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With the release of Airfix new tool Buccaneer approaching, I was wondering what to do with the old boxing sitting in the stash. A blitzbuild seems the perfect solution. Plan to build out of the box, wheels up and will live with the raised panel lines.

A few months ago I was discussing the TSR2 with a fellow club member that it was a shame it never made it into service and that I had been looking for a TSR2 kit for a while when he had one which he would let me have, an Airfix 1/72 still in the original box. My idea was do make as a what if the USAF had taken them instead of the F111 in use in Vietnam circa 1970's, in SEA camo and a full load of mk82 snakeeye bombs. I have got a set of Print scale decal for the correct period F111 based in Thailand and will use the F111 paint scheme as a guide. I will have to source the bombs and MER's at some point, the Pylons I will base on the F111's or RA4 Vigilantes. Started as usual with the cockpit, must say white plastic is not the easiest to work with.

Been keeping busy in the Sharkmouth GB with an Italeri A10A with tusks and when I ordered the decals for that kit I found the CtA (Cut then Add) decals for AV8A, FRS, TAV8A and T4 version, which had Spanish, Thai, Indian and US schemes. I wanted to do the Thai Navy scheme but the harrier kit I have does not have the GR3 tail so I am going for the US scheme with zuni's and mk82's. The kit is one I had started a while back when building my in flight GR3 which was approx 50% built so this will should be a quick turn around.

Right, a Javelin Jambalaya, and not in the Cajun meaning of the word. I won't be making a stew for dinner. I have three kits of the Javelin (EDIT - four), the Heller T.3, the Airfix "FAW.9" (and that's in quotes for a reason as we will soon see), the Plastyk FAW.9, and the Novo/Frog FAW.9 all in glorious 1:72 scale. Thank the woman above that I don't need to add crazy detail like I did on that big Spitfire. So let's see what we have as raw materials - first, the Airfix "FAW.9" which I purchased at a model show swap meet, but was in its original package and still sealed. The Javelin Illuminati among us (they come out occasionally and are dreadfully frightening) will immediately notice that the grey sprues are in fact those from the Heller T.3 kit, with the tailcone removed from the sprue on the right in the second photo. However, the white and clear sprues are indeed from the Airfix FAW.9 version of the Javelin. Everyone knows that the original T.3 tooling was modified to produce the FAW.9, and it seems that Airfix have mistakenly packaged surplus T.3 sprues (but correctly snipping off the tailcone) in my kit. Oops. It would be rather difficult at this stage to make an FAW.9 out of this kit. But I also have this kit from Plastyk in Poland: I'm told that this kit is based on the second Frog tooling of the Javelin, but I don't have that so I can't compare. The sprue layout bears no resemblance to the Frog kit as seen here in the Frog Museum. I've seen a few very nice builds of this kit, but it is quite basic. So maybe. Now, I also have one of these babies, along with a Print Scale decal sheet to replace the nicely curled and yellowed one that was unearthed at some archaeological dig and packaged with the plastic: The sprues from the Heller kit look just like the Airfix sprues above, except they're in a yukky silver styrene and, of course, include the correct T.3 tailcone. Oh, right, aftermarket. I've assembled some, but maybe not enough. What to do? If I had another T.3 tailcone, I could build two T.3s and an FAW.9, but I really don't need to have three Javelins in my display case. Two sounds like a good number. I'll give this some thought and make a plan. The Airwaves airbrake PE set is designed for the Heller/Airfix kit, but might be useful for Plastyk. I will need another to make two models. The other Airwaves set is for the Airfix FAW.9, but could most likely be used on a T.3 and few would notice. I don't think there is a set for the T.3 like this, so I would need another of those too. More aftermarket tyres and pitot tubes will be easy to acquire. Oh, I suspect I will need to source some ejection seats. Martin-Baker Mk.3J for the FAW.9, but which mark for the T.3? The easiest route is to build a T.3 from the grey Airfix sprues (I hate that silver styrene in the Heller kit) and an FAW.9 from Plastyk. Easy is a relative term here, as the Plastyk kit looks like it need a lot of help, where the Heller kit maybe needs just "some" help. First, though, I want to find some layout drawings that are reasonably correct to see what I'm starting with. I have the stencil placement drawing that came with the Airfix 1:48 kit, and I suspect that is pretty good for an FAW.9. Drawings for the T.3 I'm still looking for. I'm not sure why I always make things difficult for myself, but I think this will be a fun project! Cheers, Bill PS. I do like the fancy paint job on that red and white FAW.9. I'm a stickler for that kind of stuff.

