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Hello all of you fine people of LSP. May I share my new project with you please? Although I have already built one of the Airfix 1/24th scale MkIX Spitfires I felt this model was the ideal basis for a tribute to Squadron Leader Mark Long who perished whilst at the controls of his aircraft earlier in 2024. The aircraft was part of the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial flight and had been well known on the airshow circuit for many years. At the time of the fateful incident she was wearing the desert markings of No. 92 squadron (QJ-3) so that is how I will depict her. As a restored warbird this aircraft sports a number of elements not seen on period aircraft. I will mention the ones I spot as I go along. She will also be quite clean. The BBMF keep there aircraft in generally good condition with the exception of exhaust staining. Many reference photos online show plenty of exhaust staining for me to get my teeth into later. The model will be buttoned up. No open panels, canopy closed with possibly even a modern RBF tag on the pitot This means that I won't be spending alot of time or energy on things that won't be seen. Whereas I included the Airscale aftermarket set for the cockpit of my previous build I aim to largely use the kit parts this time around with only minimal extra detail added. Having said that, here are a couple of pics of the seat. I'm trying to give the impression of a contemporary parachute pack. I've also replaced the flare holder with a scratch built one. This is quite an obvious feature even through the canopy so I wanted to improve it's look and shape. I started out thinking of simply drilling out the kit part but the plastic sidewall is so thick it was easier to fabricate a fresh one. I also re-shaped the seat backrest a little because pics online seem slimmer in appearance. So, we've begun our journey. As ever, any and all comments are welcome. If anyone can share images of MK356 or knowledge that may help along the way, please feel free to include it here. There are a couple of superb large scale Spitfire builds going on elsewhere so you can rest assured I will be following those like a hawk for all of the tips and tricks I can glean. Cheers, Guy

Howdy, folks. I haven’t got around to starting my Brigade TR9 conversion yet, but was rummaging in the loft the other day and found this - the classic Airfix 1/24 Spitfire MkV. Being inspired by @Erwin’s lovely rendition of his MkI, I thought why not..? Box art: All the parts are present to build the MkI which is my plan - I have ordered some decals to replicate N3200, which was famously shot down (after claiming a Stuka) during the evacuation of Dunkirk and buried on the sands over time at Sangatte, near Calais. Pilot Sqn Ldr Geoffrey Stevenson spent the remainder of the war as a POW. The remnants of the airframe were recovered in 1986 and in early 2007 restoration began to airworthy condition - it still resides at Duxford to this day wearing its 19 Squadron codes and has been restored to look exactly as it did when lost on 26th May 1940. So… this will be built largely OOB just as Airfix intended, although I have bought some Airscale instrument bezels to enhance the IP, some Eduard belts and I’ll box in the wheel bays using plastic card. There was lots of flash present - not surprising given its vintage - and the cockpit parts were quickly assembled. The rear fuselage got a spray of aluminium, as per references: The main cockpit was then sprayed up, a few bits and bobs such as Milliput seat cushions (modern pilots don’t like getting sore bottoms!) added so the fuselage is now ready to be buttoned up: I’m going to replicate the model as the modern day warbird so have kept everything absolutely immaculate like the real thing. I’m keeping the cowling buttoned up as the engine area is rather basic and lacking in detail and I want to actually get the build completed within the time frame of the GB - I don’t want to lose momentum or interest… More when there’s more… Tom

Hello All, Those of you that have seen my other build of three 1/32 Avro Lancasters will now know that I am still alive, just taking a break.. I have been asked by someone very special to build a 1/24 Spitfire with the subject being The Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXe, ML407, Sq Ldr John 'Johnnie' Houlton This of course is now 'The Grace Spitfire' The base kit of course is the 1/24 Airfix Mk.IXc Kit. I make no apologies if I call ML407 a she; such a beautiful aircraft with such a wonderful history; Before I start the build thread I need to say that I am totally inspired by Wolf's 1/32 Spitfire build, something to aspire to. THE FUSELAGE HALVES I took the fuselage halves, stripped them down to the level I needed and filled in the ejector marks. The intention is to show both fuel tanks so VERY carefully, I took the armour plating off as well. The TR9 will be shown so I removed the radio hatch door too. First things first was to design my own photo etch; I really wanted to show the hollow frame nature of her; I also used the templates from the 1/24 Spitfire Cockpit Download from The Hawaiian Air Depot Site; https://www.hawaiianairdepot.com/ After fitting the etching, 1,764 Rivets were individually placed using Quinta Studio Rivets of various sizes; She is going to be powered and lit up too so I managed to hide the cables behind the side walls. I am going to feed the power cables through the ground power connection. It was then a spray with Semi Matt Varnish to seal the rivets, a base coat of dull aluminium, chipping fluid then Ammo RAF Interior Green; Hope you like what you see so far, onto the frames and bulkheads! Thanks for looking... Cheers Steve

