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Just seen from Airfix a 1:24 New Tool will be announced 07.11.2025..... Background shows some lightning so could it be a Lightning variant or is it merely something to throw us off the scent.... Exciting times.....!

These will be my final two Hawker Hurricanes from my "Hawker Hurricanes around the world" project, two Airfix Mk Is dressed up in Romanian and Italian liveries after they were captured from Yugoslavia in 1941. The Italian one is fairly well photographed (I believe even videoed). This is the only photo I know of of any of the Romanian ones (there were three, numbered 13, 14, 15).

Well 2025 has been a bit of a rollercoaster year for me started up Resolution Hobbies ( Colourcoats enamel paints)in January 7th had a Stroke 10th January. Physio and help started the business up again in March all going well slow progress getting my left side back in use. Then in August lost my mother after her long battle with Dementia and COPD then had to sort out all the mess that was left. Then two weeks ago became a Grandparent for the first time so now trying to get back at the bench and do some builds. Got this little boat while on a family break recently goes together great even with only having one good hand but it is slow going and can be quite frustrating at times so work so far all paints are Colourcoats of course just love the Day glow Orange. Still work to do on the base but hope to get it done soon. Stay Safe Keith

https://uk.airfix.com/products/westland-navy-lynx-mk88ahma8mk90b-a10107a V.P.

Seeing as far and away the majority of Hurricanes being built for the GB are from the Commonwealth and the Hurricane had good export success before, during and after WWII I though that I should show one from a foreign operator to highlight this fact. One of the other facts about some of the exported Hurricanes is that they ended up being actively use against the Allied cause with Finland being the most well known example of this and another being their use by Romania, and that is the operator that I am going to represent, hence the word Uragan in the title as it is Romanian for Hurricane. My weapon of choice is the Airfix 1/48 Mk.I (the more modern tooling) that I have built once before, 10 years ago for Battle of Britain III GB, and while the kit does have its slight accuracy issues it builds up well and is accurate enough for me. Another factor in choosing it is that I actually have one in the stash! My kit is without a box but other than some interior green having been sprayed onto the insides of the cockpit some years ago no assembly has taken place, here she is; I might have some aftermarket goodies to throw at it somewhere, almost certainly some seatbelts. The other aftermarket being used is a very nice looking set of decals by RB Productions for Romanian Hurricanes which I have had for a few years; There's some nice markings on there including an aircraft in the early markings from before Romania joined the Axis powers and the two bottom aircraft which are from the 3 aircraft supplied by Germany from aircraft captured during their invasion of Yugoslavia, as much as I would like to build one of there (and one in Yugoslav markings) I can't from this kit as they are rag-winged aircraft as opposed to the tin-winged Mk.I supplied by Airfix. I shall probably go for one of the two aircraft shown below; I am unsure whether to build one in the early markings following the start of Barbarossa or the later one with less yellow on the nose and some quite weathered markings, we shall see. I would very much like to be building more for this GB as the Hurricane is a firm favourite of mine but I may have over-committed already as I shall be busy co-hosting and building for Post War twins as well as fitting in work and working on the house, wish me luck! Thanks for looking in and as usual all comments and criticisms are gratefully received. Craig.

Well this was the kit that kicked off this nonsense and it's the one I'll be building for the GB, markings TBC once I get back from holiday.

Hello, Here's my next project, a dual build which will carry me through most of the year. I'm continuing the trend of building my oldest kits first, in case I can still use the decals 🙂. One of the kits is a newer repop I purchased in 2019 in Airfix's soft light grey plastic. The other was purchased in 2004, and it's the harder dark grey plastic. They will be a Seafire FR.47 and a Seafire F.46 respectively. I've seen build reports outlining fit issues with the FR.47 and I know the soft plastic works well with TET and may make the build easier. I'll also use a bunch of goodies, like the Barracuda propeller blades and the requisite Rob Taurus canopies. I also got miscellaneous bits (flying surfaces, exhausts, wheels, cockpit bits) from Hi-Tech which I'll put to use on one of them, likely the F.46. I'll have to check my "Spitfire Goodies" box as well to see if there is anything else there worth using. Here is the start. The newer decal sheet is much crisper in printing though I'm not sure if there will be a difference in behaviour. And the first challenge has raised its head: the instrument panel. It's molded in three levels, and I doubt any decal sheet would conform to all of them. The panel in the older sheet is also useless. IMG_5089 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr Unfortunately Airfix moulded all but one instrument face as flat discs, so my usual method of painting white first, then flat black and scratching the instrument details won't work here. I thought of punching out the individual instruments from the decal sheet, yet with only one usable sheet that's not a good plan. I've painted the panels with Tamiya LP-2 White for now while I figure something out. The other challenge is the control column with a solid spade grip. What was Airfix thinking? I'll scratch build the grips as the Mk 47 has a differently shaped grip. IMG_5090 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr While the kit is good, there are many things to correct and enhance which can make the build interesting. I've just completed a shake and bake kit, now it's time to get creative again. This may be it for a while. Cheers, Wlad PS - I recognize beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so please don't be offended if you prefer the Mk.47 over the Mk.46. 🙂