The Airfix 1/48th scale Folland Gnat T.1 will be my entry for The Year I Was Born Group Build. 1955 was the year Airfix released their first scale model which was the, Supermarine Spitfire. Other events in this year were as follows. The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R09) was commissioned. The USS Nautilus (SSN-571) made her maiden voyage. Bill Gates was born and, Albert Einstein died in 1955. Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be hanged in the UK. This was also the year Winston Churchill resigned as the British Prime Minister. The Dam Busters and, The Ladykillers were both released in this year. The first edition of The Guinness Book of Records was published as was, Ian Fleming Moonraker during 1955. Finally, on the 18th July 1955, the Folland Gnat made its first flight. Folland Gnat T Mk1 XM693. The Gate Guardian of the former Folland site at Hamble which is now part of GE Aviation. This aircraft was manufactured at the Hamble site in 1960.

Hi Folks, this is my first attempt at an armoured fighting vehicle, my normal subjects are Second World War aircraft or modern jets so please be kind. After a visit to RAF Cosford I had this idea to build a small diorama featuring a World War 1 tank and a British and German aircraft in a dog fight above. Well something I found out during this build is I am not very good at building biplanes and consequently the Sopwith Camel found itself flying straight into the bin of shame, and that's where the Fokker Eindecker will find itself if it doesn't start behaving! Anyway here She is, or should I say He is. Built straight out of the box, I did not paint it in the recommended colour scheme as I just wanted something representative of the type and it is painted entirely with Tamiya Acrylics. I have enjoyed the build and found the weathering process liberating, you have to be a little more restrained with aircraft. I have a feeling this will not be my last armoured fighting vehicle. Thanks for looking, all comments and criticisms are welcome.

Hello everyone... Im thinking about starting my next Hurricane build soon. I'll be using the newer tool Airfix 1/72 kit. I have a couple of questions concerning these. 1) First question is which squadrons would've operated the type with the early fabric wings including both the battle of France and Battle of Britain ? 2) Second question, is this a good option for pre-war 38-39 era ? 3) Third question is pre-war hurricanes, when did they switch from two to three blade props ? 4) Fourth question, i know the color call out for the kits marking is wrong for a yellow spinner. Whats the correct color if i use the kit option ? Thank you in advance for any assistance. Dennis

Hello, Building my BOAC 707 I noticed that the BOAC decals for the engine pylons didn't fit wery well. I had to cut the white away from the Engines and use the supplied trimfilm on the decal sheet to fix the gaps on top of the pylons. Now I wonder if I have to expect the same thing with the long four-parts BOAC dark blue fuselage decals as well? What can be done to avoid any problems during decalling? Build thread at IPMS Stockholm... https://www.ipmsstockholm.se/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10504&start=50 Cheers / André

The box arrived at 16:00. First impressions.... 1. A big box packed with a lot of plastic...600 parts they say. 2. VERY fine detailing, moulding flawless, reasonable length runners, even on the smallest of parts. 3. I cannot see any short shot parts. The instructions have you start with the cockpit. I'm still thinking about the best way to do the instruments. Airfix provide separate instrument transfers to apply to the back of a clear panel and then fix the front over. Confusingly they offer 3 instrument panels, R3 and R4, but no where I can see do they link the choice to a model. On the transfer application page there is no mention of the choice, either. So I'm going to start on Page 39, step 150 and build the engine!! Photos to follow...

Hi guys. As inter-mated during the last RAF launch build, here is my next ASRL. This time I'll be doing a later version; gone has the bright yellow deck and up with armament, the reason being that yellow was too noticeable by 'Jerry' pilots...you don't say. I also had these bad boys in the stash, so it will be interesting to see the comparison with the kit examples. And here is where we join the party. You'll notice that the molded nets have been ousted, the holes filled and the toe rails have also been 'done'. If you're wondering, no harbour scene this time but she will be at sea, with crew and maybe some chap in the water. Stuart

Ready for inspection is my Airfix 1:72 D.H. Mosquito FB.Mk.VI. I have built this kit straight from the box, using Vallejo acrylics throughout. The kit was quite a challenge, purely because of the poor quality of some of the mouldings (notably the undercarriage doors and wings). Because of this, quite a bit of filler was required, and some sanding to boot. That said I am happy with the result, thanks for looking.

