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Operation Trebuchet Revell 1/72 RAF Typhoon 1990 saw the Middle East at the brink of war. Saddam Hussain had invaded Kuwait and declared it Iraq's 19th province. After a tense three months, a US led diplomatic envoy managed to talk Hussain back from the brink of all-out war. A long and bloody Gulf War was averted through diplomatic, rather than military action. But it was not without its price. Iraq faced heavy economic sanctions. The Iraqi government counteracted this by promoting policies which encouraged a more isolated and insular state. Sixteen years later and the trade restrictions on Iraq had placed a huge strain on the country both socially and economically. Furthermore, over the years Saddam had succeeded in enriching Uranium in secret mountain laboratories for the purposes of creating a short-range nuclear missile, although at the time it was not established whether he had successfully weaponised it. Hussain, backed into a corner by his people and the international community began lashing out to his nearest neighbours. The long years of isolation had made Iraq strong and fiercely independent. First, Saddam succeeded in re-taking Kuwait and began threatening Israel with his new nuclear arsenal. The world was held to ransom, a belligerant and jumpy dictator had his finger on a hair trigger. In a secret emergency meeting, NATO and the United Nations voted unreservedly for military action against Iraq before a potential nuclear attack was launched. In March 2006 B2 bombers based at USAF bases in the UK took off to instigate a first strike on Saddam's nuclear facilities. Luckily, they were successful destroying 78% of their targets buried deep in the mountains and paved the way for the ground invasion. As it transpires, Iraq had developed a ballistic missile capable of hitting targets as far away as Austria. Although the missile was unable to carry a nuclear warhead, liberating forces discovered a plan to use the missile to launch a dirty-bomb attack on an unnamed city. Following the initial invasion, the Iraqi Republican Guard faced heavy losses, causing them to disperse an retreat to towns and cities across Iraq. Baghdad and other large cities became fortresses, under siege from coalition troops. Over the first two months it appeared that little ground was being made and the number of civilian lives lost increased by the day. The RAF, who now have squadrons based in Saudi Arabia and recently liberated Kuwait, instigated "Operation Trebuchet". The objective: to start a 72hour barrage of continuous unrelenting air strikes on military targets across Iraq with the view to levelling the remaining military resistance and end the multiple sieges across the country. It was the perfect opportunity to test the mettle of the relatively new Typhoon in a ground attack role. The kit, a 1/72 Revell Eurofighter Typhoon will depict one of the machines involved in this fictional operation being re-armed and readied for the next sortie. I'll be using some aftermarket, so far I've identified the Eduard PE set but this might grow as the kit gets built. I'm hoping to have a play around with the camouflage and insignia as I am a big fan of some of the nose art of aircraft used in the "real" Gulf War. The desert pink will feature, but I may also play around with this to offer a unique what-if twist. For those of you who have seen my previous builds, I'll be using my traditional 6x6 bathroom tile as a base with some sort of diorama involved, possibly even another in-flight... We'll see. It begins....

