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Evening All, I have been through a complete loss of mojo recently: after completing the Dornier Rs II and base I was looking for a similar challenge and I had tried to continue with a 1/72 scratch build of an FE 2d, (an FE 2 with a Rolls Royce Eagle engine instead of a Beardmore), which I have been working on for about a year, but when I found that I will probably have to make a new nacelle I simply baulked at the idea: no particular reason why, just the thought was enough to put me off. I then floundered around with several different ideas and decided that perhaps a change in scale might offer a new challenge. This would mean that I would be abandoning the Sacred Scale, but I am determined that I will return to it in future as I have many interesting subjects on my “to scratch-build” list that I wish to make. I was looking for a subject to scratch build of course, and rapidly came to the (for me), obvious conclusion that it would have to be a pusher of some kind. I looked up several types but kept finding that I lacked enough information concerning the details of engines or interiors as I was thinking of 1/32 scale where details matter. In 1/72 scale I can make parts from drawings that look right, but in this larger scale I would need accurate 3D drawings and other information, and for many of the types that I considered such information could not be found. I also had the feeling of “done that” for some of the subjects I was researching. I do not usually like to make the same subject twice which may have been why I was put off the FE 2d - it is too much like the F E 2b, which I have already made. Then I happened to find a cut-away drawing of the Vickers FB 5 Gunbus. A couple of years ago it had been suggested to me that I try a cut-away model but to do this in plastic in 1/72 scale would be very difficult and probably leave a weak model. There are several cut-away model kits in PE in 1/72 scale but I do not like PE and I am not a kit builder any more, so that idea was a non-starter. But what about a cut-away in 1/32 scale? Problem: the engine. I can scratch build or convert engines in 1/72 scale and just get away with it, but that would not be possible in this scale, so I looked around to see what engines were available as aftermarket items. I went back to some earlier ideas and thought about either a DH 1A or the FB 5 Gunbus as engine kits are available for both. In the end I decided that I could not find enough information on the interior of the DH 1A so I settled for the Gunbus. I have built a Gunbus in 1/72 scale already - it was a conversion from an Airfix DH 4 but it was one which I started in 1981 and finished 31 years later! I am not planning to take quite so long this time…. This will be a CBSB (Classic British Scratch Build), - a basic, limited run kit with some aftermarket parts. As it will be a partial strip down the parts count will probably be quite high. I frequently leave my models unarmed but on this occasion I decided that I would model an early variant with the Vickers mg so I bought one of these from Gaspatch: it is resin. I also needed an engine - a 100hp Gnome rotary to be precise, and Wingnut Wings make a beautiful aftermarket specimen for an affordable price. ( Another difficult item to model is the wicker seat for the pilot but I found that Baracuda make one of these in resin. These three items are all little gems in their own right. Finally I have bought some PE instrument bezels, (I only have to cut and fit these so I can just about manage), and transfers from Airscale for the instrument faces. The remainder of the kit will be made from the usual plastic sheet, rod, strip, wood, brass bar for the wing spars and rod for the fuselage frame and booms. The fuselage nacelle of the Gunbus was made from steel tube, as were the booms, so I am going to have to learn how to solder brass rod and bar as CA will not be strong enough. My intention is to make a model that looks similar to the drawing I found on the net, with half of it cut-away showing the underlying structure, and the other half covered. I scaled up the plans from the DataFile number 56 and ordered some plastic strip from my LMS so that I could make the wing ribs. That was a mistake: after a month the shop had still not been able to get the strip, so I cancelled the order and got some in three days by post. I will not be using my LMS in future unless they have the items I need In stock, which is annoying because I like to support local traders: unfortunately that one will not be getting much of my custom in future. While waiting I had tried to make wing ribs from bass wood but these were not particularly good - I could not make the triangular hole at the front end and the very narrow slot at the rear, and cutting square holes for the spar to go through also proved to be almost impossible, so I intend to use 180 x 40 thou plastic strip instead. In all I have had a frustrating month ordering parts and supplies but getting almost nowhere in terms of actually making anything, except that I did manage to carve a propellor. This was made from 2 pieces of hardwood, (I know not of what type), which I regularly use for propellors. Gunbus propellors seem to have been coated in a dark varnish and this wood is just the right colour. The kit propellor (grey) is an example from a Wingnut Wings kit which was Kindly lent to me by fellow modeller Epeeman. The first shot simply shows the wood: This shows the wood being carved - the blade on the left has been shaped, the one on the right has not - taken from the side of the propellor. The extra thickness for the boss was unnecessary and was removed: The completed propellor - still to be varnished and a boss added: So after all the frustrations and stop-starts of the past couple of months I have at last begun a project which I hope will bring some results in the not too distant future…… Thanks for looking. P

