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Hello everyone! This is one of four kits I completed over two weeks ago but I couldn't post before as my computer spent this period in the repair shop (nothing serious, fortunately). One of the sparks for my now long-running on-and-off Fw 190 family production run was my curiosity about the Japanese option in the special schemes boxing of the Mark I Models kit which I didn't get to buy. It proposed a 'reconstruction' of a German machine in Japanese markings. I was intrigued and did some digging, finding that the Japanese never received a machine but did get the technical drawings and specs to build it. This fired my imagination and, since there wasn't much variety in the Luftwaffe markings, I could spare one of the Mark I Models kits to use for a 'what-if'. What I had very clear was that I wanted to make it as if the type was built in Japan and had entered service and so wear a full IJAAF scheme. I found that the Ki-152 designation was never assigned so it was a perfect one to use. Since Kawasaki had built the Tony with in-line engines, it made sense that they would be involved in the construction of this type. I have even thought of a short backstory whereby this machine flown by an experienced pilot and another by his wingman happen to shoot down the Enola Gay and the other B-29s escorting it before they reached Hiroshima. Sadly, I don't have time... This is a Mark I Models 1:144 kit which I built together with another three. I kept the cockpit in Luftwaffe colours but the rest was very much along IJAAF lines, using schemes of the Ki-100 as a base. Decals came from various sources but mostly from a Warbirds insignia and numbers sheet. The diagonal yellow bands on the tail came from spare Sweet A6M Zero leading edge decals! Being Japanese, I dispensed with the underside aerials of Luftwaffe machines. As always, it was fully painted with brush. Here is White 89, of the 3rd Chutai, 59th Sentai, Japan, August 1945. I must say, it looks great in this scheme and I'm really glad I finally got on with it and brought the concept to life! Thanks for looking Miguel

