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Well, it's been a little while since my last WIP and I think I'm far enough along with the interior to start a post for it. I'm not a big fan of Spitfires, but something about the FR.47 with its contra props really sings to me! That and Spits with the Griffon engine. I have some PE and resin to go along with it, some that will go unused and some that will be mixed. Pics! The first construction pic is of the fuselage from the second kit that I have. I botched up taking off the cowl and then decided there will be less hassle just cleaning up the seam on the kit part. I also decided to not cut out the square opening to fit the clear part for the camera. I'll use MM Klear at the end. You can see where I repaired the hole. Then I scraped out the inner details and started adding the metal. After that it was onto the pedals, seat and firewall. I did build up the whole PE seat frame, but it seamed so fragile and I had concerns about it surviving construction that I went with durability and used a mix of the kit parts with the metal instead. Then there is this part... I assume it goes between the firewall and the seat. There were two guides for the plastic rods from the pedals, but they were not in line and ended up bending the rods out to the sides. So I snipped off part of the guides and built a plastic copy. Then I sandwiched them together. Seems to fit alright now. Back to the interior, since I'l be seeing the floor, I decided to rib it. And then extend the walls down with plastic and rib that too. For the oxygen hose, I took out some guitar string and bent it to shape with some small pliers. Then secured it with some scrap PE and CA. Realizing the plastic extends too far forward and will interfere with the firewall, I trimmed it back and then ribbed it. Not done yet but getting there!

My next build will be the first German bomber I have attempted, and looking inside the box I'm already eager to get started! I am building Airfix's 1:72 Dornier Do17z, the box contains detailed instructions and decal instruction sheet, and 2 varients of decals. There are 4 detailed sprues, with no flash and a clear sprue (lots of canopy to mask!) All in all it looks a lovely little kit. I plan to build the aircraft flown by Croatian voulenteers of 15/ Kampfgeschwader 53 in 1941, and aim for an out of the box build with gear down. Doing a little bit of online research this morning, I have found several documentaries online about the surviving Dornier found off the coast of Margate, now at RAF Cosford under restoration. Definitely worth a watch. Anyway, back to business......the kit is washed and awaiting attention.

Ready for inspection is my 1:72 Mitsubishi A6M2b 'Zero' by Airfix. This has to be one of the easiest and straightforward kits I have built, no flash on the sprues, fits nicely, and just enough detail. Paint was a slight issue, Humbrol being famously terrible to airbrush, but I overcame this by mixing my own off white/green for the top coat of the aircraft. All in all a nice little kit, I hope it does the aircraft which was declared the best carrier fighter aircraft in the world when it first flew justice. Thanks for looking.

Well after having watched all the excellent builds on here and having acquired a couple of Airfix's excellent new B-25's and having also finished my Harrier for the Hawker GB I thought it was only right that I finally join in with a Mitchell of my own. I am still unsure as to which scheme she will be finished in, I have the new Xtradecal sheet which has some very nice schemes on it and one of my reference books comes with decals for several options including a B-25C or two which were based in the Pacific. What I would really like to do is a Soviet one in temporary winter scheme but finding decals for them is impossible as the Authentic Decals 1/72 sheet is out of print and nowhere to be found but I might try to make some up from the spares box, I have plenty of red stars so that isn't a problem but the individual numbers and markings might be an issue. As either choice is the same mark I don't really need to choose until I'm about ready to apply some paint, and even then they both have the same basic OD over NG scheme. Anyway here are the usual box and contents shots. And a couple of references I will be using. Thanks for looking in and as usual all comments and help will be gratefully received. Craig.

I am proposing (if not to late) a group build covering the kits first produced in the years in which Airfix was still an independent company. Airfix ceased being an independent company in 1981. The rules would be simple, any item that was included in Airfix catalogues up to and including 1980. This would include kits first released by other companies, such as some of the larger cars and military vehicles. I would be largely depending on peoples honesty as to what was included in these catalogues, a makers mark inside the kit such as Airfix 1962 would be ideal. It doesn't matter if the kit you would like to build is a 2017 reboxing, the only thing that matters is that it was first boxed no later than 1980. Pre 1981 kits still available from Airfix include the 1/72 scale Mosquito, Halifax, Sherman and Tiger tanks. The use of after market parts and decals is permitted. Later releases of old kits with added sprues for different variants also welcome. If anyone would care to lend a hand with this I would grateful. CLARIFICATION OF RULES What's allowed? 1) Any kit included in any Airfix catalogue up to and including the 1980 catalogue. 2) For aircraft, All after market parts and decals with the exception of wings and fuselages. 3) Airfix kits first released no later than 1980 but in modern day boxings. 4) Updated versions of pre-1981 kits. Airfix occasionally added extra sprues of parts to update it's pre 1981 kits. All such parts with the exception of wings and fuselages are permitted. 5) For builds other than aircraft please use discretion and common sense when considering the use of aftermarket parts. For example aftermarket tracks, wheels or decking would be acceptable for a vehicle or ship while a aftermarket turret, hull or car body would not. The rule of thumb is that the bare bones or carcass of the model needs to be pre-1981 Airfix, whatever flesh is added to the bones is the choice of the builder. Notes. I believe or suspect that Airfix adopted a number of larger armour and other vehicle kits from extinct manufacturers. If these kits were present in the pre-1981 Airfix range then they are considered acceptable. This is largely to avoid any arguments over pedigree or dna. If interested names below please.

