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I started 2018 with two modelling resolutions. One was to try not to buy more kits as the stash is knocking on the door of 200 or so. Well, technically I failed on that but only bought a couple through the year so I think the stash has reduced, if almost imperceptibly... Second resolution was to build a model a month but February’s (see below) dragged on a bit so the timing all went to pot. Still my output in the year was better (qualitatively and in quantity) than in any other year since returning to this hobby; if nothing like the production rate of my youth. Sprinting away from the line in January was a Christmas present from my daughter. The Eduard Weekend IXc is very easy to build with no PE to slow you down, I find the only bits from the profipack versions that are worthwhile are the belts and masking, at least in 1/72. Second up was another Christmas present, this time from my in-laws. The joy of Amazon’s wish list is that you can keep loading it with kits through the year and the family play kit-Russian-Roulette at Christmas and birthdays, by which time you’ve forgotten what you listed. The Italeri Sunderland kit was quite fun to build if a bit of pig in places. It was also rather portly to fit on the clear six-inch square area of workbench of the average modeller and I kept clouting the worklight with it. Needless to say, the Sunderland took a bit (lot) longer than anticipated so the months and order of build got a bit mixed up after that! Anyway I think the next up was the US Spitfire VB from KP, which came out rather nicely. Third Spitfire of the year was a Red Arrows what-if, which people found amusing. Its built from the Frog MkXIV with the Matchbox low-back insert. I’m not sure what the weird trailing edge extensions are on the Frog kit, I assumed they’re now some part of the Red Arrows modifications? Last completed Spitfire of the year might have been next. I’m not obsessed with them honest – I’ve only another 50 or so kits of Supermarine’s finest in the stash. This was the classic Airfix Vb from 1974 built for the appropriate GB. In September Romsey IPMS were invited to display some models at a local RAFA centenary event. With a week to go I thought we needed a few models of something other than WW2 so I built two classic jets. The first was a Meteor Mark 4. This was the first Frog I’ve built properly as opposed the the Red Arrows lash-up, and it was a nice easy kit OOB, especially in the HSS finish. Second of the models-in-a-week was a new tool Airfix Jet Provost T.3. This was the starter kit and was really lovely to build, needing virtually no fettling or filling. Meanwhile I’d enjoyed the old Airfix Spit so much that when the GB deadline was extended I grabbed another classic from the stash. Again it went together nicely, my only disappointment was that my mottling didn’t work out as well as I hoped. Running in to Telford in November, I completed a Tamiya Mosquito as a Banff Strike Wing aircraft to join the Mosquito display on Romsey’s club stand. It was a lovely kit, I even flashed out for Eduard mask set (hmm, not that easy to use and they don’t allow for the fact that most of the rear framing is inside the canopy), and pre-warned by others from their 1/48 versions, I modified the undercarriage to allow later insertion of the wheels. All these kits were in 1/72 scale. The only one that hasn’t previously appeared on BM is the Mossie. No.10 should have been the Supermodell Cant (google that VERY carefully fnar fnar) Airone. Its not half bad (“No, it’s all Bad” – Waldorf & Statler, (c)The Muppets TM) for a 70s kit but in the summer I got bogged down in fill, sand, repeat so I’m saving it for later. So it’s the same resolutions again this year. January’s model is well in hand as an Aldi Airfix Jeep is getting decals at present. This was a Christmas present as are February to April’s build line up – Aldi Mustang, Eduard (jet) Albatros and a Roden Curtiss H-16. The Curtiss should sort the men from the boys…then I would like to do at least one of the vacforms in the stash, a Thomas Morse scout or Loening flying shoehorn are calling… Cheers Will PS also need to work out what to do about Flickr as I'm nearing the thousand now...…