It's a new year and a new project for me, but you could be excused for thinking that I'm just continuing on from last year if you remember my last build. Santa brought me a lovely Airfix Spitfire Mk.VIII. So it only seemed appropriate to make a start on it today. Santa was even generous enough to include a bunch of addons inside from Eduard for better exhausts and seatbelts, Barracuda for an improved control column, Art Scale Distribution masks and three sets from Airscale to improve the cockpit and undercarriage. Two of the Airscale sets relate to the cockpit and comprise a set to improve the cockpit in similar fashion to my Mk.IX build last year, as well as another set to correct the left side of the cockpit, updating it to correct Mk.VIII specification which Mr Airfix forgot to do. The Airscale set for the left of the cockpit comprises, from left to right, a new voltage regulator, Corrected electrical control box new on the Mk.VIII, and improved throttle quadrant, a reflector gunsight base and mount and lastly a new radio control box. So I started at step one with the pilot's seat which has etch embellishment from the Airscale set, and I've also added a piece from that set to the seat mounting frame. I've also added a bit of Green Stuff to the ribs on the back of the pilot's seat to try to "bulk up" the cushion a bit more. This may or may not work, but we'll see if it does work after paint. Since the kit supplied voltage regulator won't be used, I filled in the L shaped mount for that part with some stock plastic square rod and a little filler. Here's the seat built up. I've yet to add the armour plate behind it, and I may add the armour plate that goes under the seat base if that is appropriate. I'll probably make my own from sheet brass as I'll be using the Airscale etch piece for the head armour, so my own effort will match that. The plastic kit part looks bulky next to the etch head armour. I've prepped the floor ready for paint. Lastly, I've assembled the missing chunk of the rear fuselage that is appropriate to a Mk.VIII as well as start work on the changes to allow the fitment of the lower fuselage light for a Mk.VIII. Here's the left half with the jig in place to cut that hole for the light (at the bottom of the fuselage behind the wing cut out). The jig fits into the fuselage very precisely so you cam accurately place the light. Then all you have to do is hack/grind/file the hole to allow for the fitment of the light housing. Ingenious. Sorry to add to the seemingly never ending number of Spitfire builds here, lately. But I like them and I have a few more Spitfire projects at the top of my to do list for this year, as well as a Z-M Fw-190 build and a Macchi C.205 build and a couple others too if I can join any of this year's group builds. Can someone double the number of days in this year to 730 days, please? Cheers, Michael

Hello. I present my completed Airfix 1/24 FW190 F-2 for inspection. I started this kit back in October 2022 with great ambitions to super detail the engine and other areas. However a number of disasters (of my own making) occurred along the way which, together with an awareness of my limited skills, resulted in a change of plan and all panels being firmly glued in. I wouldn't be surprised if Airfix release this in the classic range during 2025 but there are a number of shortcomings with the kit (in my opinion) that are worthy of mention and which I have attempted to correct in this build: The tailwheel needs to be lowered to be more representative of the real thing. The riveting is massively overdone. There is a lack of detail (for a kit of this scale) to the cockpit, engine and undercarriage bay. A wing dihedral needs to be added. The forward rake of the undercarriage needs to be corrected. For aftermarket parts it was Airscale to the rescue - Cockpit Instruments, Seatbelts and Wheels. Other than that there isn't very much choice. I had to use the very old kit decals because I couldn't really find any suitable masks or decal sets to replace them. Apologies for the picture quality. I'm really not a photographer and don't have the equipment for it. Maybe at some point I will try to take better quality images. Thanks for looking.

