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Hi mates! Here is my latest project, the very colourful and ever popular de Havilland Sea Vixen XS587, rendered in glorious Braille Scale. I thought I would make it a bit easier to digest the project by presenting an "Executive Summary" as follows: Project: de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2 (TT) Kit: MPM Sea Vixen FAW.1 Kit No. 72545 (FAW.2 parts from Kit No. 72003) Scale: 1:72 (God’s Own Scale) Decals: Model Alliance (RIP) Sheet No. MA-72197 XS587 RAE Llanbedr Resin: FAA Models Set No. 72004 (engine face plate, tail boom plugs, tail cone, exhaust, arresting hook) Resin: Pavla Set No.U72-133 (nose cone) Resin: PJ Productions Set No. 721208 Martin Baker Mk 4 ejection seats Photoetch: Eduard Interior Set No. SS446 Paint: Testors Model Master No. 2720 Classic White, No. 2118 Deep Yellow, No. 1103 Red, No. 1139 Semi-Gloss Black, Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black, Alclad Klear Kote Light Sheen Weathering: Pastel chalks Soul: Sold to Devil (twice) Improvements/Corrections Replaced nose cone to improve shape Replaced tail cone and jet exhaust to provide correct depth and proper shape for arresting hook bay Replaced engine face plate to provide correct appearance of vanes, engine cone, and tube Added boundary layer inlets and intake vanes Shortened booms by 4mm to match drawings Reshaped front of pinion tanks to remove “blunt” look and added fairings to blend pinion tanks into wing Reshaped top front of tail fins to better match drawings Added bulges to main gear doors Added photoetch scissor links to main gear struts Added hydraulic lines in gear bays with 0.3mm solder Replaced fuel dump pipe to correct size, and relocated to starboard wing Added de-misting duct to front windscreen Reworked rain removal/air conditioning ducting Added target tug brackets on lower front fuselage Moved observer’s window up by 1mm (should have been 2mm) Replaced Hobbit ejection seats Repositioned observer’s instrument panel to correct position Reworked observer’s radar hood to correct length Detailed the cockpit and ejection seats with color photoetch Added hinge and handle to observer’s hatch Added photoetch attachment points to pylons Scratch built rear pressure bulkhead and canopy jettison release strut Added gunsight using photoetch and items from the Magic Box of Fiddly Bits Replaced front fuselage red pinstripe to get correct width Correct black stripe pattern on undersides (Model Alliance have you do six stripes at a 20 degree angle from aircraft centerline instead of the correct five stripes at a 30 degree angle) Used proper size roundels on forward fuselage sides Added various blade antennae and whip aerials; wing pitot tubes made from two different size of hypodermic needles Elapsed time: Approximately two months, or 747,652 grey hairs So why did I decide to tackle a kit with such a tarnished reputation? Well, because it was there, and you can find all the details here. On with the pictures! I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I'm enjoying moving on to another challenge! Cheers, Bill PS. Now that I've finished her, you can be assured that a 1:72 Sea Vixen will be the first item on the 2014 new kit list from Airfix. You can thank me then.

SG 38 Schulgleiter / SK-38 Komar 1:72 Special Hobby The SG 38 Schulgleiter is a German high wing, cable braced single seat glider designed by Schneider, Rehberg and Hoffman in 1938. It was developed as a basic flight training aircraft. The primary means of launch being by bungee cord form a hill. As it was designed to be a solo flight aircraft the glider was designed to be easy to fly, and also to maintain. The SG 38 would play a significant role in training pilots for the Luftwaffe in WWII. Post war the aircraft was built under licence by AISA in Spain producing 50 aircraft, and by Elliotts of Newbury in the UK. Here they were used by the RAF under the Eton TX.1 designation. The Kit The first thing you notice on opening the box is that you get two kits in the box. The kit is very nicely moulded with a realistic fabric over frame effect. Some may consider it a bit overdone but you can always sand the relief down a bit if you want. The kit is fairly simple. The Main fuselage including the pilots seat, control column, landing skid and tail assembly is moulded as one part. To this is added the horizontal tail planes and the main wing. Rudder pedals and the tail plane bracing struts are added. Depending on which version is to be built there are two styles of pod to be added around the pilot (one version does not have these at all). A full rigging diagram is supplied for the bracing wires. Decals Decals are provided for; 5 gliders for the Czechoslovak.Polish/DDR boxing, and 7 gliders for the German/Slovak boxing. Decals mainly consist of serial numbers and tail markings only. Conclusion This is an interesting if not demanding kit of a subject not often kitted. Each boxing should make a pair of good looking models. Recommended. Czechoslovak/Polish/DDR German / Slovak Review sample courtesy of