To while away the hours between drying oils and curing flat varnishes on my AFV club Churchill build and inspired by @AdrianMF I expended my hard-won Hobbycraft vouchers on the Airfix Vintage Churchill. I built one about 50 years ago and it's time to face down the demon at last. Tackling the kit with its fiendish suspension in the days of thick poly cement, nail clippers and Mam's nail files on a tea tray in the sitting room seem now to be an exercise in futility but then hope, eyesight and manual dexterity were boundless and the end result, whether pristine or ornamented with gluey fingerprints, was destined to meet its fate in the sights of .177 air rifle. This time, with the miracle of TET and access to the BM hive mind I have attempted to produce something worth keeping.

So this is my next build and needs to get done for before Christmas as it will be a present for my dad. He knew I had the kit but has stopped pestering me to build it. He already has the Mogul and a KeilKraft bus. The 'Evening Star' was the last steam engine built by British Railways, a slightly modified Class 9F, it wears the BR Green rather than the usual black. Preserved at York's National Railway Museum. The kit was originates from Rosebud KitMaster and even though this boxing is quite old there are signs of mould wear, flash and surface marks. Contemporary exploded diagram and wordage. Most of it is straight forward but close attention needs to be paid to the running gear. I was going to just replace the handrails, as I had on the Mogul, but there is A LOT of pipework on display and it's all copper. Rather having to do a lot of tricky painting I've decided to replace it all with copper wire. Snips were used to removed the bulk then scalpels to scrape away the remainder of the raised detail. Files and sanding sticks got us down to a bare tank.

Hi All, My next project is another Airfix kit (3 in a row!), their lovely new-tool Mossie. I built the B Mk.XVI a while back, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. This time I'm going for this boxing: I'm going to model RG140, which was part of 684 Sqn based at RAF Dum Dum, (yes, really) in what was West Bengal, India in 1944. Here's a photo of the aircraft: The aircraft is finished with aluminium upper surfaces, and PRU Blue below. In addition it carries SEAC national markings, and deep blue SEAC identification stripes - a most interesting scheme! Whilst researching the PR Mosquitos I came across this photo (copyright IWM - image for discussion only and will be removed on request) It is captioned "Photographers at RAF Benson testing cameras before installing them in a PR Mosquito: (left to right) two F24 14-inch lens vertical cameras, one F24 14-inch lens oblique camera, two F52 vertical cameras with 20-inch lenses" I also questioned the hive mind on the camera setup - there are a few nuggets here: I also received sufficient 'private' information to design the necessary components. My plan is to model the bomb bay doors open, in order to display the F24 cameras in situ. I have commenced the design process - here's the F24 camera: With its bay-mate on a mounting frame: This version is not supplied with fuel tanks, so here's the slot-in replacement: New bomb bay doors (the kit ones are over-thick to be displayed open): Whilst I was on a roll I thought I'd improve on the mud guards: Here's the first test prints: And displayed in position in the bomb bay: This should be fun! Thanks for looking, Roger

Starting this build for an event, so I am planning to finish it by November. I have been gathering the parts for this Doolittle raid build, PE parts, figures and flight deck. Had trawled the internet for information of plane tie down during ww2 but couldn’t get any decent pictures. Does anyone know how are the B25s tied to the carrier deck? Any pictures will be helpful for my little diorama. It looks like the B25s were tied to the deck by ropes but I can’t find pictures of the anchor point on deck and plane. This is the Airfix kit with the extras. The build starts with removing some areas for the PE parts.

Like many others, I'll be contributing one of these to this particular party : The Phantom has to one of the meanest looking beasts of a cold-war jet, so I've been wanting to build one for quite a while now. To my mind, the British Phantom looks best in RAF grey & green camouflage when it was in front line service in the 1970's, so that's going to be my choice of colour scheme for this build. Specifically as XV406 whilst in service with Squadron 111 (the treble-ones), inspired in large part by the fantastic repaint job in progress on the original over at the Solway Aviation Museum. I was over there earlier today to collect a load of detail photos and be generally inspired. They are still in the process of completing the unit markings and have yet to get onto the stencilling ! 😁 The plane now supports the RWR box on top of the tail, which it acquired in the 1980's. Fortunately Airfix have supplied both tails in the box, so my build will be without it. Of course Phantom's look meanest when fully loaded, so I'll be adding as much as I can get on. To that end I've already bought a bunch of aftermarket goodies with that aim in mind. Not sure how much is going to be appropriate for this rendition, but will look for as many excuses as I can for a fully loaded Phantom. The Xtradecal set has markings for a 1970's Sqn.111 Phantom - admittedly another plane (actually an FG.1), but I can use the Squadron markings from the set and a little bit of surgery on the numbers will yield the registration XV406 without too much difficulty. The only obvious missing items are the 'D' code in yellow/tan for the tail. Marching up to the starting line and waiting impatiently for the gun now. Andy