Hello all of you shiny, happy people. I hope everyone is well. A little while ago Airfix released a large scale MkIX Spitfire in 1/24th scale. I was lucky enough to be at the launch event and was blown away by the look of the models on display. I resolved there and then to treat myself to one. I got the kit in December 2023 and began it shortly after unwrapping it on Christmas day. The kit is substantial and relatively easy to build although it gets a tad unwieldy due to it's size so care must be taken in the latter stages of the build. For a kit this size the detail is good. However, there are many aftermarket parts available that improve the look still more. I opted to enhance the cockpit by scratch building a few elements and treating myself to the beautiful Airscale cockpit upgrade. To my mind this is a must for this model. It takes patience to assemble but improves the face of the cockpit no end. The other bits of aftermarket that I'd recommend would be a set of wheels, an entry door and exhausts. There are a few wheel sets available. The ones I went for were by Eduard The detail is great and the wheels look the part but for some reason the subtle molded in flat spot doesn't sit flat on the ground when they are fitted so some judicious sanding is required. If you choose to use these be aware of this before glueing them in place. The door is by Buchon models and is a definite improvement over the somewhat chunky kit part. Lastly, one area where Airfix really dropped the ball is the exhaust stubs. What were they thinking? For a start these are molded in two parts but not where a seam line falls. If two parts are necessary why not make the join along an actual seam? Also, there is a huge hole in the underside of each stub that has to be filled. I can't help wondering if the designer was off the day these were created and the janitor had a go..... Fortunately Eduard come to the rescue with a beautiful 3D printed set. Another must for this build in my humble opinion. Airfix include a plethora of markings but for this build I turned to a combination of 1ManArmy masks and some custom masks kindly created for me by Mozart here on LSP. Many thanks Max I was hoping that painting the markings would give better results in this scale. All of the masks worked beautifully and the fidelity of the stencils needs to be seen to be believed. Add one more to the "must have" list for this build. The 1ManArmy set replicates the markings offered in the kit but my aircraft depicts an aircraft of 412 RCAF sqdn. This squadron was formed in 1941 at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire which is only a stone's throw from where I live. Thank you for your patience so far. Now after this pre-amble it's on to the RFI photos. Setting a couple of hiccups aside (I lost one of the Eduard exhaust stubs) I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. If I were to build another I'd definitely thin the aft lip of the ailerons. I'd also buy a set of turned brass cannons. Getting the two part plastic components round and filled was too much fuss. For a kit assembler like me this Airfix product is nigh on perfect. Plaudits to them for giving us a very good representation of one of the most popular marques of Spitfire. Thanks for your time. I hope you enjoyed this. If you'd like a more in depth article please have a look here for the WIP thread. Cheers, Guy

Still on a break from my stalled FW-190 project I figured this little kit would be a short fun build. How wrong was I?! Turns out that for my shaky hands and poor eyesight its a fiddly little bleeder that requires to be painted and decaled before assembly... and then, when assembly starts is a fragile kit that lacks suitable holding positions... i.e. you can't place it upside down on a box lid for example whilst you work on the underside. Still, gripes aside (I like to whinge in my senior years), I have honestly enjoyed building it and am pleased with the result... although I think Airfix should up the skill level from 2 ! Another problem area I had was my decals. Not sure if it was due to the age of them or something having been spilt on them by the previous owner but they would just not separate from the backing paper and required a lot of coaxing to remove them. Additionally, I was aware that their thinness would mean the white was translucent - so during the build I first sprayed the white areas and then masked them off before painting the yellow and silver. This seemed to do the trick - although I'm sure more competent builders would probably do away with the decals and just use masks instead. Adaptions from the box kit were: - Replacement rocket tubes from Evergreen styrene tube and rod - Replacement AA missiles from Evergreen styrene rod and sheet - Replacement machine guns made from brass tube - Seat belt made from masking tape and wire - Fuel and brake lines from fishing line - Spark plugs by AnyZ - Spark plug cable and control cables from varying gauge wire Anyway, here it is:

Hello. When my 1/24 scale FW190 build hit a snag (should be recoverable), I didn't want to stop building - so I embarked on the classic Airfix 1/24 Scale Hawker Hurricane. One of my all time favourite aircraft. I originally built this kit as an over excited prepubescent kid during the 1970's and of course, as delighted as I was with it, it obviously looked like it had been built by an over excited prepubescent kid - with little glue control, his sisters nail sanders and over sized paint brushes. This time I hoped to do it more justice. The subject of my build is P3803 of 501 Squadron. This aircraft was lost off the coast near Ramsgate on 12th August 1940 with F/O Kazimierz Lukaszewicz (Polish) at the controls. Sadly neither he nor his aircraft were ever found. The build is mostly out of the box - except for the Yahu Instrument Panel, Barracuda Studios Resin tyres, and RB Productions Sutton Harness. The decals were to my own design and printed by https://www.custom-model-decals.com/. All paints and varnishes are Vallejo. One modification I did make was to the (in my opinion) over-sized nose. After looking at different options I eventually stuffed it with milliput and then sanded it down to reduce the base diameter by a small margin. As you can tell... I'm not a photographer! I am pleased with how it has turned out. As with all models there are a few places I think could do with more work - but in reality I think I'm going to call this one done. Maybe time to get back to the FW190 . Thanks for looking.

