Uncarina

A really great deal unless you have a boat load in the stash.  I must resist!  

That is a great price for a very decent kit.

Hard to beat this: https://spruebrothers.com/has08078-1-32-hasegawa-kawasaki-ki61-ki61-i-hei-hien-tony/
 
Cheers,  Tom

Hard to beat this: https://spruebrothers.com/has08078-1-32-hasegawa-kawasaki-ki61-ki61-i-hei-hien-tony/
 
Cheers,  Tom

Hard to beat this: https://spruebrothers.com/has08078-1-32-hasegawa-kawasaki-ki61-ki61-i-hei-hien-tony/
 
Cheers,  Tom

Hard to beat this: https://spruebrothers.com/has08078-1-32-hasegawa-kawasaki-ki61-ki61-i-hei-hien-tony/
 
Cheers,  Tom

I did the same, as well as pick up a set of the Border figures.
Here are the ones from the UK:

 
They are pretty nice, though my set is missing the hat that should be in the guy's hand top row, 2nd from left. My only quibble is that some of the faces are a little simplified, but they may look better under paint.
Here are the Border figures:

 
They are very nice with a lot of surface texture that painting will really stand out, and good facial features. I did notice that some of figures are nearly identical in torso with different arm positions or details. But placed apart from each other they will work fine. The two sets should also work well together.
 
The one thing missing from the two sets are seated pilots! Strange, when they are obviously recreating the scene when the aircraft take off from the Akagi to hit Pearl Harbor. Good to see Albion Alloy is filling the void!

I gave these figures a try and made a test purchase. I chose the BoB British pilots in 1:32 scale having a chat on their airfield because this set is half the size of the Japanese sailors and therefore half the price, too. Not completely irrelevant for a test purchase…

here they are after roughly removing all the printing frames. They still need some sanding. I must say I like them. The fellow on the garden chair looks a little stiff in this photo, but that’s just the photo. In reality he looks like a dog-tired fellow after some stressy sorties. The only minor complaint I‘d had is that no one actually opens his mouth in spite of being in a chat. 
however, I placed an order for the Japanese navy figures in 1:35 scale. They should team up nicely with the figures from Border models.
I also found out that Albion Alloys are preparing a set of resin pilots in 1:35 scale for Border‘s Kate. Looks quite promising:
https://www.keymodelworld.com/article/albion-alloys-135-b5n2-kate-rasin-aircrew
 

It’s here. WOW, what a beast! Largest box in my stash (way thicker than Revell’s boxing of the Bf-110)!
but it looks amazing

Hard to beat this: https://spruebrothers.com/has08078-1-32-hasegawa-kawasaki-ki61-ki61-i-hei-hien-tony/
 
Cheers,  Tom

Although the figures that are produced by Border Models are nice and fit the Akagi deck perfectly, they are by no means enough to populate the scene sufficiently. So I thought these might be of interest for someone here:
 
https://www.ebay.de/itm/355487706776?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=707-127634-2357-0&ssspo=meaiqelar7u&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=dG5f4QmrTeq&var=624641923316&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
 
Seller is in England, I have no connection to him nor did I see the final product. But I’ll give these 3D printed figures a try to accompany the Border Model ones.

Very nice looking cockpit!
 
Cheers,  Tom

More transparency work of late, this time huge steps have been taken with the canopy. 
 
The kit part was always suspect in my opinion - it just looked too big, windscreen shape was totally off and the sides too vertical:
 

Something like this would really bug me, so I was thinking about making my own by either doing a master and vacforming it or alternatively doing the framing, much like the bomb aimer’s section, and dropping in the clear pieces using acetate.

Then I had an idea… why not get in touch with one of the greatest model makers of our time, Peter at Airscale?
 
And low and behold…
 
 
 
 
 
And a comparison with the kit part:
 

Here we now have a beautifully printed cockpit framing that will sit on top of a new vac canopy. As the pictures show I originally cut the fuselage to fit the kit part so some work is going to be needed here to get the fit right, but I’m delighted with Peter’s handy work!
 
I’m currently working in finishing off the gear bays so the cockpit will have to wait for a while, but for once I can’t wait to get started on the cockpit and it’s interior - which is usually a job I hate!
 
More when there’s more…
Tom

They're good kits that get better with every release, but you do have to treat them with a bit more respect than an injection molded kit. You need to be careful removing the 3D printed parts from their runners, and I recommend washing and then priming all 3D printed and resin parts before starting. The old 'measure twice, cut once' rules apply.
 
Having said that, they're at the better quality end of the resin/3D printed model market and build up well. If you're looking for a relatively simple Lukgraph kit to get started with, either the 1/32 or 1/48 De Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly work well, or the recently released Hanriot HD.1.

I love this build!
 
Cheers,  Tom

I love this build!
 
Cheers,  Tom

John from Marsh Models has just sent me some renders for a 1/32 Bugatti 100P they plan to release later this year:
 

 

 

 
Kev

Haven't built a 48th bird in about 20 years,  just wanted an Expeditor and I know I'll never see one in my scale so took
  this down from the shelf that had been sitting for the last 3 years and dove in, reworked the whole thing to get it where
  We are. hope you like it.
   Bill.
 


    

Undercarriage flaps replaced with new sheet metal. Still a torpedo and it will be possible to start playing with the camouflage.
 

The arming of tinsel continues.
 

Go Andy go! Nice progress, and I’m taking notes.
 
Cheers,  Tom

Managed to get an undercoat on yesterday followed by a pre shade this evening
 

 

 
Went quite heavy on the underside around the usual areas of heavy grime. Under a coat of paint it's incredible what Kotare have done with the panels/ rivet detail etc. Looking forward to getting some colour on now.
 
Regards. Andy 

I agree with Andy Paul!
 
Cheers,  Tom

I agree with Andy Paul!
 
Cheers,  Tom

Thank you Max - that looks fantastic and I’ll give that technique a go. Much obliged!
 
Kind regards,
Paul