My first post on here! Was a fun kit to build, I did have a bit of trouble with the decals but happy with the end result. Im just getting back into the hobby so my next build I will probably try to be more brave with my weathering.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXe (A05144) 1:48 Airfix The Supermarine Spitfire was the mainstay of British Fighter Command for the majority of WWII, in conjunction with the Hurricane during the Battle of Britain, with the Mk.IX being the most popular (with many) throughout the war, seeing extended periods of production with only minor alterations for the role that it was intended to help the spotter differentiate between the sub-variants, plus of course the increase in engine output and increasing torque. Originally requested to counter the superiority of the then-new Fw.190, a two-stage supercharged Merlin designated type 61 provided performance in spades, and the fitting of twin wing-mounted cannons with accommodating blisters gave it enough punch to take down its diminutive ‘Butcher-Bird’ prey. The suffix following the mark number relates to the wings fitted to the aircraft, as they could vary. The C wing was also known as the Universal Wing, and saw extensive use because it mounted 20mm cannon in each wing on the inboard of the two possible locations, the empty outer barrel usually covered by a rubber plug. The Mk.IXe had the 20mm cannons in the outer of the two stations, adding a .50cal machine gun in the inner position, giving extra firepower without the extra bulk and weight of the larger cannon and its ammo. The two outer machine gun stations were deleted, but the access panels remained to reduce re-engineering requirements of the hard-pressed manufacturing companies. The main gear was adjusted to provide more stable landing characteristics, and bowed gear bays removed the need for blisters on the upper wing surface, helping aerodynamically, while the cannon blisters were transferred to the outer position, understandably. The gun mounts were redesigned to require smaller blisters in the wing tops to accommodate the feeder motors, and there was even more room for fuel than earlier wings. Lastly, the wings were able to have longer elliptical high-altitude, or shorter clipped tips fitted instead of the traditional tips, the resulting shorter wingspan giving the aircraft a faster roll-rate that would be especially useful in low-altitude ‘dogfight’ combat situations where a fraction of a second faster turn could mean the difference between life and death. The Kit This is a new tooling from Airfix that shares two sprues with the new TR.9 that we reviewed and I built a few months ago. It is one of the first to have the exterior fully riveted, which is bound to split opinion, as usual. The kit arrives in a top-opening red-themed box, with a painting of most of a squadron of Spits flying high over mountainous terrain, escorting a flight of American B-25 Mitchells on a mission to bomb some unfortunate enemy target. Inside the box are four large sprues in dark grey styrene, a separately bagged clear sprue, large decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in spot colour on white paper, with full colour profiles of the decal options on the rearmost pages. Detail is excellent, extending to the usual points of interest that include the cockpit, gear bays, plus other exterior features both raised and engraved. The inclusion of a fully riveted and panel lined exterior skin is a new feature for Airfix that was first seen on the TR.9, and adds to the appeal for many modellers, as above, which coupled with Airfix’s clever engineering of their kits and excellent marketing and distribution network, makes for a better product for us modellers. Construction begins with the cockpit, and the component parts will be very familiar to anyone that has built a Spitfire before, starting with the instrument panel with separate compass and decals for both. The lower cockpit sides are made from thin ribbed skins to which controls are added, bracing across the front with a portion of the spar, then inserting the instrument panel in front on the port side. The tangle of controls for the rudder has a pair of separate foot-pedals attached to pegs at the top, which is then slid into the assembly through the front via the open frame under the main panel, adding the two-part control column to the rear end, then closing the foot well off with an angled bulkhead with a pair of scalloped bulges that give the larger-footed pilot extra space. The frame behind the pilot’s seat is next, adding the voltage regulator block behind the triangular head armour, followed by building the seat from main pan with separate side panels, plus adjuster mechanism on the starboard frame, fitting it to the seat-shaped armour that has the mounting frame attached behind it. The completed seat is then mated with the frame, and is inserted into the port side toward the rear, with a scrap diagram showing its correct location and orientation. A pair of O2 tanks with stencil decals are fixed behind the seat on the port side, with another frame slotted in behind it, and braced against the seat frame with a bar between the tops. Now you can decide whether to utilise the crew figure, which made an appearance in the Tr.9 kit, and is the front figure in my build, which you can see a photo of below. He has separate arms to fit more realistically into place on the controls, which requires their addition after the figure’s main part is seated in the cockpit. If you elect not to use the pilot, you’ll need to pick up some seatbelts to make your cockpit more accurate and realistic. The front pilot in this Spitfire Tr.9 cockpit is included in this boxing, and is shown by way of an example - he's armless Before the fuselage can be closed around the cockpit, you should make the decision whether to pose the canopy open or closed, as the sills need to be removed for the closed option. Fortunately, Airfix have included two jigs for the sides that allow you to cut the necessary parts of the sills away without issue, providing you don’t forget and glue the jigs in place in a moment of insanity or memory lapse. To pose the canopy open, the access door is cut out along the thinned lines, as shown on the instructions, with a replacement part provided on the sprue, noting that during WWII, the crowbar was bare metal, and only post-WWII it became bright red, which