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Hello everybody, paint is on .... Mission Models Desert Tan, some highlights with ligther beige color ... oil colod washing .... and all put together .... Now some dust on the windows follows and final touches as well as a small base Cheers Micha

Final pics: Thanks for looking! Mark

most small details are on, as the antenna wires, step etc. i am just missing the inner wing pylons and a fuel tank... and the nav lights 65 by karl holubar, auf Flickr 64 by karl holubar, auf Flickr

Slight thread creep back to the Jag Glen did state here back in 2014 that we'd see at least the single seat Jags in 2016, with possibly the two-seaters to follow. Que sera sera... Best pizza I ever had was from a small shop in Turin, just had tomato sauce on it, extremely flavoursome, but can't go there every day, and can't build a kit of a 1/32 Jaguar if there isn't one

Hi All, A little more progress. The fuselage is together as are the wings and the main wheel wells are painted but not weathered. This kit is a dream to build, so well engineered and the fit of the main components is very impressive. Hopefully get the wings mated to the fuselage next and into paint before too long! Cheers Matt

More pics: Still more pics to follow:

Hi guys, Here's my all time favorite P-51 scheme built OOB from the Zoukei-Mura kit. The kit: I planned from the start to close up all the panels but I still built all the internals. I wanted to get a good idea of the fit with the goodies inserted inside for a possible future project (casting clear resin skins and super-detailing the interior bits) and I will eventually build the Tamiya 'Stang so I wanted a valid comparison of the two. The ZM kit is a joy to build, everything fits as advertised - still a good idea to test-fit, test-fit, test-fit. I had one fuselage panel that was a little off but my own fault. The few (small) areas needing filler were in the area I messed up. I elected to use the seat with the moulded-in belts and in hindsight I should have used my last set of Finemold belts. Not a show-stopper though. Finish: I used Tamiya and Mr. Color throughout with Vallejo washes and kit supplied decals. Decals are top-notch. I found exactly one period photo of "Miss Marilyn" and the most prominent weathering was staining from the fuel filler ports so I tried to replicate that as well as the usual dirt and grime accumulation. On to the photos: More pics to follow. Cheers, Mark

Whether you like it or not. Messerschmitts and Focke-Wulfs will never die and will remain popular subjects. And as long as melted styrene will be injected into moulds, we will see new state-of-the-art Bf 109 and Fw 190 kits being released. Instantaneously, and as sure as pizza is pizza, we will see another wishlist being compiled, another missed opportunity being deplored and another kit wish remaining unfulfilled. If you don't like pizza with Wuerger topping at all, you won't buy it - no matter which pizzeria has one on the menu. Life goes on, and at the end of the day it's just another first world problem. Just my two kopeks...