Martin Baker MB.3b (ACMK4803) 1:72 & 1:48 Aerocraft Models Martin-Baker are best known today for their highly effective range of ejection seats and other safety systems, but they were once creators of aircraft too. Established at the dawn of the 30s by Captains James Martin and Valentine Baker, the company was bank-rolled by a man with two first names, Francis Francis. They started their exploits with the predictably named MB.1, which was a light civilian sport aircraft, the development of which was interrupted by creation of an autogyro, their first completed entry into aviation chronicles. The MB.1 was a successful design with mild-manners, but it was destroyed in a fire, to be replaced by the more advanced MB.2, although the RAF weren’t keen, so it didn’t receive any production orders. Whilst it was unloved by those outside the company, the type was developed with simplicity and ease of maintenance in mind, based upon a ladder chassis to which the main external panels and equipment were attached, adding a well laid out set of instruments for the pilot helped to reduce workload and pilot fatigue. The MB.3 took the concepts of the MB.2 further, and was a step forward in terms of performance, utilising a Napier Sabre engine, with an H-shaped layout of the piston banks. Like its predecessor it was a pleasant aircraft to fly, and Captain Baker rapidly became confident in its capabilities during his initial test flights. It was also to be heavily armed with a formidable six 20mm Hispano cannons, but during testing an engine failure caused the aircraft to land heavily in a field, careering into a tree stump and killing Captain Baker in the process. His death was one of the factors that eventually led to the pivoting of the company toward flight safety, and eventually the ejection seat company we know today. After the loss of the MB.3, which was eventually intended to have a bubble-top canopy in the shape of the 3b, the more radically designed MB.4 was created, running a Rolls Royce Griffon engine, but it wasn’t proceeded with, as the Ministry were more interested in the iterative design of the MB.5 that was also powered by a Griffon that drove a 6-bladed contra-rotating propeller. The development progressed well, and would have been an excellent addition to Britain’s fighter force, had it not been overshadowed both by the end of WWII and the inevitable dominance of jet powered aircraft. Sadly for historians and aviation buffs, it is understood that the sole prototype was destroyed on a firing range sometime after the project’s cancellation, leaving no trace of the project today. Ultimately however, the legacy of Martin-Baker’s MB series gave aviation a vision of the future of user interfaces and instrument layout for pilots, vastly simplifying their job, which is crucial in a combat situation. The Kit This is a newly designed kit from Aerocraft, using the capabilities of modern 3D printing to bring to life a range of aircraft that may otherwise have never seen the light of day in any easily buildable format. The full range of kits of Martin-Baker aircraft that are currently on offer from them are the MB.3, the MB.3b that we will be looking at, and the MB.4 with a hypothetical conjunction with a Bristol Centaurus engine that gives it a close resemblance to a Sea Fury in some views. They’re all available in 1:72 and 1:48 scales, the latter being my preferred option, and although the MB.3b wasn’t constructed, it was proposed, as was the MB.4, so a few purists may consider them as “what-if”, but many will be more than happy to add them to their collection. I’ll be going back for a “standard” MB.3 once I’m done with the other two, having treated myself to an MB.4 in addition to the review sample Ali sent. If you’re new to 3D Printed kits, there’s nothing to be afraid of, as the parts are extremely well-detailed, are able to be created without worrying about undercuts, and are easily liberated from their printing supports, with very little clean-up needed on a modern Stereolithography (SLA) printed kit. They are supported after initial curing in the printed by a lattice of tendril-like supports that attach strategically by tapered tips that reduce the work needed to clean them up. Generally, a few swipes with a sander should see them gone, and as the layer thickness of SLA printing continues to shrink, there is very little in the way of layer lines, and those that do exist are likely to disappear under a coat of primer. If you’re not new to 3D printed kits, sorry for rambling on. The kit arrives in an unassuming top-opening white cardboard box with a large sticker on the captive top flap, and inside are six bags of printed parts, a sheet of vinyl masking for the canopy, decal sheet, instruction sheets that are printed in colour, plus a rolled-up glossy A4 print of the artwork for the MB.3, which may be an accident, or an incitement to buy the other option. There are 23 print-bases in mid-grey resin, two in a dark grey resin that is stronger for the landing gear and small parts, two clear traditionally cast resin canopy parts, and one clear 3D printed base with four parts included. Detail is fabulous, and 3D printing is now capable of mainstream products, evidenced by other companies already starting to produce some of their kits with 3D detail parts on styrene main components. Low volume production is also eminently possible as Aerocraft have proved, but you must be prepared to wait for your delivery, as 3D printing is a long-winded process, taking several hours for one print-run, plus extra work to clean and complete the curing process. Preparation of the parts by the modeller to build their model dwindles by comparison, and to take the mock-up photo, I went through the process of around an hour or so, slowed down a little by my own ineptitude. After some light sanding, and filling a few attachment points that had broken rather than been cut, it was ready for assembly – without glue initially, of course. Construction begins with reading the first page of the instructions, as they offer insights into handling 3D printed resin parts, and how best to remove them as easily and cleanly as possible. There are fifty-eight parts in total, with options for smooth or diamond treaded main wheels, triple cannons or a clean wing, which is accomplished by using inserts, and a standard or Naval tail, which has a “stinger” arrestor hook built into the rudder. There are also several doubles amongst the small parts, which have been thoughtfully placed within a box-like frame to protect them during shipping and storage. If you damage or lose one, you will be glad that you had another spare. The rest of the instructions don’t follow standard injection-moulded styles, but consist of 3D isometrics drawn from the CAD files used to design the model, although most modellers will be well-and-truly familiar with the layout of a single-engined piston aircraft by now. Some of the detailed areas are shown in greater detail to remove any confusion, starting with the cockpit, which is supplied as a tub, to which you add the instrument panel after adding some of your own decals to the dials if you prefer, slotting the control column into a groove in front of the seat, where another option allows the insertion of a pilot figure into a seat without belts, or depicting it with the belts left by an absent pilot, which can be painted in suitable colours to give it extra realism. The tub is inserted into the fuselage, which has been printed as a single part, covering it with an insert once completed, which is very well designed, and fits well. If care is taken during gluing, it should require little or no clean-up, and recessed edges should form pane lines. The canopy is provided in two cast clear resin parts, with an obvious parting line between it and the casting blocks, taking little time to liberate cleanly by first running a sharp blade along the line a few times, then following the line with a razor saw, and finally a few swipes with a sanding stick to remove any burrs. The windscreen is cast with a portion of the deck integral, and should slip in neatly, remembering to use the supplied vinyl masks to keep the canopy clear during painting. Clarity will be helped by polishing, or a dip in Klear or another clear varnish if you have found a replacement. The bubble-canopy is fixed into its track in the open or closed position, depending on whether you wish to show off your work on the interior. Each wing is moulded as a single part, incorporating a well-detailed wheel well, and intakes for the radiators thanks to the capabilities of 3D printing. Paint the bays with your preferred brand and weather it as you see fit, then choose the insert with three 20mm cannons or without, depending on which option you prefer. Mine will have guns! A clear wingtip insert is supplied that has been 3D printed, so will benefit from polishing with a sponge, and a coat of Klear. There is a small hole printed into the inner surface, which can be filled with green or red paint to depict the bulb within the lens before it is glued in place. The wings slot into the wing roots on the fuselage, and should be placed on a jig if you have one to obtain the correct dihedral, or you could use Lego blocks or Blutak if you don’t. The same applies to the elevators, although they have separate flying surfaces that can be deflected if you wish for a more candid look to the finished model, finishing the empennage with the rudder panel of your choice, which has a curved leading edge that also lends itself to deflection, and a choice of stinger-equipped alternative for a naval variant. Once the glue on the main parts is cured, the main gear leg is fitted with your choice of tyre, the hub for which you can pad if necessary with a wrap of tape to tighten the fit and centralise the hub in the tyre. Once glued, any visible gap can be hidden by using a water-based glue such as Vallejo’s white putty with fine applicator, wiping the excess away with a finger or cotton bud. There are three bay doors per side, two are captive to the gear leg, the other on the inner end of the bays, which is provided with a retraction jack, with spares if you lose or damage any, and these are shown clearly in additional drawings for your ease. The tail-wheel strut slots into the bay in the rear, and accepts the anti-shimmy grooved tail-wheel between the arms of the yoke. The last sub-assembly is the prop, which should be preceded by installing a circular bulkhead in the front of the fuselage, checking fit and sanding it thinner if necessary. The spinner is a single part with three sockets for the blades, which have keyed bases that slide neatly into position, and shouldn’t need much help to obtain the correct angle. The finished prop is then inserted into the small hole in the front bulkhead to complete the main build process. There is also a small chin intake under the nose, fitting accurately on a long tab, which can be done at any point in construction, as there is nothing nearby that would get in the way. A whip antenna on the rear deck, and a pitot-probe under the port wing complete the details, with two of each supplied again, in case you are clumsy or unlucky. Markings There is a single decal option shown in the instructions, namely the prototype with the yellow undersides and the prototype P emblazoned on the sides of the fuselage. The decal sheet includes a set of Royal Navy stencils to accompany the resin “stinger” arrestor hook if you have decided to use it, plus some additional serial codes that you could also use as practice decals if you are unsure. The world is your oyster for imaginative alternatives of course, leaving the field open to any speculative schemes that you might have in mind. Go nuts! The decals are printed in good registration, sharpness and colour density, and have been printed with a continuous carrier film, so will need cutting out individually, the details of which are given in the instructions. If you veer away from the included sheet, you can safely forget that section of the guide if the alternatives are printed in a traditional-style. Conclusion I tried to build a resin kit of this type when I was relatively recently back to the hobby, and it beat me due to some serious shape issues. This kit is well-made, designed so that little work will be needed to create a creditable model, and it should appeal to anyone that enjoys the research and development side of aviation, or is interested in what might have been had the people at Martin-Baker got the go-ahead from the Ministry for their work. I’ve already got two from this range, and I’m going to have to go back and get the razor-backed MB.3 to complete my collection, which started several years ago with an ancient vacform MB.5 that took several years to gather the momentum to complete. Highly recommended. Here’s a series of links to the full range of six kits, including the three variants in two scales each: Martin-Baker MB.3 1:72 Martin-Baker MB.3 1:48 Martin-Baker MB.3b 1:72 Martin-Baker MB.3b 1:48 Martin-Baker MB.4 1:72 Martin-Baker MB.4 1:48 Review sample courtesy of