is essential if you want to avoid risking pillory from purists. Another piece of equipment is added to the moulded-in ribbing inside the fuselage on the starboard coaming area, and a filler cap is inserted in front of the windscreen before the completed cockpit can then be trapped between the two fuselage halves, which is when we see a new engineering decision that will lead to a better joint on the cowling over the Merlin engine. Instead of moulding the bisected by the fuselage joint, it has been created as a separate part that is given the correct shape and form by using sliding moulds, resulting in fine seamlines that need little clean-up, and shouldn’t reappear like many Spitfire cowling seams have in the past, a hauntingly common occurrence to which many can attest. Each elevator panel is made from upper and lower skins, slotting into the tail on either side, adding a full-span flying surface across the concave trailing edge, and trapping it in position with an insert in the centre. This allows the modeller to deflect it as they wish, adding the rudder behind, which can also be deflected for a more candid look to the finished model. The lower wings are full-span out to the tip-joint frames, and have a pair of boxy radiator housings inserted after fixing the cores front and rear inside them, gluing the cooling flap to the rear, which can be set open or closed, whichever you prefer. Flipping the lower wing over, a pair of circular bay walls are added to the cut-outs, linking them with a pair of parts that perform the dual task of bay sides whilst acting as spars to keep the dihedral of the wings from sagging. A circular light is embedded in the lower wing toward the trailing edge under the fuselage, then it can be mated with the fuselage, gluing the upper wings over the top after the event, and installing the ailerons in their cut-outs near the tips. I made the mistake of joining the upper wings before installing the fuselage on my Tr.9, and made a fair amount of work for myself by doing so. Please feel free to learn from my mistake. One decal option requires the removal of the wingtips from the upper wings before mating, to be replaced by clear clipped-tips that will leave wingtip lights clear once painted. You have the option for wheels-up or down with this kit, the easiest option being in-flight, requiring the installation of the fixed tail-wheel under the rudder, and a custom set of main bay doors that have spacers moulded-in, which prevent the parts from dropping into the bays, and give enough space for the simplified wheels to attach to the integrated axles. To model the Mk.IXe on the ground, a pair of struts are made with separate scissor-links and captive bay doors, both inserting into the bays and locating securely in position with the help of some sensible engineering that makes a strong joint. The wheels are moulded as tyres that have block tread (more typical of post-war use) moulded-in along with the rear hub, adding the front hub before installing them on the stub axles at the lower end of the leg. While the model is inverted, an L-shaped pitot probe it glued under the port wing, a pair of small hooks are installed between the radiator housings, and another antenna is fitted vertically under the starboard side. Attention moves back to the fuselage, concentrating on the nose and cockpit to finish off. The six-stack fishtail exhausts are moulded on the same sprue as a set of tubular stacks, so ensure you fit the correct option before proceeding. Each set comprises two parts that hold three stacks each for extra detail, interleaving together and hiding the mating surfaces inside the cowling after they have been inserted into the slots in the sides of the nose. The four-bladed prop is moulded as a single part that is bracketed by the spinner and back-plate, which is placed against another plate that is skewered by a stepped pin that should allow the blades to spin if you are careful with the glue. The assembly is then glued into a cup that slides into an oversized hole in the front of the nose, again being careful with the glue to leave the blades mobile. As mentioned earlier, the canopy can be posed open or closed, and by now that decision should have been made to ensure the correct actions have been taken. To have the canopy open, the windscreen and fixed aft section are first glued in place, fitting the opener in the retracted position as shown on the diagrams, and fixing the new open door hinged down from the bottom on the port side of the fuselage that should have been cut out earlier. If closing the cockpit, a small section of the front cockpit sill should have been removed using the jigs supplied earlier in the build, allowing the combined opener and fixed aft section to be glued in place over the cut-out. A circular rear-view mirror is placed atop the windscreen, with an antenna post behind it to compete the model. Markings There are three decal options included on the large sheet, one in RAF markings, plus two overseas operators. From the box you can build one of the following: No.43 Sqn., (A Flight), P/O Alan G Eduards (Aus), Ravenna, Italy, March/April 1945 No.5 Eskadrille, Royal Danish Air Force, Air Base Karup, mid-Jutland, Denmark 1947 SM26 (ex-PV189), Brustem Advanced Pilot School (Ecole de Pilotage Avancée – EPA), Brustem, Belgium 1952 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 Mark 9 is seen by many as the definitive Merlin-engined Spitfire, and it is extremely popular amongst aviation fans and modellers alike. This new tool brings the quality of Airfix’s offering up to modern standards, with plenty of detail, options, and disparate marking choices. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Rejoining the main line with this City Of Truro kit. Bought on 26 July this year, ironically at GWR's diesel gala. Cursory check of parts at the time, was followed by a full inventory when I arrived at home. 1976 boxart. City class of locomotive, built at Swindon in 1903. It served GWR until 1931, and is currently preserved at STEAM musuem in Swindon. Yes - I've been there. Instructions, with Airfix's description of this locomotive. I've recently read a magazine article about the 100mph claim. It was a debunk - this loco just isn't powerful enough. Assembly, page 1, and page 2, then final details, and colours. Parts. Hard, Airfix black plastic, so good definition of detail. This one is flash-free.