Show us an image, or just describe in words, a diorama you would like to see built. Please do NOT post pictures of dioramas already built. This is just a thread for inspiration for those who like to build dioramas. Here is one I would like to build: The painting scene is quite dramatic, especially with all the lights.

I am posting these pictures following a request for them and information on the build in the WW1 aircraft section of this site. I am also including pictures of the scratch built Beardmore engine as this has featured as part of the discussion. There is a full build log for this model on Airfix Tribute Forum under conversion corner, and ww1aircraftmodels.com in the under construction section if anyone is interested. I have also included some notes on the type for those modellers who are not familiar with this aircraft. In the build logs referred to I used wings from the old Veeday BE 2c. This kit is a rare bird these days and anyway Airfix have now produced a first class model of this type and I would recommend it as the starting point for this conversion as the outer wing panels of the FE 2b and the BE 2c were the same. However the FE 2b had a greater span so I would either make new centre panels from card (as on my original conversion), or use pieces cut from a second Airfix BE 2c kit. The Lewis machine gun, wheels, struts and propellor could all be taken from the Aifix kit. The remaining parts would have to be scratch built as per the build log, unless that is you can find an Aeroclub Beardmore engine - another rare item these days. The FE 2b was designed and built at the Royal Aircraft Factory in 1915 in response to a request from the War Office for a "gun carrier" for armed reconniassance, escort and pursuit. The prototype flew in March 1915 buty problems in supplying engines meant that the first order for 12 machines was not completed until the autumn of that year. Later the type was only supplied slowly because of the shortage of engines. However it quickly proved to be superior to the Fokker monoplanes that were causing heavy casualties among the BE 2c reconnaissance squadrons, and the type helped to achieve air superiority (with the DH 2 and Nieuport 11) for the Allies during the summer of 1916. Even after the introduction of the early Albatros fighters in September 1916 the type could hold its own in the hands of a good crew: von Richtofen was famously hit by a bullet from his own side when he was involved in a dogfight with these machines, and German pilots Schaefer and Ulmer were shot down by gunners in this type. The problem for the RFC was that by 1917 the type was obsolete but was kept in service as an escort because there were no suitable replacements. After it had been withdrawn from daylight sorties it continued to be used as a night bomber until the end of the war. Early FE 2b's had a complicated oleo tricycle undercarriage: this was modified in the filed to a simpler V and later replaced on production machines by an even simpler V. The type was deployed against Zeppelins in the UK but its slow rate of climb and poor ceiling made it unsuitable in this role. In all over 2000 of the type were built and it served in a wide variety of roles. It has had a bad press in the past from those who looked at it from the comfort of armchairs and noted the high losses suffered in 1917 when the type should have been withdrawn. In reality it was a good design for its time being strong, relatively easy to fly, and able to compete well against contemporary types: its rapid obsolescence reflected the pressures of war, not the deficiencies of the design itself or the crews who operated it. I built the engine using card, rod and stretched sprue and based it on drawings in DataFile No 147 and photographs of the engine from Viling's WNW build on this site and the WNW website. I apologise for the small images but hopefully they will be useful to others. This is the engine from the right side: This is the engine from the left side: These photos show the engine installed in the nacelle before I put the top wing on to the model. All markings except the serial were hand painted and the model is rigged with 40 SWG rolled copper wire. It represents an early machine operated by 11 Squadron RFC at Isel-le-Hameau in September 1916. P

