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Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc & Messerschmitt Bf.109F-4 Dogfight Double (A50194) 1:72 Airfix The Supermarine Spitfire was tasked with fighting off the German Luftwaffe during WWII, in advance of an expected Nazi Invasion of Great Britain that was to be called Operation Sea lion. After a brief period of comparative calm following the British declaration of war after Germany refused to withdraw from Poland, the first operational use of Blitzkrieg resulted in the fall of France, necessitating the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from Dunkirk that was bordering on miraculous, thanks to some unknown delays with the Nazi advance, and the incredible bravery of British and French troops that held the line, and civilians that pressed their ‘Little Ships’ into service to cross the Channel and help with the evacuation. Both the Spitfire and Bf.109 were products of the mid-30s, and while the Spitfire was just beginning to reach service in larger numbers by the time war was declared, the 109 had been baptised by fire by the German Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. The Mk.I Spitfire saw initial service, but was upgraded to Mk.V standards with a more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine as part of the technological leapfrog that takes place during wartime. The 109 was further along in terms numbers of improved variants, and the Bf.109E or Emil was current, upgraded to the -F or Freidrich variant with a new more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 601E engine, and semi-elliptical tips that carried on to the end of its lifespan. They flew against each other throughout the Battle of Britain, the Spitfires having the home advantage where their pilots could return to combat if they had to bail out during combat, plus the 109s had only thirty minutes of fuel to loiter over Britain, and if they bailed out, they’d be captured and spend the rest of the war as prisoners. The Germans also didn’t quite understand the importance of the British ‘Chain Home’ Radar network, which enabled the Spits and Hurricanes to pop up wherever the Luftwaffe was, without wasting time or fuel waiting for them, in what we now call a Force Multiplier. It was a close-run battle, but Operation Sea lion was eventually shelved, and Britain was saved from an invasion that would have been a very difficult task for the Nazis thanks to all arms of the British military that would have been waiting to blow them out of the water and air. The Set This is a reboxing of two recent toolings from Airfix’s growing Starter Set range that includes two simplified kits plus stands, ten thumb-pots of Humbrol acrylic paint, a 5ml tube of cement, and a #0 and #4 Humbrol paint brush with clear plastic tubes protecting the synthetic bristles. This range is intended to cater to the novice, whether they’re young, old or anywhere in between, or an experienced modeller that wants to build something simple for a change that is sometimes referred to as a “palette cleanser”. Starter Set instructions differ slightly from the standard offering, as they include yellow markings as suggestions for where to apply the glue between parts, and each step of the instructions has a sprue diagram in the corner that points out the location of the parts used, cutting down on the time spent hunting for parts that can affect even the most experienced modeller, draining away valuable modelling time hunting for that last part. The kits arrive in an end-opening box and aside from the consumables already mentioned in one bag, there are two kits in their own bags, the instruction booklet that is shared and has profiles at the rear of each section, plus the decal sheet that is also shared between them. The stands are made from a silhouette-shaped base that mimics the shadow of the kit and a curved support, plugging the model into the top of the support once complete. There are engraved Airfix logos at each wingtip that could be painted a contrasting colour if you’re feeling brave, or you could paint the stand a dark shade to resemble the shadow of the aircraft flying low over the ground. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc The kit comprises three sprues of grey styrene, plus a clear sprue, sharing the instructions and decals with the 109, as mentioned. Detail is perfect for a Starter Kit, and whilst there isn’t a cockpit per se, there are sidewall details moulded into the fuselage halves, and any missing detail shouldn’t be missed from inside the closed canopy, plus there is a pilot figure to fill the small amount of space within. Panel lines are finely engraved, and the gear bays have details moulded into their roof, including separate radiator and oil-cooler inserts under the wings. Construction begins with closing the fuselage halves after painting the cockpit sidewalls interior green, noting that the tail-wheel is moulded into the port side. The propeller back-plate is inserted in a hollow tube with a flange at the front, using glue on the end of the axle only, as it is then dropped into the nose to be trapped in place the top cowling, which has fishtail exhausts moulded into it, taking care not to glue the axle to the nose if you want the prop to spin after completion. The lower wing is a single part that extends out to the tip joint, the remainder of the wingspan moulded into the upper wing halves to give the tips a realistically thin edge. There is a cylindrical support for the pilot’s seat glued to the top, painting that the same interior green if you think it will be seen, dropping the fuselage over the seat and mating it with the wings, slotting the elevators into shallow recesses on each side of the tail. The radiator and oil-cooler fairings are added to their respective depressions under the wing, as is the chin intake, then you have a choice of inserting retracted wheel inserts for a wheels-up model, or different parts to depict the wheels down that consists of the strut with moulded-in bay door, and separate wheels. The model can now be rested on its wheels or belly to installed the pilot and canopy, or just the canopy if you prefer, adding an aerial mast to a recess behind the cockpit, and gluing the prop with moulded-in spinner to the back-plate in the nose. Messerschmitt Bf.109F-4 Inside the bag, there are three sprues of grey styrene, and a small clear sprue, the instruction booklet and decal sheet shared between the two kits. Detail is good, bearing in mind the simplified nature of the kit, extending to the cockpit, gear bays, nicely moulded wheels and a pilot figure with his hands on his laps. Construction begins with the cockpit, fitting the pilot into the tub, noting that there isn’t a control column present in case you feel like adding one. The cockpit is glued into the starboard fuselage half, choosing either a retracted tail-wheel or using the same part in a vertical orientation for wheels down. A horizontal insert carries the exhaust stacks on each side, with an arrow ensuring that it is inserted the correct way around, and the exhausts project from the slots in the sides of the cowling. With that the fuselage can be closed, and after the glue has cured the wings are made from upper and lower full-span parts, slotting the fuselage in between them and adding the elevators to slots either side of the tail. The supercharger intake is fitted to a recess in the port nose cowling, then the model is inverted to add the twin radiator housings beneath the wings, and the oil-cooler intake under the nose. While the model is inverted, the main gear legs with moulded-in bay doors are inserted into the bay after adding wheels to each axle, or the slimmed-down retracted versions are glued into the recess with a section of the tyre visible past the captive gear bay doors. Righting the model permits fitting of the one-part canopy, which has a small hole near the rear for an aerial mast, creating the prop from three blades that are moulded as one, spinner and back-plate, plus a peg that pushes through a circular plug that glues into the front of the model, taking care with the adhesive if you want the prop to spin once the model is complete. Markings Each kit has one decal option on a shared sheet, with the profiles at the end of the build steps. From the box you can build the following: Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The Starter Set range is intended for a wide audience, with the possible exception of the ‘serious modeller’, but they already have more detailed kits of both types from Airfix and others, so they can’t complain, and we need more modellers in our hobby. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

A third entry, and for me an iconic Baby Boomer, following the release of the film Goldfinger, the Corgi version of James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 became the must have toy back in the mid-60's. For this build I am using the 1/43 Airfix starter set version which should make up into a nice little representation of this classic Grand Tourer, by John L, on Flickr Here are the main sprues, by John L, on Flickr and the clear parts decals, paints and glue. by John L, on Flickr John.

Supermarine Spitfire Starter Set 1:72 Airfix A55001 It is hard to think a more Iconic Aircraft to represent the Royal Air Force than the famous Supermarine Spitfire. Here Airfix have brought these two aircraft together in a "Best of British" boxing complete with paints, glue and paint brushes. The first thing to say about this boxing is that these kits are not full on model kits as you would expect looking at the box. These are simplified model kits. The Spitfire has only 26 parts including its display stand. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the parts, these all seem to be up to the standards of the new 1.72 Airfix kits I have seen lately. These kits are great in one respect they will act as a bridge between the click together Airfix kits, and full on model kits. They will assemble like kits, but the lower parts count and thought to the engineering will make it a lot easier for the younger modeller. I cant understand why Airfix are not making more of this aspect to encourage younger modellers into the hobby. Now a look at the kits in more detail. Spitfire The variant included here is a Mark Vc in markings for Pilot Officer Antoni Glowacki of No, 303 Sqn Based at Northolt in 1942. The kit has 26 parts including the Spitfire shaped display stand if the modeler wants to use this. The model can be built with the undercarriage raised or lowered. First off the two fuselage halves can go together with the tail wheel being moulded onto the left half. At the front the mount for the prop goes on and then the engine cover complete with moulded in exhausts goes on. The wings can then go together with a single part lower and left/right uppers. The pilots seat fits into the wing and then this is joined to the fuselage. The tailplanes then go on. Under the wings the radiator and oil cooler are fitted. Single part raised gear, or two part lowered gear are then fitted. The centreline carb intake is fitted. The pilot figure can then go into the seat if you want to use him, following this the aerial mast and single part canopy are fitted. At the front the single part prop and spinner are fitted. If the aircraft is to be mounted on the stand now is the time to do it. Markings A small decal sheet from Cartograf provides markings for Spitfire Mk.Vc AB174 of No, 303 Sqn Based at Northolt in 1942. There should be no issues with these. Conclusion This is a great set to bridge the gap between click together kits and models for the younger modeller. It a shame Airfix dont champion it as this, and make that clear on the box. Review sample courtesy of

And now for something completely different... For my 70th Birthday my sister gave me an Airfix Starter Set Red Arrows Hawk, one of 7 presents each to highlight a stage in my life! Yesterday I made the kit.... Here it is, ready for inspection.... Building it took all of 3 hours, painting and applying transfers another 2. These kits are designed to be simple to build, few parts but beautifully moulded and the detail is good. The instructions are brilliantly clear and simple, perfect for a beginner. The kits are supplied with paint... Airfix acrylic and the red and white had started to set. I used Tamiya red and white. The hardest part was applying the transfers, very thin and lining up the white stripe was difficult as it is in 3 parts, plus the fin flash in 2 more. With Hindsight I'd have started at the fin and worked forward. Anyway, a trip back to 1962 when kits were simple and built as soon as we got them home. I've not had so much fun building a kit in years, big "Thanks" to Sister Sue!

My "back to basics" build of the Airfix 1/775 Cutty Sark (A68215) which was knocked out in just over a week. It was built for the ATF 2021 Airfix Starter Kit GB, where we could only use the paints, glue and brush that came with the set. The paint consisted of Black, White, Cream and Copper. In addition sprue cutters, sanding board and a craft knife could be used. No filler, rigging, masking, airbrushing, enamel paints etc allowed. This was bit of a learning curve as I use enamels as a rule and have only used acrylics once before about ten years ago. An interesting build to say the least with all of the restraints in place. Enjoyable nonetheless. Dave

Tiger I Starter Set 1:72 Airfix A55004 Everyone that’s even a little bit interested in tanks will know the name of the dreaded Tiger tank from WWII, which was at the forefront of German armoured might, and if it wasn’t for the limited numbers on the battlefield coupled with their unreliability, plus Hitler’s meddling with his General’s decisions, the invasion in 1944 might have been much harder fought than it already was. Designed to replace the Panzer IV but often fighting alongside it, the Tiger added extra armour and a larger 88mm gun similar to that of the successful Flak 37 artillery piece, and became one of the most dangerous tanks on the field in the later stages of WWII. The drive-train was stressed to the max due to the huge weight of the gun and armour, which caused many vehicles to be lost due to breakdowns and subsequent abandonment and scuttling of the hull. The Kit This is a new tool from Airfix and is 1.72 unlike some other small scale armour kits which were 1/76 scale. As you can expect from a new tool the moulding are crisp and clean, the plastic also seems to be a bit harder than some of the modern aircraft kits. In a departure from previous kits the rubber band tracks have gone. In the initial boxing both link and length tracks and single part tracks moulded with the wheels/bogies are included, this is now a "Simplified" version of this kit with only the single part tracks/wheels included. As well as paints, glue and a brush the instructions have also been re-worked to show where all the parts are on the sprues, and a small guide to tools is included in the kit. First up the lower hull is built. The sides are attached to the base and the front and rear bulkheads are added. The main top of the tank is then added and the side plates with track guards go on. At the rear the engine exhausts with their covers, and the rear mud guards are attached. At the front the bow machine gun and drivers vision port are added. To finish of the hull the tow cables are added. Construction now moves to the turret. The gun mantlet is built up and then placed in between the tow side of the turret. No glue is used here if you wish the gun to elevate. Hole are drilled in one side of the turret for attaching additional track links. Once the side are together the turret roof can be added along with the rear storage locker. Hatches and vision blocks can then be added also. Next up the single part barrel goes on, the muzzle brake is in tow halves one moulded in and the other half now going on. To finish up the track assemblies are added to the hull along with the turret. Decals The small decal sheet is from Cartograf so should post no issues, it has only one scheme Tank 334, schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503, Russia July 1944. Conclusion As well as Airfix's drive into 1/35 scale armour it is good to see them sticking with their roots and producing new kits for the small scale armour modeller. The kit looks really good in the box and their should be an appeal to the younger modeller with the simplified track details, or even a market for war gamers? Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Permission to join? Due to restrictions on time I wasn't planning on joining this GB...but I suddenly (a) got the itch and (b) discovered that I was slightly better prepared for Christmas Day than I expected. I was planning on getting as much of this done in the 48 hours of Christmas Day and Boxing Day before we go off to see relatives. Its sort of my own min blitz build. This is what I had in the stash: Thanks you for looking all comments welcome. Dave

After throughly enjoying the first Made in Britain GB, I'm back for the sequel. I have the Gloster Gladiator mk1 starter set to build, just waiting on eduard etch to arrive. The starter set is purely to help me as the new man cave is not ready to use, in fact everything is still packed from the house move. Having trouble finding my modelling supplies. I have a kitchen pass for Saturday, free use of the table all day, so hope to make some good progress. Photos to follow soon.

Hi, This was a quick 'starter' build to fill the gap between my last build and the 'NATO' GB. Trouble is, I now have another two weeks to go (though I am away next weekend) WIP is HERE if you are interested Cheers Nigel

Hi, I purchased this for my son last year as part of his DoE 'Skills'. However, he opted for a sport in the end so I thought I'd build it whilst waiting for my first 2017 GB to commence. Nice simple, stress-free build hopefully Here are the usual box and sprue pictures to get this underway

Hi all. I have set this thread up for Mrs PlaStix......... Hi, Mrs PlaStix here, I've somewhat rashly agreed to take part in the starter set GB... I haven't built any kits for a very long time and they were vinyl Star Trek figures 'Odo' and 'Quark'... I vaguely remember building some Airfix kits when I was a kid, but after doing some cursory research one seems to have been produced later, so I'm possibly imagining that I made 'Henry VIII'. Anyway, having perused the list of starter kits I settled on the Mary Rose, I was quite tempted to try the Cromwell tank, but Mr P had already snaffled it! I'm a closet Archaeology nerd and also had memories of sitting in our first home together, a little one bed flat, watching the raising of the Mary Rose in 1982 - heart in mouth as the ropes slipped... So it really appealed to me, also if it all goes pear shaped I can always claim that it's the contemporary version! Another reason for my choice was the sage advice of Mr PlaStix: "It will be easier to do than trying a car or plane" Time will tell. Here is the kit, it arrived on Friday: I was relieved to discover that it has only 25 parts!: [/url] These are the tools that Mr P has let me borrow for the event: The decals are so bright and colourful and the flags are a nice touch: I hope I can work out how to put it together, I think the instructions, though sparse, seem straightforward... The hull detail is really crisp and good considering it's 1:400 I washed everything as per instructions and once dry had a go at painting, figuring that the cannon would be a safe place to start, as only the ends are visible when the kit's built. I was advised to thin the paint and was a bit nonplussed by the mottled effect it produced, but Mr P reassured me that this was okay and that it was better to build up thin layers... also this paint dries really quickly. It was metallic grey and that might have explained the patchiness. Painting the deck seemed a little easier, it was just tricky not to 'drown' the area with the watered down paint though: As Mr PlaStix always says - comments and suggestions welcome.

The current plan is that I'm going to make this Cromwell during my lunch times at work. It's not quite a tray on my lap, in front of the TV, but it's going to be about the only time I get to make this with four builds going on in three other GBs. I have made one of these before and thoroughly enjoyed it and thought, at the time, I'd like to make another - and this GB seems as good an excuse as any to make one now. The kit arrived today: I will need to wait until Monday before making a start. I'll post a photo of the limited equipment I shall use once I've got it sorted out. On a side note; Mrs PlaStix has expressed an interest in taking part and she is planning on making Airfix's Mary Rose kit - she's hoping the kit will arrive before the weekend. We'll get a thread started for her once the kit arrives. She has made kits before and she thought this GB sounded like a great idea. Can't wait!! It should be fun trying to make a kit like in the old days!! Kind regards, Stix

Hello Everyone, Welcome to my build, I have decided to go with this one as I got it in the Black Friday deals a while ago, typically I have gone with something yellow... I hate painting yellow. I'm an imbecile... While I am waiting for the sprues to dry after their wash I will post this little lot. Thought I would cheat by getting an aircraft that doesn't have any canopies That yelloe looks like it will be fun to paint. Yay! All Yellow! I am really impressed with this sprues. Think I will leave the pilots out tho. The interior is really good, think I will have the cockpits open to show off that detail. My extensive tools for this show. This came with the order... I haven't read that it can't be used Do I get extra points for stealing my girlfriends sister lap tray with SpongeBob on it?... As an extra reminder of being a kid making models in the afternoon. I have a stolen jar from my parents! Water is from my place tho. I think this will be good for me, I have been wondering how well I can make a model in my flat without the "toys" I have in my shed. This will be a good indicator, back to basics kinda thing. Even my girlfriend is interested in this, altho she won't join in. She'll be supervising me. More to follow soon... Kind Regards, Dazz

Last one of the year, Thought I'd do a quick 24hr build and share with you, a strict out of the box build using nothing but whats in the box parts, glue, paint and brush. Allowed myself 1 tool, a scalpel! Heres the kit an airfix Zero starter set. Paints included HU11,29,85 & 90 Off to a good start with the control column breaking whilst taking it off the sprue, plastic in this kit seems quite brittle, an undercarriage door was to break later too. Stuck with the instructions and the cockpit built up and the fuselage closed up, the kit includes a whole pot of HU29 brown, but the only place the instructions say to use it is on the headrest bit of a waste IMHO. Some nice instrument panel decals included. Engine was painted silver and then dry brushed black, cowling got a coat of black too. Wings tail and rudder next, reasonably good fit Undercarriage bays got a coat of silver then dry brushed black. Thought I had taken some pics of assembling the undercarriage legs and prop, but could not find them in the camera so obviously not - sorry, legs and prop were painted silver with black on the rear of the blades. Prop, pitot, tail wheel, aileron balances, canopy and mast were all fitted then painted HU90 sky, canopy frames were done freehand with the no.2 brush that the kit came with, don't have much experience with acrylic but found any blemishes and smudges on the canopy could be gently scraped off with the scalpel. Decals next had to accept the silvering as its a strict OOB so no gloss coat, The exhaust was painted with a mix of the black brown & silver. Dry brushed black downstream of the guns, exhaust and wheels along with some brown for the wheels. And we are done ! (actually took 27 hours including sleep) Thanks for looking Mark

I've recently decided to start modelling again, after a gap of about 15 years since my last models as a teenager... I went to my local hobby shops, and decided to try an Airfix Spitfire; I bought the starter set, a new tool kit with the small pots of acrylic paint, a brush and cement: I wanted to practice, and try some of the tips I had read on various model forums. So I completed it with the supplied acrylic paint, and I bought a few more pots of Humbrol Acrylic paint, such as yellow, silver, gunmetal and Cockpit Green, to make the end result more interesting. I also bought a range of brushes to make detailed work and larger surfaces easier to paint. I also bought some Tamiya masking tape, and used it for the canopy, the line between the blue underside and green/brown camoflage and also for the blue fuselage band (there is a decal supplied for this, but I decided to paint it). I also bought a tube of Humbrol Model Filler, which was applied to the wing roots, and places along the fuselage seam. So, I am fairly pleased with the end result; brush painted using the supplied pots of acrylic...not too bad for my first model in 15 years! I put the decals straight onto the painted surface, so there was a bit of silvering. Lots to improve and try for my next build. Here are the pics, enjoy!