Hi all, I thought you might like to see my 14th 1:32 scale build - The Bleriot built Spad XIII C.1, Number 26 of ‘C’ flight, 27th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, based at Rembercourt, near Verdun, France during September 1918. This was one of the Spad XIII’s flown by Francis ‘Frank’ Joseph Anthony Luke Jnr, the ‘Arizona Balloon Buster'. This kit is the old Hobby Craft SPAD XIII 'International' kit, which is I believe was the only 1:32 scale of the Spad XIII made. The kit was, as expected, fairly basic and had no engine at all. In fact the whole forward fuselage was blocked off. I didn’t recall ever seeing this kit made with an engine installed, so I decided to give it a go. The basic list of changes/additions to the model are: Scratch built: Radiator shutter control rods (Micro-tube). Radiator drain valve (Micro-tube). Cockpit head rest support frame. Fuselage internal storage and cross members (Micro-rod). Engine bulkhead. Decking panel right gun - ejection chute. Forward gun mounting brackets (thin brass sheet). Engine access panels - wire mesh. Ventral fuel tank cap. Fuselage lifting straps. Fuel tank rip (jettison) panel. Oil cooler drain valve (Micro-tube). Ring gun sight and mounting bar (thin brass sheet). Undercarriage struts. Wing inboard 'H' struts (Micro-tube). Wing outboard rear struts (Micro-tube). Wing strut rigging fittings (photo-etch). External aileron operating bell-crank and rods (Micro-tube). Exhaust pipe support brackets (Micro-tube). Cockpit: - Fuel, oil and vent pipes (Micro-tube) - Cockpit frame wire bracing - Additional instrumentation - Instruments pipes/cables (Micro-tube) - Gun firing cables (lead wire) - Fuel rip panel T-bar handle (Micro-tube) - Mallet (freeing gun stoppages) (Micro-tube) - Pilot's seat cushion (Milliput) - Rudder bar foot straps (lead wire) - Top frame above pilot's head - Flight control cables Engine: 'Wingnut Wings' Hispano-Suiza V8 engine built (detail modified) - Ignition leads, support tubes and magneto connection (Micro-tube/lead wire) - Engine support beams - Carburettor air intake - Air breather and pipe (Micro-tube) - Fuel manifold primer valves (Micro-tube) - Cooling/heating system pipes and filler (Micro-tube) - Gun cooling jacket ‘stay’ rods (Micro-tube) - Various fuel, coolant and control rods (Micro-tube) Modified or corrected: Rudder, Ailerons and Elevator animated. Louvres in engine panels opened. Engine valve gear cooling fairings drilled. Forward decking panel separated. Engine cowl cooling apertures created. Fuel filler aperture. Cockpit surround panel modified. Forward fuselage, decking panel and cockpit floor modified. Exhaust tail pipes Aftermarket additions: 'Proper Plane' hand made propeller ('De La Grandville') 'Aviattic' Spad XIII wheels. ‘Aviattic’ decal and figure set (Frank Luke Jnr) 'HGW Models' seat belts. 'Gaspatch' .303 standard Vickers machine gun (modified). ‘Gaspatch’ Vickers ‘Balloon’ machine gun (modified). 'Gaspatch' turnbuckles. 'Albion Alloys' micro-tube. 'Steelon' 0.12 mm mono-filament. 'Polak' grass mat. 'Wings Cockpit' and ‘Copper State' figures. 'Airscale' instruments bezels. As usual I've created a downloadable build log in Adobe PDF format, for those who might want to refer to it for reference or build details. It contains full step by step descriptions of the model build, its modifications/changes and is also supported with illustrations and photographs. If viewed in Adobe Reader, each build log has book marked chapters/headings for easier navigation through the log. NOTE: Due to the complexity of this build, the PDF build log is large at over 200 pages (download size is close to 10 Meg). My model website has the gallery page, so to view any model, go to the gallery and select it. If it has a PDF build log, it will be available to download using the 'PDF' icon on that models photo's page. For any photograph, just click the photo to enlarge or reduce the viewing size. PC link: http://igavh2.xara.hosting/index.htm Mobile device link: Igavh2.xara.hosting My next model will be the ’Wingnut Wings’ 1:32 scale model of the German ‘Hansa-Brandenberg W.29’, a twin float, two seat naval patrol aircraft.

Indeed Radu, Glen explicitly announced such kits and as far as I know he is a guy I trust as he is working for KH. So people are not simply frustrated because their favorite next topic is not released but because kits confirmed as being part of the "next releases" for some years do not come whereas topics not announced but already released by various other manufacturers are presented as the "new" next releases. Personally, I will never complain if a company chose to release nazi fighters ad nauseam for the next ten years. It is their choice. However, I hate when companies do not deliver what they announced for years as this locks the release of such topics. Announcing an imminent release and not deliver is probably one of the best ways to not see one topic kitted by anyone for ages...