Next large(ish) kit on the bench is one the wife gave me for last Christmas, the Airfix Chinnok HC1. I was planning to build this using the Xtradecal sheet Chinook's in World Wide Service that has been on the Hannant's website since Dec last year but it still not been released yet so I probably go for the standard grey/green scheme. This is the second Airfix kit of the new type plastic, first was a Vampire and I think its an improvement over the softer plastic they used before. Started by painting the floor and fuselage section with Tamiya XF24 and XF66 respectively and then masked the floor for the non-slip area. This is were I left it last night.

I have never built a Liberator before! Time to put that right. This is the Airfix B-24D kit which will be built as an RAF Coastal Command Liberator Mk.III. There is a review of the Airfix B-24H on Britmodeller, from which these sprue photos are takem. The nose section is provided on a different sprue. The transparencies are provided on two sprues. Sprue Y provides parts for the B-24D. I haven't taken photos of this but will attempt to later on. I don't usually build models as large as this, but the kit looks lovely so it seemed like a shame to waste the opportunity. It's quite exciting!

Joining you tomorrow with this kit. For which I have the Modeldecal bit for Black Mike.

Hi Folk's,saw this kit on E-bay new for just under fourteen quid so ordered it for this GB I know It's pushing it a bit but as they are all 1/72 scale builds I think I can do it!

Hi all, Just completed an F6 mostly out of the box except for some scratch built seat belt straps. I used camouflage masks for the first time as the Lightning appeared to be painted with a very hard edge camouflage pattern. Cheers for now.

Can't believe I'm doing this, being barely able to produce a "factory finish" paint standard. However, I've seen Troy @Troy Smith describe the effects of exposure on Hurricane paintwork including this one... .....and I want to have a go. However, I was intrigued by the Wingleader Archive publication showing another 3 Squadron aircraft at a similar period. This has also been shown previously by Troy ...... Quoting from the Wingleader captions on page 26 – “…photos of 3 Squadron Hurricanes taken in the summer of 1939 clearly show the overpainted outline of the old y/b/w/r roundels on the fuselage. The most noticeable thing is the single upper port wing roundel and single lower starboard wing roundel. On OP-D below, the entire starboard wing has been repainted with a simplified scheme after removing the roundel.” So, this is the subject I intend to try 3 Sqn RAF Hurricane Mk I OP-D / L1934 Summer 1939 I'll be using the Airfix Mk 1 with fabric wing, and which I've built previously. I'll list the tweaks needed when I actually start the build. I'm going to try and resist fiddling with the cockpit details (honest ) in order to spend more time on the external paintwork. From Scalemates, this is the boxing I've got I have some decals on order, but will have to wait a bit before starting. We are off to Ireland tomorrow for a week or 2, including a visit with our youngest daughter who has just moved from Limerick to just south of Dublin. 🍀 So it's sort of a House Warming (not so much a house as a basement flat, but hey...). I had to get involved with this GB - how can anyone resist a Hurricane, fading or not?! thanks for looking Rob

I am another person who is intrigued by the idea of CAM ships. Launching a Hurricane off the bows of a merchant ship to defend a convoy. Used operationally 8 times before MAC (Merchant Aircraft Carrier) and escort carriers where available. Benn planning a build for a number of years and have slowly been collecting references and aftermarket. First up my highly detailed references. Plan is to display the hurricane sitting on a catapult. To this end I have the NeOmega Resins catapult. A lot of etch which makes me a little nervous, used the odd ip and seatbelts but this is different league. Originally planned to use this kit, the Airfix Sea Hurricane 1B. Decided to use this kit, the Hurricane 1A and build a Sea Hurricane 1B at a later date. Also have this, a 1/700 CAM ship, will build this at a later ship and include on the display base.