For those of you who have seen my builds that I have shared on the forum probably know by now that I'm a fan of a diorama. I love to see an aircraft in an operational setting with work going on around it, but as of late I'm running out of space quicker than I'm building. What to do? Stop building? Sell my kits on eBay? Turn the dioramas into some sort of functional appliance? The first suggestion is out of the question, I love modelling and am not about to stop while I still have a few square feet of space free. The second suggestion is also a non-starter, I might not be 100% pleased with all of my builds, but I spend my precious time building them and want to enjoy them for as long as possible (*cough* and they're not good enough to sell *cough*). Erm, turn them into a functional appliance, let's give that a go... This idea may sound a bit mad, but I think if I can pull it off it might be quite special. I've been meaning to build a Lightning for a while and have been fostering a growing love for the aircraft with a particular interest for the quick response interceptor role they had thoughout the Cold War. I've also seen some of the Lightning RFI and WIPs as well as Bar side's HAS build and they've really inspired me. 'Tell us where the functional appliance bit come in, you fool!?' I hear you all shouting at your monitors. Well, this picture below of the Bruntingthorpe QRA shed (maintained by the Lightning Preservation Group) made me think: can I make something similar in 1/72 scale that not only acts as a cool diorama during the daylight hours but also acts as a super cool desk lamp when the sun goes down? My plan is to make a 12x12 inch diorama base which will sit in the corner of my office desk. It will include the front portion of the QRA shed and a portion of the crew quarters. Although not entirely accurate, I plan to include the Lightning just outside of the shed with some ground crew and equipment on and around it. I'm intending to really go to town on the detailing so I thought about including a mirrored section in the Tarmac so you can also see the underside. On top of the QRA, as per the image above, there will be one or two lights which will act as the 'useful' part of the diorama and illuminate my desk. I'm not sure how I'm going to wire up the lighting just yet, that will require some thought and planning, however, there are plenty of QRA reference photos on http://www.lightnings.org.uk including some really useful pictures of the internal structure which will help with the building. The Lightning itself will be the Airfix F6, Eduard PE set and masks, Xtradecals for the Binbrook aircraft (XR727) and any other bits that I like the look of. The QRA and ground equipment will be a mixture of Flightpath (Houchin power unit and RAF diorama accessories) and scratch building. So there we have it! I hope I can pull this off, although if I don't, I'll still have the Lightning that I can put...somewhere.

Just a placemarker for now. First project once I'm underway will be to replace the ghastly clear plastic inner ladder section on the fire-engine with something a little more realistic.....I suspect some other bits and pieces will need replacing while I'm at it.

Hey everyone, As a young lad, I remember being really taken with the story of B-24 'Lady Be Good', the mystery of the plane herself and the subsequent story behind its discovery and its crew. (I think I read about it in a book called 'Great Air Mysteries') Then, there was Shep Paine's iconic diorama of the same plane which like a lot of his work, really inspired me to get into the hobby. I was thinking about maybe having a go at a similar diorama of the plane..but I'm wondering whether you think it's been done before and might look like a sad attempt at copying what is a great build? Even though it was a terrible ordeal for the poor crew, I really think it's a story that deserves telling in a hobby kind of way. Look forward to your thoughts.. Dermot

I thought I'd move beyond my regular "plane at rest on a 6x6 tile" and see if I could expand to a "plane in flight on a 6x6 tile". I've always had an affinity for the Harrier, particularly the GR3 and GR7/9 and remember getting the GR3 as my second kit at the age of about 9 so this will be my subject of this build. Details: Airfix GR3. Eduard PE detailing. Freightdog fin replacement. Trees and base details yet to be sourced. I've done a few sketches of what I'd like this to look like but I don't think my drawing skills are up to much so I'm reluctant to share them here! I want to do a Harrier in arctic camouflage in the midst of a low level pass over the Norwegian countryside. For interest, I'd like to include a road and a mud track as well as a few trees. I was hoping that the trees could be used to hide the wire that will be supporting the aircraft in some way with the jet sitting about six inches above the base and the tallest tree being about two inches tall. The whole thing will have a fine dusting of snow too. So that's the challenge. I've got to finish my Hawk over the next month or so, so I'm still very much in the planning stage at the moment. Any pointers or suggestions would be very welcome! David

Hi everyone, We were recently commissioned to create a really unique brand video for our client Yutaka Foods- Europe's largest Japanese food importer. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJMyNJ5k8e8 I just wanted to let you know that we have now built the models and shot them all, edited and uploaded the video online. The 70 secs ad was shot in London using miniature models painstakingly created by our team of model makers. (It took them 5 weeks to build 5 different sets) The actual shoot took 5 days and the entire video was shot on 16mm film. We wanted to use traditional film cameras to give the video a sense of nostalgia that you can only achieve with a real film grain. Would love to hear any feedback from the forum about the photos!

