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It’s been a while since I last posted one of my builds. Now I have found a new source for storing my photos I thought it is about time to start posting again. My first outing is a 1/700 scale HMS Tamar, a Royal Navy River Class Offshore Patrol Vessel produced by EV Resin which I bought from eBay. EV resin seem to have a number of interesting modern RN kits at 1/700 scale and I wanted to see what they’re like before I buy more. Background first, HMS Tamar is one of five Batch 2 River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels which are normally forward deployed in the Pacific and Caribbean where they perform low level policing and presence missions. They’re lightly armed but are capable of deploying unmanned vehicles and a detachment of Royal Marines. From a modellers perspective the main stand out feature is that the ships carry a camouflage pattern which adds interest. The kit itself is resin which appears to be moulded from a 3D printed master, with an extensive sheet of Photo Etching. A nice touch is that the PE includes a template for painting the flight deck markings. There are decals for the pennant numbers and a single sheet of instructions printed in colour which seem ok. So that's the introduction done, now on with the build.

Hello Hawker fans, here is the result of this WIP here completing, in a whirlwind of varnish, superglue and extremely shakily-handed hairy stick touch-up action (oo-er missus, etc). I don't often do full resin kits, but this is an example of a really well executed kit, which was mostly vice free - the exception being the wing to fuselage join, which had gaps several millimetres wide (and infinitely deep, from the point of view of the araldite I injected to hold it all together). Artful use of choosing where the fuselage/body paint demarcation line, plus adding in rubber black walkways onto the shiny finish, went a long way to disguising the seam. Otherwise, there really weren't any to be concerned about, due to the fuselage being cast as a single, monumental tube. Also a shout to @Scimitar F1 (Will, one the guys behind DBMK), for furnishing me with a spare tail wheel from the forthcoming injection moulded version. On with the show. The pictures were all taken with my phone, a Google Pixel 8 Pro. It never ceases to amaze me how far the technology has come, and how much easier it it to use the phone than my fancy-pants Canon mirrorless job. Coming in to land on HMS Eagle (probably) HMS Ocean (see @Whofan's remark below), foolishly not using the flaps, and (even worse) apparently having left Lt 'Hoagy' Carmichael back in the ready room! Next up, a couple of glamour shots showing it on its chunky brass undercarriage... The kit comes with a superb cockpit, I think mastered by the guys behind Barracuda. As it says in the WIP, and just in case any Sea Fury fans out there weren't aware, you won't see much! 😞 Black, very very dark grey, black, and a tiny amount of red and yellow exist in there, to punctuate the gloom... The teeny panes of perspex on the gunsight were a trial! Two pictures of its belly, in case any aircraft fondlers out there would like to tickle its tummy... And finally, here it is, lined up with the other members of the family... (And to keep a running theme from the WIP, if any manufacturers want to design a 1/32 Sea Hawk, and are looking for a willing test builder, I could probably be persuaded to step up to the plate... You wouldn't even have to pay me... Just sayin'... 🙂)

