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Nice. That must have been pretty satisfying to do.
Finished the A10. was debating to do the Euro scheme, but TBH, the shape of the plane is so complex that it was hard enough getting the primer down - like under the engines and around the lower rear fuselage that it became the Compass grey scheme instead. It's the Italeri kit which is barely better than OK. its the right shape though and the decals are decent. Kit represents a 23rd TFG "Flying Tigers" A10C - the descendant squadron of the original Republican Chinese Air Force squadron manned by Chennault's First American Volunteer Group, hence the use of the famous shark mouth
Oh, and despite there being nearly 10g of lead in the nose, it's still a tail sitter. Debating whether to permanently glue the clear sprue being used as a stand that you can see under the tail in the picture. Can't decide.
Looks good.
Could you glue it down to a base? Maybe something from Coastal Kits or stone effect tile.
I have exactly the same model primed and in a box. I started to do the wrap around camo but gave up. Going for the all over grey seems like a sensible option.
Could you glue it down to a base?
Of course! [smacks forehead] Genius idea, thanks.
Fanks.
I've bought sample tiles from B&Q before. 300mm ones that look like concrete. Paint a yellow line or two and add come oil stains. Job jobbed!
More Christmas airfix in Aldi https://www.aldi.co.uk/product/airfix-airfix-starter-kits-000000000605637001
Just checking back into this thread, and it seems that it was nearly a year ago that I last looked at it! Eeek, time flies, etc.
I got a Trumpeter 1/35 STRV 103 C (Swedish S Tank – Mad looking thing… Google it!)
Yeah, one of my favourite tanks, there’s one in Bovington Tank Museum, along with a Hetzer, which I love!
Not done much for a while, my painted black and yellow stripes on the Tangmere 1:48 Hunter have not turned out well. I think I'll resort to the decals once I have over painted them. The 1:48 BF109 needs the mottle now. I need to take a dose of brave for that.
Meanwhile my younger son has a veritable production line going of WWII single props as well as a significant number of WH40k figures and an Ork Truk thing.
I'll grab some pictures at the weekend. He is a better painter at 12 than I think I ever was or will be. YouTube tutorials seem to be a big part of that progression. 
Off to the model shop together tomorrow.
Good stuff.
I've done nothing in weeks. Can't wait for some time off over Christmas to get some done.
I've got a Ford 3litre starter kit to do from yonks ago, but may pick up a kit from Aldi at the weekend to.
Can anyone remind me of/point me towards a good basic airbrush setup. I'm thinking black Friday deals having seen my son's amazing work and engagement in his models it might be Xmas addition to the shed.
For the planes mainly and maybe base coats on miniatures
I bought a Sparmax Max 4 kit earlier this year. The kit has a Arism mini compressor, cleaning bottle, and airbrush which is in effect an Iwata item. Only had a quick play but seems a good piece of kit for an absolute beginner like me. It only has a 0.4 mm needle so won’t do ultra fine detail but is good for general work. Price is around £170 but varies widely, I bought mine from model junction in Bury st. Edmunds. It may be more than you want to pay but the general advice I was given is spend on a decent kit.
HtS - nice display of kits there, a few of my favourites as well, the Beaufighter and Typhoon/Tempest, not entirely sure which one that is. The Lanc looks a bit precarious perched on the edge of the shelf, tho’!
@garage-dweller I have a cheapo compressor and brush set off eBay, but swapped the brush our for an Iwata Neo which is an order of magnitude better.
@Countzero Thanks. Tempest V. The Lanc fits by about 2mm.
Thanks @Harry_the_Spider
Been catching up on some basics on YouTube
Meanwhile I seem to have acquired three new kits. I only meant to buy one.
I've started on the P1127 but the real colour of it is clearly NOT silver all over (per the instructions). It's more of a milky grey with odd bits of (I assume) bare aluminium. This aircraft (XM831) is at the Science Museum but there's not many pictures online.