It would seem after some checking, that this is my 3rd "proper" build of the year, i.e. not a wif or tank. Airfix's lovely kit of the Typhoon, which is the first time I've purposely taken a knife to cut plastic, and how strange that was indeed. I'd like to say this was trouble free, but ......well it wasn't. As I use Humbrol paints, I used their no. 106, the dodgy Chinese cr....stuff, so I had to wait til I got to Belfast on a paint trip for the new stuff. Much better it is too, and no one should feel that happy over a small tin of paint. Alas, the decals for the codes and serial number have not settled the best for some reason, and despite Decalfix and Microset, stoutly refuse to behave. Nevermind.. I'm still fairly happy with the outcome. This is the gift set boxing, and I've also built the Bedford from the Bomber re-supply set to make this little diorama. As usual, built straight from the box, Humbrol enamels, Klear and Humbrol Mattecote. Any way ..the pics... A picture with the troublesome codes...the corner of the Z refuses to bed down.... So.. with this kit being built, it means that officially, I've run out of room to display any more models, I don't even have somewhere for this...and I have a room for myself regarding my hobby. So.. where's that Lancaster... Thanks for taking the time to peruse this thread, Regards, Sean

This is the old Revell 1/72 Flak Bait kit shown in an airfield setting. Here is a photo of the completed model. Thanks for looking.

Kit: Airfix. Scratch: cockpit, base, electric cable Seat: scratch and Eduard seatbelts (leftover from an old BAE Hawk kit). Crew: Hasegawa Ground Crew. Ladder: Flightpath. I bought the kit on a whim as the stash was looking a bit depleted and originally intended it to be a 'rainy day' kit. However, when I'd got it home and had a look at the kit's quality I thought I'd give it a go. In all, for a relative novice such as myself there were a few issues, mainly fitting the nose section to the main airframe which left a few gaps that needed filling. Further, I should have taken out shares in Tamiya tape as there's a pretty substantial amount of masking to be done (which as you can see from one of the pictures resulted in a bit(!) of paint lifting). All part of the fun and good practice! The base is made from a leftover bathroom tile. I made 'concrete' slabs from fine-ish grade sandpaper, which was primed with white, pre-shaded with a dark sea grey on the expansion joints (with some mottling on the main slabs) and finished with a final coat of XTracolor Enamels (Modern aggressor Grey). I must say I've always used Humbrol enamels, but XTracolor was a joy to use! Enough of me trying to sound like I know what I'm doing, here are the pictures! There's a few... Even after a few days drying, the first coat of paint lifted. The ground crew were furious...I made sure most of the adhesive had been taken off the tape the second time round! Back in the paint shop and looking much better. Cockpit details prior to putting the main canopy on. Scratch built instrument panel. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4: finished. I was originally going to include a pilot figure, however in real life the PJ Productions RAF pilots looked quite small next to the Hase ground crew. Decals going on, but for the first time I had some problems with silvering. I'd love to hear people's techniques for avoiding this! It's never happened to me before! All done! As you can see I've still got a few aerials/probes to put on, but it's 99.99% finished. Also, there's a lot of room for improvement, but for my fifth model I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. Lastly, a massive thank-you to Kirk, Xenol, Richard E, Motley et al. for their input and help! BM truly is a comprehensive resource! Reference for anyone interested, written by a GR. 9 pilot who flew sorties during Herrick: http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=67373

Here are some pics of my latest build, feedback welcome. Cheers, Sly Larger images are available here.

Hi all, ever get the sense of déjà vu? I started a WIP thread with a similar title which, for those who were following it, ended rather abruptly due to a few issues I was having with the kit. So, not one to be beaten, I'm back again to see if I can get this one done! As before, the intention is to put together a diorama of an RAF Valley Hawk just about to leave the flightline. The kit-list comprises of: Airfix BAE Hawk Eduard PE set (exterior and interior) https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ED73354 Xtradecal decals for RAF Valley/Leeming T.1 http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X72167 Flightpath access ladder https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/FHP72060L PJ Productions 1/72 RAF Pilots (standing and sitting - one sat getting buckled in, the other standing) I wasn't too impressed (or maybe I was just cr*p putting the PE together) with the Eduard cockpit coaming so, after a bit of a search I thought I'd add the NeOmega Resin cockpit to the list to see how that comes out. http://www.neomega-resin.com/172nd-bae-hawk-t100t2-118-p.asp So, here we go again! Comments, questions and criticisms welcomed David