Greetings all - and all the best for coming year. Airfix 1/24th Hellcat II NF (F6F-5N), KD127, 892 NAS, Drem, Scotland, mid-1945. Here's my first completion of 2024 which nearly made 2023 but the cold, wet weather was against me for the final varnish coat! The Airfix 1/24th Hellcat is well known and documented so I'll save the background information but suffice to say it's one of the most enjoyable builds I've ever done - it's an absolute beauty of a kit and I loved building it. Whist there are some nice marking options in the box, I decided to go off-piste a little and do something different, hence buying the excellent Aerocraft set (reviewed here) to make this into a Royal Navy night-fighter variant: The level of detail is sublime out of the box, and it went together beautifully with virtually no fit issues whatsoever. What I will say though, is tolerances are very tight indeed and the parts benefit from having their mating surfaces sanded slightly to cater for the thickness of the paint. The gun bays, for example, have a lot of the wing structure to add and thus very careful test-fitting was required to get that satisfying 'click' as it all goes together. The engine is a small model in itself - it took a total of three weeks to get it together and painted. Airfix give you a very detailed construction guide and this enables the builder to add the mass of wiring associated with the ignition harness - I used some aftermarket braided wiring and the effort was well worth it. The surface detailing is some of the best I've ever seen and gives a wonderful 3D effect - when you catch the right light it looks so realistic: Considering this was built OOB with the only additions being the seatbelts (I felt the kit examples were a little over-scaled), the ignition wiring and conversion set, it's exceptional value and quite a presence on the modelling desk. Paints were all Xtracolor enamels and I kept weathering effects to virtually none - these were, in reality, high gloss Dark Sea Blue and pretty clean. The stressed skin effect does most of the work for you to be fair, and other than some light exhaust staining I kept this in line with period photos of late-war Royal Navy Hellcats. To anyone considering building this, a few observations of the build process which may come in useful: As mentioned above, tolerances are very tight - gentle sanding of gluing surfaces and test-fits are a must and it will be very easy for things to become misaligned, especially in the gun bays; If you can, build the engine and main airframe as separate parts and bring them together after painting. I installed the engine as a completed unit prior to the main airframe being painted and this resulted in some very complex masking around the exhausts! The main canopy was quite a bit wider/flared at the base than the runners it is supposed to sit on. I had to coat the inside of the canopy with some Future (to avoid 'fogging') and then attach it with CA glue; The wing tip light lenses are slightly too large for the apertures they sit in - in hindsight I should have test-fitted these earlier in the build and not after painting! Be really careful when following the instructions as to whether you are doing wings folded or extended - the build sequence is very different between the two! Anyway, that's enough waffle from me! All the best, Tom

Evening folks, With the summer holidays here, there's been some welcome additional modelling time and this was finished off over the weekend. I was given this by my dad who had in turn been given it by an old family friend - I think it is an original issue, and if not it's a very early issue of this classic kit from Airfix: I just wanted to build this more or less as it comes and enjoy it. However, I couldn't let the gaping hollow wheel bays pass so made some simple mods by adding plastic card sidewalls and some Evergreen stiffeners to at least make them sort of passable: Other than that, I used some Eduard belts for the pilot's seat, Barracuda wheels as the kit's had dried out and cracked when I tried to apply them to the hubs, and some aftermarket decals from Techmod to represent Von Werra's machine who crash-landed not far from me in Marden, Kent - and became 'the one that got away'. Although old and basic by modern standards, this kit is a joy and went together pretty well. Surface detail is sublime and the super-detailer could really have a field day if they were so inclined. I really enjoyed it as nostalgic build from days gone by and that's what it's all about! Evolution: here is the 109E alongside the G-model: like the Spitfire the basic airframe had huge potential to evolve and did so as the war progressed: Paints were all Xtracolor enamels with some weathering using Mig-Ammo pastels. A really enjoyable build - don't overlook these oldies as they scrub up really well! All the best, Tom

