Greetings,
Making progress. Assembled, minor gaps, filled nicely. On to the primer and paint.
Cheers,
Firstsergeant

My workbench is clear and finally i have time for this campaign !

I will build a Harrier GR.3 who took part to the falklands campaign and armed with 2 BL-755 bombs and a vinten recon pod.

Wow, I've really got to get to work on my Buccaneer....

A bit late start, but the subject and kit itself were worthy of some waiting. Tamiya's Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I in 1/48 scale. There's nothing like the smell of hot sizzling moulds of just-released models. The model looks terrific even in the box and very soon I will start its assembly. It will be finished in markings of 29 RAF Squadron during Operation Dynamo in May/June 1940 in its distinctive aluminium, black and white underside.

I finally finished my 1/72 Eduard Spitfire. I snapped the rudder off two times during the build, lost the dorsal marker light, and lost a cannon during the months that I was away from it. So I finally buckled down and inserted some pins to secure the rudder and did some weathering. Then, like magic, the cannon showed up right in front of me on the desk. Thanks Styrene Fairies!

I'll get better photos taken to place in the group album.

Here we go.
I had finished cockpit. Almost, since dashboard, compass and two other tiny pieces and will be added later. As you (probably) can see, I drilled out all lightening holes in the frames as well as in seat support. Pretty useless work as almost NOTHING will be visible  When I dry-fitted all for the last photo I just laughed out. Enjoy!

how did you like them? i been thinking of giving their lacquer line a try along with that mr color super clear gloss for a wash barrier.

joe

Progress, I got part of the interior painted and mounted the pilots for painting. Here's my crew; Larry, Daryl and Daryl from my Airfix A-20, the Buccaneer's crew and the pilot from my Jolly Roger's F9F-8.

Hi all,

i finally managed to finish the wings riggings, i have to finish the rear ones but it'll be a lot faster i guess !!!













Cheers
nico

Nice work Nico!

I've made some progress on the 1/32 Special Hobby Tempest. Cockpit done and fuselage together (not without some serious trimming in the radiator area):







Can't wait to get started on those seams!

Michael

The Defiant is moving along, primed and undersides painted

Nicholas, can I ask what do you use for the rigging on your Gladiator? Are those fishing strings? I like the final effect.

Hi all,

@Michael: thanks a lot , yours is coming along nicely, well done on the cokpit !
@K.Iwan: thanks a lot, ans yes theese are fishing strings, 0.9 mm if i well remember

Cheers
nico

Got some more paint on the Defiant.
Lifecolor RAF Dark Green, and Dark Earth.

Well done Iain !

Hi all,

Lots of nice things going on here! Michael, I still don't know where you put all those big planes when your done. Iain, nice looking Defiant!

High time for me to make an update. Last time I was cruising along with one self-made hiccup. I apparently seem to have them on this one! Though, not bad at all. This is a nice kit from a model builders perspective.

I tried a different base this time. Previously I'd use Tamiya gloss black (X-1), which is nice, but at 3.50 USD per 10 ml, I could foresee a cost factor down the road. So, I got Mr. Surfacer 1500 Black. Diluted 1:4 with Mr. Leveler 400. The result was very nice, the cost also is pretty good too (5.25 USD for 40 ml). Next up in the research lab will be determining differences with Mr. Leveler vs. plain old lacquer thinner. I'll keep you posted.

The underside color went on nice, and I think I'm really get the hang of black basing, of coarse, being an old researcher means I can't seem to let good enough be enough!

My first pass on the top colors was done free hand, and I thought it was good, but these birds were done using mats as paint masks. I painted the top completely with Ocean grey. Fortunately, Tamiya provides full scale Camo A drawings with the kit. So, I made a photocopy and cut out the areas that would be Ocean grey, using thin Tamiya tape rolled tight, I placed the masks onto the plane. I then sprayed on Tamiya Dark Green 2 RAF.



The end result was nice, though I will admit, my free hand job was just as nice. Guess I've moved a bit forward!

Next I glossed the bird using Future, mixed 75% with 25% IPA (70%), and a drop of soap to decrease the surface tension. And then it was time for decals!

Underside:



Given that I have quite a few Tamiya kits, and purchasing after market decals for each would be expensive, I felt that I needed to find a good solution to making their decals look "not so thick". While in the states for Dads birthday, I picked up a bottle of Solvaset. More experiments were conducted with favorable results. So for this build I opted to do the wings using the Tamiya decals, then for the fuselage and nose art I went with Aeromaster "The Eagle Squadron, part II" # 48-364. These have the artwork and codes for Don Gentile's spitfire when he served with the RAF.

Topside:



Once all was dried, I cleaned off all the reside from the mix of Solvaset, and the Micro Sol used on the fuselage. Sealed it with some future and it was off to some light weathering. I used Tamiya Panel line accent color as an experiment on the underside. Using black and dark brown. These work nicely, though I think that using oils thinned with turpentine are equally as good. One thing I did notice was how black on the underside was way too strong! I wound up toning all of it down with some burnt umber oil, thinned to about the color of black coffee using turpentine thinner. I liked the results.

I finally put on a flat coat of Mr. Color 182 Flat Clear, diluted 1:3 with Mr. Leveler. The results were acceptable to me!




Next it was time for some little bits. Self inflicted wound number two! I somehow lost the fuel cap cover. I'm sure it'll show up when this goes on the dresser! I punched out a disc of 0.2 inch plastic and sanded to fit the opening. A little touch up paint, and I most likely will forget I did it! Since then I have drilled out the exhaust stacks a bit, and am about to add the few little parts. Self inflicted wound three! I managed to break off the antenna on top of the vertical fin. Gone forever from here, as the floors are swept about three times a day! Stretched sprue will fill in there.

Aside from that I have to admit this kit really surprised me. Molded in 1994, this thing really is a "shake and bake" kit. I'm still not sure why I haven't done this one sooner. Well, more to follow.

Have fun and be safe!

I don't seem to be able to spray a decent gloss coat to save my life at the moment, always end up with a rough finish, but decals went on anyway.







The decals weren't entirely happy with MR Mark Setter solution, and one of them got some damage which I patched up with a piece of a roundel from leftovers of an old, old airfix kit.



just waiting on the wingtip light paints to dry, and it will be done and ready for final photos.

And done. Two minor flaws in this kit. If you use the rear canopy section for posing the canopy open it was not actually wide enough to fit the fuselage. And when posing the turret rear open you can't actually install doors with the turret pointing sideways, because there is no room. Apart from that, this was an excellent kit to build.

Nice work guys!

I thought it's time for an update. Main build is done, I'm in the painting session.

Mk. I:


(sorry, camera's out of focus, final pics will be better)
Waiting for the Mk. 22 to catch up to get the yellow prop tips painted.


Speaking of which, here's the Mk. 22:



:)
Prop(ell)er painting…

Peek-a-boo!


Cheers!
Stefan

The cockpit is done, but not fully assembled yet, neither fuselage is closed. This steps will require pilot figure ready as it is not possible to install it later. It is clear now for me why Spitfire required cockpit access door. Sadly virtually none of the nice details will be visible at the end. Perhaps I shall make instrument panel shall be matt, not satin as it is now. Meanwhile...








Not many parts left. After closing the fuselage and attaching the wing, rest of the construction will be blitz fast.

Greetings fellow modelers!

Happy Lunar New Year!

Chinese New Year's is a big thing here, lots of red and even more yummy food that normal! If you're like me and gain weight just from looking at it, then it's not so festive, but still quite a bit of fun!

So, I'm calling this one done!



This was a wonderful kit! Leave it to me to make a little mess of things, lol. You spitfire aficionados will note that the wrong rear view mirror is on it. This is due to the correct one being lost to the air and then to a place where only higher ups know! Next to it is the carburettor face cover. I have no clue how that one got lost. Just picked it up to move on and it was gone. I'm sure it will show up again, hopefully, and it'll get re-installed.



Despite my attempt to mess things up, this kit was superb in it's fit. I've seen the rivet counter reviews, and meh... it looks like a spitfire to me!



I chose to do 1st Lt. Don Gentile's bird No. 133 when he was with the Eagle Squadron, at Biggin Hill. He downed two Fw-190's during the ill fated Dieppe raid on 19 Aug 1942. In the future, I shall complete his P-47-5, and his P-51B. Really one of a few of "Ace's" complete aircraft builds that I do. This would have completed it for Don, but, the move meant that his completed birds didn't make it. I see it as a way to improve on that I learned!



Hope you enjoy, this was a fun build for me, although, I did fiddle around in getting it done in a timely manner!

John

Hello

I am about to start in on my Brewster Buffalo. The markings will be for 67 Squadron RAF based at Mingaladoon, Burma, 1941.








67 Squadron Buffaloes being re-assembled in Singapore following shipment from the USA in 1941.

Well my British cousins, Daryl and Daryl have a new home.

In a thoroughly barren office.

Main construction is done. What has left, is some details to be added like radiators, landing gear and propeller, plus other minor parts. But first I need to remove seams from top of the fuselage, particularly at the front where Tamiya totally unclear to me used a separated panel which has to be one with the rest of the engine cowling. Some sanding ahead. 


Some cockpit shots, as it is nearly invisible now:

Some fantastic builds going on.
About time I started mine!

I'm in with the Airfix 1/72 Jet Provost T.4 from one of the Starter Packs, in the markings of the Red Pelicans display team.

I chose the Jet Provost to represent the training branch of the RAF and the long forgotten display teams before the Red Arrows became the official team. The JP had a long service life with the RAF, giving trainee pilots their first jet experience from the 50's through to the early 90's.





Building starts with the cockpit. Although basic it does the job at this scale. The ejector seats look really nice when painted up. I used Tamiya acrylics, mostly NATO black with a dry brush of aluminium. I had gone off Tamiya since using Vallejo, which I was finding much nicer to work with. But for small areas they still work great and faster drying times do help with quick builds.





One thing to mention if anyone has one of these, the bottom of the front cockpit bulkhead needs some trimming down to stop it forcing the nose halves apart. Good thing I test fitted.

And finally the wings, which went together really nicely. Shame they didn't mold the tip lights in clear though.