Hello everyone! Here is the second of the two kits I completed at the beginning of August, just before going on holidays. Both were variants of the Ta 152 by Kora in 1:72 scale. This is a Focke-Wulf Ta 152S-1 unarmed two-seater trainer in fictitious markings. This variant was to be based on the C-1. Plans were made to start production/conversion at Blohm & Voss in April 1945 and at DLH in August that year but none was carried out by war's end. These Kora kits covering variants of the Ta 152 were based on the Aoshima moulds. In this case the kit was totally in resin and also included a small etched fret, covering seat belts and pedals, and two vacform canopies, as with the S-2 kit. This wasn't an easy build but with patience, checking, filling and sanding, I made it to the end. I didn't use the etched pedals as they wouldn't be seen. The kit was build basically out-of-the-box, only adding the IFF aerial and the radio wire from stretched sprue. I had to replace the Morane aerial as the resin one snapped on removal from the pour block. As usual, it was fully painted and varnished with brush. I crossed decals with the other kit (the S-2). Despite some problems I had, at least one self-made (putting the supercharger intake on the same side as the other kit, knocking off the main undercarriage, etc) and some flaws that cropped up, I am very pleased with the result and to have also built the short-spanned variant. The work was worth it and I'm actually more pleased with this one! Considering my slowish pace, I managed to finish both kits simultaneously in a month-an-a-half. It's the only game in town for the proposed Ta 152 subvariants. Thank you for looking and, as usual, all comments are welcome. Miguel

I thought I had been cured of my resin addiction... I recently bought a couple of boxes from @scautomoton. One is a complete kit, and the other is a conversion set. The subject of this build is the conversion kit, the English Electric P.8 which Stuart has just made available for purchase. Please contact him if you wish to get hold of one, the same goes for the kit of the AW. 169. Stuart has done a great job with this. The box is to a high standard with a nice, clear picture of the subject on the box lid. The inside of the box is stuffed with parts, along with a comprehensive set of instructions. There are three bags containing all the conversion bits; an Airfix Lightning is required to give up a few parts as specified in the instructions. The fuselage is in three parts With the nose ring being exceptionally fine The rest of the parts look just as fine in their detail. I intend to use decals by Model Alliance Decals from set MA-72134 for the Leuchers Training Facilities Flight, which are no longer available. Progress will be slow at first as I need to prepare the parts and carefully read the instructions Gondor

Most of my model making time lately has been occupied with designing 3D printed parts on my computer. I've missed the feel of plastic though so I dragged myself away from the PC and pulled a Takom Maus out of the stash. I plan to built it as a "what-if" production version with a Maus II turret. For that I'll be using Rhino's resin E-100 Krupp turret, along with a metal barrel from RB models, a voyager photo etch set & some other spare bits & pieces. The wheels & suspension are the first step of this kit & are made up from 288 parts in total! Most of which wont be visible once the model is finished. After working on it for over a week I've managed to get though this rather monotonous first step & I'm now looking forward to the more fun job of working on the hull & turret. The Maus's original turret's had a curved front which caused a shot-trap problem on the lower part. To counter this, armoured plates were added to the top of the engine deck to deflect shells away from the turret. For this model I'm using Krupp's Maus II turret though which doesn't have the same problem, So I've decided to not add the armoured plates & removed/filled the parts on the engine deck related to them. Without the armoured plates you can see more clearly though the grills & into the engine bay. So I had the spontaneous idea of 3D printing an engine to fill the void. It's extremely basic & missing a lot of detail but I didn't want to spend a lot of time & energy on something that will be barely visible when finished. I'm thinking about making the electric motors at the rear of the hull too though. For the next step I started drilling holes into the side of the hull to fit camouflage loops but my only 0.3mm drill-bit snapped 😭 I've ordered some more but they might take awhile to arrive. I'll make a start on the tracks next while I'm waiting for the new drills...

So the clue is in the title. What if the Daring class Destroyers were modernised in the 1960's? What I am planning on doing is based on this Shipbucket drawing I am using the 1961 Airfix kit which means it's slightly younger than me I have ordered a Starling Models HMS Devonshire upgrade set to provide a lot of the necessary parts that will be replaced. I also have some etched brass from Atlantic Models for a few other items and there will be some scratch-building as well. The idea being that I have about eleven months to finish this so I can take it to Telford, well there's nothing like a target to aim for, if it's realistic or not we shall see Later: Because the back end is based on the Leander fit I was thinking of using the rear two-thirds of a Leander deck on top of the rear of the Daring. But as I am going to be scratch-building most of the superstructure I may as well scratch the Limbo well, just as I am doing in my Leander builds. I shall use one of my as-yet unbuilt Leanders as a guide for the scratch building. One question I will have to think about now rather than later is the viewing windows for the VDS which are in the room in the Port Rear of the ship, with one window to aft and another looking back up towards the winch for the VDS. The question is do I do the same for this build or move the windows to Starboard? Gondor

Here's my latest finish, Boeing Sikorsky's RAH-66 Commanche which was designed to be a stealthy attack and reconnaissance helicopter to answer the US Army's LHX Light Helicopter Experimental programme in the late 80s. Two prototypes were built and flown between 1996 and 2004 but despite impressive performance, the whole programme was cancelled in 2004. This is Revell's rebox of the Italeri kit and I've finished it in a 'Blue Thunder' inspired paint scheme for the 'Project Cancelled' GB here on the forum. The short build thread is here but to recap: Kit: 1/72 Revell No. 04469 Build: OOB Paints: Tamiya & Mr Hobby Decals: From spares (thanks @murfv Paint scheme inspired by Blue Thunder Extras: None Thanks to @81-er and @jackroadkillfor a genius group build idea. Until the next time, take care and happy modelling! All the best, Dermot 66_Coman