Firstly; I'm working in 1/72. I'm starting a small diorama. For one area I need long grass or half-grown crops, about waist high. I want the area to be about postcard size and full of tall grass, or crops. I've started to use natural string and I'm teasing the fibres out and sticking them to double sided tape. But really I don't know where that is leading. I'm thinking; soak the fibres with superglue, cut into sections, and 'plant' into holes in air-dry clay or double wall cardboard. Do you think this may work? Any suggestions or tips?

Valley Hawk T. 2 Well, it's time for me to delve into a WIP thread with a bit of 'proper' modelling. I bought a 1/72 Hawk and Tucano in the Airfix New Years' sale with the intention of doing a bit of a diorama including both of them. After seeing that my options for 1/72 extras for Tucs are limited, I thought I'd use the Tuc as a 'dress rehearsal' (test out the new airbrush & practice my filing and sanding techniques etc) and do something a bit more special with the Hawk. RFI Thread: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234977628-airfix-172-tucano-city-of-leeds/ The kit-list comprises of: Airfix BAE Hawk Eduard PE set (exterior and interior) https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ED73354 Xtradecal decals for RAF Valley/Leeming T.1 http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X72167 Flightpath access ladder https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/FHP72060L PJ Productions 1/72 Pilots (standing) Standard unbuilt pictures to follow when I get them uploaded. Plenty to be getting on with! Comments, questions and criticisms welcomed David

Some superb diorama ideas here from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, commonly known as The Boneyard, where the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) takes care of disused warplanes and fighter jets. http://www.bing.com/maps/#Y3A9NTEuNTA2NDAxfi0wLjEyNzEwMCZsdmw9NiZzdHk9ciZlbz0wJnNzPXlwLllONjh4MjM0MTQxODIxfnBnLjF+cmFkLjgw Go to the Bird's Eye tab, zoom in, rotate for some stunning views.

Hello all, Here is my entry for this GB; Dragon's wonderful looking Tiger 1 late with Zimmerit. Everything I need is in the box, etch, metal so on and so forth. But i'll be adding some spent 88mm cases and some odds and sods: I'll be making this the focal point of a small diorama, with the addition of this: Will be based in the June/July 1944 timeline. Look forward to getting started. Dave

I had started a Diorama of mine that's 45 'Width' 72 'length' Inches and here just to show you the progress of it. I don't plan on finishing the Diorama this year or the next. It'll be a couple of years before I'll get it finished. I'm a lazy person when it comes to finishing things. The board to start things off Some tape later... The layout of the whole thing. Explanation of everything and what's going on in the picture. Links to what will be on the Diorama or above it hanging on a hook. (FINISHED MODELS ONLY!) ... When I finish a model that is... I'll say something about it when I create a comment update on the project.

Work started on an airfield at King's Cliffe in 1941. Originally known as Wansford, it was RAF Wittering's second relief landing ground. The Air Ministry renamed the airfield RAF Kingscliffe, contracting the name of the nearby village. It served both the RAF and USAAF. No 266 ‘Rhodesia’ Squadron No 616 Auxiliary ‘South Yorkshire’ Squadron No 485 Squadron RNZAF No 93 Squadron USAAF 350th Fighter Group, 347th Squadron 347th Fighter Squadron, 350th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force 61st & 62nd Fighter Squadrons, 56th Fighter Group, 8th USAAF No 91 (Nigeria) Squadron No 7 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit No 349 Squadron 55th, 77th & 79th Fighter Squadrons, 20th Fighter Group These aircraft are from the 77th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, USAAF