Thought I'd better get the ball rolling on this to go along with my Vampire T11 XH304 build. Basic kit is the MPM Meteor T7 Quick summery of what I've done so far. The MPM kit has a one piece canopy, going to build this canopy open so have mounted the kit canopy on a bit of balsa and made a cast of it for the first stage of making a vacuum mould for it. The resin cockpit insert of the MPM kit gives very little room to cut out a space to get the suggested 3g of weight in, so I've cast a custom shaped white metal weight to get the maximum use of the space. A mould was made of the nose of the insert and a cast made of it. From that cast a section was cut out was then made from it that weighed 0.5g this when cast in white metal will weigh 3.5 g. I then made a mould of the cut out and cast it from white metal. The white metal cast weighed 3.3g so wasn't far off. A corresponding cut out was made in the cockpit insert and the weight glued in with CA. Quick centre of gravity test today with blobs of white tack stuck in appropriate paces represent the 2.4g of the tail and 0.5g for the engine tailcones suggests it wont be a tail sitter and its balance point is just forward of the mainwheels. I asked on another thread if anyone had ever fitted the Eduard flaps intended for a Dragon /Cyberhobby meteor to the MPM wing but didnt get any answers however I did learn who Finbar Saunders is though. Ordered one anyway so will with a bit of plastic butchering I'll try and give it a go. Thanks for looking Mark

Type IX U-Boat Interior Sections Part 2 1:72 CMK Having recently reviewed five interior sections for the Revell 1:72 Type IX submarine, we have just received another two. As with the previous sets these two are moulded in grey resin and come complete with some etched parts and a micro saw for cutting the model sides open. Whilst the resin parts are beautifully moulded, there is quite a bit of cleaning up to do, especially from the moulding blocks for the larger parts. There are a lot of parts that make up each section and will make for some really well detailed sections, particularly with some care detail painting. The sections will need to be carefully marked out on the kit hull before cutting out, fortunately CMK have thought about this, and rather than just giving a set of measurements they have provided a template for each section that is cut out and laid over the hull. N720112 – Rear Torpedo Section and Crew Bunks. Although quite large this appears to have one of the smaller part counts of the series, containing just 23 parts. As with the forward torpedo area the set is provided with the rear sections of the torpedo tubes, although in this case there are only two tubes to assemble. Each tube is provided with a selection of ancillary equipment, such as the pipework, valves, air accumulators, along with PE hand wheels, firing levers and locking wheels of the tube doors. Unlike the forward torpedo section this one does not come with a torpedo, although one can be bought separately should you really need one. The port side wall of the torpedo handling area is also where some of the crew are accommodated on four bunks which require the modeller to make up the bunk supports with wire. Etched parts are included for the addition of various hand wheels, light fittings, valves and controls to the hull side and aft bulkhead. On the ceiling there is a single torpedo handling rail and its respective supports for the moving and loading of the torpedoes, but there aren’t and chain winches, which will need to be scratch built. The aft bulkhead, if the section is to be used on its own, should have its access hatch closed, but if used with the next section along it is possible to have it posed open. If you’re going to be using the torpedo loading kit that is available, then the hatch in the ceiling of the torpedo handling section can also be posed in the open position, giving the opportunity for a rather cool diorama scene. With all the sections and bulkheads assembled it makes for a strong rigid structure which will help with strengthening the cutaway hull. N72017 – Diesel Engine Section. This rather large set is for the main engine room, and whilst the basic construction of the port wall/deckhead, floor and two bulkheads mirrors the other compartments the amount of detail in this section is quite considerable. There are quite a few ancillary equipment parts fitted to the side wall/deckhead. These include control boxes, electrical boxes, pumps, light fittings and control hand wheels, in both resin and PE. The engine room floor is dominated by the single 9 cylinder diesel engine, which is a lovely moulding in itself, but is further enhanced by the fitter of the turbo supercharger unit, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, cooling jacket, and instrument panel, RPM gauge and numerous sections of pipework. Forward of the engine are further accessories, such as air accumulators, pumps, and more pipework. In fact there are two sets of these fittings, one for each engine, oh, and if you’re wondering what happened to the second engine, this is available separately as CMK felt that it would obscure too much of the other detail should both be provided in the one set. Conclusion If you’ve bought the other sections that are available then these two are a must have. The details included are superb as per the previously reviewed items, but I am a little disappointed in that at least one torpedo could have been included in the rear section and the second engine included for the engine room, rather than having to spend even more money to add them. There is still one or two more interior sections that are to be released which will enable the modeller to open up the whole kit which will look really quite impressive. Very highly recommended. Review samples courtesy of