Some updates on the flaps... WIP

I'll add my 2 cents with the following caveat ... I don't own a Kitty Hawk kit, I don't like any of their currently marketed subjects ... BUT ... I do read reviews - and there are quite a few out there that aren't pretty!! Stories of poor engineering, poor fit/finish, short shots ... and I'm sure there are more! The secret to boosting their current market share isn't rocket science - * Pick a popular subject that either - hasn't been kitted previously (not many choices there!) ... hasn't been kitted recently using modernised techniques (quite a few actually) ... or hasn't been kitted well in the recent past (again, there's a few that come to mind) ... * Do it well (Reasonably accurately, sharp detail, good engineering, good fit/finish) - so that a good display can be built OOB. Surviving in a niche market isn't difficult if your product can produce the 'wow' effect ... WNW and ZM have managed very handsomely to build a following while focusing on different marketing strategies. The biggest issue for KH, unfortunately, is the bad reputation they've earned for themselves. A popular subject alone is definitely not going to do it for them, especially one that has been kitted recently and kitted well - and advertising the CAD of an A-8 while labelling it an A-5 is not going to do them any favours!! Then you have the competition argument ... Revell are renowned for cheap kits ... we've had a bit of a mixed bag from them over the last decade in terms of accuracy and engineering, to the point where they've become Trumpeter-esque in that Forrest-Gumps-Box-Of-Chocolates kind of way ... Yet we know their recent Fw.190F-8 stacks up pretty well on most fronts - so it already has a good reputation - and it's likely to remain much cheaper than anything KH can chuff out ... ZM are scheduled to release a batch of Fw-190's in the future, and their reputation is pretty good also. They would have been better off selecting something like an early Spitfire ... Hasegawa's is old and poorly detailed (though reasonably accurate), while Revells newer tooling, though detailed well, is clunky and inaccurate. I'd wager that people would shell out the coin for an accurate and well made kit of an early Spit ... IF engineering and QA is done right and reviews are good - it might be the basis to re-boot the company in a more profitable and popular direction for future kits. Rog

Hi folks some progress whiles waiting for belts to finalized the cockpit next will be to weather the main wheel bays and hopefully....start the main assembly...... rgds n happy modelling

This project, apart from modelling a significant aircraft, is about weathering. I have been enjoying Fancherello's incredible work, and have also spent quite a bit of time looking at what Miguel Jimenez is doing to enhance the hobby. Through these and other influences I am slowly breaking with 30 odd years of traditional aircraft model finishing. I get the impression a lot of weathering is really about observing detail on the full scale aircraft, and working out how to get it onto the little one, and how much of it is necessary to achieve the look you want. John1 mentioned subtlety, and that certainly plays a role. So, here is a case in point. Observe the "chipped" paint under the wing shoulder of this MiG (I think this is no 456, and it has white stencilling unlike 454 which appears to be mostly blue). This is where Fanch's technique comes into play. I have left out some of his steps as I only want to achieve a simple look for now. Base coat. Masking fluid sponged on. Lightly sprayed with a 5% white and ochre mix (95% thinner), masking rubbed off and then another coat of 5% mix. Now it has a dusty sun bleached look with some variety! The underside got the same treatment, but with a dark 5% mix. I think the technique is particularly effective on a single colour. I know that this may just look "dirty" to many modellers, and I am also a bit conflicted by it, but will bravely continue to break with my traditional methods. One of the aspects of the finish that I have wanted to change for some time is the matt coat. I agree with Miguel Jimenez's view on this, in that a matt coat kills the variety of surface textures that are found on the real thing. I used Microscale Satin at first, but then opted for the Flat (which is their matt coat but is actually closer to a satin). Unlike my previous builds, I am now building on to the existing weathering with oil paint over the satin coat, and allowing the gloss to happen when rubbing the areas I want to enhance. I have also sprayed a dusty 5% coat on some areas to make the paint look slightly chalky as the sun does it's work on the pigment. I think this is getting closer to the look I would like to achieve... Nearly time to assemble all the bits and pieces! Greetings, Sean

Ok I couldn't resist it any longer! This was the first kit i bought when i started this great hobby a few years ago and it has been sat in my stash ever since. The reason i didn't make it was firstly i wanted to practice on some other kits first before i had the confidence to tackle it and secondly i didn't know until now what marking i wanted to do, which is always important for me as i need to visualise something as I'm going along. I have to say this is a really great kit and a complete pleasure to build I've made a start on the cockpit and engine and I'm about ready to close the fuselage. More instalments soon i hope. Cheers Matt

Hi everyone, Here's my quickest built I ever did a few years back, took me 5 weeks, almost OOB except for the True detail pit. A very affordable hasslefree kit , hope you like. Dan. More to come... Dan.

Here's another build from a few years ago, the Accurate Miniatures/Revell Pro Modeler 1/48 SB2C-4E Helldiver

I think you NAILED IT. Great work...

Recievd today from the mailman A MK3C flight helmet,the first compleet helmet for me Thanks to Danny for the good advice Mark

Here's proof that the old Vintage Fighters Thunderbolt can be tamed, this one being out of the Kinetic box:

I'd wait for the SH kit, plenty of suitable plastic out there for you to work your magic on in the meantime.

Well guys I've been working on this one on and off this week. Engine build is under way. As mentioned earlier, I've decided to NOT go the blower route and go with a dual quad super stock motor. I'll be using the heads, rocker covers, intake and timing cover out of the 68 Hemi Dart kit (which I'll have to replace because I do want to build a Hemi Dart) and retaining the block and transmission from the Willys Street rod kit so as to keep the mods to fit the engine into the frame to a minimum. I had to modify the timing cover and intake slightly to get them to fit together on this engine block. I've been doing a lot of studying on this particular powerplant because I want to replicate the fuel delivery system and throttle linkage. Here's the base build up as of earlier in the week: and here we are with it as of now: another thing that has caught my interest are the two piece aluminum wheels that are available these days. I actually acquired these wheels some time back but the rear wheels were so wide that I didn't have a tire wide enough to mount them in. So I took both of the wheel sleeves into a machine shop and had them cut the sleeve to the depth I wanted and "Walla!" , I've got myself a set of usable Pro Street wheels now. I'll have the wheel studs and lug nuts installed in a few days. Here's where we're gonna go with the tire and wheel set up:

My immediate reaction, if it is of any value to you, is to forget about that old dog of a kit and do the new Airfix 1/24 kit instead, if you are into the Hawker Typhoon! I have not built either kit, but I have watched some detailed build videos of the Airfix 1/24 offering on Youtube; it looks like a pretty solid kit with some good detail! Yes it is quite large but it should make an impressive display, and it's not enormously bigger than a 1/32 kit anyway. Lately, my attitude has been that there is just way too much interesting, new, and good stuff coming out in the world of modeling to bother with old kits with issues, but that's just my approach. I'd enjoy watching a build thread of either of these kits if you decide to do one!

Found US flag decal...finally.

This just came up on Youtube. Looks like some great flying that day. They got the Lanc and Sally B too. I missed both when I attended a few years back. Both were out of action with un-serviceable engines. This

I built it a few years back OOB. Not a bad kit, not a real good one either but then again I am not a rivet counter. Just wanted a 32nd Typhoon in the collection and this was it. Jerry

Bubbles in place!

So... Wait... What? What is the complaint here? Let me put it this way. You like peproni pizza. You have a favourite pizzeria. You eat your favourite pepperoni pizza there. You are convinced that is the most authentic pepperoni pizza in the world. In fact you just had one and you loved it. Now you read on the Internet that another pizzeria is doing pepperoni pizzas. The staff is not even Italian. They are slow and the staff is untrained. And now you are upset? Why? No one forced you to do anything. Keep eating the pizza you like. Now some else is complaining that everyone keeps doing pepperoni pizzas instead of Korean barbecue and you get upset because in reality it is time someone made escargot or funazushi. ☺️ Rasu

There are some spots that are going to need a lot of work....................... I got the red right (will need over-spray correction), but must have had the elevator off position when I did the blue: Lots of areas like the vertical stab to rudder area that will need over-spray touchups: The rear turtle deck, especially the starboard side is going to need some attention to correct the blue point and the red and blue transition areas at the back overall: The gear, wing root, forward fuselage stripes and especially wheel pant on the starboard side will all have to be fixed, as they are some of the worst areas on the paint job right out of the booth: The bottom had similar opportunities for leaking, bleeding and over-spray, but still turned out pretty decent: Overall, Im very happy at this stage, and feel like Im getting some actual progress made. There is still a POSTERIOR load of things to fix on the paint now, but at this stage with everything that has happened Ill take it. Cheers for now!

Hello everybody. The sub-assemblies are mostely done now. The interior is painted and weathered, the windows will follow next and masked. Then I will start the painting with black primer, desert beige and a 3-color camo at one door and some wheels ...

Gee it must be the Holidays, and even though I don't work I still seem to have gained some modelling time......yeah! All painted, and it does actually look lighter in the flesh. A quick test fit. Steve

Hello gentlemen What do you think about very old Revell 1/32 Hawker Thypoon Car door. Is it buildable with Paragon set ? Or Have I to wait for the future Special Hobbys product if it is true. Thanks Thanks

Wheel/tire combinations get some crud and mud/dirt.

Canopy all masked now and awaiting paint.

Armored glass painted, glued to windscreen, and awaiting installation.

on this site. I don't have HKM's catalogue number for the FG.1/F-4K either, but that too was pledged on this site keep up at the back Tony

I ask again, is there a link to this "promise"? Was a date given? Is there a catalogue number and box art? Radu

It's dead simple guys: we were promised Jaguars, a Thunderflash and Thunderstreak. It seems those have been put on indefinate hold so that the manufacturer can capitalise on the love of iconic Nazi hardware. Judging by this thread it's obviously the cash cow they want - you lot can't get enough of mottled stuff with swastikas on it. Shame the Mirage 2000 wasn't at Stalingrad otherwise it would have been kitted several times by now. Tony

some new pics :

built it, loved it Graham is dead on about that seam. I ended up rescribing it because there was no way to re-mediate the seam and keep the raised detail. https://www.flickr.com/photos/shawnmanny/albums/72157672380040094

I went! VERY hot day (30deg+). Luckily, Mrs Shoggz and myself are both Premium IWM members, so we got to go in their nice enlcosure to watch.. It is a good show, with lots of thought put into the themes and movements. Highlights for me: Seeing a P38 Lightning in British skies again. Seeing the Jug that has just come back from the USA. The F35/Spitfire/P51D formation to celebrate the UK/US relationship was fantastic. When the two oldies peeled off and let the Lightning become unleashed it literally want straight up like a rocket with that fantastic jet 'thunderclap'. I know it is a machine with a troubled development, but boy, as a performer, it rocks! The large number of airborne Spitfires they manage is almost becoming passé - which it shouldn't! Converesely, it is still a real thrill to see four Hurricanes and four Buchons in the sky together.. (They did a tribute to the Battle of Britain film which filmed at Duxford 50 years ago.) There were three Corsairs and four P51Ds which is more than I have seen together for quite a while too. One quirk of the hot temperatures.. The 'baby' Spits (Mk.Is & Mk.Vs) were all towed back to the flightline after each flight.. I can only assume that their notoriously quick overheating radiators would not have coped with the taxying involved! The Mk.IXs and above all came back under their own 'steam'.

Without words

What peeves me off is the possibility of already delayed Kitty Hawk subjects, chiefly the Jaguars, Republic Streak and Flash, none of which are available as kits, being possibly delayed for, oh no!, yet another kit of the 190 (or 109. Or Mustang, frankly). But at least the 1/48 Kitty Voodoos are emerging. Tony

Has to be the most yawn-worthy release of the year. Really? Another 190?

Thanks Gentlemen! Here is some more on the paint and how it appears to weather. This MLD is essentially painted in the same four colours as the Angolan MiGs. It has faded naturally under the Soviet sun (or rain), and displays similar results to what happens under African skies. I imagine that it is largely UV light that fades the pigments in the paint, but water also seems to have an effect. You can see the spray application pattern in the faded upper surface over a darker base colour, and some "chalking" as the paint degrades. Notice also how the rivets and screws start to show up as darker spots through the paint. I once again sprayed a darker base version of each colour... and then slowly built up a faded shade on top of this. The light green and sand colours show a more chalky surface than the dark green and dark brown. Here are the two light colours being applied. And here you can see the more "doodled" faded spray pattern of the dark brown and dark green. More dark base shows through on these colours for some reason. The blue underside was treated in a similar way, but it is hard to tell how it actually weathers as it is in the shade of most photo's, and for that very reason, not as subjected to the sun. It just looks dirty in my opinion, and that will come later. One issue with a big bland blue canvas, is trying to create some randomness. Here I borrowed a bit of Fancherello's idea and used a sponge and masking fluid to create some random texture. It works! Talking of techniques, I tried to get a pinkish brown undercoat to show through under peeled-off dielectric grey paint on the radome. Hairspay and a toothbrush didn't work on my first attempt for some reason, but then as the masking tape came off - voila! Accidents are much needed in the creative process. The squadron numbers and "yin & yang" roundels are coming up next. I am very fortunate to have a friend who is not only generous with his encyclopaedic knowledge about Mirage intakes and drop tanks, but is equally generous with his Silhouette Cutter... Sean

Progressing with masking the markings. I learned from my P-51 build where I placed the mask outer mask, sprayed the white then covered the white and sprayed the blue left a sort of white halo around the blue. So this time I figured any mask that had a complete one colour outline, like the white of the swastika, could be done in a similar fashion. Placing the outline in the correct position and spraying the entire interior of the mask. Then replacing the internal pieces so they sat right and then weed out the black. At least that was the theory, right? Those boundaries that were multi coloured needed to be done individually. Have I confused you yet? So it was place mask, weed the required section, paint, wait.....wait....replace masking, weed the next section, paint, wait.....wait....extreme wait and then remove. You get the idea: Some touch ups here and there but pretty pleased. The black and white looks very stark but will be toned down. The cold hard glare of the camera shows up all the flaws that the naked eye misses. Double chevrons and bar to go: Oil cooler flaps and flaps added to the wings: Regards

Now for the undercarriage. I recently looked in on a talented (albeit controversial) Texan's build the MLD version of this kit via his internet sites. He built the gear as per the manufacturers instructions, stood back to assess the result, and then deciding it was a lost cause - destroyed the model. Many of you have probably seen what I am referring to, and I must say that his summation has been quite useful. The MiG-23 comes in a couple of differing versions, all with their own character. The M/MF is the easiest to identify, as it looks like a bit like a pregnant dragon to me. She really squats on her main gear, yet the nose gear seems unimpressed with the weight and stays extended. The ML/MLD is lighter than the MF by 1250kg dry weight, so the main gear is not as compressed and she has a more level stance. Same gear by the way. This stance does differ by degree however, depending on fuel and weapons load. Here are two photo's to illustrate how the gear reacts to the weight, most noticeable on the angle of the horizontal arms. Firstly a MF... Then a ML... The trailing link also comes into play, but appears more affected by the fuel, weapons load. Trumpeter chose a very lightly loaded trailing link angle for this kit, which makes it look as if the aircraft is on tippy-toes. It may be possible, but not often seen. Here you can see it is about midway between the airborne and fully compressed angles. Fortunately they include the trailing link for what I assume is the MF version. It is considerably more compressed, but with the horizontal arms angled slightly downwards could do the trick and look like a loaded ML. In the build link I posted earlier, you will see the modeller shorten the trailing link, which is cool but I chose not to. Here is how it should look when I finally get to installing the gear. I added a bit of detail to the legs, and some styrene to the gear doors that fit over the wheels. They are somewhat undersized. I also changed the attachment points so that they don't sit at too much of a rakish angle on the wheel. Theses gear legs have a further complication. The horizontal portion is angled forward. Like this... Between the resin wheel bays and the limits of the mountings, this is difficult to replicate. I put in a brass ferrule as close to the bay wall as possible to try and get an angle going. It didn't do much, but it is as far as I am going to go. Now lets hope that it all fits once the painting is done At least the Aires wheel wells are great to look at.