[Suggestion of 1:32 Sunderland and Halifax from HK Models]

5 hours ago, thierry laurent said:

Actually the Sunderland is a massive monster. This is not very visible because of the fuselage shape but it is even larger than the Stirling that was already far longer than the Lancaster and Halifax (both being quite similar):

 

 

Yup… a 1/32 Sunderland is huge!

 

 

 

[Suggestion of 1:32 Sunderland and Halifax from HK Models]

Well considering HK are rumoured to be following my lead with their 1/32 range (by lead I mean I spend 2+ years building a vac and then an injection one comes along!) you can count on a Stirling being next 

[Biggest quantity of one particular kit in the stash?]

21 hours ago, Archimedes said:

Holy moly! 16 B-17s! 3 in 1/32! Where do you put them all when they are finished!?

 

Kind regards,

Paul

Room is becoming critical, Paul! I’ve given one away to a museum and I still have one in the stash. Another resides in my loft with a number of my 1/32 ‘Heavies’. 

[Biggest quantity of one particular kit in the stash?]

I’ve got 16 B-17s at the most recent count - 3x 1/32, 6x 1/48 and  7x 1/72. I have a few Spitfires and Mustangs in both 1/24 and 1/32, 2x 1/32 Phantoms and 3x 1/32 EE Lightnings, too. No other multiples as far as I can remember. 

[Hawker Hunter FGA.9 XG207, Revell 1:32nd scale]

7 hours ago, MikeC said:

That's a beauty. Not battered and weathered either, which is as it should be, the Wittering Hunter wing was known for having the best-kept Hunters in the RAF during its brief existence.

Cheers, Mike - and yes, there’s no point in weathering something for the sake of it. I did a bit of research on 58 Sqn Hunters and they were indeed very clean. In fact most pictures of Hunters in this scheme are very clean so that’s how I did mine. 

[Hawker Hunter FGA.9 XG207, Revell 1:32nd scale]

 Greetings all,

 

An Easter holidays completion from me - Revell's 1/32nd scale Hawker Hunter FGA.9 more or less OOB, other than some aftermarket decals from AeroMaster and some home-made FOD guards. This kit is really under-rated in my humble opinion - it has lots of detail OOB and beautiful surface detailing from a time when Revell were at the top of their game. I had no issues whatsoever with the build - it's about as close as you can get to building Lego - and it went together in a few days. Paints were Xtracolur enamels with a splash of Humbrol Matt Cote to finish it off. Some light weathering was done with Mig pastels. 

 

All in all a very enjoyable build - and it only cost me a tenner under the table at a show!

 

All the best,

Tom

 

Hawker Hunter FGA.9, XG207, 58 Squadron, RAF Wittering, mid-1970s. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HK B-17...C 5/4 sweating the metal]

That’s so good, Craig - there’s nothing more realistic for a metal finish than, well… metal! Love it. 
 

By the way, I spotted a misplaced rivet on the main wing panel which is about 0.00007634mm out

 

I think, when this is complete, you’ll take the gong for the most detailed and beautiful B-17 build ever - it’s so fun to watch this come together and I cannot help but admire your staying power. 

[To be or not to be accurate, that is the question]

I’m very much a “if it looks ok from 20 paces then that’s good enough for me” type builder. 
 

I rarely buy after-market ‘corrections’ for models and for me, life is too short to get bogged down with correcting every last detail - I just enjoy sticking bits of plastic together. 
 

I always find it fascinating to watch some builders ‘correct’ a model to the nth degree and then paint and weather it so it bears no resemblance to the real thing whatsoever - over zealous panel shading and patchwork quilt paint effects that simply never existed on that particular aircraft. But, we all approach hobbies in our own way and that’s very much down to personal choice. 
 

It’s also interesting to watch build threads on this and other forums where a builder starts to make adjustments and corrections to a kit and very quickly runs out of steam - it’s all too easy to get bogged down and thus the build stalls. I’m very much the same - which is why I tend to stick with what the kit provides and just enjoy it. As I said, each to their own. 

[1/18 Hawker Sea Fury - probably VX620..]

Buckle up guys and gals, because we’re in for one hell of a ride…
 

Great choice, Peter - and what a start!

 

Tom

[1/32 Short Stirling]

55 minutes ago, JayW said:

So the canopy frame sits on top of a vac form.  How thick is the canopy frame?   

Correct. The framing is extremely thin - not much more than masking tape. I’d guess it’s about 0.25mm but Peter may know exactly. 

[1/32 Short Stirling]

5 hours ago, brahman104 said:

That is insanely good Tom! Can you use any of the original canopy to make the "glass" in the new frame?

 

Craig

Thanks, Craig - Peter has also done me a vac canopy to sit below. The frame is thin enough for it to be added on top. Perfect solution!

 

5 hours ago, JayW said:

Awesome!!!  Stunned.  So, I guess I could ask Peter myself, but I am so curious what plans were used to make that 3D printed canopy part?  Just pictures?  

All a genius like Peter needed was some good pictures from multiple angles and a perfectly formed canopy appeared as if by magic…

 

2 hours ago, airscale said:

that looks fab Tom, so glad you could make it fit

 

It is so fragile I bet it's been heart in mouth working on it

 

Jay - I used some drawings and photo's I found on the internet so I think it's as close as I could get it

 

Peter

It is indeed very fragile but held out ok. Obviously it gets a lot more strength when the vac canopy is below, but even then I won’t be resting it on its roof, so to speak, so the canopy and framing will be the very last bits to be added before I splash some paint. 
 

And thanks again for your help - you’ve captured the ‘look’ to perfection. 

[1/32 Short Stirling]

Howdy, partners!

 

I’ve put aside other jobs on the Stirling for the time being as I was really keen to get the new canopy to fit. I hate dealing with transparencies and cockpits in general so felt it would be good, psychologically, to get this part done, and then hopefully it’ll just be a drop fit towards the end of the build. 
 

As you saw in the previous post, the kit canopy was too big and incorrectly shaped. When I cut the fuselage ages ago, I used the kit transparency as a guide, not realising at the time how ‘out’ it was. As a result, I’ve had to build up the fuselage around the cockpit to match the new canopy - plastic card and Milliput white has done the job without issue, and it now drops in perfectly!

 

A reminder of what I had in the kit:

 

And after a few hours tinkering:

 

 

 

 

 

That’ll do very nicely…

 

Until next time,

Tom

[The Aircraft we would HAVE to Scratch Build Right Now]

22 minutes ago, LSP_Kevin said:

 

I've been trying to get hold of the Combat He 177 for some time now, and have pretty much given up. I hear it's not all that great anyway, but can't imagine myself scratch-building one! Even the 3D print guys seem to be shying away from it.

 

Kev

I’m after one of those too - such a gorgeous aircraft and big in 1/32… same span as a B-17! Combat kits are rough to say the least, but at least it would give you something to work with. 

[Minicraft 1/144 Iron Maiden 757]

Looking great, Kev!

 

The registration goes under the PORT wing, towards the tip. 

[The Aircraft we would HAVE to Scratch Build Right Now]

9 hours ago, Archimedes said:

Thanks Tom,

 

Though I tend not to be interested in jets very much, I am interested in all things DeHavilland so the Sea Vixen appeals. I’ve not attempted a vacform (yet) but your builds give me the insight that they are not as intimidating as they first appear. At the moment I am mulling over the idea of doing a Ju 52 as it appears to be the only way of getting one in 1/32 (at least for now). 

 

Kind regards,

Paul

Vacs are a breeze compared to a total scratch build. Unless you’re Peter of course! It’s always a huge bonus to have the basic shell of a model and then the building of the detail parts is relatively easy - especially when you take into the account the huge advances in 3D design and printing. 
 

11 hours ago, williamj said:

A Handley Page Halifax Mk IV.   Someone is scratching one up.

Tigger does a 1/32 Halifax…

 

1 hour ago, The Phantom said:

Avro Anson hands down

 

 Beaufort. 

 

Do 17

Both the Do-17 and Beaufort are available in 1/32 scale from Tigger - I have them both! Combat do/did an Anson. 

[The Aircraft we would HAVE to Scratch Build Right Now]

Quite a few of the aircraft mentioned are available from Tigger or the Combat range (although the latter is no longer producing) vacs. I have a F-111, Catalina and Sea Vixen in 1/32 and all are an excellent basis for a good model - at least the basic vac shapes a good starting point and negate the need for a total scratch build. 

[Minicraft 1/144 Iron Maiden 757]

Wow! She’s coming on a treat!

[1/32 F-4B VF-111 "201" (Tamiya Conversion to B, Folded Wings)]

That’s stunning - the weathering is perfect for a high-viz bird and whole scene you’ve created is wonderful!

 

Tom

[HB B24 discussion: AM and fixes]

8 hours ago, zeusbheld said:

i wonder if the skinny blade props were used on other planes?  

B thru' E-model B-17s had the exact same props with many, like the Liberator, being later fitted with the paddle bladed set up to give more 'bite' at altitude.

[MASTERS is here!]

8 hours ago, Oldbaldguy said:

I have heard so much about the hard time the US had with its daylight bombing campaign over Europe but not nearly as much about the RAF’s night bombing strategy to the point that I don’t know how they did it, how it worked or how effective it was.  Are there any decent books on the subject and has anyone made a decent movie about it - something on the caliber of Twelve O’Clock High?

The RAF did indeed have it tough - and in some instances tougher. On the notorious Nuremberg raid of March 30/31 1944, 96 aircraft were lost in one night and the total of men MIA was more than the total British pilots lost in the Battle of Britain. 
 

Two really good reads/watches are ‘Night Bombers’ (available on You Tube) and Jack Currie’s ‘Lancaster Target’ which is a superb read and chronicles the terrors of night bombing vividly. 
 

 

[1/18 Supermarine S6B - S1595]

Please….

 

You know you want to…

 

Stunning work on the racer - looking forward to the final push!

 

Tom

[MASTERS is here!]

I enjoyed parts of the series but was a little underwhelmed in others. The CGI wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I agree with others' views on the series trying to cover to much ground in too-few episodes, which meant I didn't really get the same connection as with Band of Brothers (which to me is the best WWII TV show/film I've seen). The base set, vehicles, uniforms and B-17s (in OD as Fs!) were very well done and I thought captured the 'feel' of a WWII base well. 

 

The Masters of the Air book is a great read and you've got to give credit to the producers for giving it a good go, but I can't help but wonder if a series would have been better had it been based on Stephen Ambrose's 'The Wild Blue' which is a fantastic account of a 15th AF B-24 crew flying out of Italy. It focuses on mainly one crew, so you get a much more intimate knowledge of them as people and therefore better connection - more like BoB - and you follow them from training until they complete their tour. For those who haven't read it I heartily recommend it. 

 

Masters gets a solid 7.5/10 from me - and yes, being a B-17 nut I did spot a load of inaccuracies but you just have to learn to overlook these and enjoy it for what it is/was...

 

Tom

[Boeing 747-436 ‘British Airways’]

12 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said:

Lovely work, Tom! Got a few of these in the stash myself. What did you use for the blue on the engines?

 

Kev

Cheers, Kev. Here in the UK we have a store called Halfords that does car accessories including paints. They’re aerosols but I use them regularly for my airliners. The blue is ‘Fiat Capri Blue’ which is an exact match for the current BA blue. It’s designed for cars but I usually find the right(ish) colour - they even mix paint for you if you have a sample. They did a fantastic effort with KLM blue for a 1/72nd 747 I did a few years ago. 

[Welsh Models 757 Iron Maiden]

Ah - I see. I’ll be keen to see how you overcome this as one day I’ll no doubt be facing the same problem…

 

You'll crack it, of that I’m sure. 

[Boeing 747-436 ‘British Airways’]

I’ve always enjoyed building civil aircraft and usually have one or two on the go alongside my longer term LSP builds. So here’s the latest civvy completion from me - Revell’s 1/144th scale Boeing 747-400 with DrawDecal’s British Airways decals. 
 

It’s been built out of the box, other than my usual mod to these kits in adding some height on the cockpit crown area with some Milliput to correct the profile. 
 

Although it’s getting a little long in the tooth now, the kit still builds reasonably well once excess flash is removed!

 

I was really sad when BA retired the 747 - not only is it one of my favourite commercial aircraft but I’d flown long-haul on them more than any other type and thought I’d do my own little tribute to ‘The Queen of the Skies’. The real thing was my last 747 flight when she brought me back from Australia once… the ‘Kangaroo Route’ is now 777 or 787 and it’s not quite the same. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long live the Queen!

 

All the best,

Tom