Hello All, I thought I would pitch in with an MPM Wellington because - it's classic Bomber Command and - I have one in the stash, bought from Hannants London second hand pile several years ago. Here are the parts: It's a curiously unloved kit, with issues (to my knowledge) of: * Undercarriage bay too narrow for undercarriage * Turrets are messed up/mislabelled * Canopies too wide * Lots of others, including "it isn't the Trumpeter kit", which by all accounts is excellent, albeit with its own flaws Here's some sticking together (including separate cylinders!) that hasn't engaged the brain: "Hey I'm a model fighter guy and I've just stuck 30 parts together - is it time for the paint shop?" You can see that the undercarriage strut is too wide for the wheel well. You can also see industrial sanding to the wheel wells to clear the top wing half, and more sanding to thin the trailing edge - it is in itself quite thin but the joining surface rises up a few mm before the edge, preventing the edges from meeting. Pressing on regardless, I took the liberty of assembling the rear turret (checked the number call outs many times). It's too small for the rear but it fits really well at the front: Here's where I got to today: Note that I have drilled out the landing light ports. You can also see that the wheel would never fit in the well when retracted - good job I'm modelling with gear down! Next up will be an interior - I want to represent all the crew positions visible through the windows, but I don't want to go overboard. Thanks for looking, Adrian

Hi, all Here is a model that I've finished a year ago. It's MPM's Meteor assembled as FR.9 Major modifications to the original kit included - addition of resin cockpit, wheel bays and wheels - extension of nose part. MPM provides transparent parts to replace original F.8 nose. However these transparencies have the same length as F.8 nose while in reality FR.9 nose was longer. This also confirmed by comparison to photos. FR.9 nose is visibly longer and pointier - so I decided for some surgery. I cut transparencies between camera windows and front edge and inserted ~1.5mm of plastic. Another 1mm was added where transparencies join fuselage. - resin cockpit supplied by CMK has solid nose which is fine for F.8 but in FR.9 there should be a camera! Solid nose was removed and some bits of wire and resin F.24 camera (from a set for Spit PR.19) were put in place Meteor bears marking of 8 Squadron during service in Oman in late 50s. And together with its Swedish contemporary Kind regards, Dennis

Hi, Next Junkers - Ju 87 A-1. This is basicly OOB made from early (short run technology) kit by MPM. Markings presents airplane from St. G. 163 "Jolanthe Kette", Legion Condor, Spain, spring 1938. Decals of mixed origin - mains comes from kit, "2" from drawer, squadron emblems are hand painting on clear decal. Regards Jerzy-Wojtek

Quick question, Has anybody ever tried fitting the Eduard flap set intended for a Cyber Hobby / Dragon Meteor on to an MPM/Xtrakit wing? If so how well did it go?