Right then, let's get stuck into this little beastie (anything's little after 6 months on the Lancaster First up.. an admission of defeat. I'm not going to be able to build it as a true representation of MK356 of BBMF simply because she's an E- wing and the MKIXc is, well,a C wing. There's no difference in shape at all, the big difference is that on the E wing the outer gun bays were moved inboard of the cannon to give a more stable firing platform. While the empty outboard bays were left alone, there's no one doing the new gun bay covers for the in board gun bays so, I'll build it as a C wing but mark it up MK356 in J Plagis colours. So with that admission of failure out of the way, I mentioned earlier I took some parts off of the sprues. The fits aren't great but the detail is really good. An example here: All that has to be carved away to get a good fit. The magneto heads are nice but the shafts and the crappy palstic spark plug connectors are awful. They'll all be coming off and metal bar used for the fitting and silver 0.6 mm braided lead for the spark plug leads fitting into miniature spark plugs from Hiroboy. By far the biggest problem though is with the cylinder blocks. When you fit them flush to the crankcase ( as of course they should be) then the parts that make up the top spark plug assembly should fit neatly into the V groove created by the cylinder blocks as the instructions show: The problem is that the V is too wide leaving either a gap either side or a huge gap at one side or the other The only cures, unless I've got a dodgy kit or my skills have deserted me, is to narrow the angle formed by the cylinder blocks and fill the resultant gap at the bottom or fill the gap at the top which I did with thin card and liquid putty. That done, the rest of the engine is a doddle to put together. Be careful how far you build it so you can not only get in and paint it evenly but get in to dot the hundreds of silver bolt heads. So, for me, I built the crankcase, added the cylinders and upper spark plug assembly and the front part of the supercharger but I didn't glue on the reduction gear as in step 150, I just dry fitted it then stopped. Separately, I built the intercooler and the supercharger front part then sprayed all these separately. Colour wise you can go with black or grey, Merlins came in both flavours. That done, I picked out all the bolt heads in silver then, I fixed the intercooler to the main engine block and the reduction gear onto the front of the engine, NOT forgetting the prop shaft before you glue it into place (I didn't honest!) As you can see, I also add chipping at this stage. The "ROLLS ROYCE" logos are far too shallow to fill nicely in red or white but many weren't anyway. I've rubbed and faded the edges then dry brushed in silver to give a bit of pop. Looking a bit deeper at references it's clear Airfix haven't added any of the detail of control rods and pipework at the rear of the engine where it sits next to the firewall or a lot of the pipework for the supercharger and intercooler assembly. That will have to be added if I think the detail level of the base engine merits it after a good weather. Otherwise I'll build covers on, which I hate to do but if the detail isn't good enough I won't show it. Finally a good two coats of Aqua gloss to get it ready for weathering when it's all joined together. That's it on the engine for now. I'm all over sections at the minute so had a look at the wings as well. The fit doesn't look bad but there are ejector pin marks all along where open flaps will sit Also there are three to fill if you intend having open gun bays: Lastly, when you take the lower wings off of the sprues for heaven's sake mark where the tabs to remove are before you do it. There are two little nubbins, one on each wing that look for all the world like tabs you've just snipped. It was only a serendipitous yell of "want a cuppa?" from the wife that refocused my attention and saved a disaster. I knew I married her for some reason or other. Thanks for looking. More engine next and awaiting the Airscale IP with bated breath

Evening all, I put the finishing touches to this earlier this week: the new-tool 1/72nd Airfix B-17G converted to a US Navy PB-1W airborne early warning aircraft. I used the old 299Models conversion which gives you the big radome in short-run injection plastic, as well as blanking plates for the top, chin and ball turrets. The conversion was actually designed and produced long before the excellent new-tool Airfix Fort was released and is meant for the Hasegawa kit. However, with some gentle persuasion, it fits the Airfix kit well. The PB-1Ws were late build B-17Gs taken from desert storage post WW2 by the US Navy and stripped of their bombing equipment. Some retained their tail guns but these were soon removed, and quite crude blanking plates were added to the openings for the top, chin and ball turrets. The main distinguishing feature of the PB-1W was the large AN/APS-20 search radar added to the bomb bay and huge dome slung beneath. In all 32 B-17Gs were converted to PB-1Ws and they remained in service until the mid-1950s when they were superseded by Constellations. The model was airbrushed with Xtracolor’s Sea Blue gloss and decals came from the spares box. I toned it down with a coat of Humbrol Satin (the real things were actually high gloss) and added some oil and exhaust with pastels. All in all a very simple conversion (if you can find one!) and it’s nice to add this unusual Fortress to my collection. All the best, Tom

Dear fellow modellers, I’m giving it to you straight: I’m building this kit by sheer gluttony because until recently I never had the slightest interest in Spitfires and I always considered 1/24 as the scale for the blurry-eyed and the ham-fisted. Until before last Christmas, I stumbled on a presentation video on YouTube of the new Airfix 1/24 Spitfire. I was so impressed that I asked myself …what if I simply regress and go back to the simpler joys of sticking plastic and dabbling paint without the fussiness of modern modelling? So here we are: a out-of-the-box (well almost ) build of the Airfix überkit. No babble needed, just lurid images for your eyes only. With Eduard PE harness Above: before shading. Below: after shading Questions and comments are welcome. Thank you all for watching, Cheers, Quang

Happy to announce an accurately shaped and detailed 1/24 scale P-51D Mustang upper cowling is now available for your Airfix kits. This model replaces the Airfix's kit's inaccurately shaped upper cowling parts. The cowling is 3D-printed in gray resin. It was designed from original North American Aviation blueprints ensuring an accurate shape and detailing.