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight 1:72 Airfix (A50182) The BBMF is an RAF Flight dedicated to preserving the history of the RAF. The flight based at RAF Coningsby comprises one Avro Lancaster, six Supermarine Spitfires and two Hawker Hurricanes. As well as these aircraft they have a Douglas Dakota and two de Havilland Chipmunks for training. The flight take part in many airshows and flypasrts for different events each year. The Kits Here Airfix are re-boxing their excellent new tool Lancaster B.III (A08013A), Spitfire PR.XIX (A02017), and Spitfire Mk.I/Mk.IIa (A02010). Aslo included in the box is one of their black multi aircraft stand so the 3 models can be displayed together in flight. Lancaster. This is the new tool kit from 2012, the kit is a modern tooling with good detail and engraved panel lines. Spitfire PR.XIX This is the new tool kit from 2009, the kit is a modern tooling with good detail and engraved panel lines. Spitfire Mk.I/Mk.IIa This is the new tool kit from 2010, the kit is a modern tooling with good detail and engraved panel lines. Decals The sheet is a new one for this, this is produced by Cartograf so that guarantees all will be good. Markings provided are for; Lancaster - 2019 Season. Port Side AR-L Leader W505 No.460 Sqn RAAF. Stbd side finished as VN-T No.50 Sqn RAF Spitfire PR.XIX - PS915 No.81 Sqn RAF - RAF Kai Tak, Hong Kong 1951 Spitfire Mk.I/Mk.IIa - R6895 KL-B "KIWI III" F/O Deere. No.54 Sqn ARF. RAF Catterick Aug 1940 Conclusion Its great to see Airfix Airfix releasing these kits aa a set, this will make a great gift idea. Review sample courtesy of

Hi All, My latest completion is Airfix' excellent Whitley, completed as T4143, an aircraft used for Rocket Assisted Take-Off trials at A&AEE at Boscombe Down in 1943. Here's a photo of the aircraft: The pods under the wings are the RATOG (in RAF parlance) units, each of which contained 35 solid rocket boosters. The build was largely OOB, with the pods designed and 3D printed, and a self-designed mask set cut on a Silhouette Portrait. Here's the WIP if anyone is interested: The aircraft was finished in TSS - Dark Slate Grey and Extra Dark Sea Grey over Sky - these were all represented in aqueous acrylics. On with the photos! Here's a final couple of shots with another Boscombe Down 'funny' - the Beaufort Aeroflame, a prototype flying flamethrower: Those two shots show the sheer size of the Whitley, which I had not fully appreciated. I've thoroughly enjoyed this build, and would not hesitate to build another at some point. Thanks very much to all those who have added kind words and encouragement along the way - it has been much appreciated!! Thanks for looking, Roger

de Havilland Mosquito B.XVI/B.35/TT.35 (A04070) 1:72 Airfix The Mosquito was one of a few truly ground-breaking private projects of WWII, and it contributed significantly to the effort toward achieving victory over Nazi Germany from its introduction in 1941 to the end of the war and beyond. Initially conceived by Geoffrey de Havilland as a fast bomber, it was not intended to carry armament, simply relying on speed to take it out of harm's way. Numerous versions were considered, but a twin-engine design with a wooden monocoque fuselage was eventually used, with space for four 20mm cannons in the forward section of the bomb bay. It was initially met with apathy from the Air Ministry, as they still clung to their obsession with turreted aircraft, the designs for which became heavy and complex, reducing speed both in the air and through the production line. After some shenanigans that included a mock-up of a turret behind the main canopy, DH were issued with a requirement for a 400mph capable light bomber/reconnaissance aircraft, which solidified as project DH.98, and was named Mosquito. Despite having been ordered to stop development work after Dunkirk, DH carried on due to the vagueness of the request, and the prototype flew at the end of 1940. After lengthening the engine nacelles and splitting the flaps to rectify poor handling at certain speeds, she flew for the ministry and managed to outpace a Spitfire, pulling away with a speed advantage of 20mph. Later developments of the Merlin engines that powered the Mossie included two-stage superchargers that gave the engine a substantial boost, with a commensurate increase in performance. A number of 7X series Merlin variants were fitted to the Mossie, which included the B.XVI that also had a pressurised cabin for the crew’s comfort at higher altitude, and it could comfortably cruise at 350mph at 30,000 feet. Without the gun pack in the belly, the XVI could carry the 4,000lb Cookie bomb, allowing it to punch well above its weight in terms of ordnance carriage as well. Post war the B.35 was developed with more advanced Merlin engines, some used for photo-recon, and some were also converted to the Target Tug role, designated as TT.35 that was fitted with towing equipment appropriate to the role. The Mosquito lines were split between bomber/recon variants with glass noses and fighter variants with the four cannons in the belly and four .303 machine guns in the nose. It really was the master of all things, as it showed when it became a night-fighter, torpedo bomber, and after WWII was over, it was still well-used as a target tug until the early 60s. The Mossie was even converted to carry two bouncing bombs called Highballs, and always gave a good account of itself, striking fear into the hearts of the opposition. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, which was evidenced by the German Focke-Wulf Ta.154 Moskito, which attempted to recreate the success of the wooden Mossie, but failed due largely to inferior construction and use of an acidic glue that caused delamination of the wings in the air. The Mosquito was mainly constructed by woodworkers that might otherwise have been left idle during the austerity of the war, and it was their skill and ingenuity that contributed to the success of the aircraft, making it very economical to build using comparatively little in the way of strategic materials. Time is unkind to wood however, and very few Mosquitos have survived in airworthy condition, the last one in Britain was lost in 1998 in a fatal crash. Some day we may get to see one in the skies of the UK again, and there are already a few in the air elsewhere in the world. The Kit This is a reboxing of a recent tooling of a two-stage Mosquito by Airfix, and arrives in a red-themed top-opening box with a painting of a striped target tug on the front. Inside are seven sprues in dark grey styrene, a sprue of clear parts, a decal sheet and the instruction booklet. A perusal of the sprues shows that detail is good, especially in the exterior, although there’s limited panel lines etc. because of the Mossie’s predominantly wooden construction. The interior is also well-detailed, having is a high part-count at 182, including new parts for the target towing equipment. Construction begins with the interior, and just like the bigger Tamiya kits it is built up on the bomb bay roof, which also has a pair of spars moulded-in, onto which the front and rear bulkheads are mounted along with the cockpit floor that tapers to a rounded tip in the nose, with a choice of two for the rear. The aft cockpit bulkhead, radio box and Gee box at an angle, together with tubing across the front of the spar and the two seats are added, the pilot getting a much more comfortable and protective seat, while the navigator gets shoe-horned into the rear on a more basic two-part seat. The instrument panel has its rear portion fitted from behind with a representation of the rudder pedals, and cylindrical blocks at the rear of the panel to depict the backs of the dials, while the dials are covered with a decal and plenty of setting solution to help it settle down. A simplified control column slots in front of the pilot, with bombsight in the nose for the navigator in his alternate role. Fitting the fuselage internal fuel tanks involves flipping the assembly over to insert the twin bags in over a central spine, then the assembly is flipped back and the spars slid into place on the port fuselage half. Here there are painting instructions for the moulded-in details, which are very good for the scale, and interior green also makes an appearance in the tail wheel bay along with a small bulkhead to hang the tail-wheel from later. The other fuselage half is painted while you have the interior green out, then the fuselage halves are joined, with an insert that accommodates the bomber-specific crew hatch and separate clear circular window. Behind the bomb bay is a choice of aerodynamic insert that depends on the decal option, plus another clear round part, and behind the dinghy bay on the upper spine is another circular insert, this time in grey styrene. The rudder fin is moulded into the fuselage, but the rudder itself is a separate part, so you’re able to deflect it as you see fit, while the elevator fins are two parts each to give thin trailing edges, but are unable to be deflected unless you get the razor saw out, fitting small triangular parts above and below the fins. Detail on the flying surfaces is excellent, and there is still a slight sink-mark at the root of one elevator panel, so check your example and smear a little filler on before you get too far into the build. The robust landing gear of the Mossie is made up using the lower wings as a template or jig, but without gluing them initially, which is made abundantly clear in the diagrams along with the use of lilac/purple to colour the parts. Each leg is made from two halves, with the cross-braces joining them together, and the