Pictures of the components coming later... It's going to be a blast! Update - pictures inserted. The box of bits, all the way from New Zealand a couple of years back. The postage alone was $85NZ, I don't want to can't remember what I paid, but it was fairly significant. 🙂 I took it into the house (modelling occurs in a man cave at the bottom of the garden) to give the pieces a good wash in soapy water, because that's what the instructions suggested, and we all follow the instructions, don't we? The next few pictures are intended to show the contents in a bit more detail. I have to say, right now, I am in awe of the skills that must have been present to make the original casts, 20 years ago. Anyhow... The beautiful wings, and an undercarriage well just waiting to be sorely abused as I cudgel it into place. The things that will go near the undercarriage bay. The thickness (or absence thereof) of the undercarriage doors is amazing, they are translucent. Those little webs around the parts just flake off. More underpinnings. I wonder how amenable brass is to being smoothed? The undercarriage bay again (no, I don't know why), and exquisite pieces for the cockpit that will be entirely invisible after construction. The rather nice engine, propellor blades and assembly jig. The engine, like the cockpit, will never be seen apart from a hint of the exhaust manifold. The majority of the remainder of the kit. Exquisitely moulded end caps should I wish to cut and fold the wings, which right now I think I don't! Supplied photoetch, plus sundry bits and bobs left over from the Special Hobby resin Centaurus that I built to go alongside a Tempest Mark II. - "Hey, why don't you do surgery on this kit, and install the engine?" - "Because it cost several hundred pounds and I don't want to destroy it. Now be quiet, inner Mike." Finally, the clear parts. I was overjoyed that it came with solid resin, and not a vacform that I would undoubtedly have cocked up. I have form there, you know... So, having acquired this silk purse, journey with me and my knackered right hand as I endeavour to avoid turning it into a sow's ear. I tried to prime it tonight, using a Vallejo substance that clogged my airbrush and caused it to back flush itself all over me. I have a few other options available (Ultimate primer; Stylnrez) to experiment with. I have also tried laying down Tamiya acrylic directly onto the resin, to see if it will stick - I doubt it will, but there's always hope. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good primer that goes down easy and sticks to resin? I used to use Halfords grey from a rattlecan - does that adhere to resin well? Laters, taters...

Welcome to my build, I’m going ambitious with my subject, particularly given my normally slow build rate. I’m going to build a Cromwell Models all-resin MkI/II. I think I’m going to build it as a MkII but not fully decided. Need to find some suitable markings for it! First the box, no exciting box art here! And the parts: Optional road wheels and optional armaments depending on whether building a Mk I or II. Also partial interior for the drivers compartment but I might scratch a few extra details in there. Nicely cast, well detailed and crisp details. Rather simple photocopied instructions but looks to be a simple build once the clean up is done. Itching to get started now!

To pair with my Curtiss XP-55 Ascender, here is next experimental plane built by the same 1940 USAAC proposal for unorthodox fighter, Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose. The 3rd to team was Northrop XP-56 Black Bullet, which is of course on my stash too. Built 2005 from old resin kit by RS Model. Kit consisted only from 6 main parts (one piece fuselage with inner parts of wings, 2 outer wings, 2 tail booms and horizontal stabilizer) and few smaller bits. Fit was very bad, outer wings had different profile than inner wings, so it took lots of putty and sanding to fit all together. Parts were not hollowed, so finished model is very heavy, almost 100 grams (3 times weight of plastic kit of similar size) so I made new u/c legs from metal pipes and rods. No decals were included with kit so I used some surplus P-38 decals (probably a bit smaller than should be).

Sorry, not much to say. I saw this at HobbyLink Japan. Some interesting items, but completely new to me.

My current project is an early MiG-3. It is the hobby boss kit but with an alter fuselage for the early version. the early version has different panels on the cowling, exhausts and other details. here some pics of the test fit.

I thought "I have too many unfinished projects, why not to start another one" and pulled ABM MDR-5 box out of vaults. The box content is shown here: The prototype: Don't worry, the mast with a windsock is not an integral part of the plane The interiour will be mostly invisible, except for the cockpit so I did not put much effort to detailing it This is a big boat, the wing is moulded as a single piece of resin and therefore quite heavy As mentioned before, because of large cockpit windows one should not neglect detailing it Wing and fin attached. There is another freshly started project on the forefront - PR-12 resin kit by AirKits

Hi, My first build post on this site and it can take months from start to completion (if not longer) as I get side tracked with other models, usually UFO / Space 1999 related however back to trucks for this one. Drove and managed for Blakes in the 90s so always seem to build trucks I have either driven or managed. This is slightly more ambitious than usual and involves Italeri and KFS parts so it will be a mongreal rather than a pedigree. All comments good,bad,indiffrent welcome as I am my own worst critic, or am I...

Is it possible to heat and bend resin into new shape. I have these 1/72 Gladiator seats from Quick boost: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/quickboost-qb-72-448-gladiator-correct-seat--533548 As you see from the picture, the end of the harness is pointing straight up. In order it to go through the bulkhead I should bend it, so that it would look more like this: https://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/detail_gladiator_08.jpg I know polystyrene will become pliable if immersed in very hot water, but does that work with resin?