Running alongside my Halifax build, I am about to start construction of Airfix's 1:72 De Havilland Mosquito FB.Mk.VI. I am pretty excited about this build because I have thought for a while what a striking aircraft Mosquitoes were. This will be a straight from the box build, with the exception of using Vallejo acrylics (my preferred acrylics at the mo). I am going to build the aircraft with gear up on a home made stand, in the colours of A52-520, 'NA.B' of 1 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force. On opening the box however, I was slightly disappointed. Lots of flash, not a great amount of detailing and not great moulding, I have worked with worse, but I'm hoping it turns out alright. Let the sanding begin!

Hi all! It's been a while, but I'm back with a little fun! I recently bought a couple of old Airfix 1/32 carkits, among those were this 1/32 1904 Mercedes. The kit had already been started and there were glue smears and the build wasn't that good, but it was cheap, so I thought 'why not'! Now I've hatched a plan and I put this to you - what if - just with a stretch of imagination - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang wasn't a fantasy, but reality! This is then set a couple of years after Chitty Chitty Bang Bang where the sight of flying cars isn't a novelty anymore! So here we go (just for the fun of it!) The start: The status quo: Soeh! - let's see how this turns out - shall we? Cheers Hans J

My No.1 back-up build Rules: What’s Eligible – 1. Any model kit subject that you can link back to your year of birth (e.g. 1969 - Apollo 11, Jackie Stewart’s Matra-Ford F1 car) 2. Model kits that were produced / released in your year of birth (e.g. 1958 - original Airfix Lancaster) The "Scalemates" website may help you, however please look carefully. Airfix released the large scale Coldstream Guardsman in 1959 Another kit I was given. He is missing the thumb section of his right hand. No instructions but how can you go wrong with so few pieces? This must be an early kit as his rifle is a SMLE. I know I built a later version and his rifle was an SLR - afair I intend to convert him into an Irish Guardsman. Mostly detail changes to the uniform ps, thats a mis-mould on the base part

Just want to know everyone thoughts on these giants and which one they think creates better kits and why.

Hi comrades! My next project will be Airfix Lightning in 1/48. I have F.6 boxing and I will build the Saudi F.53 model in NMF. Why RSAF - because they use Lightnings in real combat over the Yemen, why NMF - this is the livery of every RSAF Lightnings most of their service life. Combat load will be underwing Matra 155 rocket pods. The pods will be from Reskit, pylons will be scratch built, dedicated sources - here: The model will be riveted (it means the long build), otherwise NMF will look wrong Planned aftermarket: Engine nozzles - Aires Seat - Quickboost Pitot - Master Cockpit - Eduard old (not painted) brass Wheels - Armory Decals - Model Alliance REferences - internet, book "on target" and Ukrainian "Aviation and Time" magazine with riveting drawing

I know that this kit has been hammered online and in print but here is my Airfix Spitfire XIV. I had no short shot parts, no flash no damage canopies, it fitted really well, the fuselage fuel tank clicked into place and the only filler was a touch along the wing roots. Just lucky I guess. I used a very old Aeromaster sheet for the decals and Eye Of the Phoenix by Geoffrey J Thomas for reference. Thank you for looking.

Source: https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/new-for-2018/hawker-hunter-f6-1-48.html Airfix is to release in October 2018 (?) a new tool 1/48th Hawker Hunter F.6/F.6A kit - ref. A09185 Schemes: 1) XF418 - 4 FTS Brawdy 2) XF509 - 4 FTS 3) Dutch AF V.P.