We take a look at a really useful set from Peter Castle at Airscale for the new Airfix 1:24 Supermarine Spitfire... Blue skies! Iain

1/48 Airfix Hawker Hurricane Mk I representing P2638 of No. 274 Sqn RAF, flown by Sgt Pilot FH Dean, based at Sidi Barrani, Eqypt, July 1942. Aircraft had previously been PR Mk I P2638 of 208 Sqn, LG 39 / Burgh el Arab, Egypt, early July 1942. A short time latter P2638 was passed to 274 Sqn to serve as a fighter for a second time and was almost immediately lost, being shot down by three bf 109 F’s on the 27th July 1942. I really enjoyed this kit from beginning to end. the plastic was not too hard for me to use the rivet tool with bad hands and the clear plastic parts and the decals are some of the nicest I have ever used but there are a few things needed to be able to represent the photo of this aircraft a little better. You will note that the photo shows that P2638 has an early style radio mast, a rear view mirror, tropical cooling vents at the side of the lower cockpit (both sides) and an oil collector ring around the nose - none of which are represented in the Airfix kit. The mast was just changed as best as possible but does not look right. The oil collector ring is just fuse wire cut and bent to shape and the rear view mirror was from Quickboost. I also used Eduard Spitfire Mk Vb spares - deHalliand prop which was much thinner than what Airfix have provided as well as the Eduard early Spitfire exhausts. Also used was the Eduard canopy mask and Sutton Harness sets. The beautiful Airfix canopy was treated to some handles from the spares box. Finally I had ordered the Brengun wheel set as I have seen thinner tractor wheels compared to what Airfix provide for the tail wheel but alas when the set came along with the Quickboost rear view mirror - the packet contained something completely different to what the label advertised and so I just wanted to finish the model. A lovely little kit well deserving of a little extra love here and there. I wish I had taken the time to remove the overly raised fasteners as well as add a slight curve to the cockpit panels where they meet the wing - next time! Thanks for looking, John

Afternoon all, Here's the latest model to take off from my bench - the new-tool Airfix 1/72nd Avro Vulcan BMk2. After grafting on some very long-term projects of late I decided I needed something relatively straightforward for a system reset and mojo reboot and this proved to be just the project. I found it an absolute delight to build - actual construction only took four evenings and the whole model was completed in just under two weeks. In fact, it's the first model I can remember in absolutely ages that I didn't put down for a few weeks and return to it later as I'd lost interest - I just wanted to keep going! As with most of Airfix new-tool kits, tolerances are very tight indeed and therefore I gave each surface to be glued a quick swipe with a sanding pad and this meant an almost perfect fit for all components. I was really impressed with how the intakes went together, and with a quick swipe of Milliput White they look seamless with the minimum of effort. I wanted to do a later version than is currently supplied in the box so bought an Xtradecal sheet to make a 101 Squadron machine based at RAF Waddington in the mid 1970s. Two type of jet pipes are provided in the kit, and I had no idea which were fitted to this aircraft so went with the same as the one currently preserved at Duxford as they seemed of the same vintage. The kit's bomb bay is beautifully rendered and with some careful painting comes up beautifully out of the box. If you build this kit, don't waste your time detailing the interior of the cockpit as next to nothing can be seen - I just did the absolute basics. Xtracolor enamels were used throughout and I gave it a satin varnish as these machines seemed very well maintained in service and other than a few streaks and stains here and there, I kept her reasonably clean as period photos suggest. I recommend this kit to anyone looking for a large and impressive model in their display cabinet but not requiring a huge amount of effort - it's a pleasure! Tom

New Year, new model. The beloved bought me the Airfix 1:24 Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat for Christmas and I started it on Boxing Day. Engine just completed and I've saved all the photos up so here they are all in one build post. The P&W 2800 double wasp 10W is a little model all in itself and I think I spent more time researching this than most other models in their entirety. So to business. I'm sure most know that the crankcase of the engine is far to large in diameter to allow the various push rod rings and cylinder blocks to pass over it so lots of flexi file work needed as almost 1mm needs to come off across the diameter. I baulked at paying £9 for a resin one cast from a reduced master, after all this is what modelling's all about. While Airfix seem to have reduced the ejector pin marks, they've made up for it in seam lines so quite a bit of scraping and sanding needed. Once that's done, the cylinders need painting. The bottom halves I did in steel and the top halves in aluminium. I've used Vallejo Metal Colors as I think they're excellent. Quick drying, no mess and no smell and lovely coverage. The push rods were painted gloss black with aluminium ends. The crankcase colour was a first attempt at a mix but it had far too much blue in it. I read it should be Grumman grey but since the engine is made by Pratt & Whitney, not Grumman, I couldn't see that being the case and went for the engine grey specified. I finally settled on a mix of 4:3:1 of Mr Color Aqueous RLM 75 Dark Grey: Tamiya Flat White: Tamiya Blue. It seemed to be not too far away from some of the reference material. You can also see on this photo that I've removed the basic plastic links provided on the parts and replaced them, as they were originally, with rubber hose. The jubilee clips are thin strips of tinfoil. The oil flange is flat black suitably chipped and oil stained. Once everything fits onto the crankcase properly, it's time for the ignition wiring. I used 0.6mm braided cord from Hiroboy along with 1:24 sparkplugs in metal. I was a bit mean to spend a small fortune on scale nuts for the ends of the sparkplugs so I used 1mm evergreen hexagonal rod, drilled and painted silver then sliced into thin slivers and slipped over the end of the sparkplug before the ignition wire was attached. The intake pipes are gunmetal then brushed with copper and duraluminium till I was happy with the effect. The exhaust pipes go on very easily as long as you mark them up when they come off the sprues, otherwise it's a happy half hour mixing and matching. (me? never ) Paintwise, I followed a plan of painting them Tamiya red/brown then airbrushing with a very dilute solution of black/red brown as well as metallics and a light grey around the pipe ends. The heavy wear and chipping on the supercharger intakes is seen on many reference photos and was achieved by spraying first with a coat of duraluminium followed by chipping solution then a top coat of zinc chromate green. It's then a simple task to remove the green layer to the desired effect. Oil effects (which don't show too well on the photos) are sprayed on as a mix of black/redbrown mixed with Alclad Aqua Gloss varnish and diluted with IPA. The oil tank cap is yellow and my eyes were given a great workout by deciding to put the "US 19 Gal" writing on there in individual wet decals Some pics of the engine ready to mount are below, I'll be needing to add a fair bit of non supplied pipework when the time comes but next it's onward and upward to the cockpit. Thanks for looking.

I went to Duxford recently to see the now-finished "Evolution of the Spitfire" exhibition, stroll up to the American hangar, and generally soak up the atmosphere. I finished in the gift shop, and as one does I left with some plastic, an Airfix Spitfire Ia in 1/72. It was a bit of a challenge as I don't think I've built a 1/72 Spitfire since about 1995, but I thought I'd do it completely out of the box with no additions and the kit marking for an aircraft of 92 Sqn in May 1940, just before the Battle of Britain. And 10 hours or so of modelling time spread over three weeks later, here it is, and it made a nice little "palate-cleanser" before I tackle a couple of large-scale Spits and maybe even get back to the Mustang. And finally, I had forgotten just how tiny a 1/72 Spit is, but here it is compared to a Revell IIa fuselage half. Thanks for looking.

Hi All - thought I’d resurrect these two from my BOD (Box Of Doom) I don’t have a Shelf. A quick - where I am - These two where separate presents on my 50th - a couple of years ago now They laid around in my stash for quite some time. Then chatting with my Sister one day we where reminiscing of when these where a brand new item on the shelves in the 70’s. I had been plaguing my Dad for months about it. So came around Christmas and there under the tree was a huge box. Baring in mind that we didn’t have lots of spare cash in them days and it wasn't a cheep kit! This was a massive thing for my parents to do for me. The other thing I remember about it was that because of the size and complexity of it - I was only 7 - my dad roped my big Sis into helping me. So we spent weeks both having fun putting it together and it still lives in my parents house to this day! The box shot Anyway enough of that. The upshot being I have these two kits so lets get um going - this is some two years ago. Did the usual tinternet searches found some amazing builds that gave me some pointers/insperation and started. But have to say not many seem to get made! The first task - ohhh and boy is it a task - fill the bullet hole sized rivet detail and the wired texture there is all over the main Fus, Wings etc. I’m sure it was there but don’t remember it being there on from my boyhood experience. Then didn’t pay much attention those days. Sure I was like everyone else it was buy, stick, paint, stickers and hang it on the ceiling by tea time. The first one (RAF) tried to use the car filler paint - it was ok just the paint spray and time! The other (US) one took a different approach with using some waterd down milliput. A bit like making a slip from clay, painted that over with a big old brush. This method worked a lot better and quicker for me. This is an horrible task - trust me - So do a bit then do something else then a bit more. still loads of sink makes and bits to fill - but it is an old mould So in-between the constant rubbing back. I started the look at the next big thing, the air intakes. These are very prominent on the harrier and hard to miss. This is where the moulds are really showing their age as the detail on the intake doors is very soft now. I was always going to attempt to do something here - kind of a make or break on them both - so out with pencils tape and measure implements started the slice and dice. Firstly there is know way I was going to make this 100% accurate. Way beyond my skills. I was more after an improvement and more representative of the real thing. With a tape template draw in and marked the doors then chop out. Hindsight and all that and a recommendation. Just cut the whole back off. Then the doors rather than hollowing them out like I did. Just cut them - lot faster, lot easier to cut, could actually hinge if you wanted too and easier to do the final repair as this will all have to be blended into the fuselage. Chopped and blending in the splines and walls. This has a more curved shape in the real thing just working and improving what is in the kit Doors cut out and slight curve apply to the front edge Little brass tool made for the little nicks on each door All the doors in - I bagged these all up when I finally ran out of steam 2 years ago so hopefully there is still a full set for each Then Gun pods - Started with a purchase from a few years ago at Telford - now to cut some lengths of Brass tubes Once again this is more of a detail enhancement of the kit parts than a 100% accurate. Cut and opened up the pod ready to drill out and apply the gun cover. Then the ejection chute was opened up and reshaped. all looks a bit to square on the kit piece. there is some kind of slightly covered hole on the side which isn’t depicted so that got cut out and filled. Next there are some backward facing vents on the bottom. I made a template for these and formed some thin aluminium foil over it to make them. couple of holes and panels added and that was that. My tester done The gun cone needs to be blended in as there is no seam line as the kit depicts. Just needed to rinse and repeat three more times A spray of aluminium paint from a rattle can to show any defects that need correcting - more sanding! Final line up So this is as far as I got before I lost the will to sand anymore so hopefully my next update will be some new stuff! Any help or pointer welcome. Especially on the US one as my knowledge is very sketch for them. till next time. Happy modelling and stay safe!!! Taff

Some of you will know that I'm building an Echelon Vacform Lightning F6 in the Cold War GB and that I'm also a "fan" of 56 Squadron and its aircraft. Known as the Firebirds, the Pheonix rising from the flames, their red and white chequerboard insignia is very attractive. After the Black Arrows, flying Hunters, had finished their stint as the RAF display team, it fell to 56 Squadron's Lightnings to take over the mantle, this in the days of the Lightning F1 and 1As. Sadly by the time the squadron were flying the F6s the aircraft livery was a little more conservative, but I was keen to build a Lightning showing one of the display team colours. Airfix do a 1/48th scale Lightning in these colours so (Lothar to the rescue once again!) this is it! Whilst I'm enjoying the vac form build enormously, it is a bit trying on the patience with re-scribing right now, so I'm spending some therapeutic time today on what I intend to be an OOB straightforward build! Comparison of sizes, 1/32 v 1/48!

I've just added the final touches to Airfix's classic 1/24th scale Stuka. This was actually the Heller boxing but the plastic is the same - @Erwingave me a great deal in this last year and I couldn't resist A great kit to build, and despite its age it's crammed full of detail, has some lovely surface detail and goes together really well. What you see here is as it comes in the box, with the only additions being some Eduard belts and a bit of extra plumbing in and around the engine. All paints were Xtracolour enamels. Ju-87 B-2 'Stuka' - 3/St.G2 - Northern France, August 1940 Picture 1 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 3 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 4 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 7 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 6 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 8 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 5 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 2 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 9 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Happy modelling, folks! Tom

Here are some photos of my Airfix Bf 109E-3 in Franz von Werra's markings.

Hi all. Here's my latest project completed. It's a commission build for a black, early Mosquito NFII night fighter from Airfix's excellent 1:24 kit. The all black finish and the night fighter variant, plus the fact its new owner wanted it in "flying" mode means there's not masses to see but it provided a good challenge in the painting, trying to make it look not black while trying to make it look....well, black! The cockpit gave plenty of scope for detailing and fine paintwork but was actually very well detailed OOB. Painting used the "black basing" principle of Doog,s Models, adapted for an all black plane. Link to the build is here: . As ever all comments gratefully received and thanks for taking the time to look.