For a 1963 mould it dry fits pretty well. I'm still doing the basic internal painting needed before joining the fuselage but I think it'll be ready for its exterior paint by the end of the weekend. Then I might put it to one side while I scope air brushes.
The PR XIX is a cracking little kit.
but the real colour of it is clearly NOT silver all over (per the instructions).
Warning: Nerd Content. When it was the Kestrel demonstrator at Airshows it was painted High Speed Sliver overall. Most of the ones in museums are unpainted P1127s (with various wing version fitted) The evaluation sqn. was made up of RAF, USAF, USN and Luftwaffe pilots. most of whom were ex-WW2, Colonel Barkhorn a German pilot claimed a kestrel as his 302nd allied 'kill' when he crashed in 1965 while on a test flight.
Airbrushes: I bought a Fengda .2 on Amazon as a cheap thing for some fine/close work. Its a bit rough around the edges - threads aren't super tight and you can tell its made to a budget, but once you get around its quirks, it's not at all bad for the price.
Thanks @nickc
I'd assumed the Science Museum was as representative of service life as possible and the other quick pictures I found were definitely more grey than silver (although not many of those).
So maybe it is silver after all.
I think there were about a dozen or so Kestrel FGA1/ P1127 made in the end. Most were unpainted evaluation planes of either the TES, and then as the XV6 (US designation) when the were all eventually shipped to the states and used by NASA. I think the Airfix kit orignally came with the Airshow markings in the box, so it's probs overall silver, but it would be more fun to paint it bare metal fo'shure.
I have a Harder and Steenbeck Ultra airbrush, I think it was about £100. In true Singletrack forum style I've done a couple of mods to it just to make it even easier to clean than in already was. I also have a couple of no name Chinese ones that came with my compressor. The expensive one really is no better in how it sprays, it just feels nicer and its way easier to keep clean. It can also handle a much smaller amount of paint so in that respect its cheaper to run. Its got a 0.2mm needle and i think a 0.4mm one (which i have never used).
Interestingly Google suggests that the 2024 Ultra only comes with a 0.45 needle which i find a bit odd.
Just to be clear, I didn’t build this! Back in July, my tank obsessed mate said he was putting something together for me for my birthday, but then he said he was having a few issues, so it might be a bit delayed.
I forgot about it, then he brings a cardboard box to the pub last night, apologised for the delay and said the kit was more difficult to work with, because the body was actually close to scale thickness, and very thin and awkward to assemble, and he then decided to rather ‘embellish’ it a bit, as he had some time, and it’s now an additional Christmas present…
I can only dream of building something like this, with the level of detail - the wall the tank is lurking behind was built from individual bricks, and the rubble filling the cavity is actual stones from his garden, which he crushed using a cast iron mortar and pestle, for added realism!
As you might imagine, I’m chuffed to bits with it! Best Christmas present ever! [img] 
[/img]
Wow!
Wow!
Pretty much what I said, with some more colourful additions!
Yeah, he’s pretty good at fine detail work, he used to do incredible things with the original metal AD&D figures, which helped get him a job as a goldsmith, which he’s been doing for over thirty years or so now. He’s actually used silver for detail work on models, because it’s cheaper than copper.
Christmas day Airfix 🙂
Younger son has some new Airfix (the new B-24 kit and a dogfight duo) today as well as a 1:123,000 scale Star Destroyer, which needs a 20g nose weight. I mostly build natural tail sitters or gear up so...
Today's question is...
What do you use for nose weighting models?
I thought maybe some fishing weights or car wheel balancing weights but is there something model specific I'm missing?
What do you use for nose weighting models?
Liquid Gravity
Thank you both. Younger has been building at a rate of knots. I'll pop some pics up at the weekend. He's quite a neat little builder.
The Christmas Spitfire and BF109 combo is taking shape and the B24 box has been breached.
Finished!