Here is my big chap from the alien franchise. This is the biggest 3d print I've attempted and was in over 25 parts. It stands over 30cm high. The eggs were little works of art in themselves... The translucent dome required a bit of work. The transparent resin that I used for it was crystal clear straight off the printer, but went opaque when cured. I drybrushed the head that went under the dome with white. I then sanded and polished the dome, then sprayed it with Tamiya smoke, then gloss lacquer. I think it came out really well. The base was one of three options. This is the middle one as I couldn't fit the largest on my shelf! There were a LOT of seams where the parts fitted together that required filling. I missed one, but it ended up being hidden by an egg. I had a lot of fun doing this figure. The Alien franchise is a big favourite of mine.

I just saw this new kit. Is anyone familiar with this company, and what do you think of their kit quality, value? Thanks. I am very tempted. Beautiful ship. 1:350 HMS Renown (1944) Battlecruiser Model Kit, https://3d-wild.com/collections/model-fun-shipyard-model-kits/products/1-350-hms-renown-1944-battlecruiser-model-kit?variant=44570663387189

Hi everyone, I am entering this GB with a resin kit, something I have never touched in my life... No pressure. Despite a more than dismal finishing rate in the GBs I enter, I feel absolutely no shame in entering another one! The main reason being that this kit has only a handful of parts, and the second is that it is totally aluminium color, bar a black thingie at the front. I can handle that. The undercarriage in resin is worrysome. Will it hold the weight of the model? Surprise. And last, but definitely not least, I have to thank @JOCKNEY for sending this special kit to the end of the world. No matter where you hide, the Scottish Santa will always find you. Nobody is safe! A photo of the box (courtesy of Scalemates): See you all soon. JR

Hello everyone! Here is another small kit I managed to finish last month. It's Anigrand Craftswork's resin 1:144 Heinkel He 176 V1 which I built together with the Horten H XIIIa which I have posted before. The Heinkel He 176 was the world's first rocket-powered aircraft using liquid fuel. Previous aircraft had used solid fuels. It was built as a private venture by Heinkel and first flew successfully on 20 June 1939. When demonstrated to the RLM, little interest was shown and further flying was banned due to the dangers of rocket propulsion. The ban was lifted a couple of times but was made definite in September. The prototype ended up in a museum in Berlin where it was destroyed by Allied bombing in 1943 or 1944 (sources differ on the date). This kit was another of the bonus kits of the Anigrand Fw 200 Condor. I was hoping for a quick build but due to some extra work I put in to it and some problems with the painting it took a little longer. I opened up the incorrect bulkhead between the cockpit and the nose, corrected rear taper of the wings which was wrong (the tips were too wide), replaced the overly thick nose wheel struts with new ones from stretched sprue, made proper tailwheel bay doors, and added the underwing handling bars and the wing probe from stretched sprue. I also opened up the exhaust pipe and thinned the main u/c legs a bit. The kit was fully painted and varnished by brush. Thanks for looking and all comments are welcome. Miguel

Products of Metallic Details is in stock: 1/144 Detailing set for Airbus A319 Set contains photoetch parts for detailing the engines, fold chassis, sensors, winglets, wipers of the aircraft. Recommended for Revell kit. Detailing set for Tu-144 Set contains photoetch parts for detailing the exterior of the aircraft. Recommended for ICM kit. Detailing set for Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner Set contains photoetch parts for detailing the exterior of the aircraft. Recommended for Zvezda kit. 1/48 Detailing set for I-185 Photo etched parts. Recommended for kit: Ark Models Detailing set for Su-2 Photo etched parts. Recommended for kit: Zvezda Detailing set for Po-2/U2 Photo etched parts. Recommended for kit: ICM Air intake grilles for Su-27 Photo etched parts. Recommended for kit: Academy Detailing set for B-29 Resin & photo etched parts. 4 x Engine, 8 x Compressor exhaust, 2 x Landing gear bays. Recommended for kit: Revell/Monogram Detailing set for He-219 Photo etched parts. Recommended for kit: Tamiya Detailing set for Yak-9 Photo etched parts. Recommended for kit: Modelsvit Detailing set for Folland Gnat T.1 Photo etched parts. Recommended for kit: Airfix Ejection Seat K-36 D/DM Resin & photo etched parts. The set has 2 seats with the possibility to assemble the chairs in variants K-36D and K-36DM. These seats are installed on the aircraft such as the Su-27, MiG-29, Tu-160 etc. Detailing set for Po-2 mod. LNB/VS Resin & photo etched parts. The set contains 2 dashboards for the pilot and navigator for the aircraft Po-2 modifications LNB (light night bomber)and VS (Soviet Air Force plane connection). In addition, the kit contains parts for assembly and device for forming 2 spoked wheels with tires (original size 700x120 mm). Detailing set for Pe-2 Photo etched parts. Recommended for Zvezda kit. Set contains parts for detailing the interior and exterior of the aircraft. Czech hedgehog Kit contains photoetched and resin parts to build 1 Czech hedgehog. The base with the bolts/nuts has a fixture to bend. The thickness of the metal - 0.3 mm. The diameter of the bolt head, nut - 0,86 mm. The bolt is threaded on its end. Detailing set for B-29, flaps Photo etched parts. Recommended for Revell/Monogram kit. Set contains parts for detailing exterior of the aircraft. 2 sheets - 270*126 mm, 1 sheet - 270*70 mm Nose cone for Su-27 The nose cone for model aircraft Su-27 by Academy. Designed for correcting the shape of the nose cone. Nose cone for MiG-23 The nose cone for model aircraft MiG-23 by Trumpeter. Designed for correcting the shape of the nose cone. 1/72 FuG-200 Photo etched parts. Detailing set for Su-27 Photo etched parts. Recommended for kit: Zvezda Detailing set for T-50 PAK-FA Photo etched parts. Recommended for kit: Zvezda Detailing set for B-29 Resin & photo etched parts. 4 x Engine, 8x Compressor exhaust,2 x Landing gear bays. Recommended for kit: Academy Czech hedgehog Kit contains photoetched and resin parts to build 1 Czech hedgehog. 1/48 & 1/72 Machine gun sights Photo etched parts 1/35 Soviet tanks set 1 Photo etched parts. The universal set for Soviet tanks of the II World War (IS-1, IS-2, SU-100, ISU-152, T-34). Czech hedgehog Kit contains photoetched and resin parts to build 1 Czech hedgehog. The base with the bolts/nuts has a fixture to bend. The thickness of the metal - 0.3 mm. The diameter of the bolt head, nut - 0,86 mm. The bolt is threaded on its end. German grenades M39 and M24 Photo etched and resin parts. Kit contains 5 resin Eihandgranate M39, 5 resin Stielhandgranaten 24, 2 boxes to transport both types of grenades Soviet grenades F1 and RGD-5 Photo etched and resin parts. Kit contains 5 resin grenades F1, 5 resin grenades RGD-5, 4 resin capacity with UZRGM fuses, 2 boxes to transport both types of grenades (14*9 mm) Soon 1/48 B-24 Liberator. Engines Resin parts.4 x Engine Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp, 4 x Supercharger. Number of parts - 148. Recommended for Revell/Monogram kit.

Just finished today! Profil24's wonderful 1/24 kit of the 2023 Le Mans-winning Ferrari 499P: The kit is to Profil24's usual awesome standard (I'm not sponsored by them but maybe should be ) Resin was intricate and needed a lot of cleanup (my favourite part I think), and once done really showed why resin is the perfect medium for this kind of intricate bodywork: Then the finished model: It's got a LOT of carbon fibre decalling too: some supplied in the kit, others using Hobby Design sheets: The kit is pretty much OOB aside from cockpit wiring (which you can't see!) and I also removed the two 'walls' which Profil24 cast aft of the rear wheels (presumably for strength reasons). You should be able to see the tyres when viewed from the back and I wanted the 'see-through' look that many WEC cars have. Paint is one point to discuss. The 2023 and 2024 cars were quite an orangey red; the colour has changed for 2025 to a more dark red. The views below don't really show the difference due to lighting but I think they at least show how the colour schemes have changed: Paint is by Number 5 (via SpotModel) and is similar to Zero Paints. It's thus far the only paint available for the 2023 and 2024 Ferrari 499P (499P LMS Red, N5-C192). It goes on very well but in my opinion it's more like the 2025 shade. Having seen the cars first-hand in both years I'd say it's a tad too dark. Anyway there it is.

RWD-22 was Polish twin-engine torpedo bomber and naval reconnaissance floatplane design. A new resin kit from Choroszy Modelbud with what-if scheme. Link to company website Link to FB announcement

Italian Kits is to release a 1/48th Società Industrie Meccaniche Aeronautiche Naval (SAIMAN) 202 Regia Aeronautica trainer aircraft resin kit - ref.IKW4803 Source: http://www.italiankits.it/italiankits.html V.P.

P-51D Mustang Upgrade Sets (for Eduard) 1:72 Eduard Brassin We’ve just reviewed Eduard’s recent Limited Edition boxing of this kit in a Dual Combo form here, with a dozen decal options to choose from, and now we have a group of upgrade sets from the Brassin range to increase the level of detail above the already high quality of the kit. As usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package similar to their PE sets but with different branding, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The medium resin set arrives in a shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Bazooka Rocket Launcher (672378) This boxed set contains eight resin parts in shades of grey, plus a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE). The two sets of three rocket tubes are cast as one in a triangular bundle, with separate rear inserts to depict the tubes either empty or full of rockets. The pylon supports are cast as separate parts that consist of two vertical pylons and a diagonal strut in an N-arrangement, which attaches to the tubes on the top, adding PE bracing strips between the two forward straps. There is one set of three tubes to use under each wing, paying attention to the kit instructions for the location of the holes you will need to drill out to secure them. 75gal Drop Tanks (672373) This set includes a crystal-clear clamshell box inside the flat packaging to protect the 3D printed tank parts, of which there are four, printed on two linked bases, and they are held in place via fine tendrils than should be simple to cut away. When relieved of their print-bases, the tank halves are hollow except for a fine latticework inside them that helps to keep them rigid, and the two halves interlock along the horizontal centreline, using a shallow lip to hold them in position. A small sheet of decals is provided for the stencils, and the same diagram shows where you can add two lengths of 0.2mm wire for added realism to feed the aircraft with fuel from the tanks. Another diagram shows where the wire is routed along the kit pylon and into the wing, using colour coding to assist with orientation. Wheels (Five Tread Styles) This set is available with five different styles of tyre tread, and consists of two main wheels and tail wheel on separate casting blocks that are a drop-in replacement, plus a sheet of kabuki-style masks that are pre-cut with a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. We have the Block Tread tyres in for review, but you can check over the other patterns by following the links below: Diamond Tread (672366) Oval Tread (672367) Block Tread (672369) Diamond Tread 2 (672370) Block Tread 2 (672371) P-51D-5 Löök Cockpit set (674012) This set contains a combination of pre-printed resin and PE parts to detail up your cockpit quickly and efficiently. There are two resin parts that make up the instrument panel in front of the pilot, the second part a central console between the pilot’s knees, with glossy faced dials already painted for you on black resin, which is densely packed at this scale, and beyond the skills of 99.9% of us modellers. Additionally, there are four-point seatbelts for the pilot, complete with brown comfort pads that fit under the buckles, etched from STEEL to give a more realistic thickness and drape. Review sample courtesy of

Dear all, Here's a recent completion from me, the Anigrand 1/72nd scale full resin kit of the KC-10 Extender as a USAF tanker. The build was not the most straightforward, with lots of warped parts that needed straightening and quite a bit of filling being needed. It was painted with Xtracolour enamels and the kit decals were used, which were good. It's a big old beast of a kit - it certainly takes up quite a bit of shelf space! Best regards, Rob So just how big is a 1/72nd KC-10? Here's a 1/72 Spitfire TR9 as a comparison! And alongside a 1/72 KC-30 (Titan Models' Airbus A330-200 tanker) which is also quite a lump!

