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Dragon M4A1(76)W VVSS 2nd Armoured Regiment - Polish 1st Armoured Division - Holland 1944 This was my entry in the Radial Engines Rock GB. It followed hot on the heels of my Toon Sherman in the Blitzbuild GB It was actually a really enjoyable build and I reckon the details are really nice for this scale. The M4 Sherman was the most numerous medium tank used by the United States and some of the other Western Allies in World War II. It was found to be generally reliable, relatively cheap to produce and available in great numbers. Thousands were distributed through the Lend-Lease program to the British Commonwealth and Soviet Union. It was named after the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. The M4A1(76)W VVSS Sherman was fitted with the Continental Wright R975 Whirlwind 9 cylinder radial gasoline engine. The WIP can be found here. Some on my Spitfire display shelf with grass matting: Finally I made a bit of a display base using a small picture frame from Wilkos as a starting point: And then, surprise, surprise - I took some more photos of it on this base: And did I mention that the model is quite small? It's the 1/72nd Dragon Kit: And finally - one with the Toon Sherman: Thank you to the host of the GB and everyone who took the time to comment in my thread. As usual I will post some black and white images when I get chance. Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

Yak-3 White 6 Lieutenant Marcel Albert, 1st FAR “Normandie Niemen”, 303rd FAD, Autumn 1944/Spring 1945 It’s been a few months since I have built an aircraft model but, for the ‘From Russia with Love’ GB, I decided I’d do something similar to my MTO GB build where I made a diorama with three German tanks and one aircraft. My original intention was to have the aircraft flying over the three Russian tanks (similar to my MTO GB project) but when I saw Zvezda had included a rather nicely detailed engine I changed my plans and decided to have it on the ground with the covers off. It was a lovely kit to build and apart from when I had a bit of an issue with how I had painted the camo colours it was one of my most pleasurable builds to date. The Yak-3 is a great looking aircraft which was developed from a Yak-1M airframe and had a strong resemblance to its forerunners. The Yak-3 was superior to the Yak-1 – it was lighter and with smaller wings, powered by a Klimov VK-105PF engine - it was much faster and more agile. It was also better than most of its German opponents – especially at low altitudes where most aerial combat in the east took place – and during the last ten months of the war Yak-3s played a key role in defeating the Luftwaffe. Just under 5,000 Yak-3s were produced between late 1943 and early 1946. “White 6” (as I have built this model as) was flown by Lieutenant Marcel Albert, 1st FAR “Normandie Niemen”, 303rd FAD between Autumn 1944 and Spring 1945. Yak-3, “White 6” carried a white arrow/lightning bolt on either side of the fuselage and had a tri-colour spinner. Kit: 1/48 Zvezda Yak-3 Extras: Tamiya seat belts and EZline aerial wire Paints: Humbrol, Revell, Citadel and Railmatch Acrylics - all applied by brush WIP: Here Tank RFI: Here Diorama photos: Here As I mentioned above - this Yak-3 was made for a diorama - so here are a few pictures of it in place - more photos of the scene can be found here Finally - a big thank you must go to Peter (Basilisk), the hard working GB host, who supported us all throughout - and everyone who took the time to comment or offer advice in my GB thread. Kind regards, Stix

It will actually be a while before I start this project but this is the kit I have been planning to build for this GB since April 2015, when I signed up for it: As most will already know the M4 Sherman was the most numerous medium tank used by the United States and some of the other Western Allies in World War II. It was found to be generally reliable, relatively cheap to produce and available in great numbers. Thousands were distributed through the Lend-Lease program to the British Commonwealth and Soviet Union. It was named after the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. The actual M4A1(76)W, which is the Sherman Tank this Dragon kit is based on, had a Continental Wright R975 Whirlwind 9 cylinder radial gasoline engine which obviously makes it suitable for this GB. When I get chance I will take some photos of the contents of the box. Once I have completed my builds in the 'From Russia with Love' and 'Made in Britain II' GBs I will make a start on this one. Kind regards, Stix