I'm sorry this post was to go Ready for inspection, I've changed. .

Here's my latest completion! I've been restraining myself from buying the new Airfix Blenheim, because since I built it in the box scheme a few years back I have had the MPM kit sat on the shelf causing me dissatisfaction. I was chuffed with the model itself but made some poor colour choices for the DE/DG scheme, didn't weather to my satisfaction and didn't like the Munich crisis-era markings (which silvered annoyingly). So when I saw that Xtradecal had released a sheet for the new kit, the kit went straight into the paint-stripper without passing go! The option I went for was the colourful early scheme for 90 squadron, based at Bicester in 1938. This has local appeal for me as Bicester is slowly being rejuvenated only a few miles up the road from Oxford where I live this year. This joins my 2-seat Jaguar from living in Norwich last year, and my OUAS AZ Tiger Moth in celebrating my local airfields and units! One note of warning for anyone using this sheet (XK72202): the upperwing A1-type roundels supplied are too small, corresponding to 56-inch. Lots of photos show that the aircraft had large roundels that only just fit between the aileron hinge and leading edge. I estimated them as being 62-inch, and replaced directly from stock Xtradecal sheets. I'm not sure whether this mis-sizing applies only to the early scheme with A1, or whether the B-type roundels for later schemes are also out. The model is brush-painted as usual over Humbrol primer, colours are Revell (Night), Xtracrylix (Dark Green), and Humbrol (Dark Earth). I added a few extra scratchbuilt details I didn't first time around: the landing light aperture was cut out and glazed using a modified piece from a Hasegawa Beaufighter, and the extra little glazing panels in the turret were added using my spares box. I also rigged aerial wires, replaced the inaccurate PE rudder pedals, and drilled out the well for the retractable tailwheel featured on early Blenheim Is. Hope you enjoy this rejuvenation of a now-obsolete kit!

Used to test a strange new idea of putting propellers onto aircraft (sorry couldn't resist....) an early Meteor was converted to use the experimental Trent turboprop engine and test it's possible future applications. This led to many very successful aircraft using the economical turboprop all over the world. Many years ago I converted the AMT 1/48 scale Meteor I into the Trent Meteor but always wanted to do it in 1/72. I bought this MPM kit when it first came out and have only recently finished it. Quite a few parts didn't fit very well and it needed a fair bit of filler. I'm not at all convinced by the prop blades and I think they will get replaced at some point when I've worked out what the problem is with them. Painted with Halfords Fiat Golden Yellow and Humbrol Grey/Green. Thanks for looking. Steve

I went to my local hobby store to buy a couple of tins of paint, $10.00 purchase max. Somehow I got lost. Even though I have been going there for years, I forgot how to get from the paint section to the checkout counter. So, imagine my surprise when, as I am searching for a way to get out of the store, I stumble across the old kit section. Seems like fate doesn’t it? I go in for some paint, get lost and am forced to look at old kits that have been purchased from other modeler’s stashes. And while there, 3 kits call out to me, beckon me, sing a siren song, making my wallet inexplicably rise into my hand, credit card appearing. So, with my tins of paint happily enjoying a 1/32 Revell F-104 Hunting Cat version, they try to speak to the two foreign kits that needed a new home. Both are 1/72 kits. I rationalized I needed a simple build to cleanse my palette from some of the more intense builds I was failing to complete. How complicated could a 1/72 kit be? Especially an old one. Both were from MPM. One was a Lavockin La 9/11 and the other a Suchoj SU-5. I opened the Suchoj SU-5 and congrats; I just bought my first Vacuform kit without even knowing it!! Yeah, that is not going to be the kit for my simple build. So, what’s in box number 2. I open it up and it is a regular injection molded kit with plastic I recognize! Whoopee!! Low parts count. Looks good. Did I mention I am not keen on sanding, filling, priming; sanding, filling priming? Easy to put together, every part has a seam, gap or misalignment. And, I do love a good, oversize vacuform canopy. So, my simple, easy build took 3 weeks rather than a leisurely weekend lark. It didn’t help the paint and the clear coats fought me by not playing nice with each other and creating these cute little bubbles. (Tiny bubbles, from the sea, tiny bubbles . . .) They had never interacted poorly before. On this kit they decide not to be nice. All in all though, it wasn’t a bad little kit and I like the way it looks finished. Next time, I guess if I want a simple build, it probably should be a snap together kit or one of those easy fit ones. Here for your perusal is the 1/72 Lavockin 11 version.