Being currently a lot into Helos, it is almost inevitable that I come across the Boeing AH-64. Also, as it followed the AH-1 in the service of various armed forces and the related tenders around the world, it's only consequent it will follow it on my workbench. So it will be the Westland build incarnation of the AH-64, and Academy has a nice kit in 1/72 available, and since quite a while, me in my stash. It's this: It includes decals for the one Capt. Harry Wales, Prince of Sussex flew at RAF Cosworth Airshow in 2013, and I am tempted to do this. You know, a little bit of glamour on the shelf, not always just blunt plastic in olive drab without any personality, but some glitz of the real world red carpet airfields we so rare get close to. And here's the chance - what a rare occasion for us in the airplane section...

We have a group-build comp on at the moment at Riverside model club where we can take the more-recent (1997!) Tamiya Jeep and do pretty much whatever we want with it as long as we end up with a single vehicle. After having so much fun building my 'Rommell's Uber-Halftrack' a couple of years ago, I though I would do it again with an M45 quad mount on the back of a Jeep with GMC running gear. All very nice and period. When I create one of these monsters I do try and keep everything at least contemporary. Donor kits sourced: Basic layout to make sure it will at least fit together: Believe it or not, I can get the GMC donk to fit in the Jeep engine bay without touching the grille or the firewall! The air cleaner will, however, be protruding through the bonnet. Quick dry run: After 4 or 5 mockups in paper, I found a gundeck layout I was happy with. And now the gundeck exists in plastic:

When the Iron Duke class battleships commissioned in 1914 they were without doubt the best battleships in the RN, and arguably equal to any in the world at the time. Their ten 13.5-inch guns were superb weapons and although of a slightly smaller calibre to the 14-inch guns of the USN and IJN ships they fired a shell of equal weight, 1400lbs. But it was known that both the Americans and Japanese were building battleships with twelve guns, the Japanese had in fact launched one of theirs (IJN Fuso), and Britain was going to have to follow suit, and soon. The quickest way to do this was to repeat the Iron Dukes but with a stretched hull to accommodate the extra turret and this is what they did. As was now the norm four ships were authorized, the name ship HMS Culloden, with sister-ships Queen Elisabeth, Warspite and Valiant. Construction proceeded rapidly with Culloden but the others had to wait until longer slipways became available. Not long after, Vickers tested the first prototype of their new 15-inch gun and the RN immediately took an interest. After the second successful test the guns were ordered and while construction of Culloden continued the others were put on hold while the design was altered to accommodate the new weapon. As a result HMS Culloden like HMS Hood five years later was one of a kind. The remaining three ships had two others authorized and became the Queen Elisabeth class. HMS Culloden had the same beam but was fifty two feet longer than the preceding class to accommodate the extra turret. This was designated 'P' turret and was sited immediately aft of the funnels and super-fired over 'Q' turret. In nearly all other respects she was a repeat of Iron Duke. The power plant was almost unchanged except two extra boilers were fitted. The extra length allowed increased bunkerage and hence range, and despite the increased displacement her speed was actually 1/2 knot faster, again due to her length. Her tactical radius (turning circle) was slightly larger though. HMS Culloden fought at Jutland, and despite her shortened work-up period her gunnery was reportedly very good, her heavy six-gun salvos causing quite a bit of grief to her German adversaries. She was hit twice herself, and took a torpedo but kept her place in the line. The remainder of her war service was rather uneventful as it was for the remainder of the Grand Fleet. After the war she served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. HMS Culloden was to be disposed of under the terms of the Washington Treaty. Due to her length she was considered for a conversion to an aircraft carrier but this didn't eventuate, and she was scrapped in 1931. The major modification was to lengthen the hull by 26mm. My preferred method is to use two hulls but on this occasion that wasn't possible, I only had one. So it was a case of cut the hull across at about midships and bridge the required gap. I did similar with the main deck. The superstructure was lowered a little, the reduction spread over three levels. This affected the tripod bracing legs so I replaced those. I also replaced the kit 6-inch guns and casemates with scratchbuilt and omitted the aft-most casemate. In reality it was found to be too close to the water and was useless in any sort of seaway. I replaced the 3-inch AA guns and the barrels of the light surface guns. I replaced the topmast and rearranged some of the boats. The full build log can be found: Thank you for your interest. And a special thank you to @Rob S who gave me the idea in the first place. Regards to all, Jeff.

