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Hi all this is my latest build and for once it is for me, just over 2 weeks work This is the 1/48 Hobby Boss YF-23, the only extras for it are the Caracal Decals, these are essential as the kit ones are total nonsense and an Aires resin Ejection Seat. The kit itself went together perfectly, really quite impressed, the join between the two halves of the fuselage was perfect, just the smallest application of liquid filler and that was it. For a 1/48 kit she is huge, not 100% sure of Hobby Boss scaling here but I like big. (430mm/17†long) The cockpit is nicely done and is a good likeness for the original and with the Aires seat turned out quite nicely. It is a shame they did not make more of an effort in the engine area as this is a bit sparse and the ceramic tiles around the exhaust could have been a bit more detailed. None of these are really big issues, I suppose the biggest flaw is the canopy. The real aircraft has a two stage mechanism for raising the canopy, this gives the pilot and crew greater and easier access. The whole of this area is missing in the kit which means you have to build with the canopy down, I did ponder some scratch building but there just is not enough accurate imagery to do it properly. Allot of it would have ended up as guesswork and there is no point in doing that. More to come. Danny

This was just meant to be a quick stash reduction job before restarting the Blackbird commission and the last 3 airframes. I will kick that off again on the 1st of July, up until then I will see how much more of this I can get done. Swift Protar 1/9 Ducati 748SP Revell 1/9 Ducati 916SP x2 kits Revell 1/9 Ducati 996 Superbike All 3 bikes are based around the origonal Ducati 916SP, there are various versions of this bike but I will specifically cover the 748, 916 and 996 World Superbike version. All these bikes are basically the same, they just vary in bore and stroke, the 748 has smaller rear tyre, naturally Revell have used the same moulding across all 3 kits with some minor changes to the 996 Superbike spec m/c. In reality the Superbike spec 996 would be vastly different, I will just work with what I have, getting all the carbon fibre correct will be the trick. To get the smaller rear tyre and the yellow fairing I have utilised the Protar 748 kit, this was an incomplete eBay special. Yet again most of the parts here are the same moulds as the Revel kits, the only real difference with the Protar kit is the engine and swing arm have all been moulded as one, this makes for a rather ugly undefined bit of plastic that I would not have used anyway. Simple solution was to just take the parts I need and add them to a standard 916 kit, the fairings are identical as is the frame and exhausts and most of the other parts. Initially I have focused on the 748 and 916, the 996 has lots of subtle variations that will be a pain to do the same time as the 748 and 916. There variations became even greater once I had got together some reference images, I have basically ignored the kit recommended colours as they are for the most part wrong for all the kits. Usual start point is the engine(748, 916), base coat of Tamiya XF-16 Aluminium and a specific mix of paints to get the metallic green for the engines casings. Engines have all been given a grey wash to bring out the detail. Dry clutch baskets, painted initially with Tamiya gloss red then over coated with Tamiya TS-36 Fluorescent Red to get the right effect. The kit includes some timing belts which are a nice touch, you will not see them when the cover is on though. I have added the racing clutch cover, back in the day most people added the lightweight clutch cover to their bikes to make them look a bit more trick, as you do. Belt cover in place. Next up were the swing arm and suspension units, the 996 will be a carbon effect so that will be done later. With that done I could attach the rear wheel, I blended up my own colour for the wheels, the kit wheels and frame have a metallic ish moulded colour but it was not right. The front forks were a real pity as the fork leg is the wrong diameter and if you just painted it silver it would look naff. I had told myself I would not do any scratch building but I could not leave it. I have various bits of steel tube and the solution came from and old telescopic aerial. One of the lengths was a perfect fit over the existing tube, simple but worthwhile solution. Fork assembly coming together. Thanks for looking. Danny. "In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World" http://www.modelmasteruk.com/

The next leg of my Blackbird commission has been completed with the addition of the two Training aircraft SR-71B and A-12 "Titanium Goose". This is the build thread. http://www.britmodel...nium-goose-wip/ That just left the assembly and a little bit more weathering where required, job done. Titanium Twins Completed.(SR-71B Trainer and A-12 Trainer "Titanium Goose") Thanks for looking. Danny.