Finished at last! This is a Plastic Soldier Company 1/72 Firefly Vc built out of the box with a little added stowage. I've set it in a little diorama/vignette with some PSC British Infantry to add a bit of interest. The Firefly is finished with Vallejo paints and Mike Starmer decals representing a vehicle belonging to B Squadron, Staffordshire Yeomanry, 27th Armoured Brigade. Thanks for looking. Cheers Dave

Diorama accessory sets Videoaviation 1:32 The latest releases from Videoaviation.com these three sets for USAF and USN based dioramas/vignettes. Each set is manufactured in a creamy beige resin which is really well moulded and detailed. Each set also includes a figure which adds some human interest to a diorama. [130832] This set contains flightline fire extinguishers as used by the USAF. Inside the sturdy cardboard box are two poly zip lock bags of creamy beige resin parts, a couple of parts wrapped in bubble wrap, a small decal sheet and the instruction sheet. The resin is beautifully rendered, with no signs of bubbles or other flaws. The casting blocks don’t look to difficult to remove, but it will take a razor saw to do the best job on the larger parts. The large halon extinguisher sits in a hand pushed, although there is a towing eye so could be attached to the back of a truck or tractor, trolley and is made up of the framework, extinguisher tank which has a separate nozzle and retaining clip, the trolley wheels a rubber hose and the extinguisher head. The included figure comes in three parts the body, including head and legs and the separate arms. These are meant to be attached in such a pose as to have the figure pushing the trolley. The kit also includes three hand held extinguishers which come as the main tank, separate handle and some more of the rubber hose. The painting guide is pretty simple and the decals provided are well printed and include the general markings used on these extinguishers. [141132] makes up into an Aero 12C Bomb Skid. Contained in a zip-lock bag with a card liner, on the back of which are the instructions, this is once again moulded in the creamy beige resin. The mouldings are really well rendered and the details crisp and clean. Construction is quite simple, with the main skid body being fitted with the two wheels, rear stands and the two long arms. If you are going to use the provided figure then the hand rings on the end of the arms need to be removed. There is only a small amount of cleanup required once the parts have been removed from the casting blocks, but be aware of the handles as they are quite fragile and require the flash between them and the block to be carefully removed. As with the above set the figure is complete apart from the arms which make it easier to pose as the modeller wishes. Also make note that most of the time only one handle is attached, as in the picture below. [141232] Contained in a zip-lock bag with card liner, this is the simplest of the three sets as it contains the figure, again with separate arms, and six holdbacks, as used to hold back the aircraft nose wheel when on the catapult shoe. The resin is the same colour as that used in the sets above and is of equal quality. There are no instructions as the assembly is so simple and the colours are shown on the card liner. Conclusion If you’re going to build a one of the amazing 1:32 aircraft on the market you may want to give it even more of a lift by placing it a diorama. For that you will need accessories such as these, and you really can’t go wrong with Videoaviations releases, as they are of superb quality and provide those little details that aren’t usually noticed on the flightline or flightdeck. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I am looking for any known scenarios where a KV-2 and an Elephant would have been either engaged in combat or working alongside one another in a captured Russian armour event. The Germans used KV tanks in proposals and plans and the 1/72 Trumpeter example I have even has German markings. I would like to produce a diorama incorporating the two 1/72 kits I have of the Elefant and KV-2, it seems probable they met in combat as the panzer was one of the few which could tackle the KV's armour. Does anyone have any ideas about what sort of area or battle these two would have been seen in?

The plan was to finish this within the D-Day GB timescale, but for want of a better excuse, I forgot the deadline and missed it! Anyway, this is the new Airfix C-47 kit and strangely, the first of the newer breed of Airfix kits I've got round to making following the review I did in June this year. It certainly won't be the last as it was largely a joy to build. Big thanks to Alistair (Mottlemaster) and Andy (Sgt Squarehead) for sending me some figures to use and pointing me in the direction to get some more. Also thanks to TonyOT for helping out on research for some of the finer details that I would of otherwise missed. I'm still planning to get some of the new figures that Dan Taylor is releasing to busy up the diorama more with Para's waiting to board Kilroy. You can see the build HERE, but the kit is largely out of the box, just a few inner details added such as seatbelts. Thanks for looking Neil

A little Diorama i tried out what do you think ????