Gidday All, a bit over a year ago a member here, @Rob S started a build thread of his conversion of two Airfix Iron Duke kits into a model of the battlecruiser HMS Tiger. To gain the extra length the two hulls were cut to give one long bow section and one long stern, then rejoined. I've used the method myself on occasion. He also did the same with the kits' weather-decks and a photo he posted on 9th November 2022 showed the midships Q turret repeated. This gave me an idea for a whiff, a six-turret twelve-gun version of the ship. Thanks Rob. 👍 For those interested here is a link to his thread. I gained his permission via PM some time ago to mention this. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235117299-1600-hms-iron-duke-x-2-to-hms-tiger/ The only problem for me making the whiff was that I didn't have a kit and didn't look like getting one, they're no longer in production AFAIK. However, my son managed to track one down second-hand and bought it for me for Father's Day. 🙂 I began the build last Monday for the annual What-if GB over on the ATF (Airfx Tribute Forum) and I'll be posting it here too. I've decided to name the ship HMS Culloden to commemorate the Third Rate 74-gun ship of the late 18th century that had quite a successful career. Here goes:- Firstly the traditional photo of box art and parts. The box is a bit battered but the bag inside was still sealed. I removed the parts though for the photo because the bag reflected the camera flash. Some of the parts were off the sprue, including one main gun and all five turrets but they all seem to be there. That other bag contains left-overs from my previous two builds of the kit, including the extra turret I'll need. And building has commenced. The two hull halves have been joined and the join re-inforced with scrap styrene bits. The two white squares of styrene with the holes are where I'll screw the model to a building block at the appropriate time, the extra styrene there to give the screws more to bite on. The next task will be to cut the hull athwartships (across the hull), pin the halves to a wood block with the required gap (26mm) between them and then rejoin the fore and aft sections. This has to be done carefully and accurately because I won't be able to get another kit if I stuff this up. You might be able to see the pencil line where I'll do the cut. I've also noticed that most of the fairleads have been knocked off. I trimmed off the remainder. I could possibly replace them later during the build. And so the butchering begins - I've begun cutting HMS Culloden's hull. I first drilled a series of holes down the centre-line, then took to the razor saw. Once the hull was cut I cleaned up the edges a bit then pinned both hull halves to a plank of wood, the required gap between them, a pencil line on the wood's surface marking the ship's centre-line to get the lengthened rejoined hull straight. Then it was a case of glueing joining 'girders'. These were simply lengths of heavy duty sprue of various sizes. I knew I'd kept them for a reason. I did one on either side of the centreline (the 'keel') first then one each side near the top of the hull. After that it was simply a case of adding more to get the hull shape ready for sheathing the gap. You can see the two joining girders on either side of the 'keel' already in place, the pegs are holding the girders just under the top edge of the hull. You can also see some of the pins holding the model to the wood plank, three pins for each half hull. The next photo shows all HMS Culloden's joining girders in place. The hull looks quite straight and rigid. I think this is enough for one post. I've done a bit more and will continue the thread soon. So stay safe and keep on modeling. Regards to all, Jeff.

After the recent show in Glasgow, 21st October 2023, I decided to get around to building one of the TSR2's I have in my stash. Here is a picture for the items I am using that I still have boxes and the like for. There is also a CMK cockpit and exhausts that I am fitting instead of the kit provided items. The first TSR.2 kits I started, and still have part built, were almost thirteen years ago. I have also completed one since then which I can't find the pictures for. So far the only real work was on Monday evening when I removed the recomended plastic going by the CMK instructions to help fit the cockpit, as well as the casting block for the cockpit. The instrument panels will be cleaned up befor all the resin parts get a wash to remove dust and debris then they will get a blast of primer and work will continue. Gondor

“After its disastrous showing during the SS Leyton incident, the once lucrative export market for the MiG-28 dried up overnight. To increase confidence in the type, the Red Air Force ordered over one hundred of an improved MiG-28; which included an upgraded avionics package, support for newer Soviet ordinance options, increased pylon capacity as well as an IRST sensor. “—Jane’s, probably. I’ve been out of the hobby for awhile and have been getting the itch to get back to it. Looking through my stash, I decided I wanted something quick and easy to shake the dust off with. So, I decided on the HobbyBoss F-5E in 1/72. Looking over the marking options, I settled on the blue aggressor scheme. But that got me thinking about the ol’ MiG-28 from Top Gun and how fun it would be to—NO, remember “quick and easy”. I started assembly but kept coming back to doing a MiG. Speaking to a couple friends, they encouraged my depravity and mentioned I should do one with an Exocet. It was settled, MiG-28 it was. Never one to shy away from wasting time at work—and always putting my cart before the horse —I fired up Fusion360 and decided to model an Exocet to print. I scaled it properly, but when I’m 3D modeling, I kind of get divorced from the numbers—probably because I’m so zoomed in, everything looks huge anyways. After printing, I realized just how darned big it was. I know it won’t fit on the center pylon, which would be the only pylon remotely able to carry it, so I’m not sure what I’ll do there. I also wanted to swap out the “totally not a Sidewinder” AA-2 for something a little more Soviet looking so I settled on the AA-8 Aphid, which I also modeled and printed. However, I’m now not convinced it will look ok on the wingtip rail. Oh well, I’m sure I can find a use for them. Back to the kit! I had already started the cockpit when I decided to switch to the MiG route—so I had used the included seat. In hindsight I would have printed out a K36 ejection seat and slapped it in there. Eager to get more progress in, I decided to try to make an approximation of the Soviet interior turquoise using a recipe I found online. Approximation is a very, very generous description. Compared to: It’s fine, it works as a base coat, and I can do a mist coat of a better match. I also started on the landing gear and got the wheel wells painted white, which I don’t think is Soviet standard, but I like it, so… This week I would like to get most of the construction done so I can figure out the ordinance situation and work on building an IRST. I’m thinking it will be easier to build the mount/fairing with epoxy putty and find a glass ball for the actual sensor.

Morning All, I've just started building the Airfix Vintage Classics HP Jetstream which is modelled on the proposed USAF variant, the C-10. Rather than do the white/grey scheme I'm contemplating something a little more interesting - an SEA camo version as deployed for casevac and/or general transport duties in Vietnam. The camo is easy enough, standard colours, but I'm wondering about what markings I can use. I think I need a small full colour star and bar (these seem to be much more common than the outline black ones that I initially thought of). Based on pictures of TAC C-130s I've seen I'd quite like to have a white tailcode and TAC badge as well. I'm thinking I could model it as assigned to one of the C-130 units that was in theatre - does anyone know of a list of units and their tailcodes? Also, does anyone know of a decal sheet with suitably small star and bars and the lettering to make up the tail code - and even a TAC badge? The Jetstream fin is pretty small so I'm not sure if this bit's going to be possible. I could also do with some small white numbers to represent the serial.. Thanks for any input! Al.

This Monogram 1/48 RF-101B Voodoo was built several years back. I had the kit in my stash for a awhile before deciding to do a "what if?" build. I wanted an all-black Voodoo in a pseudo Blackbird-type look. I don't think any recon Voodoos were painted this way, but it makes a striking appearance for these fast jets . The Voodoo was a fast plane before the area-ruled fuselage came in vogue (iirc); she did it with good ol' brute power! 😁 I used flat, semi-glass and gloss black enamels, as well as the same range in clear acrylics to paint it and weather it. The decals are from an 1/32 F-117 kit, iirc. I took these at the Cameron Airport, over the course of two different sessions. The wind was blowing way too hard during the first one and I watched the horizontal stab flutter up and down so much I was afraid I would lose it. I hope you enjoy having a look at my "One-Oh-Wonder"! Thanks for your interest!