In my opinion the Harrier was one of the greatest aircraft of all time, with its revolutionary design and brilliant (British) engineering leading the way which has only now been followed by the costly, troubled and prohibitively expensive F-35. Not only did the Harrier serve with distinction for over 40 years, it helped ensure the freedom of UK citizens on the Falklands and fought for freedom in the middle east, before our short-sighted, penny-pinching and ignorant politicians prematurely retired what is still a vastly capable aircraft. One of the first batch of Harriers to enter service, XV748 was delivered to the RAF's Harrier OCU in May 1969, before transferring to number 1 squadron at Wittering. It was converted to a GR.3 in July 1974, and survives to this day at the Yorkshire air museum, Elvington. This new tool Airfix kit is absolutely superb, and highly recommended! Parts fit together really well and the attention to detail and accuracy is fantastic. The model is built OOB except for the slight serial change to represent a Harrier that still survives. (If anyone knows what tail code XV748 wore with 1 squadron please can you let me know?!)

I'm sure we all know about the PFT, here's a short history if you don't- http://www.polishsquadronsremembered.com/PFT/PFT.html I'll be using the Airfix MkIX, I fancy something quick and have had this hanging around in the stash for a while (I think it was one of the first kits I bought on my return to aircraft modelling). Box top: Sprues: (The mote observant amongst you will notice that I've made a start by giving some parts a black undercoat.) I've made a start with the interior, by giving it a coat of Colourcoats Interior Green: Because the Airfix IX has a lack of detail (to say the least), I'll be adding these bits from the spares box: I'm off to fondle the sprues of an Eduard Spitfire MkVIII and decide if I should make a start on it. Thanks for looking.

This is a placeholder but I will be starting these two in the very near future. One will be this one: and the other will be this one:

Good afternoon fellow modellers! After a visit to a well known airshow last month and foolishly walking into the amazing pop-up model stalls that appear on those days, I made a bit of a mistake... Overcome by nostalgia, and with my Old Man edging me on, I picked up Airfix's He 177 'Greif', fully complete and in 1970's boxing for a reasonable twenty quid. Now... this is where the fun began (but honestly what more did I expect?!). I've spent hours upon hours on her so far from completely reworking the cockpit, with bulkheads, control panels, new seats with milliput padding, through to sanding the entire thing down removing all raised panel lines and rivets then re-scribing the whole bloody lot! There is still a ridiculous amount of work to do and I have some issues I hope you can help me resolve. First up, the clear glass in these ancient moulds are horrendous and also, through all the re-scribe work one of the 'windows' has popped through into the fuselage. PVA just didn't cut it this time does anyone have any genius ideas on how to, from the outside (!), replace the window? Secondly, does anyone know if there are replacement clear parts for these? I've looked online but haven't been able to find anything. Thanks as always, JB And for those of you interested, here she is so far:

I'm back - been a while, but have been following some great posts on here. You may have seen my other 1/24 Scale Airfix diorama: Very pleased to win with it at Telford this year, a very nice surprise indeed. I said I would give aircraft a rest and get back to rusted cars & zombie stuff, my usual bread and butter when it comes to modelling. Well it didn't last long, I have had my eye on the Airfix 1/24 Scale de Havilland Mosquito for a while now, but something else normally got it the way. So I was happy to come across it again at Poole Vikings on Saturday 14th April (18), and at the price, how could I resist. Bring it back to the club stand I got the usual banter, "You cant rust that, its made of wood", etc. Well I had already formed an idea in my head as to what I was to with it, another museum restoration diorama. A quick search on the interweb and an idea had formed. I need to get a few models out of the way, a Revell London Taxi diorama with a couple of Nutsplanet figures and the excellent Italeri 1/9 Scale German Motorcycle with Side Car in a barn find diorama. Once these are done and dusted then its onto the Mosquito. As a said before, a quick look around the interweb and found some great resource images: Another source of inspiration are the Valiant Wings and Haynes books on the Mosquito: Plenty of reading with these two. I'm looking forward to this build and sharing its progress with you along the way. Thanks for stopping by. Richard

