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This kit was brought on impulse from the works, having randomly seen it. It effectively flew together - this is my second airfix Provost and they are incredibly good mojo builds. The only problem I had was getting paints. It required humbrol 165, but could only get it in enamel, and couldn't get a good match. I ended up using humbrol 64 which is too dark, but I don't particularly mind. Thanks for looking Images are here :)

Hi All, My latest completion is Airfix' Spitfire Mk.I, finished as FY*Q of 611 (West Lancashire) Sqn, based at RAF Duxford in Autumn 1939. Here's a photo of the aircraft: There are a few unusual elements to this scheme: - The lighter blue of the fuselage roundels - On the starboard side, the tail of the 'Q' is truncated (presumably painted over) - There is a lighter panel (again, probably freshly painted at MU) - The lack of an a/c serial This is a Mk.I right at the start of the conflict, so it does not have any seat armour, has the early armoured windscreen, 'pole' antenna and no IFF wires. This was originally part of a dual build, along with a Mk.XV Seafire, to show the evolution of the aircraft across WW2 (the Seafire was from July 1945 - geddit?). Sadly the Seafire did not make it, as every single one of the decals practically exploded on contact with water 🤬. Here's the last photo of both together before its sad demise: The scheme was completed using Tamiya (DG), AK Interactive (DE & White), Vallejo Nato Black & Aluminium. I had an Eduard etch set for the cockpit, and a set of Eduard masks. I finished the gun port covers using my now favoured method of painted Tamiya tape, and the wing walk markings were masked and sprayed. Anyway, on with the photos! Although I've never been a particular fan of early Spitfire schemes I've actually grown quite fond of it over the build, and it makes for a slightly less-seen version than the ubiquitous BoB schemes. I may have to repeat the Seafire build, and I'm certainly going to extend the Spitfire types in the collection! Thanks for looking, Roger *EDIT* Hi All, As there was some commentary over the appearance of the finished scheme, I couldn't resist taking some photos under natural light to try and offer another perspective. As a comment was also made that the Spit looked as if it were wearing a desert scheme, I thought it would be rude not to include a desert scheme to compare and contrast 😙 (the same Dark Earth paint is used on both Desert scheme and TLS - please excuse the missing antenna wire on the Tomahawk). I hope that this provides a better representation of the finished model - I also slipped in a Defiant as another early war RAF comparator, just for sh*ts and giggles! Here's the photos: Thanks for looking, Roger

Back in 1974 I attended an IPMS AGM at the RAF Museum in Hendon. There I bought the then new Revell 1/32 Beaufighter, made a desultory start and left it in its box...until now! This is the kit, laid out in all its glory... Notice the lack of decals... oh well, that means an after market set. As this kit has non dihedral tailplanes choice is limited, but I've ordered a sheet from Techmodel, and will do one from 307 Squadron RAF, Winter 1943 in the overall grey with dark green disruptive pattern on the upper surfaces. I couldn't face such a massive black model! There is a review of the kit from 2014 here: My initial impression is of a very simple kit, with limited detail and some major design simplifications, for example the wheel well liners are set so shallow that it would be impossible for the wheels to retract! There are some errors in the interior details, for example built from the box the radar operator would be unable to exit his position. As re-loading the 4 cannon was a part of his work on the early Beaus that represents a bit of a problem. More photos to follow: this will be mostly a "Build from the Box" with a few corrections and additions.

I like the music of Cole Porter, and one day maybe a week ago the words "Night and day..." lead in my mind to a Group Build idea. But to the point: Night and Day GB. The Allied combined bombardment campaign to defeat the Axis and its industrial heart and logistic veins. Why not bleed their air force white too, conveniently along the way. Achieve this with British by night, Americans by day, hammering the enemy Night and Day. Adding Little Friends as they came along, from the early Spitfire escort reaching the Netherlands to Mustangs all the way to Berlin and back. Not forgetting the photo recon Mosquitos, Lightnings and Spitfires that brought back valuable information about the effects of the bombing. Assembly ships and Pathfinders too, of course. And the Dambusters! On the other side of the table, Jagdwaffe, with anything they ever could send up in the air to defend Das Reich. Night and Day. The wild boars and the tame ones. Rocket firing dayfighters to break them up and ones with antitank guns to do havoc in a tight combat box formation. The Schräge Musik, btw, that's jazz. A lot of metal in the air too, known as the notorious Flak, so the German AAA and ground radar equipment are eligible if that's your interest. And the night fighters chasing other night fighters, the choices are endless...less...less... So how'd this sound for 2022? 1) V-P the host 2) MarkSH 3) Col. the co-host 4) Antoine 5) Corsairfoxfouruncle 6) Rabbit Leader 7) Arniec 8. trickyrich 9) Ol' Scrapiron 10) CliffB 11) Silenoz 12) Wez 13) TEMPESTMK5 14) Mottlemaster 15) Hockeyboy76 16) JOCKNEY 17) specky 18) Peter Lloyd 19) Valkyrie 20) Muddyf 21) Redstaff 22) BerndM 23) PhantomBigStu 24) Paul821 25) alt-92 26) franky boy 27) Greg Destec 28) modelling minion 29) Tim R-T-C 30) Stefan Buysse ... thank you all! 31) Work In Progress 32) Davey Gair 33) wimbledon99 34) Bill Davis 35) Richard Tucker 36) Rafwaffe 37) ...

https://youtu.be/NScptsa5zJA Bombhead porn ....one for you Selwyn 😁 Only one thing with this its not raining cats and dogs 😂😂😂😂

Hi All, I've taken a bit of a battering in the mojo stakes lately, so I wanted something uncomplicated for my next build. I was perusing the stash and eyed up Airfix' 1:48 Mk.Ia Spitfire, and thought 'nah, boring'. I then happened to catch sight of Special Hobby's 1:48 Seafire F Mk. XV, and the germ of an idea was born. 💡 What about a build which spanned the wartime service of this iconic aircraft? As I thought about this, more interesting juxtapositions came to mind: - Special Hobby vs. Airfix - RAF vs. FAA - Merlin vs. Griffon - Cannon vs. machine gun So, here we go. Here's the box art of the Spit: Now I've never particularly been a fan of early Spit schemes, but my self-imposed bookending of WW2 directs me towards this scheme: FY*Q of 611 (West Lancashire) Sqn RAF based at Duxford in Autumn 1939 - perfect! Here's a photo of the aircraft: It's difficult to tell from the photo the shape of the canopy, but the kit shows a bulged version so I'll go with that unless I see some definitive evidence to the contrary. This aircraft also has the early windscreen armour, a lack of seatback armour, and the early pole-style antenna. Along with the distinctive lighter fuselage roundels, the aluminium & white/black undersides will surely add some visual interest - I'm liking it the more I look at it! Here's the sprue shots: You can see a selection of canopy options here: The decals look lovely: I have a couple of extras to add to the build, which will otherwise be OOB: My second subject will be Seafire F Mk.XV 13-9/T of 806 Sqn FAA, based at Trincomalee, Ceylon in Summer 1945 - perfect again! Here's the box art: I cannot find a photo of 13-9/T, but here's another aircraft from 806 aboard HMS Implacable, which clearly came to an ignominious end in early1946: Here's the scheme: In a bizarre twist of fate, NEITHER AIRCRAFT HAS A VISIBLE SERIAL NUMBER!!!! The comparisons in this build are going to be endless (and possibly tiresome). Here's the sprue shots (3 for SH vs. 5 for Airfix): There's a small PE fret: The decals look straightforward enough: That instrument panel looks distinctly dodgy - will avoid it, methinks. I may need to spray the wingwalk lines - did Seafires even have these? Anyway, off we toddle on A Tale of Two Fires - please feel welcome to join me on the quest! Thanks for looking, Roger

Im looking for info as far as colors ? Were they white always ? Or did they get painted grey or green at some point ? I have seen photo's in museums of the green/grey. Also when did the RAF start carrying the Radar guided Martel and TV guided Martel ? When they carried the TV guided Martel i know it used a datalink pod, does anyone have specs for the datalink pod ? Any help is appreciated ? Thank you in advance. Dennis

Hi All, My latest completion is Tamiya's beautiful 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc. As many of you know this is a superb kit, and it's out of my normal 1:48 comfort zone. Although I was severely tempted to model the kit scheme EN398 JE*J, as flown by Wg Cdr Johnnie Johnson, I ended up modelling as MJ586, as flown by P/O Pierre Clostermann, whilst he was part of 602 (City of Glasgow) Sqn, which formed part of 2 TAF based at Longues sur Mer during July 1944. Here's a couple of pics of the aircraft: And here's Clostermann in the cockpit: Here is the WIP thread if anyone is interested: I added a few extras for this build: The Montex mask set depicts another of Clostermann's aircraft MH526, so I had to be a little creative in cobbling together the aircraft serial number! Anyway, on with the pics: Here's a couple of the engine from the WIP: I'm glad to have finally got this one over the line - it's a superb kit and I really don't feel that I've done it justice, but it's turned out all right! Thanks for looking, Roger

Hi All, My next project will be Tamiya's lovely Spitfire Mk.IXc. The wife gifted me this as a birthday present 18 months ago - I've periodically pulled it out and had a little peek and rapidly put it away again, because I was frankly a little intimidated. I don't normally model in this scale, and I guess I didn't want to risk ruining such a lovely kit. However, with mojo in a healthy place I've decided to give it a red hot go! Here's the box art: This is a very high quality affair, and a very full box! Here's the sprues: That's a lot of plastic! Now although I knew that this would build beautifully OOB, as I did not buy the model (??) I thought I'd indulge in a few extras: The wheels look superb as does the cockpit door (and separately moulded crowbar, which will look lovely in red 🤣). On @shortCummins recommendation I've invested in a Yahu instrument panel (thanks for the tip John!), and I'll be trying out HGW seatbelts for the first time. The kit provides for a number of schemes, including the ubiquitous EN398, Johnnie Johnson's mount. Although I was sorely tempted by this scheme, I wanted to spray the markings, and therefore selected a Montex mask set: The lower scheme depicts MH526, as flown by Pierre Clostermann whilst part of 602 (City of Glasgow) Sqn. I actually want to depict this aircraft: This is MJ586, as flown by Clostermann whilst the squadron was part of 2nd TAF based at Longues-sur-Mer during July 1944. I'll therefore need to adapt the a/c serial and figure out how to represent the kill tally (the squadron and a/c codes also look more compact than the 'other' LO*D - hmmm). The partial worn invasion stripes will also present a weathering challenge! This will not be a quick project and I might have other WIPs running concurrently, but I'm now quite excited to be getting going on this icon - wish me luck! Thanks for looking, Roger

Hi Guys! A second RAF build in a row this time. The previous one was the Eduard's Spitfire with Brassin Engine which gave me much headache. So this time I decided to build this Tamiya's Mossie or Wooden Wonder I should call straight out of the box. Building a Tamiya kit is a pure pleasure and enjoyable though I encountered some minor imperfections due to the old age of the kit. In this case, decals have much to criticize as the adhesion was weak and the carrier film was thicker than it should be. A few scratch details like the seatbelts made from tin foil and masking tape, brake hoses and hydraulic hoses in the wheel well are added. I concluded the build by applying moderate weathering and sealed with Mr Hobby's Super Smooth Clear Flat(GX-114)60%+ Semi Gloss Super Clear(181)40%. Hope you guys enjoy this. What should I build next? Hmmm... Sorry. Not WW2 and I should go for cold war or modern jets. The following is the link to my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/myanmarairmodeller/

Dear Colleagues I'm back to making WWII RAF aircraft. My favourite paint manufacturers are Tamiya and Gunze but neither seem to have a specific paint for RAF interior green. Does anyone have a suitable mix? Or which acrylic paint do you prefer for this colour? Thanks for your advice? Andrew

What is the true colour of Dark Green as applied to UK manufactured aircraft during WWII? For many years I've used Humbrol 30 and it is very close to US FS 595A Ref 34096. I got a copy of the Federal Standard paint chips back in the 1970s and it is kept in the dark. RAF Dark Green is a bluish green with no hint of brown. Recent tins of 30 are, when dry, almost exactly the same as 30 painted on to models back in the 1970s. Exploring airbrushing and acrylics purchased a number of Vallejo paints, covering WWII RAF colours. I was given a basic set of LifeColour paints. This week I tried both Life Colour 538 and Vallejo 71.016. Both claim to be RAF Dark Green, but once painted and dry are VERY different. The Vallejo seems to be more like 34096, a dark olive green colour with no blue hue at all and the Lifecolour is worse, a light earthy colour, more like 34027. What is the general experience of the colour accuracy of acrylic paints form the various makers? At the moment, based on one trial I'm very suspicious of all these acrylic paints..based on these two the temptation is to bin the lot!

Evening, all! After building on and off since first lockdown(!) I've finally managed to finish my Hasegawa Harrier, built as GR.9 ZG511/82 as she was during her last deployment to Kandahar. This build was a real labour of love. It's still the best big wing Harrier in this scale in my opinion, but she really fights you along the way. The end result is worth it though. I threw lots of aftermarket goodies at this one. I felt that the subject was worth the effort. Aires cockpit (butchered to more resemble a Brit Harrier) Eduard MB Mk.12 Ejection Seat AlleyCat 100% LERX Eduard TERMA & Sniper pods DJRP from @Shaun (many thanks, again!) Eduard PE Eduard weighted wheels & outriggers Belcher Bits LAU-5003/CRV-7 Pods L'Arsenal PWIV Model Alliance decals This was my first time using Hataka Red line acrylics, and they performed flawlessly. Weathered using Windsor & Newton oils, Flory wash, and sealed with W&N Acrylic varnishes. There was a bit of scratchbuilding and correcting to do to represent a British Harrier. For anyone interested, trials & tribulations can be found on my WIP here. Anyway, here's some pics. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed building it! C&C welcomed as always. Thanks for looking! Daryl.

A question for those in the know - when was the yellow ring added to the C type roundel (to make it a C1) on the upper surface of the wings? And was it added to the lower surface roundels at the same time. Specifically I'm interested in Spitfire Mk XIVe's (highback and bubble) prior to VE day. The Extradecal sheet I have shows a C type on upper and lower wings, and the Airfix decals for the Spit XIVe show the C1 type in both positions. The Airfix markings are for a post VE day aircraft but I'm wondering if the would be applicable to pre VE day aircraft. Thanks, Colin

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/royal-air-force-unveils-new-union-jack-colour-scheme-for-their-display-aircraft-b1856152.html See link for yet another (as if we didnt know who we are) Union flag colour scheme. Good work by the spray bay but definitely not my thing....subtle is ain't ...i always thought that was the point of roundels. Still the the chinook fleet is grounded I wonder if Typhoons are next following this garishness 😬

I have been blogging this build. This is the Hasegawa 1/48 kit, with some modifications.

Built OOB Hobbycraft 1/48 Sea Fury. hope you folks like it

Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's my 1/72 Tamiya Mosquito Mk.XVII night fighter. I built from the box, with the addition of True Details resin wheels, Master metal pitot tube, and Albion Alloys steel wire to replace the wing antennas. Painted with Gunze/Mr Hobby acrylics, pictures by Wolfgang Rabel. Both Airfix and Special Hobby have announced the release of new 1/72 Mosquito variants in 2021. Time to clear my stash in order to make room for the upcoming kits! Thank you for your interest! Best greetings from Vienna.

Tornado GR.4 Wheels (632171 for Italeri) 1:32 Eduard Brassin Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement. This set arrives in Eduard’s standard flat packaging with a card insert and instructions behind the four resin wheels within. The wheels are attached to their blocks by the contact patch, with narrow out-riggers to each side that improve casting reliability and mould release. The detail is phenomenal, with hub, brake disc in the centres and maker’s name and tyre statistics in raised lettering on the tyre’s sidewalls. Deep circumferential tread is engraved into the contact patch, with the casting block out-riggers attaching in the space between the grooves to ease clean-up further. In addition, you get a sheet of yellow kabuki tape (not pictured – it doesn’t photograph well) with six pre-cut donut masks ready to assist you in cutting the demarcation between tyre and hub with as little effort as possible. Conclusion It’s a drop-in replacement for the kit parts, and the detail is excellent, adding some welcome realism to your model, while simplifying construction and making painting easier. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Model Number 4 - Revell 100 Years RAF - Eurofighter Typhoon RAF 1:72 - this one was a birthday gift - someone mentioned i like making models invested in a decent airbrush this time - did quite a bit of research before buying as i didnt want to break the bank but at the same time waste my money - i was a bit staggered by the price of some of them - i'm not a pro by any means so just couldnt justify the cost - in the end i bought this one - Fengda Hi-Flow FE-183 All-Purpose Precision Dual-Action Gravity Feed Airbrush - which is exceptional given the price! (look it up on amazon) As for the kit itself, a very good build indeed - all components were very well made and fit together well without the need of any filler - a decent amount of detail given that its a 1/72 - went with the Eduard detailing kit again - didnt go overkill on the weathering this time

Hi All, My latest completion is Tamiya's lovely Beaufighter. I've completed it as V8447 "Slippery Ship II" of 89 Sqn RAF, based in Bu Amud, Egypt in 1943. This aircraft was flown by Doug Oxby and Mervyn Shiphard, who was an Australian. Theirs is an interesting story - see below: http://aircrewremembered.com/oxby-douglas.html?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=cda5297b5ab3af7af0d69308a3c67c97bebfb20f-1611987096-0-ARvEz6Md5xLIxPz6u1uJ2_4R8x98Gg5YeVwOipdIgK025YlUZYNOZQe2oAfGbMlB6CdyasaNK71HO9Ci98F1HRgmrdqq9ZJ8HIZ3wnT6ea6emOzN_ekFRagONuo8c7wwTw3kRWmEhyiKo_Fcwir01CDEZnGFhK24JmjCnRLCXpm5HXlWDL9Y0cSl1vTLza5sONCyA5gAu5fkgsUnJUchRT1WJvkRiFWbuMUATbHPY74BIgM_WxqrcFSC9m7fY_eLSSU0Fw-8avP_7qBuhj26ypZfudqT7SFRzR7fr8h7JkOWjodWfuKyA8ihrM3-5jI2YO-FTc-e40nY3zOowIfloiNWQYLEAq0JGX2vDdkSpC36xDEpGWK7i2THq2OxrDWLDyCffQzVOmndt3zuRCoJ3tw Here's a photo of Oxby and Shiphard in front of "Slippery Ship II": Here's a couple more images of the men in front of 'Slippery Ship II", very kindly supplied by @AndyL: One taken with Nevil Reeves And finally another Beau from 89 Sqn with Reeves at the controls: The build was mostly OOB, with the exception of a set of Montex masks for the insignia. Here's the WIP if anyone is interested: I made a few minor alterations to the kit, including: - Filling of the forward set of machine gun ejector ports under the wings - Removal of the incorrect raised panels on the upper wings - Moving the elevator balance actuators to the undersurfaces of the tail - Added a set of resin exhausts - Rivetted the whole airframe I had intended to complete this in the desert scheme of Mid-Stone and Dark Earth over Night. However @Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies threw a curved ball just before I started painting, suggesting that the scheme might actually have been Dark Slate Grey and Extra Dark Sea Grey over Night. This very quickly became an irresistible draw, and in the end I completed the build in this scheme. Anyway, on with the pictures! Finally, I couldn't resist a couple of shots with another of Bristol's finest: I've really enjoyed this build and think that this alternative to the desert scheme makes a common subject a little more interesting. Thanks to all who have supported the build along the way, and thanks for looking! Cheers, Roger