After the busy period doing server stuff all the time I'm able, the run up to which caused me to stall my Su-34 build, I'm having a little break from that more serious subject, and doing a fun build of the new Amusing Hobby Triebflugel, which is the first styrene kit of the type in 1:48, and I just couldn't resist! The kit is fairly simple, and you can see the sprue pics on my review here. What's there is nice though, and I started off putting the cockpit together. It's made up of just a few parts, and with a little clean-up goes together well. I replaced the kit rudder pedals with some old Lion Roar PE ones, mainly because I've forgotten where my Eduard ones went. They won't be seen though, as the cockpit aperture is really narrow, so I'll just slap some @airscale instrument decals in there when I've painted it, and move along. I'll dig out some Eduard seatbelts on my way too, just to titivate the seat The fuselage is a work in three parts, starting with the nose, which I can't close up until I've put the cockpit in. I took the opportunity to remove the moulded-in guns and put some micro-tubing in there instead, just for a bit of added detail. The rotating centre section builds up from three parts, and needs a little bit of fettling to ensure it rotates freely, but isn't sloppy once the wings are on. The aft fuselage has a little bulkhead and tube into which the main wheel slides later on, and at the top it has a lip and an alignment pin, which have resulted in a small sink mark that you can see covered in putty above. Paint the wheel well interior with something dark, as no-one will see in there anyway. The three wings and four tail fins are all two parts each, with the wings having quite a bit of curvature along their length, and easily removed seams. I drilled a few lightening holes into the wing root just in case someone's looking against the curve of the fuselage with their magnifying glass. The engines fit at the other end, and these also go together well, with minimal clean-up if you take care of the alignment. I've left the centre "igniters" loose for now so I can paint them separately and to ease masking. They fit really neatly to the wings, thanks to some clever curves on the wing parts, and a shallow depression in the engine cowlings. The tail fins have a slot down the centre for the landing gear struts, which can be slid in later, and have two détente positions for in-flight (all the way in), and landed (1st click). That's about as far as I've got yet.

Special Hobby have recently released a 1/72nd scale kit of the futuristic looking Bugatti 100 racer, as the real aircraft had no markings, the kit contains no decals which got me thinking what if the French turned the Bugatti into an interceptor aircraft? The real aircraft was designed in response to German advances in aviation, it was constructed from wood in a similar fashion to the superlative Mosquito and was powered by two 450hp Bugatti engines which drove contra-rotating two bladed propellers via a common gearbox (similar to the Fairey Gannet). Its calculated speed was a phenomenal 885km/h, that's an astounding 553mph to you and me! The aircraft never actually flew and was hidden away during the war but a replica powered by two motorcycle engines did fly in 2015 only to crash, sadly with fatal consequences in 2016. When I got the kit I recalled that the Caudron C.714 was a lightweight fighter based upon earlier Caudron racing aircraft, if they could do that with the Caudron, maybe they could do the same with the Bugatti... The Back Story In my alternative history... ...In 1938 with the storm clouds of war gathering the Ministère de l'Air was scrabbling around for modern aircraft types to re-equip the Armée de l'Air. The Ministère had become aware of Etore Bugatti and Louis de Monge designing an aircraft to win the 1938 Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe aeronautical speed competition. Bugatti and de Monge were confident the aircraft could reach the unheard of speed of 885km/h, the Ministère de l'Air were extremely interested, like Caudron were doing with the C.714, could the racer be adapted into a fighter. Bugatti and de Monge being patriotic Frenchmen rose to the challenge and set about adapting their design. Cramming military equipment such as guns, a radio and some armour protection for the pilot into the same airframe would increase the aircraft's weight and it's top speed would be reduced but the two men were confident it would still be the fastest thing in the skies, estimating its speed to be in the region of 750km/h. By the time the work was done the 750km/h estimate proved to be somewhat over optimistic but it could still achieve a useful 700-720km/h (437-450mph), unfortunately, the aircraft was difficult to fly and by attempting to keep the airframe identical to the original racer concept, there was precious little fuel, a long sortie would last no longer than 45 minutes, typical combat sorties would use the fuel up in about 30 minutes or less. The Ministère de l'Air was desperate though and accepted the aircraft as a point defence Intercepteur. The aircraft would be stationed at strategic points and would be launched at the very last minute using their, for the time, phenomenal speed to climb and intercept incoming raids. A handful of aircraft were assigned piecemeal to units and only the most experienced pilots were assigned to fly the aircraft. Pilots praised the aircraft for its high speed but flying it required constant attention which made it tiring to fly, it was a good job sorties were short. As the fortunes of war turned against the French, unserviceable aircraft were burned to stop them coming into German hands as the French forces retreated, finally, at the armistice there were fewer than a dozen aircraft left at Le Bourget airfield. Determined the Germans weren't going to learn the secrets of the aircraft, pilots and groundcrew set fire to the remaining aircraft so that none survived. The original prototype and all documents associated with the aircraft were hidden and only rediscovered post war. The model... The model comes in three plastic sprues (one clear), plus a number of resin parts, the latter are used for the main wheel wells, the radiator faces in the tailplane structure and the exhaust fairings, as previously stated, there's no decals, I have some spares kicking around which will hopefully do the job, I'll dig those out later in the week. Anyway, here's the stunning boxart showing the racer in flight... ...here's the kit contents... ...I've made a start glueing some parts together, here you can see the fuselage halves, the long cylindrical fairings on the cockpit wall are, I think, for the engine drive shafts. Locating these fore and aft is left to the modeller, I used the cockpit rear bulkhead to align them but I might need to fettle them later. Special Hobby suggest the cockpit interior to be red, frankly, that's not a very military colour for a cockpit so I went for something resembling bleu de nuit, a dark blue which was used on many French aircraft cockpits, I actually used Humbrol 104 for this. I also painted the wheel wells a chamois colour which is typical of many French aircraft (I used Humbrol 93). Special Hobby state the wheel wells are in a wood finish, great for a racer but again, not in keeping with a military aircraft... I'm leaving the paint to dry whilst I start getting dinner ready (steak and chips with a red wine and mushroom sauce in case you're interested). More updates in the coming days.