I've been struggling with motivation lately so I thought I'd try something different......... I've long been inspired by the work Bob Wilson aka ShipbuilderMN Latest post http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235016920-berwick-law-steel-barque/ Plus Ray S & now Murdo entering the arena I have long had it in my mind to build a series of British Coastal Trading/Fishing craft. Being realistic I'm not going to live long enough to build in what I would normally call a reasonable scale. At this stage I've also got it in my head that I want to build showing the full hull to demonstrate the many varied hull shapes. So the chosen starting point is the 'Clyde Puffer' a more basic shape I can't imagine.... but good to learn the ropes in this scale. I photocopied the plan and stuck it on plastic card 'bread & butter' style Brass sheet was cut out and let in for keel Bulwarks planted on outside, to be faired in, supports added on inside and the signature picture of the Parker pen That's it for now Kev

I was very impressed with the very classy wee scratch built "SS Ophir Steam Coaster" built by Ray S. Then of course, there's the shockingly brilliant scratch built models that Bob aka ShipbuilderMN produces (hate him... ) Sooooooo... Taking my daft ego in my hands I decided to see what ship I could scratch build. My uncle had a trawler back in the 1960's & 70's and I've always been rather fascinated by the Armed Trawlers used in WW1 & 2. I really wanted to build one of these wee boats so found some "plans" on Tinterweb and using some of the ideas learned here I set to work. I thought I'd taken a lot more photos than I can find but obviously not. I scaled the plans several times till I got it right (cos I'm too stupid to count and measure correctly). The Tinterweb plan: I printed the bits I wanted and stuck them on plastic sheet to get the shapes I wanted. That worked okay until I tried to un-stick the paper from the plastic. Tried several glues and finally settled on Copydex, the carpet glue. I have lots of this as I use it for masking paint. Here's the start of the hull: Also in the pic are the start of the super structure (two bits of square tube cut to size) and the funnel made from round tube. The deck has been cut to size then scored with a scriber to simulate planking and the top of the wheelhouse and walkway round the wheelhouse has been similarly scribed. They were then painted with Tamiya Buff and given a wash of Cital Seraphim Sepia. I would have preferred to use the lighter Tamiya wood paint, "Light Deck Tan" (or something) but naturally I couldn't find either bottle I own. Patience is not one of my best qualities so they got a coating of Buff instead. Then they were masked for the grey stuff. I needed a lathe so the electric drill and a twist drill had to suffice: And that's it for now. I'll post more pics soon.

I decided to have go at doing one of these using some spare bits I have now accumulated from my other QLs Its will be a Bedford QLC 'Cockatrice' Flame Thrower truck, This is being built on a left over chassis from an old Airfix Tanker, spare wheels. litteraly, from my other QLs and all the body work will have to be scratch built.... Already done is adapting the the wheels to fit the old kit axles, including brake drums, also I made the axle dampers as these will be totally visable on at least 3 of the wheels.... To the pics of it so far..... ATB Sean

