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Hi all. Better late than never as I've only just looked at the GB calendar and saw this one was on the go. A quick check with one of the mods and I'm racing. I built the first boxing of this kit by Fujimi when I was at uni and I recently found that built model stuffed in the back of a wardrobe at mum and dad's place a few months ago. I did take a picture of that old model sans a few items that I'll have to post up at some stage. The obligatory kit and extras shot. I'll be I'm I'm doing the green and grey H&MS-32 Bandits jet. The green/grey rolls onto the exposed slat well so no red on this one...perhaps the speed brake well??? A few etch items (and a mask). I'm on leave for another week so should be able to get a fair chunk of this done. Today has been all about getting the etch onto the kits parts. Lots of the parts are overlays on the kit plastic with the only replacements being part of the kit seats and the IP's. The kit seat modified before etch on the left and the original kit part on the right. Once painted up they'll also get harness straps and ejection initiator handles. Etch parts added to the driver and backseat drivers offices. The IP's are the usual sandwich affair with the instrument layer at the bottom and then the colour overlay on top and the side consoles will get some attention in the way of coloured etch too. The cockpit side walls got the etch treatment as did the footwells in each cockpit tub. I've tried some Ultra Glue on these parts as it allows some additional working time and produces a good bond. Enough etched parts for now. The ECM? fairing on top of the tail is completely missing from the right side and I don't mean short shot. It looks like the insert used for that part was removed or forgotten when it was molded. It's frustrating but easily fixed with some plastic card that I'll shape. No short shot here. Fixed with sone plastic card. A small amount of putty will be needed but nothing major That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by I should have some more tomorrow. Cheers from a warm and sultry Brisbane though evening rain has just arrived to cool the place as I type this...phew. Mick

Hi everybody, I have a doubt concerning the use of the AGM-12 Bullpup and the US Marines Corps Phantom. From what I know, the US Navy F-4J "was equipped with the AN/AJB bombing system which gave better ground attack capability and allowed the use of the Bullpup ASM (The Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club - Osprey 2021)." Thus, I can deduce that the earlier F-4B can't use the AGM-12 Bullpup; the question is if the rebuilt F-4N were wired to carry the AGM-12 and if the US Marines Corps ever carry this weapon before it was phased out in the late '70s. The idea is to build a US Marines F-4N armed with the AGM-12C, if it's realistic.

Desert Harriers (PV-003-72) AV-8Bs in Desert Shield and Desert Storm 1990-1991 1:72 Paulus Victor Decals Hawker, then Hawker Siddelely worked on the world’s first operation Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) attack aircraft surprisingly soon after WWII and the invention of the jet engine, with the ingenious Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine taking a large part of the kudos. America was also involved, and pretty soon there were US Marine aviators flying Harriers (AV-8As to them) vertically as well as RAF and later FAA pilots VIFFing (Vectoring in Forward Flight) to scare the poop out of their opponents and turn the tables on them. Known colloquially and somewhat simplistically in the media as the “Harrier Jump Jet”, the warload it could carry led to the inclusion of S for Short in the acronym, becoming V/STOL, and then STOVL for Short Take-Off Vertical Landing. I give up. The Harrier was so useful that as it became long in the tooth, a new Harrier II was conceived that was a visually only subtly different but otherwise a complete redesign of the original aircraft from the more powerful engine out, using larger composite wings and modern avionics to extend its lifespan immensely. Barely anyone calls it a Harrier II, although the Americans use the code AV-8B, while the UK just used the GR.5/7/9 for the RAF nomenclature. We’ll ignore the two Sea Harrier variants for our purposes. The RAF were forced to retire their Harriers earlier in 2011 by the politicians, who then sneakily sold them to America for “spares”, despite denying that it was happening. Never trust a politician. America continues to fly their Harriers (and some of ours) while they wait for the F-35 to fill the gaps. The Decals Paulus Victor are a new company to us, and have a unique aspect to their products that include a slew of background information and technical assistance to the modeller that often hasn’t been available in the same envelope with decals before. They provide stories, not just decals in isolation. Their packaging is also unique, with a high-quality feel to everything, and attention to detail evident in every aspect of the set. They arrive in a thick Ziploc bag, with an envelope printed in colour on both sides within, and flaps folded-in to prevent excessive movement of the internals. On opening the envelope (which isn’t glued closed), you’ll find a small lined area for your own notes, plus details of the variations between airframes, and a list of sources for additional information about the conflict. Within the envelope is a set of folded instructions that are larger than A3 when unfolded, with the six subjects printed on two sides of A4 plus one side of the fold-out half-sheet. The painting guide helps you through the minor minefield of the painting of these aircraft, which were prepped in a hurry to fly out to the Gulf, with information about the route that included an incredible number of refuelling stops necessary due to the thirsty nature of the “blow torch” jet engines fitted to fighters. The hot & dusty conditions of the Gulf were conducive to rapid weathering, so some discussion is to be had on that subject too. Each squadron was prepared in a slightly different manner, and these inconsistencies continued to appear and disappear throughout their deployment, with each wing given their own space on the fold-out, covering VMA-542 Tigers, VMA-231 Ace of Spades, VMA-311 Tomcats and VMA-331 Bumblebees “Killer Bees”. Beware – there’s a minor bad word on one of the decals for the Bumblebees, so if you’re easily offended, don’t read it and wear a blindfold during application, or model it when it didn’t have the offensive can on its nose. The key take-away is that you are given the information that you need, and you can use it to make your model more accurate. The additional bonus decals can be used to depict your own Desert Harrier options if you’ve a mind to do the research yourself. Speaking of bonuses, you get a free US Marines sticker with front profiles on a faux woven material background. VMA-311 Tomcats, WL-02, 163181 VMA-331 Bumblebees, VL-17, 162726 VMA-542 Tigers, WH-20, 162946 VMA-542 Tigers, WH-40, 162069 VMA-231 Ace of Spades, CG-01, 163662 VMA-231 Ace of Spades, CG-15, 163183 Each subject has notes and even some small photographs of artwork etc., to help you with your preparation, painting and application of the decals. On the left flap of the envelope, you have nine video links provided, and above them are a list of books you can use for further reference on both the Harriers and the Gulf War itself. Obviously, links in a printed form are not the ideal format, but they’re by no means the longest URLs ever, and are well worth a look. Perhaps these could be added to their site at some point to help users with poor typing skills get there. Now about those decals. The decals themselves are printed on two rectangular sheets of blue decal paper at a high resolution that renders all of the stencils legible, providing you have good enough eyesight. They have good registration, sharpness and colour density, and some nicely coloured slime-light decals. Individual decals are included for variations on the airframe’s livery for maximum detail and with minimal carrier film all round. On one of the envelope flaps, you are given sound advice to check your references to ensure you have chosen the best colours and shades for your model if you are planning on going for the ultimate in accuracy. One of the A5 sides of the envelope has a diagram showing which weapons can be found on which of the seven pylon stations that the Harrier has, and with more text that offers advice on the practical application of that capability, discussing the real-world payloads that the Harriers in Marine service carried during the War. Just in case you’re new to waterslide decals or would like to refresh your memory, there are a set of general decal handling and application instructions printed on the rear of the envelope, guiding you through the preparation of the surface, the decals and the application of setting solutions, plus how to seal them for posterity. Conclusion Decal sheets usually come with brief instructions if any, so this new outlook from Paulus Victor is a breath of fresh air, giving you plenty to read, plenty to help you make a more accurate model, and plenty of advice on how to make your painting and decaling process better and more realistic. Very Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi, Here I start new kit build - Marines M60A1 from the Gulf War. This is the ultimate US version of this tank with RISE (Reliability Improvements for Selected Equipment) improvement pack. In particular, it eliminated large IR projector over the barrel, replacing that with passive "starlight" scopes for a driver, gunner and commander. Another change was the installation of Continental AVDS-1790-2C engine boosting engine power. Smoke discharges were added too. This model with represent vehicle C-12 from 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 3rd Tank Battalion USMC, Regimental Task Force Ripper during the operation Desert Storm in 1991. At the deployment to the Gulf region tanks were retrofitted with explosive reactive armour to increase crew protection. I have chosen this particular vehicle due to its camouflage features. Most of the tanks were repainted in whole to sand colour, but some of them retained their original MERDC Gray Desert camouflage, with all added ERA panels painted in sand colour. I think it may be quite striking visually. Therefore build will have 2 main parts. First build the tank and paint it in MERDC Gray desert, then add separately painted ERA panels with all bracing needed. First impressions looking at the kit are very good. There's very nicely represented cast texture on the hull and turret. The tank has classic yet intriguing shape with asymmetric turret - real Cold War warrior. I skip inbox presentation as it can be elsewhere online. I have started a build by connecting a bottom and top hull. However manual suggest making running gear and underside equipment first, I decided to change an order as fitting hull requires applying some pressure which could damage some delicate parts. After drilling all attachment holes and installing driver's periscopes and obviously careful cleaning of the parts all fit nicely. I couldn't resist not to do the same with a turret 😎 Now I will add all running gear and rest of the hull details.

USMC Tank Crew at Rest (37049) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models War is often described as interminable boredom punctuated by moments of terror, so on balance if you drop-in on a soldier randomly, you'll either find them training, or if they're deployed there's a good chance they'll be filling their time with some kind of recreation once the daily tasks are completed. The Marines despicted in this set are doing just that. Arriving in a standard figure box with one of MiniArt's excellent paintings on the front, this set contains four modern USMC tankers waiting for their call to whatever-it-is, and relaxing as they see fit. Each figure is split into separate legs, torso, head and arms, with additional parts for scarves, hats, scarves, gloves, and a few parts of the sides of a plate carrier, so that the MOLLE loops carry on around the torso. One guy in shades is stretched out with his back against something with his arms behind his head catching some rays, with another sitting looking off to his left. Figures three and four are both stood, one resting on something around waist height, the other about to thrown an American Football to someone that either isn't in the box, or isn't expecting a ball up the side of the head. They are all wearing tanker overalls, with a variety of headwear from a knitted beanie, parade cap or brimmed Boonie to the sun-worshipper with no hat at all. Two of the guys have their gloves protruding from pockets, as if they have been stuffed in there whilst dismounting their Abrams HA. Sculpting is excellent, and MiniArt know how to break down a figure for best effect and ease of construction. There is a little flash on my example however, but that's of the type that's easily scraped off, and is far better than short-shot parts! Poses, features and fabric sculpting are all on-point, with differing faces to such an extent that the figure in the plate carrier can be identified as African-American from the sculpt, not just from the boxtop painting. As usual, the painting guide covers a myriad of manufacturers, including Vallejo, Mr Color, LifeColor, Tamiya, Testors, AK Real Color, Humbrol, Revell, plus names in Ukraine and English, with little colour swatches on the far left for anyone else. Another superb set of figures from MiniArt, and yes you do get the egg-shaped football in the set! Review sample courtesy of

This was built a while ago when Gulf War stuff was all the rage! This is the Tamiya kit in 1/35th scale and is sprayed with Xtra Colour Desert Sand enamel and weathered with Oils This takes me back a bit!