So I decided to actually do something rather than sitting around not feeling very well due to a cold. Out with the disc cutter and I even assembled part of the replacement The black sort of vertical lines are references for where parts are to go. I could possibly get away with moving the engine pack slightly forward as the helicopter now has a bit more weight behind the gearbox than there was before but I will probably keep it where it was as everything else such as the stub wings would have to be moved as well which is too much. The nose from the 56 will get replaced with that from the AH-1 as well. Not much done but it's a start. Gondor

A new Work in Progress thread, picking up on the construction of the Tamiya F14, released many moons ago and a project I started soon after the kit was released. Over on the What-If Forum I suggested that rather than scrap this part built kit because it didn't fit my RAF Focus I could finish it as a Gulf War model, in RAF Desert Pink, as per the Jaguar, etc. The hypothesis was that if the Tornado had proved to be a disaster, or had followed the TSR2 into the scrap heap then we could have seen the F14 in RAF service. As others have posted, and I've discovered researching this magnificent airframe, it is not as fanciful an idea as one might think. The USN used the F14 as an air superiority fighter, but the Tomcat 21 program was developed as an option instead of the F18. Politics killed it. There are even a few people speculating that the Tomcat could be resurrected to replace the disastrous F35 project...!! To the kit. Whilst the model has the sort of fine detailing one might expect from Tamiya the fit between parts is generally poor. The first two photos show the amount of filler needed on the centre section. I've test fitted the front cockpit section to the centre section and there is a bad step on the underside: the joint will need quite a bit off work and possibly the use of epoxy as the contact area isn't that large. The wing section needs is screwed to the centre section. I've part finished some of the sub assemblies, but other than the Sidewinder missiles and external fuel tanks the load has to be gulf war RAF. So, I've ordered from David J Parkins the following: 2 RAF ALARM missiles. One of these will go with a Sidewinder on the port inner wing pylon, the other on the rear centreline mount. 2 1000lb Paveway II bombs, these will go on the front under centre section mounts, wher the US Navy Phoenix missiles would have been, 1 TILAD Pod, this will go on the starboard inner wing pylon, tofether with a Sidewinder. As work progresses I'll report. All comments, suggestions, etc welcome!

Gidday All, usually I am able to concentrate on only one model ship at a time hence I rarely have two on the go simultaneously. So what have I just gone and done? Started a third.😫 Besides Britmodeller I'm also a member of the ATF (Airfix Tribute Forum) and it's traditional for that forum to hold a "What If GB" for two months over December and January. I was going to give this year a miss but I'm a sucker for punishment I guess and couldn't resist - I signed up. In the 1930s Germany began a class of heavy cruisers known as the 'Hipper' class, after the name ship. Three were built, Hipper, Blucher and Prinz Eugen. The latter was built to a slightly different design. Another two were commenced, Seydlitz and Lutzow. These two were to be 'light cruiser' versions of the class, being armed with twelve 15cm guns in four triple turrets. At a full load displacement of over 20,000 tons however they were anything but light, but then it was main gun size not ship size that differentiated between light and heavy cruisers. It was decided before construction began however that these last two would also be armed as heavy cruisers with 8-inch guns. By 1940 Seydlitz was about 95% complete as such when her fitting out was put on hold. In 1942 it was decided to convert her to an aircraft carrier. She was renamed 'Weser' and the upperworks removed from her before a flight deck was fitted. She was never completed as a carrier however. In late January 1945 she was scuttled in Konigsberg, and later scrapped by the Russians. But what if she was completed as originally planned, with four triple 15cm turrets? She may have looked something like I plan to build here. I'll be using Airfix's "Prinz Eugen" as the donor kit. Below is the traditional photo of box art, instructions and parts. You can also see part of a drawing of a 'K' class cruiser, showing the triple turrets. That drawing is not the exact same scale as the kit however. I've started construction on DKM Seydlitz in that I've glued the hull halves together, plus reinforced the join with scrap styrene and drilled the mounting holes. This ship will carry four triple 15cm turrets, which I'll have to scratch build. You can see one of the drawings of the 'K' class cruiser and turrets that I'm using, that show the turrets in 1/600 scale. I've read that the final cruiser to carry these turrets, Nurnberg, had slightly larger turrets and it follows that Seydlitz being a later vessel would have shipped these larger turrets also, so I've enlarged them by 10% to fit the molded barbettes of the kit. Being a whiff I can get away with this. 😁 On the block of wood behind the model is my first trial at scratch building the turrets. Due to the method I now use for fitting turrets to models of large cruisers and above I don't have to wait until they're done - I can proceed with the ship build. More on that later. As an aside, I consider 15cm guns on such a large cruiser to be a bit of a waste, an under-gunned ship so in the past I'd been considering a slightly smaller model similar to this for some time. I'd planned on shortening the hull by about 25mm (which equates to 50 feet in this scale) and naming the ship Wiesbaden to commemorate the light cruiser of WW1 that took a pulverizing at Jutland. But that would require quite a bit of follow-on alterations and hence a longer build time and my build program is rather full at present so Seydlitz it is, OOB as much as possible. There was a Seydlitz at Jutland too, a battlecruiser and she took a hammering also but survived it. Just. I'd like to model her one day too, but not just now. Anyway, this is as far as I've gone at present. I hope to move swiftly with this build but as I've found in the past "swiftly" is a relative term for my builds, to be taken in the broadest possible sense. 😁 So stay safe in these times and regards to all, Jeff.