Well guys I am calling these four done, just over 9 weeks from start to finish and I have to say this is one commission I wish I could keep. Each airframe has been based on a specific image/images as per my customer¡¦s requirements, we must have exchanged a few dozen emails since then ironing out specifics. All four are based on the standard 1/72 SR-71 and YF-12A kits with the addition of various Eduard etch detail, Wolfpack Seats and the Kiwi Resin Conversion Sets for the A-12 and M-21. As it is only 1/72 scale i did a WIP on Britmodeller if you are interested http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234957317-a-12-to-sr-71-titanium-quintuplets-wip/ Helped keep me sane that is for sure. Would not even like to have a guess at the hours put in but it allot that's all I know. As usual all painted with Tamiya acrylics. It was a big project so lots of pictures. A-12 Thanks for looking. Danny

Well after just about a week she is done, although not quite as detailed as the 1/12 Tamiya kits straight out the box I have to say that as the build went along I became more impressed with the quality. I certainly will be adding a few more of these 1/9 Revell kits to the collection, decals were a challenge, I was expecting this but lots of patience and Microset/sol got the job done. This is the link to the WIP, http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=48915&hl= Model finished in the late Daijiro Kato scheme. Thanks for looking Danny

1/32 Trumpeter Mig-29K Well it has been a long time coming but she is done, I started this last summer but with commission work coming in at a steady rate I did not manage to get allot done. I finally got stuck back in to it a couple of weeks ago. The only additional parts for the kit where the Aires burners, very nice they are too. Not entirely sure if the internal depth of the flame holder is correct but much better than the standard kit ones. I did buy an AIRES quick boost seat but it is too wide for the kit tub and not just by a little bit. I also added a set of intake covers and burner covers, the intakes on the kit have an internal FOB mesh, the kit representation was pretty grim so I decided the best option was to cover them, I suspect I will leave the burner covers off. As always the airbrake is up, probably would not be but whats the harm in a bit of modelling whimsy. More to come Danny

1/350 Polar Lights Re Fit Enterprise. I started this commission back on the 12th November, and it was finally finished yesterday. It is a beautiful kit but a real pig to build if you are going to light it, 90% of the lighting is bespoke with a small PCB for the flashing lights and the deflector array. The kit was sprayed with Tamiya Pearl White with Tamiya Pearl Lacquer on top, the original studio version was pearlescent white. I decided to try and replicate this, it was not the easiest way to do it but the end result was well worth it. The base was a saga on its own, seemed to take forever to get here but i have to say it a nice job. She was picked up this morning by a very happy customer, I did have another one to build but I have put this on hold as it is not the sort of build you want to do in succession, I need a rest. One day I will figure out how to do night photos as she looks great when its dark, lights up a whole room. Now back to my longstanding Trumpeter MIG-29K, I am not doing another commission until she is done. "In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World" http://www.modelmasteruk.com/

This was another commission and my first complete build for 2014, I was asked to restrict the weathering to represent a relatively new a/c. I had heard allot about this kit and I have to say for such a small scale the detail is stunning and it was a real pleasure to build, a very well thought out kit. This is also being picked up today. Danny "In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World" http://www.modelmasteruk.com/

This was my 1st completed build of 2013, what a great kit, the finish was a challenge but it was good practice for my upcoming 1/32 Academy F-16I SUFA. 1/32 Academy Block 42 F-16C Arctic Aggressor. After seeing the Tamiya version of this in 1/48 I knew I would really like to do the same on a larger scale. This however would not turn out to be as straight forward as I thought, surprise surprise. 1st of all the admissions that should save any holes being blown in her. The 1st obstacle was the choice of kit, I did some research on F-16.net and found that the Tamiya 1/32 F-16 Thunderbirds would be the base frame for a Block 30/32. Small problem there in the fact that I was not prepared to expend £140+ for a kit, especially when you consider that for less money you can get the 1/32 CJ with all the trimmings. It is allot of money just to get the lightweight landing gear used on earlier versions. Fortunately after a bit of research and advice on F-16.net I found that the 64th had used the Block 42 airframe on some of their Aggressor Aircraft, this was great as it meant I could use the 1/32 Academy F-16CG/CJ Block 40/42 I had on the shelf. Now for sourcing the Afterburner decals for the 64th, I thought this would be the easy bit but there were out of production and as rare as hens teeth. Thankfully I found a guy in Norway ( Thankyou Niels) who only used the 1/48 decals and was prepared to part with the remaining 1/32 sets. You would think it would be problem solved but alas there was one last hitch. From what I could see the 64th never painted up there Block 42 aircraft in the Arctic scheme, most of the other Aggressor schemes yes but not the Arctic. Enough was enough, I would build her as it is right or wrong. Additional parts used, Aires Cockpit, Undercarriage set and AN/ALQ-188 EAT Pod, Wheeliant Wheels, Crossdelta Stiffeners, Two Mikes ACMI Pod set, Two Bobs CAT-AIM9 and ACMI Pod decals, Afterburner Decals. I hope you all like. (No light tent I am afraid, just a sheet and some silver foil in front of the flash) Danny The white camouflage was done with a base shade of Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan over pre shading, the deck tan gave a nice off white base, from there I filled the panels in with a flat white filter. The Black area where base coated with flat black and then a filler of Nato Black applied to the panels. Final finishing was with a grey wash.