Panther: 135 of 12 SS Pz, Tiger: 131 of sSSPzAbt 101 These are the first tanks I've built since who knows when. I'm pretty certain I must have built one or more when I was young (but I can't remember) and there's been none since. If I did make any they wouldn't have been made or painted properly. Both these German tanks were made as part of a diorama for the D-Day Group build. I need to say a big thank you to Sgt.Squarehead, Shermaniac and Brews for their assistance with choosing suitable tanks. Both tanks have some additions to what's provided in the box - the Panther has a spare wheel (mounted on the turret) plus an improved shovel and the Tiger has track links (mounted on the turret) both kindly sent me by Sgt.Squarehead. The Tiger also has the longer towing cable mounted on the side of the hull, which I fabricated from bits of left over cable from both Dragon kits and ends from the Panther kit. Both kits were really enjoyable to make and everything is brush painted with Humbrol and Revell acrylics applied with hairy sticks. The WIP can be found here Photos of the diorama they form part of can be found here Panther: Tiger: A few photos of them together: And a few from the diorama: The RFI of the Typhoon in the diorama can be found here. Thank you for looking. My RFI for another D-Day build, of Jerry Billing's Mk.IX Spitfire, can be found here. Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

This project was made as part of the D-Day Group Build. This is my first ever diorama and it's made up with a lot of other firsts. First Typhoon, Panther and Tiger kits, first tank(s) for many, many years, first plane kit in flight, first use of a Prop Blur, first use of aftermarket decals (for the Typhoon) and first 1/72 figures. Nearly everyone who contributed to the WIP thread helped with ideas for the building of various elements of the project so a big thank you to them all - it wouldn't have been possible without the help of the BM team. Also it was seeing Kallisti's Typhoon base that got me thinking about doing a diorama - so thank you to Kallisti for the idea. Typhoon: Airfix 1/72 Mk.IB Typhoon (new tool version) - MN526/TP-V - No.198 Sqn., 123 Wing, 84 Group, 2 TAF B10/Plumetot, France - July 1944. Panther: Dragon 1/72 Ausf G with Zimmerit, no. 135 of 12 SS Pz, Tiger I: Dragon 1/72 Ausf E with Zimmerit, no. 131 of sSSPzAbt 101 German and British troops from Ceasar Miniatures Baseboard: Softwood, Sundela, MDF, filler and various leftover scenic materials from model railway projects made a long time ago. The WIP can be found here The RFI for the Typhoon can be found here The RFI for the two tanks can be found here Time: early evening, July 1944 - Location: somewhere northwest of Normandy This last photo shows the actual diorama and the background I used to give it depth. The background is actually the display shelf I made for my Spitfire builds but it seemed to work well as a backdrop - I thought it would look better than just a plain wall. Although this project is finished as far as the D-Day Group Build is concerned I've still got some ideas for developing this diorama further but I'm going to make a couple of Spitfires first! Thank you for looking. Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix

This is my first ever Typhoon and it was built as part of a diorama for the D-Day Group Build. After the D-Day landings 198 Squadron, flying out from Thorney Island, Funtingdon and Hurn, were involved with ground attacks on tanks (suitable for my diorama) and enemy emplacements around Caen. In July 1944 they moved to Plumetot and then followed the advancing troops into the Netherlands. To commemorate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day Eurofighter Typhoon, ZK308, was painted to represent Hawker Typhoon MN526. It's a lovely kit with nice detail - in fact the 'in-flight' version doesn't make use of a lot of the detail included in the kit so, at some point, I'm planning on making a version of it on the ground. It's all brush painted with Humbrol and Revell acrylic paints applied with hairy sticks. I have used a Prop Blur (another first for me) to make it look like it's in flight. The Typhoon itself is mounted on a clear acrylic rod. The WIP can be found here More photos of the diorama can be found here And a few photos of it on the diorama: My other D-Day aircraft build can be found here. Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix