Giorgio N Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Not a great year for more than one reason... even with the time forcedly spent at home during the various lockdowns, I've not managed to build much. I've also had some paint problems late in the year that prevented me to complete another couple of models that could have been show here.. oh well, next year.... Let's start with a model that I only built to practice some mottling technique for WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft, the Hobbyboss 1/72 Fw.190A-8 easy kit Built pretty much from the box, with the exception of some little work in the cockpit to improve it somewhat. The technique I meant to try did not work too well unfortunately and this is sure not my best model... at least I learnt something, that is that I have to practice more to achieve good mottles 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Another Hobbyboss easy kit and another model I built only to test some new techniques... here I tried to make the markings using my Silhouette computer controlled cutter. For the national insignia I cut the light grey circles from clear decal sheet on which I airbrushed a light grey.... unfortunately I used a grey that I later found to be too light, these aircraft had a darker grey. The circles were cut with an Olfa cutter. The "hakaristi" were painted on clear decal paper using masks cut with the Silhouette cutter and later these were applied on top of the circles. Using two separate decals allowed me to align the swastikas correctly. These look pretty light in the pictures but are much darker, don't know why they look so light. The codes MT-213 were printed using my laser printer however the "3" were cut from white decal paper, again using the Silhouette cutter. The result has been quite good IMHO and this is a technique that I will use again in the future... actually I've also used it in a model shown below in this same thread. I also tried to improve the very simplified cockpit using some plastic and resin parts and I managed a decent result, particularly compared to the way these kits are moulded. To To the basic kit I added the radiator flaps in plasticard (absent from the kit), drilled open the engine intake and added a new antenna behind the cockpit and a pitot tube made from brass tubing. I also modified the cowling to better represent the gun throughs of the G-2 subavariant, as the ones in the kit are really the larger G-6 style. Not one of my best models but all I wanted in the end was to try some techniques and in this case I was happy with the result 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Now a "real" model... this is the Academy 1/72 F-16 "Thunderbirds" box, that I bought already started from a fellow Britmodeller a few years ago. Having to work on an already started kit meant having to sort a few issues but in the end I managed to get a decent enough model Model pretty much from the box, with the exception of the pitot tube that I replaced using brass tubing (Albion Alloys to the rescue !). Decals are from the fantastic Zotz Vivacious Vipers 2 sheet, that includes decals for many users of the type. This model is finished in the markings of the Republic of Singapore Air Force 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Now one of the "good" models, one that I started for a Group Build, couldn't complete in time for a number of reasons and then managed to complete at a later date: the Tamiya 1/72 P-51D Mustang in Italian markings Again mostly OOB, only additions were a couple of parts to the seat and the seatbelts from an Eduard PE set. Decals are from Tauromodel, Xtradecal and home printed for the markings while most of the stencils are from the Airfix kit sheet, with another couple from the Tamiya sheet. This is a model I like a lot, probably the best I made this year. Most of the build was covered here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235065736-the-italian-stallion-tamiya-172-p-51d-in-ami-markings/ 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Back to modern jets with the next model. the Italeri 1/72 MiG-29 built in the markings of the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro This one is again mostly OOB, I however modified the seat a bit by adding the rear rails and relocating it to a more accurate location. The pitot tube was again replacd with bratt tubes. Now this model is finished up to a point... the original plan was to add a pilot as the configuration with closed intakes and open auxiliary intakes is only possible when the engines are running... however I've yet to find a suitable pilot, so I call it completed with the provision for adding a pilot at some point in the future. Decals are from Hi Decal but I also used some of the original Yugoslav markings from the kit over which I airbrushed some grey paint to simulate the same process that these aircraft went through. Pictures do in fact show faint traces of the original markings showing through 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 And last for the year, another model I started for a group build that I completed well after the end... here's the Hasegawa Spitfire IX in Israeli markings. This one was clearly not made straight from the box, as I had to modify the original C wing with postwar wheel well bulges of the Hasegawa kit to the E wing used on these Israeli ex-Czech machines. The new gun barrel fairings were from spares of one of the Eduard Spitfires while the gun bulges over the wings came from a Sword Spitfire Vc kit that I'm building with the early wide bulges. The Eduard spares also supplied the main wheel well doors as they are properly builged and not flat as in the hase kit. One last modification was in the rear canopy section, that is moulded too deep in the kit. This could have been a very nice model but I had problems with the masks over the canopy and some primer crept in, primer that I've not been able to remove. So the canopy frames are not as nice as they should be. The Hasegawa Spitfire IX is not a very accurate kit and for this reason I prefer to use the Eduard ones for the subjects I'm most interested in. Still I have another couple of these kits that I bought for cheap and they are very relaxing kits to build.. at least if built OOB and not modified as I did... Decals are from an ADS sheet and were disappointing... or better, they are decently printed and pretty thin, however the white areas are not opaque enough and let the underlying camouflage edges show through. For this reason I cut white decal paper discs and placed them under all roundels and instead of using the numbers supplied by the sheet I decided to cut them from the same white decal paper using my Silhouette cutter. In this way I managed to get good results on these but the decal for the tail was a different story, as it was quite brittle and I had to touch up a lot of areas. Should I build a similat model again I'd just mask and spray the stripes. Part of the build is shown here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235072687-israels-mkixe-from-the-172-hasegawa-kit/&tab=comments#comment-3696790 So overall not a great year. Still I'm happy enough of what I've completed, the Mustang in particular is very nice and is a subject I've wanted to build for a long time. Next year will be more productive, I promise ! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackroadkill Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Some really nicely-executed models there, Georgio. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Fantastic models Giorgio! Tanto Auguri! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 She’s a beauty, Giorgio ;). Your work on the decals really paid off! Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Nice collection of builds Giorgio. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Maybe not many but definitely a set of very nice builds! Heres to a kinder 2021! Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted January 4, 2021 Author Share Posted January 4, 2021 Thanks everyone ! And my best wishes for a Happy 2021 to all ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Great stuff, Giorgio. Your may not have built as many as you would have liked, but you spent a LOT of time on this forum participating and actively providing great information to your fellow modellers. That takes time, and we all appreciate it. I always look forward to your posts because I know I will learn something. Here's to a better 2021 in many ways! Cheers, Bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted April 2, 2022 Share Posted April 2, 2022 Another great set, Giorgio. I really like the Mustang :). Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted April 2, 2022 Share Posted April 2, 2022 On 1/4/2021 at 3:27 PM, Navy Bird said: but you spent a LOT of time on this forum participating and actively providing great information to your fellow modellers. That takes time, and we all appreciate it. I always look forward to your posts because I know I will learn something. Absolutely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wulfman Posted April 25, 2022 Share Posted April 25, 2022 Very good collection ! Wulfman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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