Apollo Saturn V Rocket (A11170) 1:144 Airfix If there are a few things that nearly everyone recognises its fairly sure the Saturn V Rocket is one of them. This is the Rocket which took men to the moon, and then later on launched the Skylab station. The Saturn V holds the record for the Biggest, tallest, heaviest and most powerful operational rocket. It had a height of 363 feet, a weight of 6,540,000 pounds on take off and thrust measuring 7.5 million pounds. The rocket was a three stage one fuelled by liquid oxygen & kerosene. In total 15 Saturn V rockets were built. 13 of which were flown and 3 test vehicles. One of the test rocket is on display at the Kennedy Space centre and this can be seen by clicking on the walkaround button and the end of this review. The Kit This is a re-box of the original Airfix kit from 1970 and this is evident from the moulds, though I have read it is still the most accurate kit of the rocket in this scale? The kit was designed to be educational as well as fun with the ability to display all the different stages, it has seen a fair number of releases over the years, and this one is to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the moon landing by Apollo 11. Construction starts at the bottom business end of the rocket, the base has the fins added and the 5 Rocketdyne engines are made up and added to this. The stage 1 part of the rocket body then goes on top of this with the pressure bulkhead forming the top. The cover which joins stage 1 to stage 2 is then added. Following this stage 2 with its 5 Rocketdyne J-2 engines is made up. The conical collar at the top covering the engine for stage 3 is integral to the stage 2 parts. Shockingly enough stage 3 follows next in the build sequence. with its single Rocketdyne J-2 engine. On top of this fits the spacecraft to Lunar module adaptor which covers the Lunar module for the launch phase. A model lunar module is supplied to go in here if wanted. The service module then sits on top of this with the command module on top. A row of three astronauts is supplied for inside the command module. To cap everything off the Launch Escape System tower is added to the top. A base unit is supplied to display the rocket in the vertical position. Markings A smallish sheet provides markings to Apollo 11 including a name plate for the base. The decals are from Cartograf so their quality is assured. Conclusion While this might be an old kit it will with care still build up to an impressive model of this most famous rocket. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

My plan for this GB is to build 2 Phantoms, as the plan is build them alongside each other, I propose to document the build in a single WIP. (Hope this OK) My inspiration for these builds is the Aviation Workshop Publication 'HMS Ark Royal (Fifty Years of Flight 1955-2005). The two kits I am using for this are Airfix's 1/72 Phantom FG.1 and Hasegawa 1/72 F-4B/N. The Aifix Phantom will be completed wearing the colours of 892 Squadron. The Hasegawa will be completed at an aircraft of VMFA-531 Sporting 892 Omega emblem. Profile below.

This aircraft was flown by Pilot Officer Robert W. “Buck” McNair D.S.O., D.F.C (2 Bars)(RCAF). No. 249 (Gold Coast) Sqn. at Ta’ Qali, Malta, Mar. 1942. http://acesofww2.com/can/aces/mcnair/ This is the newest Airfix boxing with all the issues that everyone else has posted about: fuel tank covering, landing gear, extreme tight fit of some parts, etc. For the fuel tank, I removed the locating tabs and sanded the bottom of the part. Within minutes I got it to a “close enough for me and it won’t get any better fit”. When the fuselage and innards were together I found that the instrument panel interfered with the fuel tank cover so I sanded down the top of the I.P. and reamed the bejaysus out of the inside of the fuel tank cover until I got a good fit. For the landing gear I drilled holes in the corresponding parts, inserted some stiff wire and CA’d it all together for a very strong bond. One of the things Airfix got wrong or at least I think they got wrong is the exhaust type for my option. They would have you use the exhaust with the heater tubes at the rear but looking at the photo of the actual aircraft, I can’t see it. I found another Spitfire photo with the aircraft positioned identically and the tube is clearly seen. No other online builds mention this. All painting was done with Tamiya. The innards were painted XF-71 Cockpit Green and XF-69 Nato Black. The upper camo was done with XF-54 Dark Sea Grey, for the Dk. Earth I used a 50/50 mix of XF-64 Red Brown and XF-52 Flat Earth. The lower surface was done with XF-19 Sky Grey

My Bedfords are coming along bit by bit and my Frog GB kits are almost done so I will double up in the D-Day GB with this little contribution. Two sprues of grey plastic and one clear wig a windscreen and lights. Has parts for a British airborne jeep and an American versions that is tooled up with a 50 calibrate machine gun. There are also parts for an airborne trailer and airborne artillery piece, as well as an air portable stand for the jeep. I will be doing this version There is also a diminutive transfer sheet.

QuickBuild D-Day Spitfire (J6045) and P-51D Mustang (J6046) Airfix Quickbuild Range Airfix released a new range of easy-build kits some years ago that combine the looks of a model kit with the ease of assembly of a friction-fit block toy, with large self-coloured parts and stickers that add quite a bit of realism to the finished model/toy. Their latest releases are part of the 75th anniversary of D-Day celebrations by the company, and as such there are lots of invasion stripes on show. Each kit arrives in a bright orange box with CGI artwork and a quick breakdown of parts on the rear. A small tab holds the flaps closed on the end-opening boxes, and inside you will find a single bag of parts in high impact plastic, the stickers for markings, and an A3 instruction sheet printed in colour on glossy paper with easy to follow steps. Each kit also includes a spare red stud to hold the prop on at the rear, which is an improvement from the original sets that just had one. I'm a firm believer in gluing those studs in place, as they're fairly easy to pull off. Stands are included with each kit, consisting of a wide curved base and a two-part riser that plugs into a socket on the underside of the model. D-Day Spitfire (J6045) The basic model of this was one of the first releases in the Quickbuild line, so I was pleased to see it again. I was also happy to see that they've either changed the plastic a little or tweaked the moulds to give a better friction fit of the parts together as initial impressions are that the model holds together better even when flexing the thin wing area. The model has been moulded in different colours too, with a semblance of the later war grey/green camo, and decals that include the black and white invasion stripes for the upper wings. Not entirely as the purists would desire, but then neither is the demarcation between upper and lower surfaces, but who cares? It's a toy for kids who haven't yet had all the fun sucked out of life by us know-it-alls! From memory, the wheels have been changed slightly to mate better and stay in place, which is a good thing as they are small and otherwise easily lost. We gave up on them on the older kits eventually. The stickers go over the joins between parts on the wings and fuselage, so if you don't want them peeling off within a few play sessions, it is a good idea to run a scalpel over the joins so that the stickers are broken up. This has served the one I have well, which has been well played with by my son with no loss of stickers. I left the stickers off this one so the youngster that's having it can put them on himself P-51D Mustang (J6046) North American's finest has joined the range again in different D-Day garb this time around, and it's an impressive looking kit/toy, with an overall muted silver finish and blue nose all in self-coloured plastic. It builds up easily and holds together well during handling. The prop has to go into its spinner with the majority of the centre cylinder facing aft in order to fit correctly, but that's not too hard and shouldn't cause consternation due to the explanatory diagram. The cockpit has a nice three part assembly that captures the look of the real thing and the black "cockpit" can be glimpsed through the heavily smoked canopy. A pair of long range drop tanks fit snugly under each wing and give that typical look of the long range escort fighter, a task that the Mustang performed so well. The stickers all fit on one panel each, so there's no concern over them peeling off if you burnish them down well initially. A different aircraft is portrayed on each side with "Rose Marie" on the port side, and "The Kelly Kid 2" on the other. Conclusion I've been a fan of the range since they were launched, and these new ones are great fun for kids to make, play with, "crash" and rebuild. My 9 year old son's eyes lit up when I showed him the Mustang earlier, which kind of proves my point. When they're not being played with they look good on their stands, and even if they do get damaged during dusting they're a piece of cake to fix. Ideal for children that love playing with models but aren't yet old enough, skilled enough or careful enough to handle the real (delicate) things. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I've had a couple of these kits in the stash for fair old while. I lost my mojo with them as they are coated with mould depressions on almost every part. I filled the great majority using Tippex but the sanding down took forever and they were simply put to the side and left. It is a pity that Airfix made such a mess as otherwise the moulding is really pretty good. I was going to finish them in desert livery but one kit would be ideal for this GB as they were the staple truck for the British Army for many years including D Day and the Norhern Europe campaign. Each boxing has two kits, very similar with two different bodies, one a General Service body and the other a troop carrying body. Gratuitous sprue sprue shot as is traditional. You can see the multitude of election depressions. The kit also has transparencies for the cabs and a fairly comprehensive transfer sheet. Now to add some paint and get cutting.

The Original Airfix Phantom This kit was such a big part of my modelling history that I thought I would build one as Airfix had originally intended. However, I couldn’t resist sorting a few things out – such as the canopy and radome and IR seeker shapes and replacement seats. I also filled the huge control surface gaps and rescribed them. Original decals were used for squadron markings and numbers (note the yellowing!). Airfix got the VF-74 red arrow marking wrong on the fuselage top and I also put that right. Overall though it took me back to around 1970. I also have the very one I built in 1970, now in it’s nth set of markings for a US Marines aircraft :