mudguard resting on two points plus the oil tank high up on the legs. Here some of the door-bumper frames are missing from the moulding, but as it’s also missing on some of the larger scaled kits too, it seems churlish to complain, but you can’t please everyone. The thick mudguard would be an excellent candidate for thinning or replacing with a PE part due to the limitations of injection moulding, and some wire or stretched sprue can be used to replicate those delicate bumper parts if you’re so minded. This is done twice, one for each nacelle, and includes the two wheels, which have a flat-spot moulded-in and separate hubs. They also have block tread, which is well done, and will look great under paint. With the landing gear temporarily removed, the wings are made up with their landing lights under the wing, and a couple of holes are drilled if you’re fitting the drop-tanks, then the topside is glued on, with a completely clear tip so that the wingtip lights blend in well, having P & S moulded-in to differentiate the parts. More thoughtful engineering is used with the six exhaust stacks, which have three pipes per part and interleave to create the correct number for each side, with a handed box behind them that also have arrows pointing up and forward engraved on the rear so you don’t get them confused. They slot into the lower nacelle cowlings, with the upper section standing proud until the rest of the cowling is put in place. The nacelle halves are painted interior green where the moulded-in ribbing appears, adding front and rear bulkheads to the bay, and an axle for the prop at the front, then they’re closed up, have the chin scoop insert and a pair of small exhaust outlets added into recesses, plus the larger intake made from two parts slotting into a hole in the bottom, one option having louvres on the sides, while the other is blank. If you’re planning on leaving the gear bay doors closed, remove the hinges and make good before fitting the single bay door. The bays can then be glued into the underside of the wing, with more green paint applied to the bay roof. There are two additional parts in the sprues that have the work MASK in raised lettering on them, and you can guess that they’re masking parts for the main bays to be used during painting of the model. You can tape, Blutak or tack-glue them in place around the hinges (they have cut-outs), and paint without concern about your hard work in the gear bays getting ruined. Before the wings are slipped over the spars, you should paint and install the radiator cores, which are again covered with arrows to ensure you put them in the correct way. The landing gear, their bay doors and the props are installed on the nacelles now, with the prop made from spinner and back-plate plus a single three paddle-bladed prop, which is glued carefully onto the axle, with yellow printing showing where best to put the glue if you want a spinning prop. All this is doubled up of course for the opposite wing. There is a choice of two types of bomb bay depending on which decal option you have chosen, one of which is solid and has recesses for the towing gear, and doesn’t open. The other bomb bay option can be open or closed, with the easiest option depicting them closed, which requires just one part covering the bay. For the open option, there are V-shaped door operating rams front and rear, two bomb racks running perpendicular to the bay, with different-shaped pins ensuring you utilise them in the right configuration. The longitudinal bomb carriers lay over the ladder-racks, with another scrap diagram showing the correct angle of the rear pair, which are in the nose-down position to fit the bombs into the cramped bay. The bombs are simple two-part bodies with a stabilising ring added at the rear and some stencil decals included, which always improves the detail. An alternative 4,000lb ‘Cookie’ bomb is included in this boxing, made from two halves for the cylindrical body, plus a pair of domed end-caps inserted between them, fitting on a large central mounting lug that sits between the fuel tanks. For the target tug option, an external pod with integral pylon and propeller that has a spinner cap to the front is built and attached to the covered bomb-bay, locating it on two raised lateral straps. Behind the narrow aft bay fairings, a towing rod with bipod is glued in place to complete the equipment fit. For the bomber variant, the open bay doors are fitted on their hinge points on the actuators. An optional pair of medium-sized slipper tanks are on the sprues for you to use if you want and have remembered to drill out the flashed over holes earlier. There is a pilot in this boxing, although he’s a little softly moulded and is doing the usual “hands on lap” pose, as he’s only a single part. There’s no nav/bomb aimer though, which is a shame. With him in place (or not) the canopy is made from a choice of main section with or without roof observation blister, adding bulged side panels as separate parts, so take care in choosing the correct glue for them so you don’t affect the clarity. It should fit snugly in the cockpit opening thanks to lugs front and rear, then the observation windows at the side of the bomb aimer’s nook are added, and finally put the bomb-aimer’s window in place on the nose. Then it’s a choice of installing a raised or lowered tail-wheel and a probe in the rudder fin, and that’s it. It’s worthy of note that a lot of Mossies had a grooved anti-shimmy tail-wheel, so check your references and see what you can do if it bothers you. Markings There are three decal options, all wearing different schemes, one has a night black lower with high demarcation for operations in darkness, another in black and yellow striped for the towing role, to help avoid friendly fire incidents. The traditional schemed Mossie has a grey underside with green/grey camouflage on top. From the box you can build one of the following: De Havilland Mosquito B.35 flown by S/L Rupert G W Oakley DSO, DFC, DFM, No.139 Sqn., RAF Hemswell, Lincolnshire, England, 1950 De Havilland Mosquito TT.35, No.3 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-Operation Unit (CAACU), RAF Exeter, Devon, England, 1955 De Havilland Mosquito Mk.XVI, No.128 Sqn., RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire, England, 1944 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. The inclusion of instrument decals and plenty of stencils is good to see at this scale, as I believe that these details add lots of visual interest to a model. Conclusion A Two-Stage Mossie in 1:72 made a lot of modellers happy, and now it is back with extra parts to deliver the target tug role without resorting to after-market. It’s a good-looking, well-detailed model of a beautiful aircraft, and the box art should draw in a lot of impulse purchases if there’s any justice. As a larger-scale modeller, the detail is impressive and welcome in this scale. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of