Evening All I've had this in the stash for a fair few years but have never been able to pluck up the courage to start it due to some seriously large casting blocks. A new razor saw I had as an Christmas present has proved ideal and I've managed to finally get the hull together. Sadly I didn't take any "before" photos as this wasn't planned to be a WIP build. There's a small amount of damage to the front (looks worse than it is on the photo), but all in all, I'm happy with the result. The kit is stunning and is mostly resin, using just the running gear and a few details from the revell king tiger. It also includes a turned aluminium barrel. I wasn't overly struck on the revell tracks next to the level of detail on the superstructure so treated myself to a set of OKB tracks which are superb. Also adding a set of voyagers very nice etched grilles to add the finishing touch Will try and update when I can but might be a lengthy build as I don't want to rush. All the best Ben

Fordson WOT2D Van Body (MV135) 1:72 Planet Models by Special Hobby The War Office Truck, or WOT, was a series of vehicles designed by Ford of Britain during WWII, with about 130,000 units made overall. It started with the WOT1, a rear-wheel-drive truck with a 3.6L V8 engine, and the smaller WOT2, which became the most produced of the range with four wheels instead of six, but otherwise similar in design and layout. The WOT3 was a larger and heavier variant, and the last of the rear wheel driven range, the later versions designated WOT6 and WOT8 having four-wheel-drive to assist with rough terrain handling. As well as seeing service in large numbers with the British Armed forces, it was also sent to Soviet Russia under the Lend/Lease programme where it was used as transport, Katyusha rocket carriers, amongst others. The Kit This is a new boxing of a resin kit from Planet Models that was originally release in 2023, with new parts to depict the van bodied version of the truck, and it arrives in a white cardboard box with a large adhesive label showing the product details on the front and sides. Inside are three Ziploc bags, one containing thirty-two grey resin parts, another a 3D printed grey resin chassis, the final bag holding a Photo-Etch (PE) fret, decal sheet and a 6cm x 4cm sheet of clear acetate (not pictured), plus an A5 instruction booklet printed in colour with profiles for the decal options on the rear pages. The remaining space within the box is taken up with green packing foam chips, ensuring that movement during shipping and storage is minimised. Detail is crisp and of a high standard, the chassis being an extremely finely printed part. The model doesn’t include the engine, but the interior is well-appointed, and the details are augmented by plenty of PE parts inside and out. Construction begins with the bonnet, which has the firewall and instrument panel moulded-in, adding a detailed radiator to the front, the steering column inserted into the firewall, and the foot pedals as PE parts. The chassis is of course the base for the model, arranging the bonnet assembly, cab floor and load area floor sequentially front to rear, and further detailing the cab with PE steering wheel, handbrake and gear shifter, which you could ‘flesh out’ by adding a blob of super-glue to the top. The crew seats are applied to their bases either side of a stowage box in the cab, with fuel tanks under the floor, and stowage boxes just behind them, lowering the van body over the rear after making up the windows from acetate sheet, although they aren’t mentioned in the instructions. A fuel can and box are secured under the rear of the body with the rear bumper bar at the very back, mounting the four well-detailed wheels with moulded-in tread, hubs and sidewall texture onto the axles. A wire from your own supplies is used to link the two steering arms on the wheel hubs, and a fine exhaust system is fitted under the forward chassis, exiting just behind the fuel tank. Detailing the external bodywork is done mostly with PE parts, starting with the front fender that has PE supports, and should be braced with two differing widths of wire to make the cross bars, hanging a manual starter handle underneath in a recess. The back of the cab has the fabric roof glued in place, with an optional metal