Christmas Airfix!

I built a Hasegawa 1/32 Bf 109 in, er, about 1978. Very nearly 40 years ago!

This thread has got my interest going in kit building again and I'm now building the 1/32 Roden Sopwith Triplane. Unfortunately I've also needed to buy paints and a variety of other bits so it's a bit spendy so far.

Will post pics if it comes out ok....

Casting attempt #1 has ended in failure. Arse.

However...

I've just bagged an Airfix Hawk with some parts missing from ebay for £5.99 inc p+p that includes 2 seats and 2 crew.

Result.

Think I'd try lost wax method with some lead.

I bought myself an airbrush a while back and had a crack. What started out as a couple of 1/48 Airfix Spitfires got a little out of hand and now there's approx thirty models under the bed.

IME, Tamiya and Hasegawa kits in this scale are excellent - if expensive. It's well worth considering Eduard Weekend kits - they're extremely well detailed and the Weekend line comes in pretty reasonably at £12 - £20 per kit (often undercutting the perennial Airfix favorites and they're better detailed too).

I bought myself an airbrush a while back and had a crack. What started out as a couple of 1/48 Airfix Spitfires got a little out of hand and now there's approx thirty models under the bed.

Photos please.

Also... this is good if you have an hour to spare.

Oooh thanks for posting that HtS ... I'll look forward to watching it.

I've always had an interest in EE Lightnings as my uncle flew them in the '70s (56 & 226 OCU Squadrons) before he joined the 'Battle of Britain Flight' (now the BBMF)

Massive Lightning fan here - thanks HTS. My old man designed bit of them in the late 50s/early 60s.

I hope it wasn't the refuelling probe (you have to watch it to get the reference).

I watched another one about TSR2, which is an altogether more depressing affair.

The best bit is when TSR2 went to re-heat on one engine and dropped the Lightning chase plane that had them both on. The footage is from the Lightning's on-board camera.

Just watched that 262 video again, amazing attention to detail, some bits make me twitchy just watching, like drilling out the bolt-holes in those open wing access panels!

Agree, Count. Sadly my eyesight precludes a return to modelling, but if anything would tempt me that would. Stunning.

The same guy did a Tiger tank, will see if I can find the video. It's equally as amazing.

Donor seats and crew have arrived for my Sea Vixen. It is a shame not to build the Hawk that they came off, but having looked at the decals the printing is about 3mm off from the base, so it would have looked crap.

If anyone has messed up a 1:72 Hawk and needs some spares I'm your man!

Someone else who couldn't get the Lightning to fit together.

Question for the STW airbrusherists - is there any particular brand of paint you prefer for spraying natural metal effect finishes and any tips and techniques I should try?

I've tried the Humbrol metalcote stuff, sprayed on top of a gloss undercoat, but I can never get the gloss undercoat right without the paint drying too thick - if I thin it down, the resulting undercoat becomes mottled matt. Also, I struggle to get a proper shiny metal finish without chucking multiple coats of varnish on top and if I try to use a Humbrol dark wash, I end up stripping the metallic paint away.

All of my metal finishes have ended up looking quite cack.

Question for the STW airbrusherists

I haven't experimented too much with metal finishes.
Alclad have a good reputation but I've had reasonable success (on the likes of EE lightning (picture posted a few pages ago) & Spitfires etc) with Humbrol's metallic range.

Key points seem to be making sure the airbrush is super clean; thinning the paint and keeping the air pressure as low as possible - ideally <15psi (i try and do metallics at about 9psi - any lower and I splutter)

To get a shiny finish I just use a varnish (on top of the metallic paint) - either acrylic clear or GlossCote. (if using an enamel wash, then this has to go on an acrylic varnish and vica-versa - alternatively make sure your paints & varnish are fully dry (i.e. weeks+) before using a wash to avoid stripping the existing paint layers away.

