Precisely my quandary.

I'll be starting this in a couple of weeks



It'll be a what if the F-14 was exported to Israel?

Niceeeeeeeeee Allen! I've always Like the F14 and I've got a 1/48th scale Academy Bombcat to build that's in my stash. Good luck I know you'll nail it like you usually do!

@Jessie: LOL do you have two of these kits in the stash? Then you could have a bet each way so to speak. As an after thought do you have the room to display the kit to it's best advantage if you open up the interior? I know I've built naval aircraft with their wings folded as a means of taking up less room in an already over crowded display space.

OK guys and girls, I have made a start, well sort of. Seats added to the cockpit, compressor faces and burner cans added into the engine bays and some filler added to holes, plus some black undercoat in the cockpit.




Have fun.

Probably not. It's a middling size beast, partway between a Dakota and a Herc in size, kind of like a very muscular Caribou. It'll take up a good portion of one of my shelves. I also don't have any clue how the RCAF will equip it for the SAR mission and where they're likely to put the racks, stretchers and heaps of survival gear they carry around. I could guess but I'm likely to get it wrong. I think I'll take the safe way out and leave this one closed up. Perhaps I'll do another one later...

Well, life happens and so I haven't gotten very far since my last update. I have been keeping track of everyone else here tho, and I have to say that all these builds are looking great!

I did want to show how far I have gotten with the Ram-Air Turbine Powered Automatic Bagpipe weapon aka ABPW-101 (Air Borne Psychological Weapon) which was also called a "MacDuff".

These are just the body of the thing and some of the parts for it.



more to come
Later

Thats pretty cool and would certainly scare the enemy! What have you made the tartan from is it decal or paper?

After some delays I'm about ready to start my RAF Rotodyne. I'm also toying with the idea of giving it a different name in military service, perhaps something in keeping with British heli's being named after big cats (Puma, Lynx... erm I think thats all ). I've seen some CGI profiles done on the net of US versions and Banshee seems popular but not very, you know, British. There would certainly be a lot of 'unoficial' names it would get.
Anyway, starting off here's the obligatory sprue shots.




Despite its odd scale of 1:78 its a very nice kit with some decent details, including a full interior with removable panels and neatly done engraved panels and rivets and some nicely printed decals for one of the prototypes. I can't help but think that when this was first released in 1961 it must have been the state-of-the-art model kit. It is light years ahead of the Airfix Rotodyne. Sadly I wont be using any of those parts in this build and will do her closed up although I may add a ramp if I can work out what would be realistic. I will be doing my other Rotodyne as is if I decide to open it and not keep it as a collectable.
There was one problem that has held me up with building. The nose on the left hand side had a pretty serious mold defect that would have needed more than a bit of filler to sort out. A quick email to Revell and several weeks later a new one arrived this weekend, minus the fault!


To start with I have added some some scrap plastic strip on the inside of the right half to reinforce the fuselage panel. I leave this the fully dry before I glue the panel in. Hopefully I'll be able to do this without leaving gaps.


More to come soon.

Puma, Lynx, Sycamore, Scout, Merlin, Gazelle, Skeeter, Wessex, Sea King, Wasp, Whirlwind, Belvedere etc

Where the US tends to name their egg beaters after Native American Tribes looks like it is open slather for the UK.

Welcome aboard Lucky

Bruce liking the Ram-Air Turbine Powered Automatic Bagpipe

Stephen good start on the Rotodyne looking forward to seeing it progress

Hope everyone else is doing well with the builds Im at the decalling stage with lots of tiny star decals so Im trying to do little bits at a time for fear of driving myself even more nuts

After a lot of work but little effect, here is my progress on the Zeppelin’s, outer frame. More to come.

wow Antonatos that is coming on great I honestly don't know how you have the patience for that with all the braces etc Looking forward to seeing this progress

Hi all, just wondering about the closing date as I have a project I'd love to do if I've time to complete it.

Ta
Keith

There are still 3 months left, plenty of time for you to exercise your immagination

A little more progress on my Valkyrie.

After test fitting the cockpit glazing I realized the head of the pilot was in the way. A little surgical work on the helmet was needed. Given the thinkness of the clear plastic I actually do not think it will be visible.

The decals have now been added. A mix of WH40K, 1/48 Thunderbolt, 1/32 Eurofighter, and various other decals.

More to follow.

So many great builds and interesting choises aswell, I wish I had more time to make some progress on my B-25.

Thank you Jessica, even at my speed of building I could complete something.... laughs.

I have now finished my Imperial Army Valkyrie. Not my best work, but I am still pretty satisfied. The oversized panel lines and holes in the fuselage and wings makes it easy to pick out the details with a wash.

Extra weapons are included and can be changed in the case I ever want to use this in a strategy game of WH40K.

Comments welcome.

I must say that time might be a litle tight for my build. Anyway, here is a litle update on my Huckebeins that go inside the beast.
Rescribing, cockpits rebuilt, and metal structure for the wings, as you can see in the before and after pic, sa they will be folding.

Jesper, if I pay a lot of senseless money to buy a Valkyrie, it will be because of you! Very nice work. Do the pin-ups come from the "2 Big and 2 Heavy" P-47D?

The waist gunners on the Valkyrie don't appear to have much of an arc of fire!

Great build Jesper certainly a good what if thanks for joining in with the campaign


Antonatos nice to see the progress I think it will look fab once its done I still don't envy you though I honestly would not have the patience for that build

@Jesper: Awesome work on the Valkyrie Jesper! Love the nose art! A masterpiece in it's own right as well as a great piece for wargaming.

@Antonatos: Folding wings? Hmmmm so this'll be the Kreigsmarine Version?

Okay here we are guys a 75 squadron Jag loaded out for bear. With an old version of the kiwi disruptive camouflage as suggested for the F16's we DIDN'T buy. (Thank you sooooooo much Aunty Helen!!)

Thanks for all the comments. Much appreciated. Thanks a lot.

Emre, yes, you are perfectly right. The decals are spare decals from the 1/48 Revell kit.
It is a very fun although expensive kit, but you know you need to have it, Emre. Give in, order now, order online, you know you want to.....

Graham, you are right regarding the doorgunners. In the heat of battle they must end up shooting up their own wing or wing stores very often!
But then again: looking at the size of the barrel they will only have 3-5 shells pr. ammunition box anyway.