Hello All, Just got back from 2 weeks away for work. When your buddy collects you for 13 days straight from the hotel at 0630 to take you to the lab and you choose your dinner after work on the basis of "what's still open?", there isn't much hotel room modelling going on. Today is my first day with free time for what seems like a long time. I went to the Southern Expo today and saw some cool stuff and made a couple of modest purchases, then came home in the snow and got to the bench. Choices, choices. I could take RFI pics of my Bristol Blenheim and 188, crack on with the rather horrible Tomy/Airfix Storch, pick something else up from the Shelf of Shame, or work on a Big Project I've been mulling over. All fine choices. nah. Something new. It has been bugging me for a long time. I haven't decided whether this is going to fly or not (I already know it's a really stupid idea) so I will post the first photo and sleep on it: Thanks for looking, Adrian

Here's an old classic! And best of all, there were two complete Hunter kits in the one box, albeit with some parts off the sprues. As the Hornet didn't take that long, I thought I'd squeeze in one more model before we move! Despite its age it looks like a nice kit, and better than the Mistercraft Hunter. I'll be making her as a green/grey camo one with high speed silver undersides, probably either 56 sqn or 74 sqn, not decided yet. Any issues to watch out for?

I had the Airfix PR.XIX in the stash already, and could have just gone for the Swedish scheme straight from the box but I was browsing the big H and saw some interesting decals that had a story attached. They were a big investment for one kit, so to justify them, I got another one - modelling logic, got to love it First up, the Sword FR.XIVe box: And the Airfix PR.XIX: The decals. I'll be doing the Indian FR.XIV on the right and the Thai PR.XIX on the left. And a bit of background. It appears that as RAF India units disbanded or came home, they left their aircraft to the fledgling RIAF, who also kept the aircraft they'd been loaned towards the end of WW2 meaning they had quite a fleet of mixed marks of late war Spitfires: http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Aircraft/History/919-Spitfire.html The Thai one is PS888. Yes, that PS888, the same airframe as in the Airfix box and this article: PS888 in Singapore Sprue shots will follow when I start building. Andy

Hello all, Here is my recently completed project for the Carriers Ahoy! Group Build Airfix's 1/72 Fairey Swordfish Mk.I. The model is completed out of the box and is brush painted, rigged with EZline and weathered with Tamiya weathering master powder. A thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding kit to build and heartily recommended. The build thread is here: Cheers, Mark

This is one that I've been wanting to build for a long time. I was born in Alaska, and aviation in that state has always fascinated me. A few years ago, I came across the "Sandbar Mitchell" project, the restoration and return to flight of a B-25J Firebomber that made a wheels-up landing on a sandbar near Farbanks, Alaska. The restoration is also a mentoring program for youth to learn technical skills, and it seemed like a good cause to me (and still does!). You can find their website here: https://www.warbirdsofglory.org/index.asp I made a donation, and was given a small piece of the actual aircraft in return. I'd show a picture but my phone doesn't want to upload it, going to have to fix that before the build starts! The aircraft is going to be restored to the colours of a wartime aircraft, but fire aviation has been an interest of mine for some time, so I've now been keen to build a model of it in the colours it wore on the day it came down in the bush. When Airfix announced their new-tool 1:72 Mitchell, I knew what I had to do. Intended colours for the real aircraft (rendering by Ron Cole) The Mitchell as it looked on fire-fighting duties. As you can see from the picture above, this shouldn't be too difficult of a conversion from the stock Mitchell. So that's the idea. Stay tuned!

On my recent trips to model shows I have picked up a tasty collection of bi-plane kits, so I thought it time to bite the bullet and attempt my first WW1 build. I've decided on the 1:72 Airfix Sopwith Camel that I purchased from a model shop in Cheltenham for £1. Im guessing it was reduced to £1 because some parts were off the sprue, and it's a bit of a tatty looking kit. Inside the bag are 2 small sprues, with free flash (lots of sanding practice here), and a minimal instruction booklet with colour sheet for the livery. There you have it, a tiny kit in a bag, and one I'm looking forward to practice on.

My next build is my Airfix 1:72 Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero, which was a mother's Day present from my son. Having built the Airfix Nakajima Kate in the past I'm looking forward to building this little starter kit. The box includes paint, brushes and glue (I will be putting the paint to one side as the pits are too small to use with the airbrush), a small sheet of decals and some nice detailed instructions. There are 3 small grey sprues, all very clean with loads of detailing and one clear sprue. I plan to build her with landing gear down and as an out of the box build, Let's hope I can do this formidable fighter aircraft justice.