Alclad seems to be the preference for getting the best finish [url= http://alclad2.com/ ]Alclad website[/url]

I've been impressed with Vallejo Metal Color (bloody merican spelling! 😥 ) lately, not tried spraying it yet though [url= http://www.snmstuff.co.uk/product-category/vallejo-products/vallejo-products-vallejo-metal-color/ ]S n M Stuff website[/url]

The trick is to get an ultra smooth basecoat, usually a gloss black, and then spay as Digby said. Another option is to use car spray paint, Halfords own brand isn't bad.

Has anyone tried a 4B pencil then wiping off the excess to do panel lines? Quick Build Video Bloke (see Lightning thing above) mentions it in one of his videos.

He also glues the canopies down with PVA to avoid fogging. How strong is this? All the models that I have built have been “admired” by a 9 year old, which means they get handled a fair bit. Anything that falls off will be trodden on almost immediately.

lso glues the canopies down with PVA to avoid fogging

As far as I know, the likes of Humbrol ClearFix and Formula '560' Canopy Glue are pretty much PVA.

And I've been using pencils more and more recently. Both a 0.5 HB GraphGear pencil for marking details & panel lines etc and Derwent's Metallic pencils for weathering/detailing etc

Aside; if you order from S n M Stuff, don't get it delivered to your work. I had a double humiliation, first from people who thought it was bondage gear, then secondly when I had to tell them it was a Games Workshop board game. Next time I'll just say yes, it's a gimp suit

Has anyone tried a 4B pencil then wiping off the excess to do panel lines?

It's a very good idea that, although we don't have anything softer than an HB in the house. I have tried that weathering powder stuff and it's quite good at drawing out small detail without stripping your paint away.

The other major discovery of note is that Johnson's floor polish makes for an excellent airbrushable varnish and you can safely coat with enamel paints if that's your thing. You can mix the stuff with acrylic paint to produce a very acceptable window tint (if you look at military aircraft, you'll see that the canopies and front windscreens are often subtly tinted. Likewise, gunsights and HUDs can be tinted a subtle green colour too.

Is that the "Klear" stuff? Well known as a great sealant but I wasn't aware you could get it in the uk

Tamiya do some clear acrylic colours useful for aircraft & cars. "smoke", clear green, red, orange, yellow, blue. Green is good for gunsights and also helicopter overhead transparency bits. Red & orange for car taillights & indicators, yellow for turning "chrome" to "gold".

I haven't figured out what might be clear blue though

Is that the "Klear" stuff?

Yes and no. The old formula Klear is fantastic stuff, but the newer one is slightly different and some people have had problems with it. Have a look at this link, the bottle on the left is the old stuff, the newer one has 'Pledge multi-wax' on the label (avoid)...

[url= http://georgedentmodelmaker.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/klear-ing-things-up.html ]Old Vs new Klear[/url]

I've got a bottle of the old stuff from the early 90's and it's nearly empty, this floor shine from Lakeland is supposed to be nearer the old klear formula and has had some decent reviews, this is what I'm getting to replace the old one...

[url= http://www.lakeland.co.uk/20286/Quick-Shine%C2%AE-Floor-Finish ]Lakeland floor shine[/url]

The big bonus is that it's easily available in the UK

Not a plane, but still an incredibly detailed build.

Thought I'd put up a couple of photos of a Panzer 3 close-support tank that a mate has built.
He scratch-built the tray on the back carrying several jerrycans, the 'strap' holding them in place is actually silver sheet! He's a goldsmith, and he says that silver is much easier to work than brass, and isn't much difference in price to copper...
I particularly like the rusty appearance of the exhaust, and the dirt on the tracks.

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The cream tank on the left is a Skoda 'Hetzer', built up as one of the team tanks from the animé 'Girls Und Panzers',
terrific little tank, adopted by the German army as a light tank killer, probably my favourite tank.

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finally... it's finished (bar the number plates)

1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL in 1:24 by Tamiya:
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don't know when I started this but I guess it was some time around February.

next car is a Tamiya 1:24 Ferrari La Ferrari with lots of add-ons.
But before that I have a 1:6 Cylon Centurion, a 1:35 M113 APC and a 1:72 BK117 helicopter. Need to do something easy...