roof, trapping the acetate windscreen between two PE layers to create the frame, installing it in the space between the roof and scuttle. A pair of PE crew doors have their hinges folded in, and can be glued in place open or closed, leaving the wind to whistle through due to a lack of side windows. PE mudguards, number plate holders, wing mirrors, rear step, ladder, indicator stalks and a circular placard on the front right wing are all fixed to the bodywork to complete the detailing. Markings Both decal options are painted in olive drab with black cloud camouflage over the top in differing patterns. From the box you can build one of the following: Z2286314, RAF, England 1944 Postwar Service The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion The WOT2 was almost ubiquitous in British service, so will make a useful diorama accessory, or you can build it as a stand-alone model, safe in the knowledge that this nicely detailed model won’t take up an awful lot of room in the cabinet. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Resin. Why does that word fill me - and I suspect others - with unease? Probably for the same reason the Vacform in "Multimedia kit: vacform, resin and white metal" does. Is it because I think resin is outside my box? Except .... I sometimes use resin aftermarket items, and don't appear to have had many problems with them. Nor, apart from from some wobbly cutting, did I approach the vacform sails in boat kits like HMS Victory or Cutty Sark (the airfix ones) that I built as an early teenager with any trepidation.. Perhaps it's a natural thing when mainly dealing with injection moulded plastic to view the guys who do things in resin and/or vacform as somehow more advanced modellers than you, just a weedy, injection moulded man.. But yes, I have just made a resin kit. My first one. To whit, the Magna Models Polikarpov ITP (M-1). Nope, I'd never heard of it before I bought the kit at the Gloucester IPMS show way back in 2019. Apparently it was a design for a heavily armed fighter, but it never got over a problem with the engine which wasn't able to give it the speed required. But for £6, surely the kit couldn't go wrong? Hmmmm .... Deafening silence. Before I go on to the finished model, here's a couple of photos of the box, and the resin, vacform canopy and white metal parts - the resin parts have been separated from the casting blocks. Now I'm not going to lie, making this kit was a touch problematical. That's because I failed to read the instructions properly. yeas, I know, but in all honesty, how many Britmodellers have done the same? What I would have seen in the instructions was a command not to cut the locating lugs off the wings as well as the casting blocks. Yes, you guessed, I cut the wing locating lugs off. So I got around that problem by using a brass rod pin going through the fuselage to pin the wings to the fuselage. Surprisingly, for me, that worked! Was there a next problem? Cutting the vacform canopy to size, perhaps? was there a reason why 2 vacform canopies were provided? Nope, the first canopy cut and sanded out of the excess quite easily. Anything else? Well, painting wasn't too bad; I gussied up the cockpit, painted some seat belts (not easily seen) and some attempt at an i/p, and used used Mr Masking compound around the wing root air intakes and wheel wells to give a pretty clean paint job there. There was minimal paint bleed under the masking tape on wings and fuselage, easily cleaned up. The canopy masking went fine. My word, this is sounding easy, isn't it? Actually, given there are only 21 parts altogether - 9 resin, 1 vacform and 11 metal, I think I can be excused thinking that I shouldn't have found it difficult. The minimal decals came from an old, long abandoned Mig 15 kit - Magna didn't supply any decals. Paints by Tamiya and Mr Color, varnishes by Windsor & Newton Galleria. Would I do another resin kit? I don't know. I know that there are some resin kits around (I do read reviews) which are more akin to injection moulded kits, but what I'm thinking of are the type of resin/vacform/white metal kits err .... like the whirlybirds Sikorsky S 51 dragonfly that's in my stash. Hmm .. maybe I'll give it a go, after I've retreated into my injection moulding comfort zone for a while!