Hello all, This is my first WIP thread but is my second 1/48 model to hit my workbench. I have been really looking forward to getting into this bad boy. I will be using the Eduard "Danger Zone" Hobby Boss F-14 reboxing. The kit is absolutely beautiful and even with some dry fitting everything just clicks together and even has a lack of release pin markers that plagued their F/a-18d. For this built I will be pulling out all the stops as well as all the ports that the kit comes with...and some! Still undecided as to weather I will fix the wings extended with all the flaps and slates showing their red underbellies or if I will keep it simple and leave the wings swept back. One point I think is important to mention as I know some people may point it out if I don't mention, although I will be trying to create the model as close to the real thing as possible there will be an element of "Poetic Licence" regarding some parts/features/processes. I have so far been unable to find more than one picture of this particular jet, NL 212 on the USS Carl Vinson, so I am going to "assume" a few things. This mainly relates to weathering and any scratch building. With that in mind I plan to "Imitate NOT Replicate" Right enough waffling, let the games begin!! I started with an unusual point, rather than the cockpit and seats I went straight to the P&W TF-30 engine. I plan to open up some of the larger access panels around the back to show off this bad boy as well as all the other panels that kit gives you. First I need to get some strips: Followed by some dry fitting, measuring and measuring again and then a bit of cutting. Once the cutting and fitting was sorted I dove straight into the detailing. Phase one: Phase two to...well I lost count of the phases from this point but here is the result so far And then I had a final dry fit with all the extra details added: I plan to open up the largest panel on the underside of the engine to show it off a light similar to the image in the link below. http://www.aviation-militaire.com/Galerie/NAS_Oceana_98/015_07P.jpg From my research I have only ever found that when this panel is opened/removed the opposing panel also has to hang down. Can anybody clarify this for me? I would probably prefer to not have to open up the second panel. Mainly just to remove the chance of making any mistakes. if I can get away with one panel it would be fantastic! If anybody has looked at this before or has some references they can check that I don't have available to be can you please let me know? It would be a great help! Anyway, thanks for dropping by, all comments are welcome and encouraged!! Enjoy!

Hello all! I have just finished a scratch build of a steam coaster which I did for the Made In Britain Group Build here on BM, and thought you might like a look. This was my first 'proper' scratch build of a ship, I had done one some time ago but it was a plastic version of a paper model. This one I had to work out myself, and largely succeeded, but I am aware of a number of mistakes, misinterpretations and areas I could improve. I still need to give her the name plates, and pop her on a sea base. There is a build thread: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234994334-ss-ophir-steam-coaster-finished/ I make no bones about who inspired this project, and that was fellow BM'er ShipbuilderMN whose Merchant Marine models were such a factor in me choosing this ship to do. I also had tons of help during the project, (Longshanks, Murdo, Lashenden amongst them) and plenty of encouragement. Thanks to everyone who chipped in! This was one of my most pleasurable builds I have ever had. Thanks for looking, Ray

Hello and welcome to my build of a 1/48 Munitions Handling Trailer. I'll be using the Skunkmodels Workshop Missile Cart for USAF/NATO as the base for this build. That's all for now. After I have observed the ritual tradition of the sprue bath, I'll be back with some sprue shots.

Wanted to build the Boxer IFV, with the 30mm Lance turret in 1/35. The base kit is the Revell Boxer which will be OOB, less the wheels. So, having being pointed in the direction of the Y-Modelle 1/87 kit (thanks H-.H), I used the turret to scratch build a turret in 1/35. The base of the 30mm cannon is heavily modified from the Revell Puma kit. Still got a ways to go, but the basic shell is complete.

all, Needed a change from wheeled things (too lazy to scratch any tyres), so decided to try building a crawler. Being too tight to by Trumpeters version (plus it's the wrong scale) it was a case of doing some research and pestering overseas contacts but finally I had enough info to start the hack'n'slash . First off, better show where I hope to head i.e. 1:1 plan, GA view - So know we know what/how it's meant to look, next up it's time to make some flat plastic sheet look similar . Till the next installment _ _ _ _

Ive started Re doing or Giving myself something to do well ive got this far today , your tips and comments please

Royal Navy cruisers have long been an interest of mine, great looking ships with busy careers, but almost completely ignored in kit form. So in a challenge to the manufacturers to release a kit just before I finish the scratch build... ...I've started work on the Fiji-Class Cruiser HMS Jamaica. The real ship spent much of her war escorting Arctic Convoys and was at both Battles of the Barents Sea and North Cape so fits nicely with the HMS Sheffield I built a couple of years ago. Here's a couple of quick shots of the current status: Still a long way to go, but the basic shapes are coming together quite nicely! Andrew

