Search the Community

This is Typhoon 1b MN595 HF-D of 183 Sqdn RAF in which FO Robert David Ackers was killed in action on 18 August 1944. FO Ackers’ squadron was undertaking an armed recce operation with cannons and rockets in the fiercely contested actions in the Falaise area when his aircraft was hit by flak. It was seen to stall and crash some 6km north of Argentan. The body of the 21 year old pilot was recovered and laid to rest in the churchyard of the village of Occagnes. My attempt was to broadly model the aircraft before it undertook its final mission, parked up at the edge of a Normandy field. I used some "modeller's licence" to show a number of panels removed, but this is unlikely to have been done in reality when the aircraft was armed up. Also, the small repeat of the squadron code and serial number at the top of the fin (noticed on another of the squadron's aircraft a few days after the loss of this one) may - or may not - have been on this particular aircraft. Sorry, I should have dusted the model before these photos!... Aftermarket stuff included BarracudaCast seat, wheels and carburettor intake, Airscale instrument panel decals, Maketar insignia paint masks, Master rocket set (fabulous!) & Brassin cannons. The wheel chocks were my first attempt at 3d design & printing (let me know if you would like the .stl file). The build thread is here. Once again, I would like to give my thanks to those who followed along and offered advice, information (thanks Bryan Ribbans, @Chris Thomas ) and even donated (thanks Iain @(ex)Sgtrafman) some no longer available after-market parts - I am moved by your generosity. In fact the kit itself was a gift from my old modelling club when I moved away from the area. I took the model to show them that I had actually built it, rather than leaving it in the stash. It survived that trip (to the south of France and back!) without any breakages just before the Telford show (where it received an award in the competition).... Thanks for viewing Pat Camp

DeHavilland Mosquito Paint Masks 1:32 Maketar HK Model and Tamiya have both recently entered the market with brand new kits of the much beloved (by me and quite a few others) Mossie at 1:32, which has opened up a new market for Maketar for paint masks. They have produced this masking set to help you not just with masking the canopy, but also with replacing almost all of the decals for that smooth painted-on look that is much more realistic than decals, which suffer with the thickness of carrier film that can be tricky to hide. Each set is designed to allow you to set aside all but the tiniest and most complex markings, such as small stencils and nose art, which often has a high colour and shade content - They recommend keeping those decals. The masking material is either vinyl or kabuki tape, which you can select at time of purchase according to your preference. In case you're not familiar with kabuki tape, it's the yellow flexible tape used by Tamiya for their masking tapes, as well as others. There's a page here on the Maketar site that discusses the differences between the two if you're interested. Each set arrives in a ziplok bag, and inside you'll find your masks surrounded by paper packaging. There are no instructions included in the pack, but it's not too difficult to work out how to apply them, and placing central dots in roundels is a breeze if you apply the outer bands as temporary place-markers. Burnishing the edges of the tape and spraying your chosen paint colour in thin dry layers away from the edges where possible will also help obtain a clean and level result. The key component is to take your time though. The canopy masks are laid out in the shape of the glazing panels, so all you have to do is work through from one end to the other, taking extra care on the compound curves at the corners, which have been slit to allow easy lay-down. You might want to put some masking fluid over the darts though, just to ensure no paint creep. Some additional strips of masking are included with both sets to help you with other masking tasks, and the HK Model patterned set also has a name-plate that will come in handy if you're putting your Mossie on a base, and a set of wheel masks as a bonus. Of the two the Tamiya set is the larger, as it mimics a larger range of decal options provided with the kit, and has no space for extras such as name plate and wheel masks. Please bear that in mind if you're wheel-painting phobic! Conclusion At 1:32 scale there is a good argument for painting markings, as they're large enough to handle easily, and it also allows you to apply any modulation, weathering or chipping effects to them, which is more difficult to do with decals. Into the bargain you have no carrier film to hide after decaling, which is always nice. Highly recommended. HK Models Mosquito B Mk.IV Series II (01E015) Tamiya Mosquito FB Mk.IV (60326) Review sample courtesy of

Russian Red Stars 1:48 Maketar These masks are for Russian Red Stars with, and without outlines. Vol I comprises Star Sizes: 700-800-900-1000-1100-1200mm - Total of 36 masks - Red Stars. Vol II comprises Star Sizes: 700-800-900-1000-1100-1200mm - Total of 36 masks - Red Stars with black outline. Vol III comprises Star Sizes: 700-800-900-1000-1100-1200mm - Total of 36 masks - Red Stars with Yellow & Black outlines. There are no instructions but then they are not really needed. Recommended for those who don't like decals, or if you want the true painted on look for your Soviet models. Stars without outline Stars with Black outline Stars with White & Yellow outline Review sample courtesy of

US Insignia 1947 to present. 1:48 Maketar These masks are for US Insignia post 1947. They are available in either vinyl or yellow Kabuki tape. The advantage with the tape ones is that they are lower tack and much easier to reposition if you get things wrong. They also seem to last a long time so will be suitable for multiple models. Vol I comprises 6 masks of each size 15", 20", 25", 30", 35", 40", 45", 50" and 55" Vol II comprises 6 masks of each size 14", 16", 33", 36" and 38" There are no instructions but then they are not really needed. Recommended for those who don't like decals, or if you want the true painted on look for your US models. VOL.I VOL.II Review sample courtesy of

He-219 — Hs-129 — Me-410 – Code letters and numbers – Regular & Outlined 1:32 Maketar These masks are for the code letters and number for all three aircraft types. They have fuselage regular + small numbers and letters. Fuselage regular + outlined numbers and letters. Also underwing letters and numbers. The masks come on 8 sheets in total. 4 masks for each individual letter & numbers. With a total of 432 letters and numbers. They are available in either vinyl or yellow Kabuki tape. The advantage with the tape ones is that they are lower tack and much easier to reposition if you get things wrong. They also seem to last a long time so will be suitable for multiple models. There are no instructions but then they are not really needed. Recommended for those who don't like decals, or if you want the true painted on look for your large scale Luftwaffe models. Review sample courtesy of

F4U-1 Corsair "Birdcage" Replacement Masks for Tamyia Kit Decals 1:32 Maketar These masks are direct replacements for the markings provided by Tamyia in the kit. In addition you get spare and additional code letters. A set of canopy masks are also included. The masks come on four main sheets for the markings and additional letters. They are available in either vinyl or yellow Kabuki tape. The advantage with the tape ones is that they are lower tack and much easier to reposition if you get things wrong. One word of note is that the small elements like nose and fuselage art are NOT included the modeller will need to use decals for those. There are no instructions but then they are not really needed. Recommended for those who don't like decals, or if you want the true painted on look for your large scale Corsair. Review sample courtesy of

Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB Replacement Masks for Airfix Kit Decals 1:24 Maketar These masks are direct replacements for the markings provided by Airfix in the kit. In addition you get a set of canopy masks and a set of wheel masks. The masks come on four main sheets for the markings and a separate sheet for the canopy and wheel masks. They are available in either vinyl or yellow Kabuki tape. The advantage with the tape ones is that they are lower tack and much easier to reposition if you get things wrong. There are no instructions but then they are not really needed. Recommended for those who don't like decals or if you want the true painted on look for your large scale Typhoon. Review sample courtesy of