Very nice. It looks real.

I've got a Severn Class Lifeboat to do at some point. I got very close to the real thing today and took a camera with me to get some shots of dirt and weathering patterns. There weren't any, it was immaculate.

As with most Tamiya kits*, it's a great build OOB. Spray painting with rattle cans is just too much, airbrush at 10-15psi allows manny thin coats without drips forming at the bottom of each wheel arch.

* their 1:48 Sea Harrier is an exception 🙁

Very nice indeed john_drummer. Great detail!

Wow! Not a modeller myself beyond half a dozen poorly built and painted planes hanging from my boyhood bedroom ceiling, but love seeing the awesome work you guys do. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks chaps.
For cars & bikes I like to do them in "showroom" condition so I don't have to worry about all that pesky weathering 😉
Nothing added to this kit that wasn't in the box, other than the paint (Revell Aquacolours 99 Aluminium and clear gloss for the body shell) and some Bare Metal Foil for the chrome trim around the windows. Tamiya do make some great kits

Bit late to the party here, but I've finally got my Xmas one finished. Number 5 since I restarted after 20+ years, and the first one painted with an airbrush. They're all a bit squeaky clean at the mo. After taking about 6 months for each one I don't have the balls yet to start trying weathering them in case I cock it up!
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..and with some of its contemporaries...
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They look very good.

This thread is inspiring and dispiriting at the same time. Lovely work

To be honest - I'm surprised how much the camera has flattered my stuff. Up close there's no end of bits of fluff stuck in the paint, and a whole load of other minor, but annoying paint flaws. Fortunately the only way I could get decent images was to use my 18-200 SLR lens zoomed all the way in at min focus distance and min aperture, so no real close ups!

Pre cut canopy masks are also an awesome invention/cheat. 🙂 Haireals instead of stretched sprue on the 2 Me's look a lot more in scale too!

So… where do you lot store and/or display all of your completed models?

My lad is going to run out of space soon in his room thanks to our prolific output over the last few months. This isn’t helped by us eyeing up a Revell 1:144 Saturn V that is 77 cm tall.

Very nice work indeed JonEdwards! So were the Paul D, Spit and Hurricane all brush painted?

Was this a return to airbrushing as well or was the Bf110 your first foray into airbrushing? If so that's very impressive indeed. What paints are you using?

Battered Airfix 1:72 Mitsubishi A6M Zero work in progress.

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Did the paint chips by painting it aluminium, dabbing with Copydex the overpainting with the top colour. Once it had dried I rubbed it with Blutac to remove the Copydex and expose the aluminium. Quite pleased with the effect.

The Airfix Zero is a very nice kit BTW.

HTS, have you tried wet salt? Same as copydex, let it harden, overpaint then clean of when dry.

Just Copydex. We had some in. It worked well.

I can see salt working too though now you mention it.

I'm going to scuff up the paint round the canopy opening too, then cover it with smoke stains, leaks and general crap. The decals will be chipped and scuffed as well.

I want it to look like the last plane they had left.

The Last Samurai

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Quite pleased with this one.

New techniques to me for this build.

- Thinned the paint for the first time.
- Used a PVA solution to settle the decals.
- Used "The Copydex Method" to get the paint chips.
- Thinners and enamels for the dirt.
- Used a pin vice with a 0.8mm bit to drill out the gun ports.
- Cleaned up the paintwork on the canopy with a bamboo kebab stick before it had fully dried.

Airfix A6M Zero. It went together very nicely and only cost me £6.

13in high Cylon Centurion coming soon... scary thing

A few of the serious scale RC plane guys use a paint brush and blob on vaseline over the silver coat before applying the too colours. Works well and offers easy control of tiny or huge areas.