Here is my latest kit: the MiG-31 Firefox of the 1982 Clint Eastwood film. It's the Anigrand 1:144 resin kit. Keeping in mind the discrepancies between the full-scale film prop and the "flying models", the kit has some inaccuracies, namely around the undercarriage. The nosewheel should have twin wheels and the bays and doors are wrong but I left well alone and only cut the nose bay door in a way that made it closer to what we see in the film. My only other modifications were replacing the WW2-type seat with one from a Revell/Mark I F-104 kit (chopped down a bit in height to fit) and adding a landing light to the nose u/c leg. One of the major discrepancies is the finish. The full scale prop was a dark grey colour whereas the flying models had a highly glossy or metallic) blue-grey tone. I found a comment of the prop designer in internet that stated that Clint Eastwood wanted the plane to be very shiny and that the plane was a dark blue-grey colour. I tried to get somewhere in between. I made some mixes and the final one was Tamiya Gun Metal with Medium Blue and Gloss Black (+ Vallejo Black when the latter ran out). I got a nice pearly dark blue-grey colour. The kit was fully painted by brush. The kit's painting instructions were fictitious so I tried to follow what I could make out from the film. The leading edge panels were painted Vallejo Natural Steel. The kit's decals were oversized so I used some from a Mark I red stars sheet and I placed them according to what I could make out in the ice floe scene. I applied a slightly gloss satin varnish (mixed from Vallejo varnishes) since a high-gloss sheen would look awful. Thanks for looking and all comments are welcome as usual. Miguel

PV-1 Ventura Cockpit, Nose & Turret Armament (4467 & 4469 for Revell/Academy) 1:48 CMK by Special Hobby It’s hard to believe that the Revell 1:48 Lockheed PV-1 Ventura was released as far back as 2011, but I’ve still got both of mine and haven’t built either, to my shame. It’s a nice kit, even by today’s standards, but as with all injection-moulded models, its level of detail can be improved upon by the application of resin casting, which is what CMK’s artisans have done. The two sets we have for review arrive in the familiar clear vacformed box, with the resin parts safely inside, and yellow-themed instructions sandwiched between the header card at the rear. Decals and Photo-Etch (PE) when included are separated from the resin parts by a clear piece of acetate to prevent scratching and damage during transit. Pilot Cockpit (4467) This set includes eighteen grey resin parts, two 3D printed control yokes, a small sheet of printed acetate instruments, a decal sheet with instrument dials, and a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) that contains an instrument panel and seatbelts. Construction begins with thinning the cockpit side walls in a thick L-shape that matches the new resin inserts, which are glued into position once they are suitably deep. The rear cockpit bulkhead has the door support cut out, and this is glued to the cockpit floor, adding two instrument clusters in the centre, plus a throttle quadrant on a tall stand, adding eight PE levers into the grooves on top. Two resin control columns are mounted on the floor, and are topped with the 3D control yokes, and the crew seats are built. The pilot’s seat has a high back and arm rests moulded in, adding four-point seatbelts from the PE sheet, then mounting it on the bulkhead behind it on a pair of projecting supports. The co-pilot’s seat is less luxurious, with no arms, and utilising the kit legs to attach it to the floor, adding lap-belts to the completed seat, as we must presume that his head is of lesser value than the pilot’s even though he has full controls to fly the aircraft. The instrument panel is made up from layers, depending on how you prefer to create your panels, starting with the resin back plane, which has the instrument dial recesses moulded-in, and you have the choice of either decaling that, or using the acetate film and painting the rear white, adding the PE layer over the top after painting it. Alternately, you can mount the PE panel over the decal. It’s entirely up to you. The pilot’s rudder pedals are well-detailed resin parts and are suspended from the rear of the panel, as are the co-pilot’s pedals, although they are simplified L-shaped rods that mount on a cross-bar, one end of which fits into a slot in the rear of the instrument panel. The completed panel is glued to the central quadrant box, which is glued to the forward section of the floor. Nose and Turret Armament (4469) This set is well-detailed, but straight forward in use, replacing the kit barrels in the belly gunner and top turret positions. The belly gunner uses the rear portion of the kit part, supplanting the barrels with the twin perforated resin barrels provided in the new set. The upper turret is a replacement for the kit parts, consisting of the two barrels linked together, adding a pair of resin breech parts to the rear. The other barrels are for the two nose guns in the upper portion of the nose, which are straight replacements for the kit parts and add extra detail there. The three barrels under the nose are installed in a resin fairing, adding three angled shrouds to the fairing before inserting the barrels into them, taking care to align them all in the direction of flight and at the same angle. This fairing is then mounted under the fuselage within the lines detailed on the accompanying drawings. Conclusion A great and cost-effective update to the kit, with more sets available to upgrade the flying surfaces on the tail and ailerons. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of