Hi all, Here are some pictures of my another Flanker project "Su-27FSM (No:731) - Flankerstein", a "what if" build in 1/72 scale using Revell/Zvezda/Italeri kit rest parts in my junkyard. I did a lot of modifications in this build. Also the decals are custom printed with ALPS MD-5500. The color scheme is very eye catching to me and I am very satisfied having such unique aircraft in my collection. I hope you will like too. 🙂 The entire build report is here (which took around three years to complete): Thank you for looking and I wish you and yours happy and healthy new year. Serkan

What if? What if the Confederate States of America had survived the American Civil War? What if the CSA had survived right up into the present? Well, that's the premise behind this aircraft. I created a scenario in which today's CSA co-exists with the USA here in the 21st Century. For brevity's sake, I won't bore everyone with the whole story, but I envisioned CSAF squadrons that were named for Confederate war heroes. I imagined four Maritime Air Stations; Norfolk, Charleston, Tampa and Biloxi, Miss. These squadrons are named after famous cavalry commanders of the Civil War. This CSAF Mirage F-1 is assigned to the Nathan B. Forrest Squadron based at Biloxi. Their primary mission is anti-ship interdiction. My "what if" Confederacy requires imported aircraft due to an aircraft industry that still hasn't reached maturity, nor any sort of parity with their neighbor, the United States. I guess I might flesh out my what if scenario a bit. A negotiated cease-fire, and subsequent, somewhat uneasy peace, left the United States and the Confederacy sharing what had been the USA. A continuing reliance on agriculture still retarded economic growth and manufacturing technology in the CSA. Faced with a long coastline to defend, the Confederacy, with its new capital in Atlanta, turned wary eyes seaward and made maritime vigilance both a priority and a tradition. Texas seceded from the Confederacy in the early 20th century over economic issues and concerns about the intrusive reach of the Confederate government. I'm still working out how this event plays out geographically, with current possibilities including Texas "annexation" of Oklahoma and possibly a Republic of Texas reach for Pacific ports (and all that that might entail). Confederate forces have been involved in several incidences in the recent past. These would include clashes with Venezuela and Cuba in the Gulf and Caribbean as well as joint missions conducted with Republic of Texas forces against insurgents/narco-terrorists in Mexico. The Maritime Air Stations share defense of the coast and other airbases throughout the interior of the South maintain bomber and interceptor squadrons. The choice of the Mirage F-1 for the role shown here was based on economy, simplicity and of course availability. France had been a supporter of the Confederacy from its beginning and provided various models for purchase by the CSA. The United Kingdom is the other major aircraft supplier for Confederate needs, having sold Hawker Hunters to the South as their first high-performance jet fighter. In these pictures, we see a CSAF Mirage F.1 at a small airfield in the Republic of Texas (yes, there's a "what if" story there too, lol. At some point in the future we may see a Republic of Texas Vampire), making an unscheduled lay-over for some unspecified reason. The kit is the Italeri Mirage F-1 in 1/48 scale. The Exocet she's carrying came from the Monogram Mirage 2000, the rails and Sidewinders from an old Testor's F-18 and the drop tank from something long forgotten, and modified for its role here. I guess I might mention an experiment of sorts. I dipped the canopy in Future colored with MM teal acrylic to get a tinted look. It worked alright here but the first test canopy from the scrap pile actually looked much better. Oh well. I learned a new trick, thanks Swanny! The low-viz markings were created by me and drawn by my son on an Autocad program and I printed them on our home printer. Primary colors are Humbrol enamels, Gull Gray and Lt. Ghost Gray. What-if exercises can really free up one's creativity I've found. Freed from the bounds of reality and real history, it's fun to imagine different outcomes to history. I make no political statement with this build I assure you. I don't defend the Confederate ideology or actions. But for one or two different outcomes in battle or politics, the scenario of Southern survival might have been real history. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my little exercise in alternate reality and thanks again for your interest. Gary

Are What-ifs allowed here? I hope so at least. Let's start first with a disclaimer: I mostly build aircraft and never something that stays on the ground. This is not just a Panzer-46 paper project but full on craziness since it's also a walking tank, a sort of Panzer-mecha, with a big rocket on top. What's not to like? The Rheintochter itself did exist though, and I've managed to see it in Berlin when I made a trip there some years ago: From a little Googling I found that the E series of tanks was an ambitious project that Nazi Germany couldn't afford but it has led to some remarkable stuff, some of it even available in plastic form. Modelcollect has issued a whole number of different E-75 configurations so I guess this stuff is exciting. For the interested, here is a look in the quite pretty box: The instructions looks quite nice, and are clear and easy to follow. Fun fact. To open the box, you need to be at least 15 years old, but to actually build it, you only need to be 14... There is a whole bunch of runners for this one though: To round it off, a small set of decals are also provided. The details are basic but ok. Umm, this does look like a turret with dual Mk103 30mm guns. Where does that go? Oh, it's supposed to hang from underneath!? Nice! Right, lets throw all caution to the side, and make a start with the rocket rail: The fit of the parts is not of Tamiya quality, but matches the detail level quite nice.

NExt build will be the Trumpeter JGSDF Type 89 IFV with Eduard PE. THis will go the same way as the Type 16 with tri-tone grey digital scheme (may look to build a lot of modern Japanese armour in this scheme, to me it just lends itself to it). Well waiting on the kit so will put photos on once it arrives

Hey guys! Finished this one up a few weeks ago, a little what-if build to cleanse the palette and have a little fun. I built it as an "all metal" Salamander as if there was no aluminum shortage in Germany at the end of the war, panel lines and rivets added, and gave it a speculative scheme in Blue RLM 83 and 76. Consider it a semi-Luft46. Modifications include: - Panel lines and rivets added - Quickboost seat - Quickboost gunsight - BarracudaCast main wheels - Eduard Zoom - Master barrels, pitot, gear indicator - Custom masks for markings - AK Real Colors paints