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As my H2K 109E build has ground to a halt due to a still missing cowling, I'm going to put it aside for the moment (not yet ready to mention shelves of doom yet) and start another. I said I'd support this GB when it started and if I don't start now, it will be too late to finish in time. So here goes with a kit that has been a long term stash resident, which will be finished as a MkIIc nightfighter. I'll be adding these to the build. I've built the Hurricane MkI version of this kit seven years ago, which was the second model I put up on this forum. I said at the time that I wasn't hugely impressed with the model as it has some silly errors, and this is why the kit has remained in the stash all these years. I still think the Airfix MkI is better, and one of these has been swinging from my ceiling for a long, long time. I think this is about 30 years old. So now it will come down from there and in all likelyhood, it's place will be taken by the Trumpy MkI. I have thoughts of trying to fit the engine from this to the MkIIc I'm about to start, so to that end I've been doing some comparisons between the two. I will have to use the Trumpeter kit engine mount and bulkhead as the Trumpy kit is wider by about 3mm. I'll also have to use the Trumpy prop as the spinner is smaller in diameter by about the same amount. Then there's the question of how much of the cowlings I can cut away as mounting points are cast into the back of each rear engine side cowl. This is the look I want. ..... In more appropriate colours, of course. The exhaust positioning in relation to the Trumpy kit's exhaust opening is crucial, as is the prop shaft being dead centre of the very front opening in the fuselage. The Trumpy engine mounts are slightly longer which is correct as MkII Hurricanes were slightly linger in the nose than MkI's. However, they're not correctly shaped as the lower brace on each side mounts further out on the wing spar. So I've built up the Trumpy engine block and engine mounts just to get a start as to where the Airfix engine mill mount. I know the engine height is correct from experimentation with an even older Airfix Merlin. It's now a question of correct fore/aft placement. So my next step is to wreck the Airfix Hurri and see if it mounts as I hope. If not, then this idea will be abandoned and I'll go with the crude stock engine and engine mount, and simply close up the cowlings. Other parts from the Airfix Hurricane will be used in the build anyway, and spare parts are always useful. One other thing I did on the 2015 build was to fabricate some of the rear fuselage structure. This gives you the idea. So I've also fabricated the sides of the Warren trusses that formed the basic fuselage structure. I won't be going all the way to the tail as that part can't be seen. This pic is about life size, so you get the idea. Cheers, Michael

Well, after a short break from modelling and as earlier threatened/promised (cross out whichever does not apply) elsewhere, I'll join in this GB with something to keep these Mustangs and Thunderbolts busy. Now I know the box says G-2, but I'm building this as a G-4 which was operational in 1943. The decals I want to use are on their way to me as I write this, so no pics just yet. I've had the kit in my stash for perhaps fifteen years, buying it at a time when we didn't know as much about Trumpy kits as we do today. I'm using the Royal "we" here, BTW. To help things along a bit, I'll be adding these bits: and As I mentioned earlier, I took a short break from modelling for a trip to the south west of this massive state to take in views like this. and while having to sample things like this: It's a hard life, but someone's got to do it, though it's a pity the clouds rolled in on that day. Still, it was warm and no rain at least. Then when I got back last week, I took a look at my modelling desk. It's 2 metres long by 850mm deep and so cluttered that I can maybe use a third of it. Not good when you're building stuff like Z-M's Dornier 335. So I looked around my stocks of scrap timber ( as you can see, I rarely throw anything out ) and have managed to about double my usable space after building a set of sheves to go in the corner. Even the paint was from my stocks, hence the non matching colour . It's also helped me get my paints better organised as I now know what I actually need to stock up on, which is none of the paints that I have five of . So these are now organised by nation, plus the stock whites, reds, silvers etc in another container. The desk is not yet perfect, more a work in progress. I'm probably not alone in that. Now to get on with some gluing of plastic. More soon. Cheers, Michael

The well-known trumpeter kit with the following after market accessories Cockpit by red fox Static dischargers by Master Decal stencls by Begemot Wheels by Armory Pitot tube by Master Mask by Montex Enjections seat by Quick Boost Antenas by Quick Boost Detail set by Aires Nose cone by Zacto models Colours by AKAN

This is the second Skyraider from Trumpeter I've knocked out - the first being a Navy 'Nam Spad from circa 1964. HVAR Rockets are Eduard Brasin. The prop is the new prop from Barracuda which I have to say is excellent - apart from getting stung by Customs on import duty.... Decals are from Cap as the Trumpeter ones are very poor quality. Everything else is out of the box. Paints are the new MRP line which are stunning. Pilot is PJ Productions and the quality was pretty good. Not a great deal of colour piccies around of the Korean War spads but enough black and white to get a feel for the extent of the emulsification. Spads shed a lot of oil when flying, emptying most of the oil tank. It's carrying 3 x 2000 lbs bombs withe the HVAR. A heavy load but not uncommon. Anyway - here it is. My next effort is completing a 1/35th Wokka (Chinook). I started it in 2015 and put it on the shelf as the sand filters were doing my head in as I couldn't get them right. A huge amount of work went into the interior and it would be a shame not to complete it. Its circa 2006 around the time of the Kajaki Dam incident where 3 Para very sadly lost a Tom and has a further seven Toms seriously injured. Anyway. Back to the Spad. Hope you like it. Its my favourite piston engined plane and a truly awesome ordnance platform.

Anyone who has followed my last build of the Trumpeter P-47D Razorback may be a little surprised that my next project will be another Trumpeter kit. Now, you may be questioning my sanity but hey, I build models, so that question has already been answered. However, there is method in my madness. I like P-40's and so when this kit was released, it was a must have so I bought it very soon after. Then I started to read about the shallow cockpit so I left it in my stash, but bought the CMK resin cockpit and some Eduard photoetch and had every intention of building it, but work got in the way. I hadn't built a model since 2001 as work got busier and busier, when had I completed the old Revell kit which also benefitted from some Eduard additions and A/M decals. It's all brush painted, as I didn't have an airbrush at that time. As you can see from the cracked decals, it's getting on a bit. But the new Trumpy kit went into the stash where it has languished ever since, despite my completing a Hasegawa P-40M in 2013, the idea being that I'd have a shelf of P-40's. This kit was my first attempt at airbrushing and I was reasonably pleased with it, despite my mess around the undercarriage fairing. I did it all freehand and only masked the canopy. But still the Tomahawk remained in the stash until I completed my last build, until now. So without any more waffle, here is the project. As you can see, I intend using the CMK cockpit kit, which may be enhanced with the Eduard interior set, together with the Eduard exterior kit. I also have some AVG markings coming from Hannants. I've not made much progress so far, having spent most of my time in the last week researching colours, which is something I should have done before I started the P-47. The best references I've found so far are these: https://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/01/stuff_eng_interior_colours_us.htm https://www.flickr.com/photos/35963591@N00/sets/72157622864527612/ https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/24956-what-color-for-flying-tigers-p-40/ So here's what I have done, which has taken about six hours or so. For the moment, I'm concentrating on the engine, but I've been considering how the cockpit will be built too, as I'm a little disappointed with the only slightly deeper CMK kit, given that the cockpit floor was the wingtop centre section. I'm still not sure if I'll use it in it's entirety together with some Eduard enhancement or kitbash the stock cockpit, CMK resin kit and Eduard etch to see what comes out. I suspect this is not going to be a quick build, so please bear with me. Cheers, Michael

This is a model I started back in 2016, but which started to drive me nuts, so it went to reside on my shelf of doom, together with a Trumpy P-51B. The model represents a P-47D-10RE Rozzie Deth/Boche Buster flown by Lt. Fred Christensen of 62nd Fighter Squadron of the 56th Fighter Group of the USAAF Eighth Air Force based at Halesworth in March 1944. Christensen scored 10.5 of his eventual 21.5 kills on this aircraft. As this is a D-10, it is not fitted with underwing pylons which didn't come into play until the D-15 with it's strengthened wing spar, and it also fitted with the 12ft 2in Curtiss Electric prop. The kit offers other propellers as well, but these were not fitted on this plane. Propeller development on the P-47 started with the D-22 Razorback which was fitted with a more powerful P&W R-2800 and a 13ft prop of either Curtiss Electric of Hamilton Standard manufacture, and each had different blade profiles. Interestingly, the plane has USAAF cockades under both wings, and the non standard one is much larger than normal. This seems to be common practice with 56th FG machines. The model was built with Barracuda wheels and Eduard photo etch was added to the engine, cockpit and exterior. Spark plug wires were also added made up from 0.3mm copper wire, and the canopy was made to slide, mostly so it doesn't fall off when I pick it up then stand on it. I also added extra details to the area behind the engine, as well as cutting the fuselage panels away to show this and the supercharger ducting at the rear. This was a sometimes frustrating build, but one I'm glad to have completed in the end. I've since found out that there are a number of errors in it, but I'm not about to build another unless I find a much better kit than this. Some of these errors are in the shape and others are mine, such as the engine bulkhead above, which should be natural metal. A full description of the build and more pictures can be found in the Works in Progress forum, the link to which is below. https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/85113-p-47-d-thunderbolt-by-trumpeter/ Cheers, Michael

Hello all, I hope you all have been surviving lockdown by modelling-on.....I have. I set about Trumpeters P-47D bubble top version and I was pretty pleased with the kit, I have but the Razorback version and that game me a lot of issues, so this was a surprise and a pleasure. I attempted for the first time a natural metal finish (NMF), so I tried using extreme metal paint by AK and I found them very fragile and had to have a change of plan. I opted for the Mr metal colour paints by Gunze and these were fantastic and very durable when applied. I added a few aftermarket pieces, these were the resin wheels by Brassin and the gun barrels set from Master (32115) and I get rid of the metal seatbelts and made my own from masking tape as I can never get the photo etch belts to 'sit' right. Anyway, here she is...…..I give you Miss Fire which was piloted by Piot-Frederick Christensen in England 1944 All comments welcome :-)

Here is my first contribution to this GB: 1/32 Trumpeter A-10A converted to a A-10C. The chosen scheme is Indiana ANG Black Snakes. I bought this kit cheap as it had been started by someone else. The guy had glued the front fuselage together and that was it. I ended up sawing the front fuselage to eliminate the kit's cockpit and insert the Aires resin cockpit updated with Harold's A-10C miniset which I highly recommend. I don't think I have done it justice, but I am a modeler of moderate skills. I underestimated the amount of work this kit represents as the fit is really not great. Anyway I hope to restart it with your help and finish it because this is an airframe I really like. I see that Mr. Fisher may come up with a corrected front fuselage and it will prompt me to do another one, but changing the front profile as Chuck did on his is really beyond my skills. Here are the box shot and what currently lies within the box, kinda depressing but I will get it done. Cheers, David