Max decals is pleased to announce that the new Fouga Magister decal sheet in 1/72 scale is now available to purchase direct from our store at http://www.maxdecals.com/Maxdecalsshop.html The sheet features Fouga Magisters from no less than 11 former operators of the type including Algeria, Bangladesh, Cameroon, El Salvador, Finland (6 options no less!), Ireland (Silver Swallows aerobatic display team), Katanga, Lebanon, Morocco, Senegal and Togo. It's a treat for fans of small air forces and the decals are suitable for all the Fouga Magister kits in 1/72 scale including those announced recently by MPM and Valom together with the existing Heller and airfix kits. The Fouga Magister sheet costs 14 euro including worldwide postage. Selected subjects from this sheet will be scaled up to 1/48 scale for the new kits from Kinetic and Avant Garde. To celebrate the launch of this new decal sheet we are temporarily reducing the price on what must be the definitive book on the Fouga. Fouga Magister- An Irish perspective is the perfect reference for those that wish to add plenty of detail to their Fouga models. The book can be purchased from Max decals at 15 euro each plus postage.

Good afternoon colleagues. everything was built here: http://scalemodels.ru/modules/forum/viewtopic_t_26413.html

The I want to show you this model. It is top of German of biplane thought. Everything was under construction here http://scalemodels.ru/modules/forum/viewtopic_t_22103.html This model preparation under a diopama with a torpedo suspension bracket

Hello All, I had this half-finished Defiant lurking in the closet. It was one of my first models after returning to the hobby and it's been stalled for several years now. I had painted the dark earth and duck egg blue, neither of which I liked, and had made a mess of the turret. I pulled it out over Christmas and lost the turret somewhere in the process. Problem solved! I replaced it with a Matchbox Halifax turret (an optional part in the kit) with a scratch built interior and guns. The turret has some elaborate interior structure to hold the guns in place, which I replaced with some bent acetate sheet for the gunner's aiming window. I also added some black-painted paper strips for the new framing. It's a nice kit and looks spot on when compared to photographs. I modified "PS-A" to "PS-V" and added a new home made serial number. Someone described the Defiant as a bad idea, well executed and the last picture shows off how sleek it could look... Compare the last picture to http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Boulton_Paul_Defiant.jpg. Thanks for looking, Adrian

Finished just before christmas, this is my 1/72 MPM Boston IV in Free French Service. According to the kit instructions this plane belonged to 342. Squadron, 137 Wing, 1944/1945. Modifications: - seatbelts added - aiming pin on nose added - brake lines added - air intakes on engines cut open - all exhausts drilled open - replacement main wheels from Aires - gun barrels from Quickboost The fit of the nose glazing is poor; i also had some troubles adding enough weight to prevent tail-sitting since there is no space in the front section. I glued finshing weights under the cockpit floor, in the engines and the front wheel well. The model was painted with colours from the Gunze/Mr.Hobby range. Ugly, but necessary: lead shots in forward wheel bay to prevent tail-sitting: pg French tricolore painted instead using the kit decals: Thanks for looking Roman