Well it's been great fun down in the Blitzbuild GB! If you haven't taken a look yet make sure you do - or, if you've got a spare 24 hours free before midnight on Monday evening, build something of your own! I chose to build Meng's Sherman and what a great kit to build. I think it took me about 18 or so hours of actual build time from start to finish. Because I needed to make it in a limited amount of time I opted to use Humbrol's rattlecan matt Olive Drab for the main painting but everything else is applied with by brush and it's all OOB. WIP: Here Start time: ......and finished time: The photos: Some on my Spitfire display shelf: Thank you to Enzo Matrix for organising the GB and everyone who took the time to comment in my WIP thread. Roll on the next Blitzbuild GB! Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

This was the fourth kit I made for the MTO GB - the first 3 being German tanks. It forms the final part of a small diorama called 'Kampfgruppe Tunesien'. This was only my second Fw190 kit build and I decided I wanted to make it because I had thoroughly enjoyed building the (slightly tricky) Airfix 1/72 new tool kit and came to appreciate what a great looking aircraft it is. I used Tamiya's A3 Fw190 kit and slightly modified it to represent Fw190 A4 ’Black Double Chevron' as flown by Hauptmann Adolf Dickfeld in Tunisia. As I wanted to use it 'in flight' I had to find a way to get the propeller to work so I used an Airfix prop motor. Kit: 1/48 Tamiya Fw190 A3 (converted to an A4 ) Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel all applied by brush Extras: Aerial cable from EZ-line plus an Airfix propeller motor. WIP: Here Diorama RFI: Here Edit: 04/01/17 - New Photoshopped image added: Some photos - the first few were taken before it had been fitted onto the diorama base and were shot against one of my desert backdrops: Now some photos of it once it had been fitted onto the diorama base. The idea is that it has just taken off and is flying low over a group of tanks on the ground - I have used Woodlands Scenics palm trees to try and disguise the metal support tube: For some of the wider shots the sandy background wasn't big enough so Mrs PlaStix suggested using a blue sheet as a backdrop which works okay: And now one (for now) of the Fw190 over the diorama base: This is a video to show the propeller working - it was filmed before I had finished the build: I'll post a couple more from the diorama once I have them organised and then, when I have posted the photos of the full diorama in the Diorama section, I will post a link here. I thoroughly enjoyed building this aircraft and thanks must go to all the Britmodeller members who offered advice and support throughout my project. It was a great GB to take part in and, if you haven't checked it out out I would recommend a quick look! Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix Edit 04/01/17 - as mentioned above - some extra photos with some Photoshopping:

Well, here is my latest completion the 1/48 Spitfire Vb from Airfix. Its the most recent tooling, and when completed is a good looking Spitfire. The build was not as easy as i expected however and i fell foul of the precise engineering of the kit when closing up the fuselage, which led to problems fitting the cowling section in front of the canopy. Much teeth grinding and sanding ensued before i achieved fit of sorts. I have to say i was a bit disheartened by this what with it being new Airfix, but heyho its done. The undercarriage is a bit over complicated and weak for me so i will have to be careful when moving the model around. Markings are from Sky Decals and represent Squadron Leader Geoffrey Northcott's machine from 402 Canadian Squadron. EP120 still flys today and was retsored to flying condition around 1980 after a stint as a gate guardian. Many of the LF (clipped wing) Spitfires were converted standard Vb's and led to them being referred to as the clipped, cropped, and clapped Spitty (some being repaired war weary examples). Here, hopefully, are the pics. Thanks for looking, Greg. IMG_2522 by G DSC, on Flickr IMG_2521 by G DSC, on Flickr IMG_2520 by G DSC, on Flickr IMG_2519 by G DSC, on Flickr IMG_2523 by G DSC, on Flickr IMG_2524 by G DSC, on Flickr

Here's my 1/72 Trumpeter MiG-31 for the From Russia With Love GB. You can find the build thread here. First off, I know, I know, there are a couple of horrific seams! This build was completed as I was in the final months of my PhD, so for me it was something to take my mind of the thesis and help me relax. It was also a chance to test out @HATAKA OFFICIAL paints and some new oil based weathering techniques. Probably not the best way to kick off my first RFI, but I thought I would get the excuses out of the way early Anyway, to the build itself. I was impressed with the fit and how the kit went together with the one exception of the intakes. Struggled to get the seam sorted out, and in the end I decided not to go too far and lose too much detail. Painting went very well, brush painted @HATAKA OFFICIAL Red Line paints and was very pleased with the finish. I tried out some oil paints for the weathering and was satisfied with the outcome. For me, it looks like a MiG-31 and that's what matters! With any luck this will be one of my final brush painted kits! Sorry for the terrible pictures, but hope you enjoy nonetheless!

North American Mustang IV No.112 Sqadron, Italy, 1945 This kit was built in just over a week - I started it on December 25th and finished it yesterday, 2nd January. In my head I thought it would only take a couple of days but I was enjoying the build so much that I decided to put a little more time into it. This is Airfix's Starter Set version and, as I have said before, I don't think most of Airfix's Starter sets are suitable as starter sets - not for real beginners anyway. There are a couple of tricky bits during construction and some of the smaller parts are so fragile they break while being removed from the sprues despite a great deal of care being taken. It is mostly OOB (apart from the bits which broke and some Tamiya Tape seat-belts)) although I did paint it in the 'Firewall' camouflage pattern that the original aircraft was painted in. Kit: 1/72 Airfix Starter Set Paints: Humbrol, Revell, Citadel and Railmatch all applied by brush Extras: Tamiya tape seat-belts, styrene for the control column and aerial WIP: Here Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

I built this small scene for the 70s NATO vs Warsaw Pact GB. I originally started with Modelcollect's 1/72nd T-64 MBT Mod 1972 kit - which is beautifully detailed and a joy to build. (If you decide to build one please be aware that the instructions are a bit wrong in places - I have detailed the problems with the instructions in my WIP thread). With the kit almost complete I realised that it would look good in a small vignette - in a scene similar to that shown in the box art for the kit. I also have a photo of an actual T-64 Mod 1972 in a similar location. There are no soldiers in the art work or photo. I think figures often bring a model to life and I was then lucky enough to find some suitable figures in a model shop in Birmingham a few weeks ago. The base is 4mm MDF with the surface built up with filler. Over this I applied various brands of turf, bushes and tufts and finished it off with two Woodlands Scenics trees that I had left over from a previous project. Kit: 1/72 T-64 MBT Mod 1972 by Modellcollect Figures: 1/72 Italeri (the tank figure was from a different set/manufacturer - I'm not sure which at the moment - I will try and find out when I get chance) Trees: Woodlands Scenics Turf, bushes and tufts: mix of Woodland Scenics, Greenscene and Army Painter Paints: Humbrol, Revell, Citadel and Railmatch - all applied by brush WIP: Here Tank RFI: Here The scene depicts some Soviet soldiers and a T-64 waiting and watching somewhere near a border in Eastern Europe. Please remember the tank and figures are all 1/72 and I have taken the photos fairly close up to them! Edit - 15/03/17 - These photos were taken over last weekend in daylight. The previous photos, which I took under electric light, are below these. I do actually like the appearance/light quality of the original photos - they have the appearance of the scene being set in the evening - which it was! New photos - on a white background: .....and some on my Spitfire display shelf: Below are the original photos I took one evening when I had just finished adding the figures so the light is just the electric light in the room. I have now added the photos above which were taken in daylight. Plus a three in black and white: Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

This GB wasn't originally on my radar until I happened to see this, what looks to be a rather nice, kit from Modelcollect: It comes with a metal barrel in the box and link & length tracks rather than band type tracks that the original release came with. The band tracks were criticised as a bit of a weakness by reviewers early on so the manufacturer may have changed them as a result. I will be making it alongside my current Tamiya Panther build so progress might be a bit slow. I will get some sprue photos taken when I get chance. I will be doing it as one of the T64s in East Germany in the mid/late 70s. Kind regards, Stix

The A27M Mk.IV was the first major production version of the Crowell and had the latest Meteor engine. Over 1,935 of these were produced with several hulls types and the new 6-pdr re-chambered as a 75 mm (2.95 in) Q.F.Mk.V/VA gun. It was the most common version of the Cromwell. The Cromwells were developed from the start of WWII and first saw action during the Normandy campaign, although it didn't reach it's full potential until fighting reached open countryside where it's superior speed and agility came to the fore - here it made great advances in pursuit of the enemy across France, Belgium and Holland. It was a fairly reliable tank which could reach speeds of over 65mph. The main gun was a duel purpose affair which was able to destroy anti-tank guns at long range or penetrate the frontal armour on a Panzer IV at normal battle range. More information about the Cromwells can be found here. For this project I'm going to use Tamiya's 1/48 kit: I'm going to try and enhance it a bit using this Hauler PE set: And, if I get the time, I may also make use of some of these: I won't be making a start on this for quite a while though as I'm currently building three Russian tanks in the 'From Russia with Love' GB. Can't wait to get started on it! Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

Ancient kit I picked up on the cheap at Edinburgh show last year just as something to play with. Finished ages ago just never got around to taking some pictures. Thanks for looking.

I always loved the Mosquito ever since seeing the film '633 Squadron' as a youngster. Oddly I don't think I've ever made a model of one - so this will be a first. For this project I will be making Tamiya's 1/72 FB Mk.VI as MM417, EG-T from No. 487 Squadron RNZAF, based at Hunsdon, Hertfordshire in February/March 1944. © IWM (CH 12415) © IWM (CH 12412) The above photos are available to be shared and re-used under the terms of the Imperial War Museum's Non Commercial Licence. According to 'Mosquito Aces of WW2' by Andrew Thomas; On the 26th March 1944, MM417 EG-T flew it's last mission when it led the attack on coastal defence emplacements which were under construction at Les Hayes and was hit by flak during the mission. Wing Commander I S Smith was forced to crash land back at Hunsdon. The crew survived but the aircraft was wrecked. Many people here on Britmodeller will already be aware of this kit: I'm also going to use a bit of photo-etch from Eduard: It's not nearly as nicely detailed as current Eduard sets but it will add something to the cockpit area: I won't be starting this for a while as I've got other projects on the go. I will get it washed in warm soapy water in the near future so I will post some sprue photos at the same time. Kind regards, Stix

Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.L No.1 - 10th Panzer Division 1943 - Tunisia EDIT 03/05/17: a while back I said I would include some photos of this Pz.III on the scenic base I built for this and the two other tanks I made in the same GB. I have included them at the bottom of this first post. The Ausf.L version of the Pz.Kpfw. III was produced from July 1942 and was similar to previous versions. Armament consisted of an improved, long barreled Kwk50 L/60 tank gun and two 7.92mm MG34 machine guns. The front armor thickness was increased to 57mm plus 20mm thick spaced armor was added to the gun mantlet - meaning the suspension system had to be strengthened to cope with the 200 Kg of extra weight. In total 635 Ausf. Ls were produced by the end of 1942, most seeing active service on the Eastern and North African Fronts, including Tunisia. Pz.Kpfw. III No.1 saw action in Tunisia including in the Kasserine Pass where it was eventually knocked out by 37mm American artillery. My build depicts it sometime in the days before. Kit: 1/48 Tamiya Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.L Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel all applied by brush Extras: Stretched sprue aerial and Tamiya stowage items from the Jerry Can set. The rope for the stowage was made from some of Mrs PlaStix's thread. This tank was the first completed model of a scene I built for the MTO GB. The first photos were just taken on my chipboard table top with a desert scene propped up behind. I will now made a proper base. The kit was fun to build with only a few minor fit issues here and there. The diorama RFI I built this Pz.III as part of can be found Here. Some photos taken in the days before it was complete to show some of the details: And one with my second completion - AFV Club's Tiger 1 (as 131): The WIP for this project can be found here: EDIT 03/05/17: a bit late but, as promised, some photos of the Pz.III on the base I made for this and the two Tiger tanks I built for the MTO GB: Lots more photos of the scene can be found here: Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

EDIT: 03/01/17 - It's been over a year since I did anything with this kit and year and a half since I started this project. My original intention was to build this kit during the early part of 2016 - when I thought I would have some time but then I spent the whole of 2016 building models in GBs! My later plan, during the latter part of 2016, was to build this once I'd finished my MTO project but that ended up not being finished until 24th December (the day before the deadline) and then I realised I had said I would build something in the P-51 Mustang STGB. I managed to finish that kit yesterday morning. So yesterday afternoon I finally got around to making a proper start on this Panther - albeit only a small start. (Please see page 3 for current update.) I'm quite excited about this future project. So much so that I thought I'd post a few photos early. The first AFV kit I made, after being back into making kits for a couple of years, was a Panther. In fact it was Dragon's 1/72 Panther Ausf.G with Zimmerit. It turned out reasonably well and I really enjoyed making it. So much so that I have quite a fondness for the Panthers. Since making my first I havent really seen one I thought I'd like to have a go at next though. Recently, however, I picked up a modelling magazine which had a preview and advert for Tamiya's latest 1/35 Panther - the Ausf.D. Now I rather liked the look of it and mentioned this to Mrs PlaStix. Well, while on a shopping trip to Birmingham this is what she got me: .........which comes with all this in the box: Not only that she also got me these!: I feel really lucky! Im going to post this in several sections rather than in one long post.

This kit was originally purchased and sort of started back in the summer of 2015. However, I then seemed to get sidetracked into other, mainly GB, builds. Back in 2015 I only really got the individual track links built -so the rest has been completed since the start of this year. If you are not aware of this kit then you won't know that Tamiya released it at the same time as three add on sets for this kit - replacement individual track links, engine deck grills and a replacement metal barrel (the latter included the breech as well). Some reviewers of the kit were not happy at the time that Tamiya didn't at least include the grills and metal barrel in with the actual kit and I can kind of see why. It was Mrs PlaStix who bought me the kit plus all the sets and I have used them on this build with the exception of the breech. As the inside of the turret isn't designed to be on show I decided to only use the metal barrel. I intend to use the breech when I make another Panther D and then have the insides visible in some way. The kit was actually a pleasure to make and is only my third 1/35 build - my first being Tamiya's Panzer Kampfwagen II Ausf. F/G and AFV Club's Australian Centurion was my second. The Ausf.D was the first variant of the Panthers and had the impressive L/70 7.5cm gun, sloped armor and a powerful engine. Approximately 840 Ausf. Ds were made between January and September of 1943 and the first time it appeared on the battlefield was in the Battle of Kursk. Not everything was perfect but the Panthers were still able to take out approximately 140 Soviet tanks from a range of 1,500 to 2,000 meters while protected by the sloped armour. The version I have decided to finish mine as is No. 445 - Pz.Gr.Div. - Großdeutschland - Kursk in August 1943. Kit: Tamiya /135 Panther - Ausf.D - Sd.Kfz.171 AM: Tamiya individual track links, grill set and metal barrel Paints: Humbrol, Revell, Citadel and Railmatch all applied by paint brushes Mud: Mig - European dry mud WIP: Here I decided to use the kit figures: A few photos on my Spitfire display shelf with some grass matting: Well, as usual, I got a bit carried away when I was taking the photographs but I do enjoy this aspect of the hobby too. Thank you to all the people who dropped into my build thread to offer advice and support - it wouldn't be what it is without both. I only noticed after I had taken all the photos that I hadn't fitted the aerial - so that will be corrected when I get chance but I'm not going to take all the photos again! Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

This is my build for the 70s NATO vs Warsaw Pact GB. It was a lovely kit to make apart from the instructions being a bit wrong in a couple of places. I hadn't heard of Modelcollect before but would certainly buy one of their kits again. The detail is excellent for such a small kit. A bonus is that the kit comes with a metal barrel and Link & Length tacks. The kit originally came with band tracks but these, I found, have been replaced - however, there are no instructions for putting the L&L tracks together - it would help if you have made some L&L tracks before - which I have done. The model is OOB apart from where I had to replace a handrail with wire as the kit part was very fragile and snapped early on. The model depicts a T-64 somewhere in Eastern Europe during the 1970s. I used Humbrol, Revell, Citadel and Railmatch Acrylic paints and all were applied with brushes. All the paints were thinned with water. The WIP can be found here. Lots of photos: I have finished building a small scenic base for this kit and have taken some photos with the tank in place. The full set can be found here. A few here - these are new photos which were taken in daylight - posted on 15/03/17: Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