Morning all. This will be my first build: An ebay purchase, still sealed in its shrink wrap. Think this is the right catalogue info for it: Airfix Catalogue information: Series: 2 First Issued: 1970 Catalogue Ref - 7th Edition (1969): A205V Catalogue Ref - 8th Edition (1970): A205V Catalogue Ref - 9th Edition (1971): A205V Catalogue Ref - 10th Edition (1973): 02305-8 I have the 1973 boxing judging by the box number and artwork. Contents This will be built as an early(ish) Mk2 as this is what the kit depicts. The chieftain went through many upgrades during it's service life but I'd really like an early one to go with several cromwell resin kits I have of later versions. This is my reference pile - can you tell I rather like chieftains? I'll be using these add ons. The matador set is to convert it to a Mk 3 which I won't be doing, but a couple of the bits will be needed. The wee friends running gear set replaces the horrible vinyl tracks and corrects (in my opinion) the one main failing of the kit - the strange multi-ridged roadwheels. I've built this kit before (as a later version), so have some idea of the challenges the build will throw up. The main issue is the fit of the roof top so I'll be paying special attention to that! Looking forward to making a start. Roll on the weekend! All the best Ben

Unfortunately one of my intended builds for the Airfix group build has been ruled out as this particular version dates originally from 1983. So I'm intending to build the 1/44 Airfix Boeing 727-200 in the time span of the group build. This will be one of the few 727s ever to carry British Airways livery via its franchise partner Comair of South Africa, who operated five aircraft of the type on the Johannesburg to Cape Town route. My chosen example is ZS-NOV in the "Delftblue Daybreak" livery - the only BA 727 to have ever worn this livery. Decals are from F-DCAL - I've recently purchased a few of their sets and hope that they are easy to apply. The first stage will be to remove the raised panel lines and fill in the windows...……….more to follow. Regards Mike

Good day to everyone. Starting my new project with Airfix 1/48 "Folland Gnat". This will be diorama based on one of my favorite movies "Hot Shots!". In the work over the diorama will be used: Airfix 1/48 "Folland Gnat", Hasegawa 1/48 U.S. Ground crew set: A Hasegawa 1/48 U.S. Ground crew set: B "Hot Shots!" decals is nowhere to find - will have to do by myself. So far I did not to much, but the work is continues.

Hi all! After really enjoying the Hawker Sydney group build and seeing everyone's builds come together, I thought I'd get involved here too. I've had this Airfix kit hanging around for a while. Looks a basic but good little kit. Not half as nice a the Eduard 109s, but then again, looks a lot simpler and should be a nice quick build. This is the exact aircraft I shall try to reproduce. The main reason I bought this kit is the beautiful scheme! I shall see how I get on with it... Here are the sprue shots: First up is work on getting rid of pesky ejector pins... circled in red Which has been done here: And then I got the cockpit tub together. Detail is ok in here, but nothing too special. She's going to be a quick-ish OOB build so I'll leave it as it is and have the canopy closed. I also got a few other items together: So, time for a quick dry fit. So will need a little filler at the rear wing root, but other than that it looks excellent. Liking this kit! Next stage was to undercoat all the RLM 02 areas in black. And then paint them RLM 02, shading where required. Excellent... But I've now discovered it should be RLM 66 in the cockpit areas of the Bf109E-4! Bit if a problem... I don't actually have any. What I will do is use Tamiya German Grey. I think that will close enough with the cockpit down. We'll see. Ok, more soon! Cheers, Val

Someone said there were no 1/12 figures, well I'll put that right DSC_0008 by Richard Linnell, on Flickr There is a piece missing, the finial type piece on top of the helmet that holds the horsehair crest, so I'll have to scratch something

To save having to buy yet another Vulcan, I was wondering how far gone a model has to be before it can be resurrected, and what techniques are involved? I have an old model Vulcan still in my old bedroom at my Dad's house, which I made about 25 years ago! As such, it is terrible, and fit only for plastic recycling. Or is it? ... I'm sure I read somewhere if you put a model in the freezer it breaks the glue so you can take it apart again? Also, how do you remove ancient Humbrol enamel paint, is it even possible? Not sure I fancy soaking it in a bath of turps! Just sandpaper then respray? I was thinking of using it as the base for my B.1 conversion. Otherwise respraying as a wraparound camo Vulcan circa 1980. Any tips on how to restore kits this old?