Got a Revell ME262 next and it looks rubbish in comparison to the Zero. Loads of flash and the canopy is bobbins. However, it was only a fiver and will go nicely with my WWII fighters.

Harry the Spider that is stunning!!!

Ta. I've picked up a load of tips since Christmas, mostly off this thread.

Liking the 'Zero' very much HtS!

Are you sticking with 1/72 as your scale of choice?

A recent revelation for me has been Tamiya Sanding sponges - great for giving primer coats a quick smooth, especially in those awkward areas like wing joints where I often get a slight 'grainy' surface due to airbrushing 'turbulance' despite my best efforts to follow the contours.

Are you sticking with 1/72 as your scale of choice?

We haven't got space for anything bigger. I can't even have a go at the bigger aircraft. I'd like to do a Canberra but won't fit on the shelves in my lad's room.

Also, my daughter has started making them. So that makes three of us and the production rate is quite high.

Work has started on a Revell Me262, my lad is doing another Zero and my daughter has got a Curtis Warhawk.

We haven't got space for anything bigger.

The 'perennial problem' eh?

Most older efforts (with a few exceptions) generally get photographed, boxed up and relegated to the attic - and I don't have the 'production line' volume capabilities you have!

I only asked about the scale as I've recently enjoyed the switch from mainly 1/72 to 1/48 - they take longer, but the scope for detail & weathering is far greater since much of these effects are either lost or inappropiate on many smaller 1/72 scale models.

I've got to make some new shelving though, to accomodate the larger projects!!

Work has started on a Revell Me262

Have you seen this month's 'Airfix Model World' magazine? Nice article and builds of both Airfix's & Revells Me262

15% off code at Jadlam today only!

PRIMEDAYFB

Just got an F14 Tomcat, F18 Hornet and F4 Phantom for £34 delivered.

Update - The Me262 build is stalled as i'm waiting for some "liquid gravity" and the necessary glue to turn up. It needs 20g nose weight and I can't get that with Blutac and there isn't enough space for the wheel balance weights that are in the Lightning and the Flanker.

To avoid me having to endure the tennis I started a Douglas Dauntless, but found that the instrument panel is missing, so I am at the mercy of Airfix Customer Services. Previous dealings with them have been excellent, so both builds should be back up and running next week. The Dauntless is a very old moulding so I've got a lot flash to remove. I wouldn't have gone for it normally, but it was in my Airfix Christmas Hamper and it will sit nicely with the Zero.

I'm going to go "Free Style" on the Me262 colour scheme as a practice run for my Sea Vixen. I've had it for a few months now and don't want to balls it up because a) It is my favourite plane and b) The kit cost quite a lot relative to the others.

Have you seen this month's 'Airfix Model World' magazine? Nice article and builds of both Airfix's & Revells Me262

Have you tried using the weights that anglers use?
Or if you have a radio controlled model shop handy, they usually sell lead weights in strips of 2.5g & 10g. Although the nose of a 1/72 Me262 is a tad small, all you need to do is get the weight forward of the main wheels

https://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/irvine-stick-on-weights-pk3

Dive shops often sell bags of lead shot. £7 should get you a kilo, enough for the rest of your modelling career be careful when you mix epoxy to put it in place. You don't want to melt anything

I've got some model specific stuff.

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Rather irritatingly though I've just popped into the LMS (Local Model Shop) and found that I could have bought it over the counter for a bit less than I paid for it on line. Bugger.

Big shout out for my excellent LMS.

https://www.thelocoshedmcr.co.uk/

Or if you have a radio controlled model shop handy, they usually sell lead weights in strips of 2.5g & 10g.

They are what I've been using, but they are cheaper if you buy them as wheel balance weights.

Too big for the 262 though.

Plasticine? I did a 1/72 262 a few years ago, think I used a combination of plasticine and lead shot

Need to get 20g in it. Couldn't get more than half that with Blutac alone and I don't know how dense plasticine is in comparison.

I'm betting the 20g is an overstatement, but i'll just have to wait until my stuff arrives.

