium hulled, and have differences that make them suitable for extreme seas up to a 12 on the Beaufort (wind) scale. As of 2020, the RNLI was investigating the possibility of a life-extension programme to keep the Severn fleet in service for a further 25 years, taking the hull back to basics, and installing shock-resistant seats that will keep the crew safe in extreme seas. The Kit This is a new boxing of Airfix’s 2007 release of this RNLI lifeboat that can be seen in thirty-five harbours around Britain, in their distinctive bright orange, red and blue scheme, with another nine in the relief fleet in case they are needed. It’s quite incredible that our coastal seas are protected by a charity organisation, but they are, and they do a fine job of it too. The kit arrives in Airfix’s characteristic red-themed top-opening box with a Severn Class boat cruising close to shore on the front, and inside are four sprues in Airfix’s recent darker grey styrene, plus a clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet in spot colour that has a colour painting and decaling guide slipped inside along with the decals. Detail is good, as anyone that has seen the kit already will attest, and while it is an exterior kit below deck, the superstructure includes interior parts that can be seen through the windows, or exposed by leaving the roof loose on your model, although care will be needed assembling this portion of the model. Furthermore, the model can be made waterline by cutting the keel from the hull along a raised line inside the parts, a line that extends across the front of the keel and along the vessel’s sides, cutting the lower stern using the drawings to guide you, as there isn’t a line there. Construction begins with the hull, which is built from keel, topsides, stern and a part that fits into a recess near the bow to depict the bow thruster. Inverting the hull shows off the Skegs, between which the twin shafts, supports and screws are fixed, adding rudders in their wake, with the option of fitting a pair of two-part stands to the undersides for display, or at least temporarily during the build process. On the stern, two bilge outlets and three trim-tabs with their actuator rods are fitted, and the deck is mated to the hull, adding a hatch with window that leads below deck. After painting the deck where the super structure will be, interior dividers and a bench seat are installed along with a console and forward bulkhead. The interior ribbing and various equipment boxes are moulded as two parts that sit on either side of the superstructure, linked at the top by a small roof frame, attaching the ship’s instruments around the forward section, plus a ship’s wheel that resembles a car’s. The next step omits the above-deck parts entirely from the drawings for clarity, installing five crew seats on bases, some of which are separate, other bases moulded into the deck. Vertical struts are also glued into the deck, then the aft wall with hatch and twin windows is fitted with a cylindrical fixture behind it, and additional details installed within, including grab handles and an additional window. Two low extensions are added behind, locating on holes in the deck surface, then the remainder of the outer structure is mounted on the interior ribbing after fitting windows to the sides and bridge, plus two outriggers at the rear, which are boxed in, with short ladders fitted aft. Various deck fittings and railings are added around the bow and midships, with more detail on the roof of the bridge, moving round to the stern with boxed rafts, ladders, the crane and more railings with attendant deck-fittings. Another round of railings is added to the sides along with the anchor and open chock tie-up points at various locations around the edges. The inflatable is made from upper and lower halves, adding an outboard motor to the stern, although this is usually protected by a cover in operation. Above the enclosed bridge is another exposed station with seats that allows the crew to sail the boat in the open, giving them a lofty vantage point over proceedings. The mast is supported on a frame that is built from four parts, adding the control station with its own wheel at the front, the location of which is marked in black on the instructions. It is surrounded by low walls, and has the various sensors and aerials fixed to the flat top of the mast support, adding angled windows to the front and sides to deflect spray. More railings are fitted around the inflatable on the top deck, with life rings, searchlights and twin aerials finishing off the build. Markings The decal sheet is large, and includes codes and names for all of the thirty-five boats in service, plus the nine relief boats that don’t have their own names allocated. Old and new style fonts are provided for the codes, depending on when you wish to depict your Lifeboat, which also extends to the RNLI flag and “Lifeboats” on the sides of the superstructure. From the box you can depict any of the fleet, as shown on the painting guide, using the scheme below: 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. In addition to the cheatline around the hull, there is a 10cm length spare that should be sufficient to cover most slip-ups, and RNLI in large blue letters for the open bridges of the reserve boats. Finally, there is a flag for the mast. Conclusion A welcome re-release of this important modern British Lifeboat with new decals, and revitalised instructions. There are some tips and tricks to be had if you search the previous builds over the years on this site, which will make your build progress well thanks to their efforts. It's worth noting the virtual 'sticker' on the top right of the box that states that at least £1.60 of the price of this model will go to the RNLI to assist them in their quest to keep the Nation's coasts safe. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

OK slight change of build plan, I said that the next on the bench would be the HobbyBoss Scammell Commander with the Amusing Hobby Centurion AVRE for a load well whilst at the South West Model Show at the Bovington Tank Museum I was given the Airfix Austin K2/Y by the friend that I shared a table with as he had ended up with two. He has built one as in the film Ice Cold in Alex but didn't want to build a second one so thought I might like to have it so it has made its way onto the bench and will be built out of the box using the Northern Europe markings in the kit. A start has been made with the basic chassis being assembled completing build sections one and two That's as far as its progressed more soon I hope Thanks for looking in your time is very much appreciated Stay safe Roger

In the spirit of the era of pushing boundaries, I'll push my boundaries in this GB by building by far the largest model I've yet attempted - Airfix's 1/72 Handley Page Victor. Inside the box there is a LOT of plastic! Bottle of Mr Color for scale. Will really need to clear the bench to build this, both figuratively and literally. Plan is to build it out of the box, using the box art scheme - B.2 XL512 of 129 Squadron at RAF Wittering in the anti-flash white scheme circa 1963-64. So a late Boomer, but one that to me really encapsulates the bigger, faster further spirit of the early jet age. This kit would have been built dozens of times by Britmodellers, so all tips and pointers welcome. I've always loved the Victor's evocative shape and form, it really must have looked like the future when it first emerged in 1952. Hopefully I can build a decent representation of it, plus find a place to display it! Thanks for having this baby of baby boomers in this GB! Cheers, Gerard

Hi, Now that I have cleared the last troublesome kit I will build from my stash (AMT P-40N), it's time to get to the Corsairs. It started with the F4U-5, then I found an AU-1 (F4U-6) kit I didn't know existed, and recently I found an F4U-7. I thought I'd work on them all together since they are all related. As everything will be in triplicate this will be a slow build. Cheers, Wlad