A few pictures of my Chengdu F-7, in the colours of the Namibian Air Force for your perusal. This is the first model I build in quite a number of years. Also took me more than a year to complete. The model is loosely based on the Academy MiG 21 PF in 1/72 scale. I say loosely, because it involved quite a bit of plastic surgery to bring it to scale. Work in Progress here Comments and criticism welcome. And lastly, together with a Fujimi Mig 21 of the Angolan Air Force. that specific MiG 21 was the first of the type to set foot on Namibian soil when it executed a forced landing in the then Northern SWA. The original is now at the SAAF Museum at Zwartkops. R

Hi all! I just want to share with you the things I have been doing to a 1/72 Heller F-16 A/B old issue, I got this kit to tinker with it and learn well... everything! I haven't done any aircraft modelling in a really long time and last time it was just a gluey mess with pieces of plastic attached to it. So I decided to go for a cheap kit and learn all the basic and try some advance stuff as well. This kit has raised panel lines which I decided to sand down and scribe them with a tamiya pea cutter I am also doing the riveting bit by bit using a small 0.3mm drill bit. I will get some pics when I have some more done. I also got inspired by the fantastic work of Diego Quijano detailing a F-18 also on a 1/72 scale. The more I work on my F-16 the more respect I got for the level of complexity and the attention he put on his model! I have been working during the past week in detailing the landing gear bay and getting it to a more interesting level and the original kit had absolutely no detail whatsoever. Here are some pictures of it: Still want to do some more cable work and also start working on the landing gear per se to detail it a bit more. I am also thinking in cutting some part of the fuselage to scratch build some of the internal bays. Any comments/suggestions are more than welcome. Thanks! and all the best