I've got a Fairey Gannett than needs 35g IIRC. No idea where I'm going to shove that!

I use liquid gravity in model trains, decent stuff when you don't have space for anything bigger.

Is this stuff any good?

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Is this stuff any good?

Yes. There's 'Micro Set' as well, they soften the decals & help them form on raised & recessed surfaces.*

*IIRC*

Is this stuff any good?

'Micro set' (Blue) goes on the area where the decal is to be applied in order to reduce surface tension. This one smells a bit 'vinegary'

Decal is applied and then Micro Sol (Red) softens the decal to the contours & detail of the model.

Both are good, but I probably use much more 'sol' than 'set'. Preferable to Humbrol's Decalfix which I find leaves a sticky residue (although Decalfix is quite useful with weathering powders)

[url=

it's a FB link but this is incredible[/url]

In other news... Just bagged a F4J Corsair for less than £3!

Wow Roket Hot and Liquid Gravity are a dangerous combination!

Stuck 50g in it by accident and bonded all of my fingers together in the process.

I'm just glad that I had the foresight to do it over a box or I would have written off the kitchen worktop.

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Cylon centurion

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I'm not sure that I would be allowed to have that in the house.

Mrs_d is a little scared of it too. 1/6 scale (think Action Man) but works out at 6ft 6in tall or taller

It'll be fine until it rises up to overthrow its fleshy oppressors, what'll be worse is when it finds God and try's converting you!

There is a base too but I hadn't got round to painting it when I took these photos.

Revell Me262

Got bored with this one very quickly once I saw that the canopy had the shape and opacity of a big toe nail. Finished it anyway but I'm not feeling the love for it.

New techniques this time:

Panel lines with a 6B pencil and blended with a cotton wool bub.
Blending paint colours with thinners.
Using Micro Sol to set the decals.

The jury is out on whether I like it or not.

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If you want to build a 1:72 Me262 buy the Airfix one.

New techniques this time

@HtS - have you had a look at Diego Quijano's Encylopedia of Aircraft Modelliing techniques? There's 5 volumes and it can work out quite pricey for all 5 but there's some good stuff in there.

For sure many of the techniques are probably on various YouTube Channels but you'd probably have to spend a lifetime watching dross on YouTube.

Numpty question: If you pick out the panel lines with a pencil, do you lacquer over it?

I've seen it done where the panel lines & a bit of panel either side are painted black over primer but before colour coat. Seems to work but I haven't tried it yet

Numpty question: If you pick out the panel lines with a pencil, do you lacquer over it?

Depends - if the model is likely to be handled in anyway, then yes - a final coat of varnish with 'seal' any panel lines & weathering.

I've seen it done where the panel lines & a bit of panel either side are painted black over primer but before colour coat

I've had mixed results with this 'pre-shading' technique - it works fine and is very effective on lighter paint colours but pretty much disappears with the likes of dark earth & dark green WWII RAF camo - especially after dark green unless I leave the green quite 'opaque' in which case the camo just doesn't look right.

For dark colour schemes I've had better results with 'post shading' and various 'Panel Line Washes'

Numpty question: If you pick out the panel lines with a pencil, do you lacquer over it?

On the 262 I penciled along the lines in the kit then rubbed off or blended in any excess before covering the whole lot with satin clear coat.

Was looking up WWII American stuff and found this.

I'm on with an Airfix Douglas Dauntless and it is a much happier kit than the Revell 262.

My faith in little plastic aeroplanes has been restored

Just bought a Revell 1:48 Stearman. Looking at the packaging it's either a new kit or just new packaging. Instructions are in colour and very similar to the instructions for the new Airfix kits, e.g the 1:48 Boulton Paul Defiant.
Not sure about rigging a biplane though. Done it before with black cotton thread, looks messy, there has to be a better way

For biplanes just heat sprue and stretch it and cut to length.
There was a great Confederate Airforce doc about 20 years ago on the BEEB.