Hi All, My next build will be Tamiya's 1:48 Beaufighter. This subject has been done to death, but here's a shot of the box: I won't bother showing the sprues, as everybody's seen them a thousand times!! I'm not going to model the subjects provided by Tamiya, but have obtained a set of Montex masks as below: You can see I've also picked up a rather nice set of resin exhausts for the Hercules. The reason I'm using masks is I'd like a break from decals - any of you who may have seen my recent efforts on the Lancaster B.II may understand why! I also thought the plastic as presented looked a little bare, so I've finally invested in one of these beauties: I'm going to model this as VB447 of 89 Sqn RAF, based in Bu Amud, Egypt in March 1943: I rather like this scheme, which obviously uses Dark Earth and Mid Stone over Night - the high demarcation also provides some interest. I cannot find a picture of the aircraft shown, but have found this shot of an aircraft from the same squadron: I'm going to use this as an opportunity to depict a weather-worn airframe, so the hairspray may get another bashing. I may also try my new radial engine painting technique which I think worked to pretty good effect on the Lanc - let's see how it translates to 1:48!! Anyway, onwards and upwards - thanks for looking, Roger

A quick build 1/72 Novo Percival Proctor MkIV, NP249 / VS-O of 31 Sqn, RAF Hendon circa 1952. Built straight OOB with some decals from the spares box. 31 Sqn disbanded at the end of 1947 but reformed in July 1948 when the they took over the aircraft and role of the Metropolitan Communications Squadron at RAF Hendon before moving to RAF Laarbruch on 1 March 1955 to become a Canberra Squadron.

Hello guys and girls.I hope you are doing well.Here is my latest finished model.The Sword EE Lightning T.5.A really bad kit that requires a lot of work to turn it into something worth of having a place in you display case.I built it OOB.The paints used are gunze. enjoy the photos.

Hi All, My latest completion is Tamiya's lovely Mustang III. El Mojo has been somewhat depleted of late, so I was looking for a straightforward build - I didn't bother with a WIP for this one (for the aforementioned reason). I chose to model this as GA*Q of 112 Sqn, based in Italy in 1944. Here's a photo of the aircraft: This aircraft was a little unusual in that the Sky identification band was painted out (except around the serial number), and it did not have the usual yellow leading edge stripes. Although there is much speculation around the camouflage colours for these aircraft I've chosen to model the aircraft in DG/OG over MSG. Rather curiously, Tamiya's decals provide the incorrect serial number for this aircraft (FB309, whereas any fool knows it should be FB247 🤣). Never fear, a quick firtle in the spares box yielded the appropriate digits). The kit was an absolute joy to put together - it was pretty much OOB with the exception of a lovely instrument panel from Yahu. I drilled out the ID lights on the underside of the wing and mixed appropriate paints with Krystal Kleer - I think it worked rather well. Anyway, on with the photos! Here's a lovely pair of shark mouths to warm @corsaircorp's frozen cockles (I hope you've now defrosted a bit Alain?) - one with her 112 Sqn forebear: Finally, who doesn't love a family photo? One with her kissing cousin from 3 Sqn RAAF, later also based in Italy: I've thoroughly enjoyed this build, and with mojo at much more normal levels I can gird my loins for a more challenging project. But what, you may ask??! Thanks for looking, Roger