Welcome to my latest posting- I'm going to win no prizes for speed modelling but I'm having fun so who cares! I'm working on a big long term airfield diorama project but it'll take me months/years to get all the components done so I'll post 'em as I do 'em. Here's the finished article (read down for WIP & more finished pics). I was inspired by an article by Richard Langford in Airfix Model World magazine, Jan 14 issue. The moulding is pretty ancient (I built one as a kid, it hasn't changed and I'm pretty ancient as well!) so I thought I'd have some fun super detailing it. As you can see, I got a bit carried away (considering most of it was inside and won't be seen when assembled) but it was a learning piece as much as anything, more scratch building experience and my first use of PE, which went pretty well in the end. I make no claims to historical accuracy with this model and some elements were made up as I went along, but I've enjoyed myself. DJ Parkins (www.djparkins.co.uk) supplied the PE set for the windows, doors, hand rails and watch hut and the maps/posters/blackboards etc were a custom set from Sankey Scenics. I found him on-line & asked if he had anything suitable. He does mostly model railway stuff (as well as being a professional model maker) but researched it for me and came up with a great little sheet of scale images that I've used all over the model. Check him out at www.sankeyscenics.co.uk. The sheet costs £5.00, which seemed pretty reasonable to me as he put it together from scratch. You can order by accessing the bespoke page of his website and by clicking the £5.00 button (towards the bottom). This will take you through the steps for the order. You can quickly access this by clicking the link below: http://www.sankeyscenics.co.uk/#/bespoke-items/4551163731. Based on Richard Langford's article, I fabricated a first floor out of styrene sheet, supported by styrene corner pieces. I then decided to put a dividing wall in made from more styrene and utilising a door & window from the Airfix set (redundant because of the PE set). I glazed it with clear acetate and used thin slices of Tamiya tape to represent diagonal blast taping. An assortment of notice boards, maps, pictures, chalk boards, clocks & signs were carefully scalpeled out of the Sankey Scenics sheet & glued in place. Very late in the day I decided to also build a desk/counter upstairs and some of Sankey's maps and documents decorated the surface. I decided to call it a day, furniture wise, as I had a life I had to get on with! Incredible detail on the maps & chalk boards! Having enjoyed that, I decided to build a room for the ground floor so built a floor and walls from styrene sheet and used the Airfix windows again. More posters/signs added a bit of interest downstairs. Those observant amongst you may have noticed that my super detailing may possibly have forgotten to build a staircase to get from the ground floor to the first, and then to the terrace and roof. Oops! I decided to let this one slip! I also decided to have fun with the watch tower on top. The phone was made from a bit of styrene sheet, the radio from a piece of sprue. The phone cord is a piece of thin fuse wire and the microphone boom from a slightly thicker piece of wire. More Sankey docs spread around the desks. I got a Master Tools PE bender thingy for Christmas and really couldn't figure out how it was meant to work, but a few goes with the thingy & a pair of flat jaw pliers & I sussed it! The watch tower was a bit fiddly with folds going in different directions but got there in the end with a bit of squeezing and swearing. I had to fabricate a pillar to join the edges and locate the walls as the Airfix location points were in the wrong place. The acetate proved tricky - it was hard to keep it free from scratches and glue. The handrails were an absolute bugger - microscopic folding, aligning, gluing, drilling and feeding through 0.31mm brass wire. Lots of patience required. They're not perfect but for a first go, I'm quite pleased. The stairs were also tricky, being made from folded side pieces and individual folded treads. Richard Langford suggested building a little jig, which I did and it worked well. The last thing was to slosh a load of Flory Models 'Grime' wash around the model in places where the day to day muck from a busy airfield would accumulate; on the flat surfaces, window sills, stair treads etc. Flat roofs are notorious for puddling so the Flory grime is spot on for this, although I kept it light on the higher traffic areas. The RAF figures came from a 1970s vintage Airfix set I had as a kid. They'd been painted in gloss enamels (I was young!) so I had lots of fun soaking them in white spirit and picking off the paint! Only later did I discover that Airfix still sell that set so I could have saved a lot of bother, but there's something nice about recycling a 40 year old toy! I think some of them might have come from a Bloodhound missile set - wrong decade but I think I got away with it! I chopped the bases off so they're secured with Deluxe Materials Tacky Wax - it's good stuff. Here are some other shots of the finished building: I broke the aerial thingy in the corner so had to botch up a new one from the spares box. I had to fabricate a new door for the emergency exit as the PE set didn't include one and I'd mistakenly used the Airfix door for my Amera Nissan hut! Always read the instructions! The bionic dog! One of his legs got broken off somewhere between the 1970s and today so I had to make a new one out of a piece of fuse wire! Thanks for looking and any feedback/tips would of course be appreciated. Andrew

Morning all, I'm (slowly) working on a1/72 airfield diorama to house my Lanc BIII Dambusters Special which will include a control tower amongst other things. Does anyone know of a source of reasonably realistic generic maps that work roughly in 1/72 or 1/76 that can be printed off. I want them to go on the walls of control tower and on desks. Google's failed me so far, but I'm sure Britmodeller will come up with the goods! Thanks Andrew

I don't suppose anyone has any better pictures of the Houchin 690 GPU than can be found on Google images? The 690 is the standard slidy cover towable GPU seen at many airports worldwide. I'm after a good clean shot from side on and from the rear/ front so I can get the angle right. An even better find would be some plans... https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&biw=1024&bih=672&site=imghp&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=Mw5HUpHfBsiM7AaEp4CACg&q=houchin+gpu&oq=houchin+gpu&gs_l=img.3..0.2525.3523.0.4399.6.6.0.0.0.0.128.591.3j3.6.0....0...1c.1.27.img..5.1.103.S4ZqmMCbORw#biv=i%7C5%3Bd%7CNz1W4pRpa3yfyM%3A