Hi Folks, Here is another of my old Airfix stash props. Finally dragged out of hiding and cobbled together for fun. I sanded down, not off, most of the surface details, and added the roll cage and armour head rest behind the pilot from scraps of stock plastic sheet, and stretched sprue. Fit of the clear parts was iffy, and it took quite a bit of time to get them to comply, especially the rearmost section. However all was well in the end. I added gun ports in the leading edges of the wings too. Apart from that its OOTB. Still looks good built up (I think) even though its pretty basic by todays standards. Here's the pics: All brush painted with Humbrol and aeromaster acrylics. Some limited weathering was applied to the main surfaces with very small amount of drybrushed matt white. Kit decals shattered on impact with water so I used AM set by Printscale - Buffalo Aces. This aircraft is Sqdrn Leader Harper RAAF, 453 Sqdrn Singapore December 1941. I presume his kill markings are for other theatre of operations unless the Germans were helping out the Japanese at some point! All comments welcolme, Cheers Greg

All the way from 1977, its says on the box. My first completed kit in a while and a real mojo booster. A nice kit for its age and vintage, the kit built up with no issues ootb, I brush painted it with Humrol acrylics, applying a number of thin white washes over the base coat of dunkelgrun. Top view showing the rear gunner/observer who is a Revell figure. The original kit has a bloke holding a camera pointing straight down, which is fine if you are displaying it in flight. Opposite view showing the original kit transfers (including the swastika) which still worked after 40 odd years in the box!! And there we have it, mojo restored thanks to all the brilliant builds I have been following on BM. I have a few more nearing completion in the pipeline, and having managed to post this I will try and squeeze in a couple more before end of year. Thanks for looking, and comments welcome. Cheers Greg.

* Thank you to JackG for the suggestion for the title of this thread and more information from Jack can be found here. Thank you also to Levin for letting me know how it would be in German. I initially got interested in German WW2 armour during the D-Day GB in 2014 - so when this MTO GB was suggested I knew instantly the sort of thing I would be doing. It took until fairly recently, though, to firm up my plans with the help of JackG and SgtSquarehead and, as you can see from the title, I'm planning on building 3 kits. First up is this one from Tamiya: I'm intending to make it OOB as this version: Alongside the one above I intend to build this kit from AFV Club: My intention is to build this kit as Tiger 131' - (now The Bovington Tiger) - there are a few minor changes that I will need to make to produce a more accurate version. To go along with the AFV Club Tiger 1 I purchased these at the same time: Apparently the tracks AFV Club provide in the box are not perfect so I will build their replacements from the set above. As I'm planning (hopefully) to make a diorama, I thought the brass ammo might be useful. Next - if I manage to get the two above finished in time - I thought I would have a go at making this Tiger 1 from Tamiya as well: .....but rather than make it just OOB I thought I could use these: I haven't decided which version to make it as yet - there are two suitable schemes in the Tamiya box or I could use one from the AFV Club Tiger 1 boxing. Finally these are the figures I am going to use to make up the diorama: I got the first two kits washed over the past two weekends so from this coming Saturday morning I'm ready to go! Can't wait!! Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

This was my third tank build for the MTO GB and again I thoroughly enjoyed making it although there were a couple more minor issues with it's construction than previous Tamiya 1/48 builds or the AFV Club Tiger 1 I made for the same GB. I made this kit to represent Tiger 1 No. 731 'Norbert' in Tunisia. Kit: 1/48 Tamiya Tiger 1 Initial Production Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel all applied by brush Extras: Stretched sprue aerial and some Hauler PE WIP: Here Diorama RFI: Here ....and a few on my chipboard tabletop with one of my sandy backgrounds behind - (this isn't the diorama base): Finally one photo showing how 731 appears on the diorama: I have posted the photos of the full diorama in the Diorama section which can be found here. I thoroughly enjoyed building this tank and thanks must go to all the Britmodeller members who offered advice and support throughout my project. It was a great GB to take part in and, if you haven't checked it out out I would recommend a quick look! Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix Edit: 04/01/17 - some more photos of Norbert on the diorama, some of which have had some Photoshop work on them: Photoshopped image - Norbert on the left: Photoshopped image - Norbert on the right: Images without any Photoshop work:

When I was planning what I wanted to build for the MTO GB I was initially thinking of just making a couple of German tanks based in Tunisia. Then Jack G mentioned that the units did tend to fight in battlegroups and, in fact, that In early 1943 the eleven surviving tigers of 501 were allocated to 504. From there the project grew and now includes two Tiger 1s, a Pz.III Ausf.L and an Fw.190 A4 in a small diorama which includes some figures. The kits: Kit 1: 1/48 Tamiya Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf.L as Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.L No.1 - 10th Panzer Division 1943 Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel all applied by brush Extras: Stretched sprue aerial and Tamiya stowage items from the Jerry Can Set. RFI: Here Kit 2: 1/48 AFV Club Tiger 1 as Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I (E), SdKfz 181 No.131 Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel all applied by brush Extras: Skybow individual track links RFI: Here Kit 3: 1/48 Tamiya Tiger 1 Initial production as Tiger 1, No.731, 'Norbert' Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel all applied by brush Extras: Stretched sprue aerial and some Hauler PE RFI: Here Kit 4: 1/48 Tamiya Fw190 A3 (converted to an A4 ) as Fw 190 A-4 of II./JG 2 Flown by Hauptmann Dickfeld Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel all applied by brush Extras: Aerial cable from EZ-line plus an Airfix propeller motor. RFI: Here Figures are all from the Tamiya Africa Corps and Tank Maintenance sets. The palm trees (such as they are) are from Woodlands Scenics and the tufts are by Army Painter. WIP: Here ] .....and a couple to show how it looks without a background: As I have said in my other posts I thoroughly enjoyed building this diorama and a lot of that is down to the support and advice offered by Britmodeller members - so a big thank you to all those who contributed to my build thread, especially JackG and Sgt.Squarehead for the initial advice and ideas for the project. Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix Edit: 04/01/17 Some new Photoshop images:

Well I am very late to the party but, having eventually finished my MTO GB diorama project, I'm hoping to get this kit started tomorrow morning - I gave the sprues a wash with warm soapy water this afternoon. It is going to have to be a quick OOB build so I get chance to finish it in time. The kit is the starter set version but I have cut away the section from the box with the paints, glue and brush because I'm not going to use them. Box art: This will be my first ever Mustang build and I'm really looking forward to it. Kind regards, Stix

Yep, the last one for this year. I had hoped to get in another but realistically that ain't gonna happen! So my latest project, another old Airfix tooling from the 70's (sorry no box top this time) dug out from the bottom of the stash. The old Mk 1/IIB Hurribomber. I sanded back but didn't remove all the surface detail. Again its all brush painted with Humbrol acrylics including the tail band as I cannot get transfers to stick to curves! The outer gun ports which Airfix supply as transfers are replaced with paper napkin soaked in white glue after being painted red. Another of "old" Airfix;s gem kits I think. This tooling replaced or supplemented the original Mk VI the kit I have supplied the underwing rockets, long range tanks and 20mm cannons to make the various other marks but does not supply the volkes airfilter. The transfers are old and a wee bit out of register on the code letters... All in all another nice enjoyable build. Just to compare old with new I took a shot with the more recent Mk IIc tooling... The heavy recessed panel lines of today are quite noticeable. And that's it for 2016 from me, hope you liked. Thanks for looking, and Happy New Year to you all. Cheers Greg, all comments welcome.

Panzerkampfwagen VI, Tiger I (E), SdKfz 181 No.131 in Tunisia Possibly one of the most famous Tiger 1s, 131 saw service in Tunisia where it was eventually captured by the British 48th Royal Tank Regiment during World War II. It is now at The Tank Museum in Bovington and is currently the only operating Tiger tank in the world. This tank is the second completed model of a scene I am building for the MTO GB. The first photos were just taken on my chipboard table top with a desert scene propped up behind. I will eventually make a proper base. The kit was 'modified' from the base version to be more like 131 with the addition of a few bits and pieces here and there and the removal of some others. I have depicted the tank sometime in the days before it was captured. More details of the build can be found in my WIP thread - see below for details. Kit: 1/48 AFV Club Tiger 1 Ausf.E Early Version Paints: Humbrol, Revell and Citadel all applied by brush Extras: Skybow Tiger 1 tracks, plus wire and plastic strip for the grab handle and step that were a feature on the front of the hull The diorama I made in the the MTO GB which this tank forms part of can be found Here Some photos from above to show some of the details: One with the Tamiya Pz.Kpfw.III I have also completed for this project: The WIP for this project can be found here: Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix