Search the Community

Too much choice for this GB, as previously discussed. But the new Wolfpak F-5E still has no issue date, a Vietnam GB looks likely for next year, I have just finished the second F-104 of the year and I quite like the NMF on the tail of my current F-100 WIP, so I am going to do this Academy F-84G with the only FM being decals (bought years ago) for a Misawa based example that I have found a few photos for, middle option. Chris

My build for this GB will be the Academy 1/35 Stuart "Honey". Not exactly something different. It will be built in the Western Desert Caunter scheme, as I'm sure will many other projects in this GB. I already have a Cruiser A9 and a Matilda in this scheme so I think the Stuart will go well with them.

Academy is working on a 1/144th Boeing E-7A Wedgetail. Sound logical after the still future 1/144 P-8A Poseidon kit (thread). Source: https://www.hlj.com/1-144-scale-p-8-poseidon-acd12635 V.P.

So we are four month's into 2024 and this is my first finish of the year. This one is the Academy PBY 5 Catalina Black Cat boxing I received for Xmas, so I pick up some FCM decals for south American operators (Brazil and Argentina). Built OOB using Tamiya and Mr Colour acrylics, if anyone uses the Mr Colour day glow red and yellow just be aware that the yellow need a solid white base and the red is best applied over yellow. As usual all comments are welcome.

Academy is to re-release the Knighthawk variant from their 1/35th UH-60 Blackhawk kit (http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/aca/kit_aca_2192.shtml), the Sikorsky MH-60S "Knighthawk" - ref. 12120 A test shot was on display at the IPMS USA Nats 2014. Source: http://www.cybermodeler.com/special/ipms2014.shtml V.P.

Wolfpack Design is to rebox (with upgrades ?) the Academy 1/48th Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk.XIVc - ref. WP14817 Source: http://www.wolfpack-d.com/htm/kit.html And soon http://www.wolfpack-d.com/catalog/htm/wp14817.html V.P.

So this seems to be a popular kit (also I think the new Airfix version is a rebox)... After opening the box I was surprised at the number of parts included for such a tiny tank (Stormtrooper bits not included)... Instructions are a black and white booklet but seem easy enough to follow and the paint guide is also a black and white sheet (so no idea why that's not part of the booklet). I've been absent from the group builds for a while (work commitments) so figured I'll go for a straight OOB build to keep things simple and give me a chance of finishing. I think I'll go for one of the British variants, I'm not sure on whether to use the rubber band or individual link tracks but kudos to Academy for giving you the choice. So before I knew it I'd already built up the running gear... One thing I like about armour builds is how I can just get into the flow of building without the stop/start of needing to paint stuff - however, well now I need to paint the interior, so I decided to take a break for the evening. Today I got back into it, building up the interior parts into sub-assemblies (transmission, drive shaft tunnel, turret armour, turret basket, etc.) before airbrushing the interior parts with some Mr Surfacer 1500 White then hand painting the details before assembling. I've not done the greatest of jobs with the painting (spot the paint runs in the hull) though not much of the interior will be visible when finished. I added a bit of light grey washing to the floor plates to make them look a little worn. One thing I found is that the blanking plate for the bottom of the hull seems to make the interior sit a little high so I'm wondering if it should have been omitted or I've just messed up somehow (it doesn't appear to be made to fit from the bottom and the instructions show it being added from the top). So a good bit of progress for the weekend, hopefully this will be a quick build!

Here's what I'll be playing with: I'll be using the Academy kit with 323 Squadron 70th Anniversary markings. Cheers, Andre

As you can see in my 1/72nd Academy Dutch F-35A Anniversary bird topic, I'll have two of the Academy A kits to play with. First I planned to do a Dutch line bird, but since the late 2024 RoG kit will feature a brake chute housing, I'll use that kit for that. So, I will use one of the other kit decal options for the second Academy kit. At the moment I am leaning towards a ROKAF bird, since most other nations seem represented already but I haven't spotted a South Korean build (yet). Open for suggestions! Cheers, Andre

The 1/48th McDD F-4B Phantom II announced by Academy (ref. 12232) should be out for the third quarter of 2012. Source academy homepage: V.P.

At Nürnberg Toy fair 2013. 1/72nd Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II by Academy - ref.12507. Source: http://www.primeportal.net/models/thomas_voigt7/academy/ V.P.

Academy 2023 thread - link Waiting the new catalogue expected in February 2024. Newsletter Q1 - 2024 Source: https://academy.co.kr/article/공지사항/1/1480/ The aircraft kits: - ref. 12636 - Tupolev Tu-22M3 "Backfire-C" - (ex-Minicraft Model Kits) - ref. 12637 - Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star - USAF - (ex-Minicraft Model Kits) And the targets V.P.

