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Joining with this kit, bought 2004 from an IPMS colleague for £4.99. The only one allowed a splash of colour I've just looked at the instructions. How has such an uninspiring aircraft become so successful? And as a compliment to this, I'm building a Revell X-32 JSF in the Project Cancelled GB.

Rejoining with this Revell kit of the unsuccessful JSF candidate. Kit cost me £3.85 on Ebay in 2004. A build that compliments my X-35 Lightning build, in the F-35 Lightning STGB.

I'm toying with the idea of converting the Revell/Matchbox Tiger Moth to a Fox Moth. Apart from the new fuselage. centre wing section and tweaked u/c legs, my research indicates that not much else needs changing. Does anyone have any other views to the contrary? Anyone have any scale plans?

Hi Folk's my contribution marking this momentous anniversary is Revell's newish tool Mustang,I will check references to see if the box art schemed aircraft flew on the operation if not suitable marking's will be sourced.

The Avro RJ85 was a regional airliner that was manufactured in the UK by Avro International Aerospace. The jet was an improved version of its twin airliner, the British BAe 146. The Avro RJ / BAe 146 was a high-wing cantilever monoplane with a T-tail. It had four turbofan engines mounted on pylons underneath the wings. The aircraft was very quiet and was widely used at small, city-based airports. It served as a regional jet and short-haul airliner. In the early 1980’s I once flew from the London City Airport to Brussels onboard one of them. The different Avro RJ versions were produced from 1992 till 2001. They were designated RJ70, RJ85, and RJ100 and the corresponding BAe 146 versions were -100, -200 and -300. With 387 aircraft produced, the Avro RJ/BAe 146 were at the time the most successful British civil jet airliner program. Blue1 was a Finnish airline that formed a part of the SAS group. The company started operations in 1998. They offered flights to domestic and European destinations and had a total of 11 Avro RJ jets in their fleet. Since I had previously bought Draw decal’s Blue1 markings I tried to find an Avro RJ85 kit for them. Well, what happened is that I won the kit in an Ebay’s auction but it was Revell’s Bae 146-200. I consulted my modeller colleagues and I was informed that there were only some minor outer differences between those two jets. The kit IMHO was excellent considering its age, 27 years or so. The fit of the parts was perfect and the details almost of tamigawa level. The model was first primed with grey Mr. Surfacer 1000. Then I sprayed it with Tamiya’s white Fine surface primer and finally, I sprayed the whole model with Tamiya’s gloss clear varnish. The blue tail and engines were air brushed with Revell's blue enamel number 52. The metal areas were airbrushed with A-Stand’s white aluminium.

Hello, this will be my first box I am going to build at this blog 😀

Being of the age where "Topgun" had a big impact on me as a great aviation movie, I had always wanted to create my own aircraft carrier diorama. Here it is 🙂... There is a obvious mistake, that's a 1am in the morning error! 😂

Tiger I Vs T-34/85 (05655) Conflict of Nations Series I 1:72 Carrera Revell The Tiger tank was part of Hitler's obsession for bigger, heavier and stronger, which drove him to extraordinary and dizzying heights of impracticality at times, but in this case served him reasonably well. The goal was to mount the extremely powerful and accurate 88mm cannon used in the Flak 36 in a tank with sufficient armour to withstand any artillery round then-fielded by the enemy. This series of objectives were achieved, but at the cost of reliability and a prodigious thirst for fuel. It also made for some nervous bridge-crossings, as the finished article weighed in at almost 60 tonnes, which was too much for many smaller bridges of the day. A deep-water fording kit was created to get around that issue, allowing the tanks to ford streams and smaller rivers where the bridges or culverts wouldn’t take their weight. When it first reached the front it caused panic and heavy losses for the Allies, being capable of almost everything it was designed to do, including knocking out tanks long before the enemy's guns were able to get within range. Even when the Allies could get their own guns into range, it wasn't until they got much closer, almost to point-blank range, that they had any measurable chance of crippling or destroying the mighty Tiger, especially during frontal engagements, where a shot might just ricochet off harmlessly. The Tiger underwent constant changes throughout production to improve performance, fix problems, simplify and cheapen construction, but these are generally lumped together into early, middle or late productions for the sake of the remaining sanity of us modellers. The T-34 was Stalin's mainstay medium tank that was produced in huge numbers by sometimes crude and expedient methods, to be thrown into the fray against the numerically inferior German tanks on the Eastern Front, sometimes even before the paint was fully dry. The designers combined several important advances in design such as sloped frontal armour, wide tracks to spread the ground load, and the ability to cope with the harsh Russian winters without freezing to a halt, which was a problem that affected the Germans badly after the initial successes in the summer of Operation Barbarossa. The part count and cost of the tank was continuously reduced during production, with plants turning out up to 1,300 per month at the height of WWII. The initial cramped welded turret was replaced by a cast turret with more room, and later the 76mm gun was replaced by a more powerful 85mm main gun in the T-34/85 with an enlarged three-man turret, giving even the Tiger pause for thought. The Kit This is a new boxing of two Revell kits in a special edition that includes a diorama backdrop printed on some of the surfaces, two kits, six thumb-pots of acrylic paint, a bottle of Contacta cement with a precision applicator tube, and a #2 paint brush. The book that gives the box serious weight is perfect-bound with a predominantly black cover, and the usual colour instruction booklet is provided, with the decals for both models on one sheet slipped inside. These aren’t the simplified easy-click kits we’ve seen from Revell under the World of Tanks banner, but is the 1997 tooling of the Tiger, and their T-34/85 from 2002, and while they are relatively long-in-the-tooth, the detail still holds up to scrutiny for the scale. The book is written by Alexander Lüdeke, and extends to 80 pages of dual-language text, German in black, and English in blue, with plenty of photographs that include dual-language captions, several charts, diagrams and drawings that should prove entertaining. Many of the photos are black & white due to their age, but there are some modern and contemporary photos in colour scattered throughout the book, which covers both the tanks and how they were used in battle against each other during WWII. The package is of high quality, utilising thick card for the exterior, and the kits are both hidden under pull-up areas of the interior, which holds the paints, glue and brush in situ centrally during shipping and storage, with the book resting on the interior card and the instructions between them. Tiger I This kit consists of four sprues of grey styrene of varying sizes, and includes link-and-length tracks, individual wheels, and detailed exterior. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is made from the floor and two sides initially, adding the interleaved wheels to the moulded-in axles after painting the rubber tyres and hubs the main colour, building the drive sprockets and idler wheels from two parts each, fitting them on the ends of the wheel runs. The tracks are link-and-length as mentioned, consisting of long flat sections and shorter sections for the diagonals under the front and rear, and two sections across the top run to create the contour of the sag behind the drive sprocket. Individual links are used around the ends of the track runs, using six at the front and five at the rear. The rear of the hull is a broad T-shaped part that has chunky exhaust stacks and Feifel air-filters applied, covering the exhausts with a faceted shroud with louvres at the top that this reviewer hasn’t seen before. A jack is sited under the right double-filter box, installing the bulkhead in the rear of the hull and inserting two towing shackles on the torch-cut ends of the hull sides. The upper hull with engine deck insert are added next, fixing two more towing shackles to the ends of the sides, then linking up the filters with two pairs of snaking hoses, adding mudguards to both ends of the fenders. Skirts are glued to the sides of the hull, and the top deck has two towing cables (A must for the unreliable Tiger), and a choice of two styles of headlamps, one on each side of the hull. Some detail painting is undertaken on the moulded-in tools at the front, although this can be left until later if you’re not ready to apply paint yet. The turret sides are two parts that are joined together around the mantlet, removing a flashed-over hole for the shell-ejection port at the rear right, then sliding the barrel into the shroud that’s moulded into the mantlet. If you’re going for more accuracy, you can drill out the tip of the barrel, carefully opening the flash-hider with a drill that will allow the imaginary shells to leave the barrel. If you leave the mantlet unglued, the barrel can be left to elevate, unless you’d prefer to fix it in position for posterity. The turret roof needs three holes drilling in the top, fitting it over the sides and adding a mushroom vent near the rear, plus a one-part stowage box on the back. The commander’s cupola fills the hole in the roof, with an option of opening or closing the hatch, then fitting triple-barrel smoke dischargers to slots near the front of the turret, then filling the holes on the sides with spare track links, or filling them with putty if you prefer. A small tapering part is installed on the two holes in front of the moulded-in gunner’s hatch, fitting it to the body using the bayonet lugs moulded into the ring. The final parts are an additional towing cable on the left side of the hull, and six spare links in sets of three on each side of the vertical glacis plate. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, both with a dark yellow (dunkelgelb) base coat that has either brown and green camouflage or a brown splinter pattern. From the box you can build one of the following: Battle of Berlin – April/May 1945 Panzer-Division Müncheberg Battle on Ostfront – 1944 Panzergrenadier-Division Großdeutschland Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. T-34/85 This kit is moulded on three sprues of grey styrene, and includes similar detail levels to the Tiger kit, and has link-and-length tracks with good detail moulded into the parts. Construction begins with the road wheels, which are paired, as are the idlers and drive sprockets, installing them on the hull sides that are separate at this stage. The link-and-length tracks are fitted around the road wheels, using longer lengths on the underside, a three-part assembly on the top, and short diagonal lengths under the ends. Seven individual links are used around the front, with another five at the rear to complete the track runs. The completed hull sides are applied to the blank sides of the hull, fitting towing shackles to the rear bulkhead before fitting it, and closing the hull by gluing the upper to the lower, before adding details such as the bow-mounted machine gun, additional towing shackles, spare track links on the glacis, exhausts and armoured protectors at the rear, towing cables on the left side, followed by four curved supports on the right hull, and another two on the left, accepting three four-part fuel tanks that were often seen on Soviet tanks of the era. Grab-rails are mounted on the engine deck and hull sides, three stacks of grousers, a couple of stowage boxes, headlight and two-man saw are also festooned around the hull. The turret upper is moulded as an almost complete part, adding a pair of inserts to the lower cheeks, then trapping the mantlet between it and the lower turret without using glue to leave it mobile. A cylindrical cupola has a choice of open or closed hatches, with another flush hatch for the gunner, and three grab-rails are inserted into holes around the three sides of the turret, finishing off by rotating it to lock in place on the bayonet lugs moulded into the ring. Markings Two decal options are included, both in Russian green, one with substantial white edging and a cross on the turret, the other with a lower-profile marking set that consists of one white decal on each side of the turret. From the box you can build one of the following: Battle of Berlin April/May 1945 – 95th Tank Brigade, 9th Tank Corps Battle of Ostfront 1944 – Unknown Unit, 3rd Belorussian Front Conclusion Two good kits of important players in WWII, especially on the Eastern Front, and the book should prove interesting to anyone with a grasp of English or German and tanks. The price might hold it back from selling well initially however, but that should reduce as time goes by when reality sets in. Recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or

Last time I posted a NASCAR build was (I think) 2017... I started this one around the same time, then lost interest in all NASCAR modelling until about two months ago when I found this and all my others during a stash clear-out. There isn't very much to say about the build, I'm sure most builders of American Stock Cars will agree the construction is entirely predictable and formulaic, the only differences being the body shells and paint/decals. That said the early 2000's cars that Revell released are even more so as they're all related to their 'snap together' pre-painted range that were mainly sold through official NASCAR merchandise outlets across the US. Right, enough backstory, this is the less well known of the 2003 Chevy Monte Carlos driven by Kevin Harvick for that season featuring the Californian Funk Metal band 'Sugar Ray' (no I hadn't heard of them either), there aren't too many photos but I found a few, even better is to watch the end of that seasons' Richmond night race and how Ricky Rudd clipped Harvick, putting him in the wall with just eight laps to go, Harvick was running second at the time, Rudd was in third. The post-race 'altercation' was great TV. Paint here is Tamiya TS-14 Gloss Black straight from the rattle-can, when dry the larger areas were very carefully masked and then sprayed TS-21 Gold. Decals are by JWTBM, and date from 2004 - not sure if anyone reading this is connected with JWTBM, but if there is... you 'quality control' was fantastic, after twenty years the decals behaved perfectly. Four coats of Tamiya LP-09 lacquer clear sealed the decals and were left to fully cure for two weeks. Sanding and polishing-out took three days, and I'm VERY pleased with the final finish. So that's it, a toe back in the water of NASCAR modelling and I really enjoyed it. Already looking at a few of my old donor kits & decal options but got a couple of other projects I need to get finished first. Cheers from NZ, please feel free to comment, criticise or ask a question. Ian.

Hi all, It's been a while since I last posted, but I finally got round to finishing and photographing my most recent build. Commissioned by Revell to be displayed on their stand at Scale Model World 2024, this is their most recent boxing of their lovely 1:72 Arado E.555, part of their new "P-Series" of kits. A kit first tooled up in the mid nineties, it still holds it's own today if you're a fan of Luft'46 subjects like I am. A bit of work on the leading edges but otherwise, everything went together without a hitch. Working with the Revell UK team, we came up with this "What If" scheme whilst utilising the existing decals provided in the kit, to show what can be done with a bit of imagination! I also used Coastal Kits Display Bases to give it some context of size in the images. Please enjoy these photos and any questions are welcomes and I shall answer when possible! Cheers!

Right folks, this has been a long time in the making. I started this back in summer last year, before my life took a few turns for the worst. Building this kit was only ONE of the tribulations... It's the Revell 1/144 kit, originally meant to be the Lufthansa version, but I wanted a British Airways Landor version. That meant buying an Airfix version for the correct decals and the engines, which turned out to be a waste of time as the decals were scuffed and the engines were pretty useless lumps. I ended up getting the Draw Decal set and some resin engines, and still had to rob the wheels from the Airfix kit as the Revell ones were mis-moulded. As General Melchett observed, it'd have been easier and cheaper to get the Dragon kit and replace the decals! Anyway, after much kitbashing, scratchbuilding, filling and sanding, the finished article is finally here. I was hoping for some decent weather to photograph it in outside, but as I'm off work this week that's a forlorn hope...so, kitchen table it is. Hope you like it: Now, what's next? Cheers, Dean

I had to have this kit, even if it does not go exactly with my 1/72 Bundesmarine aircraft theme.. Unfortunately, the kit was kind of a pain in the you know what. A lot off the bigger parts (fuselage halves, wing section) went no together well and required an astonishing amount of filling and sanding - not doing a favor to the engraved panel lines. I had a whole lot of ideas about detailing the model. Most of them for the cargo bay. After realizing that you practically see nothing when the plane is completed, I only corrected the front wall (now BOTH toilets can be accessed ) added the urinals on the starbord side back (ok, reading this, it seems I am somewhat obsesses with powder rooms) and a few smaller things. Visible on the outside is one air-to-air refueling pod on the port wing. But only one, I skipped the other wing as I modified a D-704 buddy tank to look vaguely like the one Airbus is using and only had 1 - call it a test flight? Altogether, viewed from a bit of a distance the kit looks pretty realistic. Part of that is the amount of decals Revell included. I lost count, but I think close to 300? Each engince nacelle & propeller alone has over 40! So without further ado, here it is: Oh, and in case you were wondering: 1) No, the German Navy does NOT fly Eurofighters/Typhoons. But that doesn't mean I can build one, does it now? 2) Yes, the different position of the propeller blades is on purpose to show off the variations possible. 3) Yes, I corrected the broken front wheels later (the whole landing gear is somewhat skinny for the weight of the model). Now, as always, thanks for looking and all comments welcome. Cheers

Here is the Revell A330-300 converted to a -200 and finished as OY-GRN “Norsaq” of Air Greenland. Norsaq was built in 1998 and delivered to Sabena as OO-SFP. She joined Air Greenland in 2002 serving as their flagship until retirement in February 2023 and replacement by A330-800 OY-GKN. Norsaq was subsequent sold for parting out. On her final flight from Copenhagen to Tucson she made a low pass over Greenland’s capital Nuuk and most of the population turned out to wave her off. Converting the Revell A330-300 to a -200 is theoretically straightforward. The -200 is ten frames shorter than the -300 and it’s easy enough to remove six windows ahead of the wing and four aft. I used the BraZ replacement nose (more of that in a moment) so at the front I just cut off the necessary length for it plus six windows. I had previously borrowed the kit’s fin for use on an A310 and I replaced it with a tall post-modification fin from BraZ which was warped and needed softening in boiling water to straighten it. Also the fairings at the base needed to be reduced in width by about 50%. I found this photo helpful for getting the fairings correct. The BraZ replacement nose was a saga in itself. The main issue was that it didn’t match the cross section of the Revell fuselage and if it had been assembled as intended there would have been significant steps at the top and bottom. I believe BraZ worked from the actual Airbus drawings so the chances are they are right and Revell are wrong but that doesn’t solve the problem. Again I used boiling water to soften the resin after which I bent the rear of the nose halves closer to the Revell cross section. I then superglued them together at the bottom after adding the Revell wheel well and a decent amount of weight. Once the bottom joint was set I wedged the top joint apart and glued the assembly to the fuselage using 5 minute epoxy while trying (not very successfully) to align the top and sides with the Revell parts. The result was not pretty as the photo shows but after gap filling (scrap plastic, superglue and baking powder), copious quantities of Milliput and numerous rounds of sanding it more or less passed the T.L.A.R. test. A further annoyance is that the BraZ panel lines bear no relationship to the Revell ones. I took the line of least resistance and just filled everything. Unfortunately using the BraZ nose also means you lose the kit’s nicely detailed forward baggage door but there isn’t much you can do about that. The original Revell A330 was issued with GE and PW engines but both are poor. Norsaq had PWs and I replaced the kit engines with LACI’s 3D printed ones (LAC144134). Small fairings and other details came from plastic strip and sheet. The satcom bump is by BraZ. Red paint is Halfords Hyundai Electric Red. Sources disagree about the colour of the wings. Drawdecal say grey with coroguard which is definitely wrong while Lima November say plain Airbus grey. However photos suggest strongly that they were actually white. After much staring at Airliners.net and JetPhotos (especially this image) I decided that white was indeed correct, a conclusion supported by the fact that Norsaq would have had white wings in her original Sabena livery. I therefore finished the wings, stabs and engine pylons with the usual Appliance Gloss White. Metallics are by Tamiya and Revell. Decals are a mixture of Drawdecal and Lima November, mainly the former. I added Authentic Airliners windows and a few bits and pieces from the spares box. Because of the design of the Drawdecal decals I had to overlay the AA cabin windows which inevitably were differently spaced so all 112 of them had to be applied individually, the sort of modelling job which makes me question my sanity. Never mind, we got there in the end and the conversion, which was spread over about eighteen months, was actually quite an enjoyable project despite the problems. The finished result isn’t perfect by any means but I’m reasonably happy with it. If nothing else the large red model is a bit different and shows the “all airliners are white and boring” nonsense for what it is. Since I began this model the Zvezda A330-300 has arrived on the market. In theory it should be a big improvement on the Revell kit although discussion on Airliner Cafe has flagged up an issue with the sit of the Trent engines. I have one on order and I’ll form my own conclusions before deciding whether to dispose of the remaining Revell kits in my stash or hang on to them. Although the Zvezda kit isn’t cheap it should produce an accurate A330-300 without the additional cost and hassle of a (very) badly fitting resin nose and expensive 3D printed engines. Thanks for looking and constructive criticism is always welcome. Dave G

While waiting for bigger rockets (e.g. Mach 2 Vostok) to become available, I decided to increase my rocket arsenal by building a second Revell V2 in US service, this one depicting the test launch "round 3" from 1946. To make it a bit different from my Bumper 5 version, I added a Meillerwagen. As always: thanks for looking and all comments welcome! Here are my other space related builds: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DLrnifbiBdBnwxfF7 Cheers

I don't know anything about ships. I just built one

Hi all, i have a 1/32 revell spitfire mk IXc and i was wondering if it was possible to convert it into an IXe . AFAIK AML does one for the tamiya kit but not for revell. Thank you all for your time

The Revell 1/48 Eurofighter Typhoon “Black Jack” is a detailed model kit representing the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4, specifically the “Black Jack” scheme from No. 29 Squadron, RAF Coningsby. This kit, released in 2022, includes new decals and features 228 parts12. The “Black Jack” scheme debuted in September 2021 and is known for its striking design with a large roundel on the tail and stylized Union Jack segments on the main planes and canards3. This model is a re-boxing of Revell’s 2000 tooling. The biggest problem with this kit is laterally none of the parts fit together, this was a pain to build! lots of sanding, fettling and filling is required for this one, the finish however, if you're willing to put the time in the finished article can turn out very nice indeed and makes for a stand out piece. The detail is pretty good, the moulding is nice and clear with not much overspill. Instructions are typical of Revell, you need to read them 2-3 times first - they do seem to be the original instructions from the 2000 release. The decals, like the rest of the kit do not fit! especially the large underwing decals are a joke - they don't reach the end of the wings and they are about half an inch too long and hang off the back of the wing, There are a lot of left over parts included in the kit as well, but if you really want to arm this display jet to the teeth, you have the option! - Overall an absolute b*tch to put together, but a worthy challenge!

The first of my promised small but colourful builds will be this treble of F-18's, the F-18D finished as a Marines 'Wild Weasel' version and the F-18E and F-18G completed as Navy versions. Here are the supporting photos. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Looking forward to starting these. John

It's that time of year again when I find all sorts of new projects making their way towards the workbench...! I know I have plenty on the go already, but most of these are awaiting paint which requires better weather - I spray outdoors and need warmer, drier conditions. As @Paulaero will understand, these other models are generally at least 95% built, which qualifies me to start on something new in the meantime! 😁 This build is partly a new challenge and a bit of repetition too. The new bit is refurbishing one of my older models and this will form the bulk of this thread. The repetition part is concurrently building two untouched Revell 767-300 kits, which I did here a couple of years ago and I don't see any point in documenting it here again! However, these kits will throw up a few challenges along the way (more on this when I get to those parts!), hence their inclusion into this thread. Let's start with the model to be refurbished. I would guess that I built it around 20 years ago, when my modelling skill set was rather more limited than it is now. It is the Revell 767-300, with RR engines and built to depict G-BNWA which I flew regularly at back in 2003. The model has been in the attic for years and I think it must have been dropped at some point too - luckily I still have most of the pieces: It's certainly been neglected and the attic did it no favours - it's covered in grime: The refurbishment will consist of the following tasks- 1. Open the fuselage up and fill the windows with Milliput 2. Removal of the damaged undercarriage and rebuild the model with the gear doors closed 3. Replacement of the missing windscreen (the only piece that I cannot find!) 4. Removal of the old paint and re-spraying with an accurate demarcation line and correct shade of blue 5. Production of custom decals to give the model a new identity To complete this introduction, the other two models in this build were purchased cheaply but with a few pieces missing. More importantly though, they both have the sprues for the RR engine option, so these will be built as BA aircraft. Here are the sprues: And another shot, showing the first task completed - Milliput is applied: It is well past its 'use by' date and quite dry and crumbly, but perfectly good enough for this job!

As part of my effort to clear my backlog of started kits I have dug out my Matchbox Spitfire. I started this literaly decades ago, but didn’t get far. I have looked at it occasionally, but no action. Then I bought some Xtradecal decals for it, SAC MkIX undercarriage legs, MasterCasters interior, Master gun barrels. Finally I found out about the Grey Matter correction set for the nose, which of course I immediately ordered on a wim. Having now spent about ten times what the original kit cost, guilt has led me to this, my first WIP. It will not be a tutorial, I am not that good, it will not be a guide to the ultimate accurate Matchbox Spitfire, but posting about it will serve to prod me to get it built. With a little luck, at about the halfway point, somebody will announce a new accurate Mk 22/24 for you guys waiting for one. We will start with the nose, the Grey Matter nose is one seriously large accurate lump of resin. I may scratchbuild the u/c legs out of brass because even the SAC legs might fold under the weight! It also might be the first Spitfire build to need weight in the tail to prevent it becoming a nose sitter. You can see the difference with the kit item. The panel lines look much more to scale than the Matchbox lines-lol.

Hello Britmodellers, This Revell F-104G was built more or less oob, except for the two AIM-9J's on the fuselage launching rails, which came from the Hasegawa Weapons Set III. Thanks for watching! Luka

First serious bit of modelling I've attempted in about forty years – so guess that makes me a newbie! My first experience of photoetch, acrylics, airbrush... you name it. So I wanted to do a subject I felt a connection to, and something that would stretch me to the max. So it's Revell's 1/32 Schnellbomber which will assume the guise of 4D+DH 'Dora Heinrich' of 1.KG30.
 This Ju 88A-1 fell to the guns of 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron on 16/10/39 during a Luftwaffe raid on RN ships in the Firth of Forth. 'Dora' was the first enemy bomber downed by the RAF over the British mainland in WWII, and was on the receiving end of the first ever Spitfire victory.
 I was born by the Forth, and have lived half my life on its banks, my family have worked for generations on its waters and in its docks and I live just a few miles from where 'Dora' ditched almost eighty years ago. So I thought I'd make her the first half of a 1/32 'Dogfight Double'. Eventually I'll get around to tackling her nemesis – XT-A 'Stickleback' a MkI Spit of 603 Squadron. Over a year in, having too much fun, here's some (unfinished) pit shots. Apologise for quality – taken with an iPhone4 Cockpit side walls, still needs wiring/some piping added Eduard PE, Aims and homemade decals Floor and curtains printed on inkjet Pilot seat, control column and BZG2 Bombsight

Another old one from the stash. It's pretty much all OOB apart from the odd tweak. I'll be doing the CAG version from the box artwork. So, the cockpit is done. Drybrush, Posca pens and transparent green with PVA over the top. This must of been an old 'B' version that got upgraded as the screen is round. Or Revell fluffed it... The seats are in as a dry fit. The Dspiae clamp is great to work with. I like their kit. And a bit of weight in the nose to make sure it won't try to sit on its tail.

First work-in-progress post here—hi all! After being tempted many many times and growing up with a real van on my street, I decided to take the plunge on this kit from Revell. It’s proving to be an interesting fun project, with the expected challenges on the front doors and fitting as mentioned by many others. Before starting the build I did quite a bit of research even to determine what model year this kit is supposed to be since it’s not mentioned in the box! 1962 was the conclusion so far but I’m still researching more to cross reference details, etc. One of the things I really love is spending time looking at photos of the real van, nerding over many details and deciding what modifications I can make to the kit, to have it closer to the real thing. As I started working on the front cabin, one the things I immediately wanted to change was the area below the seats. It’s completely flat on the kit and missing all the great metal work of the real van, despite the nice grooves on the plastic to reference the real metal moulding and the nice spare tire area behind the front seats. I wanted to add the raised area above the wheels also to have a nice edge for front doors as in the real van, rather than it being level had I assembled the kit as standard. I filled in some of the moulding grooves with putty below the front cabin now that they will be visible because I cut out the central area to add extra metal grooves and the storage/toolbox the real van has below the front seats. I know these might be silly details for some but what can I say, I’ll know they are there and it’s what gives me pleasure when assembling these kits I’m happy with how the extra details are looking so far, making the front cabin more real and interesting. I might modify the front seats with a custom made hinges mechanism so they can tilt forward like in the real van for access to the storage/toolbox area and spare tire. I’ll post updates as work progresses and I continue adding more details to the kit and modifying it… I’m not really happy with how the front doors in this kit go all the way up to the roof line but on the real van then don’t go that far up so that might be my next rabbit hole