Years after the release of its original trainer variant kit and the release from several conversion sets, here's at last the Academy 1/48th KAI FA-50 Fighting Eagle kit with some new tool sprues. - ref. ????? - KAI FA-50 Fighting Eagle - RoKAF Source: https://bbs.ruliweb.com/family/232/board/300016/read/2359756 Thanks jaydecker ! The new tool sprues V.P.

Finished today (at last!) - 1:48 McDonnell-Douglas F-4C-24-MC Phantom II, serial 64-0861, aircraft no. C.12-26, side no. 122-13, 122 Escuadron, ALA 12, Ejercito del Aire, Torrejon AB, ca 1983. Academy kit with Eduard PE set for cockpit, Aires resin ejection seats and Series Españolas decals. Painted with Gunze Mr.Hobby C series and Alclad II metallics. Thanks for watching!

So I'm in another city and away from my Ventura for a bit and decided I needed a simple little project to keep me out of trouble. I reviewed my stash on scalemates.com and decided a little $5 Academy Airacobra kit I picked up at the London, ON show in October might be suitable. I did a little searching and discovered Canada had one of these planes for evaluation in 1941 and crashed it in the Gatineau Hills across from Ottawa, where I grew up. Here's the plane flying.... ... and here's the plane after the pilot failed to switch from an empty gas tank to a full one. A write off. So I could model AH621 in its glory but at least a couple other people on the planet have already done that. Someone even made and sold decals for it. So it seemed I should do the crashed version instead. I've modelled a crashed Hurricane and Ventura, so why not? I seem to pick the underdog planes and do them in a crash. Based on crash photos I marked up a diagram for cuts. Here's the kit I am working with. Turns out the previous owner had assembled the cockpit and fuselage... without paint but with a huge chunk of putty in the nose because this is a tricycle landing gear plane. Seems he also included decals for the Mongolian air force. Here you can see what was assembled... including one landing gear door closed. This triggered a deep desire to disassemble all of this. Not sure if that was the right way to go. Unlike the Ventura restoration, I didn't want to go slow and soak in IPA. Acetone had worked wonders in the late stages of Ventura disassembly so I used it here, rubbing it along seams with a q-tip. As of last night when I had started (after drinking a stout and assembling the dough for a kugelhopf sweet bread) I was doing well separating the fuselage but then caused some nasty damage where plastic ripped along the nose and tail where the bonds were stronger. So the fuselage was still fused at nose and tail where both were damaged, and the middle was nicely separated. Cue regret and annoyance until I returned to it this evening. I decided to accept the ugly butchery and focus on making cuts according to my diagram. Perhaps the cuts would help me get the putty out and separate the plane pieces. It worked. Here you can see the rudder, second cockpit door, and nose cowling cut off. You can also see the cut along the tail around the radio access panel, and the chunks of putty I was able to remove. So mood is lifting. The crash photos show the tail was bent quite sharply. In order to facilitate the bend and overlapping panels in the photo, I cut the tail on both sides around the radio access panel, and I cut around the top panel as well. However the plastic is too thick to allow for a realistic fitting of these cut pieces together into a "crunched tail". So, out comes a file and I ground away on the edges on the two pieces of fuselage to bevel them thin. Then I assembled the pieces for a dry fit mockup to approximate the crash photo. Not a bad rough start! I need - a stronger tail bend - build a forward doorframe that gets ripped away from the fuselage (in the photo the door is ripped off and on the ground like my mockup above) - remove access panel in nose - thin out and damage nose cowling pieces - open nose piece and add a mulched up reduction gear mechanism showing I'll also work on the majorly deflected elevators and the sheared wing and aileron. Looks like my relaxing little quickie is moving along 🙃

Well, what better way to get started on the forum than by joining a group build? I'll be building the Academy 1/72 Me-163 kit, but the S variant in which the rocket engine was removed to make space for an instructor. It never entered service, only one was constructed and that was captured by the Soviets, who tested it and used it to progress their own (later abandoned) rocket interceptor program. Kit and plastic (with apologies for my limited photography skills!): It also includes a neat tractor that was used for moving the 163s around after landing - since they were without landing gear and had to be collected. I'll also be trying something new - some Quinta Studio 3D decals. Helpfully, their set for this kit includes both the 163B and 163S versions; they look a bit fiddly, mind. Hoping to get started very soon 🙂

Would anyone know if the Typhoon and Tempest shared the same tailwheel? CMK offers a replacement tailwheel for the Typhoon, and I thought that if it was the same as for the Tempest, it'd be a good replacement set to upgrade the Tempest tailwheel with.

One of the more iconic symbols of the D-Day Normandy Invasion, the Douglas C-47. Over 1000 of these aircraft took part in the opening days of the invasion, playing a crucial role of delivering paratroopers to capture specific targets in the hours before troops began landing on the beaches. C-47 42-92847, "That's All Brother", led a flight of over 800 C-47s carrying the 82nd and 101st Airborne to the interior of Utah Beach. This aircraft has a storied history, including taking part in Operations Dragoon, Market Garden, and Varsity. Her restoration started in 2015 and was returned to flight in 2018. As of the time of this post, That's All Brother with 5 other US-based C-47s have flown to the UK to take part of the 80th Anniversary. They'll once again load up and drop Paratroopers in Europe. Academy recently bought Minicraft, so its no surprise to see a rebox of this kit. Your basic kit shots:

In 2022 catalogue, Academy is to release a new tool 1/48th Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat - Battle of Midway - kit - ref. 12355 Despite rumours It won't be a rebox from the future Eduard F4F kits family (thread), dixit words from M. Vladimir Šulc, boss from Eduard–Model Accesorries ltd., as from M. Gustav Jung, boss from Wolfpack Design, who's close ties with Academy Hobby Model Kits - see here: link Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=4666693050091873&set=pcb.4666695563424955 V.P.

With the P-51D done and on the shelf, and the He-280 back on the table I scanned the stash and decided a chopper is due. Picked out this one and will try to go for the White JDF Bird. This should be an easy build with a challenging paint job. Stay tuned. Ran

Hi, Here's my Academy F4U-4B. I know that it is not fully accurate, but I'm not going to attempt corrections. I just want a model of a Korean war USMC F4U-4B. Cheers, Stefan.

Academy is to release a 1/72nd KAI T-50 "snap tite" kit - ref. 12519 Source: http://www.academy.co.kr/1p/1p_plaview.asp?pView=PLA0000001&pCode=1289&pScale=SCALE00003 https://academy.co.kr/product/172-12519a-대한민국-공군-t-50-고등훈련기/492/category/26/display/1/ V.P.

Polish aircrews from 1586 Special Duties Flight, Royal Air Force, flew numerous missions over occupied Europe, delivering supplies and armed agents ("dark, silent ones") to various resistance groups. In this build, I've sought to capture Liberator VI GR-R, EV978, as it would have appeared months after delivery to the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (MTO) in Brindisi, Italy, in 1944. Two Liberators were coded GR-R, but only one, EV978, survived the war. Jadran Hobbies produced a decal sheet, now out of production, for EV978 and two Halifax Mk1 and Mk1a aircraft from 1586 Special Duties Flight. Having gotten the sheet as a gift, I considered the possibilities of building Revell's Halifax Mk1 or GR.V with some minor mods versus the more difficult challenge of fashioning a Liberator VI with modified nose glazing and a Boulton-Paul turret in the tail. In the end, I steered away from the Halifax as too difficult to obtain. By happy coincidence, I received the Academy B-24J "The Dragon and His Tail" for free at a club Christmas party gift exchange, and that tipped the balance. I used a fair amount of after-market on this model, including the excellent Quick Boost engine set, Squadron/Falcon vacuum-form clear parts, Master gun barrels, and resin wheels (Eduard?). Paints were chiefly Vallejo and MiG. I had to prime the clear parts with Mr. Surfacer, but the paint still came off in many places with demasking, so I had to resort to decal painted in the camouflage colors.

Hola amigos, this will be my contribution, the Academy 1/72 PBY-5A Catalina: With the beautiful Argentine markings (bottom right) in this FCM decal sheet: The main fuselage colour is silver BTW, not white. Plus, the wings are yellow: She's a very colourful bird. Really looking forward to this one

Polish aircrews from 1586 Special Duties Flight, Royal Air Force, flew numerous missions over occupied Europe, delivering supplies and armed agents ("dark, silent ones") to various resistance groups. These were extremely risky missions, flown chiefly at night by single aircraft, and vulnerable to FLAK, fighters, weather, and crew fatigue. 1586 Special Duties Flight took huge losses during the Warsaw Uprising of August - October 1944, during which its crews pushed themselves beyond even the extremes of wartime necessity to deliver needed supplies. In this build, I've sought to capture Liberator VI GR-R, EV978, as it would have appeared months after delivery to the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (MTO) in Brindisi, Italy, in 1944. Two Liberators were coded GR-R, but only one, EV978, survived the war. Jadran Hobbies produced a decal sheet, now out of production, for EV978 and two Halifax Mk1 and Mk1a aircraft from 1586 Special Duties Flight. Having gotten the sheet as a gift from a Polish-American friend, I considered the possibilities of building Revell's Halifax Mk1 or GR.V with some minor mods versus the more difficult challenge of fashioning a Liberator VI with modified nose glazing and a Boulton-Paul turret in the tail. In the end, I steered away from the Halifax as too difficult to obtain. By happy coincidence, I received the Academy B-24J "The Dragon and His Tail" for free at a club Christmas party gift exchange, and that tipped the balance. The Academy kit is well known to this forum's members. It builds well and is relatively trouble free. Having never built a B-24 previously, but knowing that the deicer boots would be difficult, I that I would assemble the tail and wings first, sand the seams, and paint them as separate parts before joining them to the model.