Build thread https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235144610-italeri-ac-119k-stinger/
I've been making progress on the wheel for the 1/9 scale bikes I found in a local auction. See page 59 above. The kits were partly made, and the wheels are moulded, so not to scale. I've been working on a technique to make them using wire. Best so far is 0.15mm diameter silver coated copper. The rims and hubs are 3d printed, but now I have a method that works I need to reduce the hub thickness and flanges to make them a bit closer to scale. The tyres in the kit are rubber, and ok. Photo shows the kit wheel and my latest attempt, both with the kit wheel fitted. The spokes on mine 'work' in that they are under tension, unlike the plastic one.
Hasegawa RF4C "Tumbleweed" 11th TRS based at Udon RTAFB. Nice kit, showing it's age now though.
https://ibb.co/rxQ2jwh
https://ibb.co/pQT2Gjt
Very nice!
Did you free hand that camo or use masks?
Thanks it's freehand, although mostly as I couldn't be arse to mask a 3-paint scheme. At 1/72 it really could've done with being masked though. Next time. Which may or may not be a Polish Mig29 and one of the crazy Soviet era 5-paint GA schemes. Although I've a hankering to do a 1/48 diorama; because y'know, never done one, what could go wrong etc etc..?
Saw on BM that you'd finished the C119, looks ace, pleased with it?
@richmars - patient of a saint from the looks of it!
Impressive 3-D printed bits! Resin or FDM?
@nickc - that phantom looks good!
My Harrier that I started a couple of years ago (yes really) is languishing upside down, half-built with a couple of white coats on the under-belly but I've not had the chance to make any progress while our house extension is going on - not really in the right head-space to do it at the moment.
I thought this would be a hobby that I would really get into, but I just don't seem to have/find the time. Maybe I need to wait 20 years or so for retirement.
Saw on BM that you’d finished the C119, looks ace, pleased with it?
Yeah. Big bugger though, so I don't know what to do with it. Thought it would be the size of a Mitchell. It is bigger than a Lancaster.
Been doing the new Airfix Mossie over Christmas.
The new tooled Airfix Mosquito PR.XVI.
Got stuck into a Tamiya Jagdpanther.
Extra Thin for scale 😉
paint on the Jagdpather looking pretty good there @HtS, you must be pleased with that?
My latest, P51B- "Shangri-la" 334th FG Debden 1944, personal aircraft of Don Gentile who of was one of the original Eagle Sqn pilots who flew for the RAF as well as the USAAF. Along with his wingman was known as "The two man airforce" the aircraft was destroyed when Gentile was doing a fly-past for the press.
Nice ^.
Was reading up on Don Gentile. He had quite a (short) life.
I've started on a Tamiya Churchill Crocodile. Opposite end of the aesthetic spectrum to the Jagdpanther, but incredibly effective at getting people to surrender when used in conjunction with infantry.
Af'noon. Been a while...
Jagdpanther looks excellent and NickC's Mustang and Phantom are top notch. Very atmospheric photography on the Mossie - the first pic in particular is the 1:1 thing at first glance.
Its been a slow year. I finished the P-47 in '23 and its taken over 12 months, mostly of procrastination and prevarication to get the B-17 done. Been a bit of a chore to be honest.
Tamiya 1/72 P-47D Thunderbolt. Exactly as shake'n'bake as you'd expect from a Tamiya kit. Easy build, chose some slightly over-contrasty paint options for some of the panels to break up the colour a bit.
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Aifix 1/72 B-17G Mah Ideel.
This was a kit I picked up cheap a couple of years ago simply because it was cheap, and its been sitting there looking at me. Its about the biggest thing I've done, that much metal finish gave me The Fear, all the fragile sticky out, snappy off guns that have to be fitted before painting gave me The Fear, and I just kind of lost interest in the interior, most of which is now invisible. Ended up treating it as 3 kits - the fuselage and 2 wings and only joining them once painting was done. The joins are OK, but not perfect. Oh well... Aftermarket seatbelts, oxygen tanks and instrument panel (all invisible), resin 0.5" cals as the kit ones are mahoosively over scale.
Its come out better than I expected, but there's some real annoyances - not least the amount of crud that's got onto the inside of some of the transparencies. First attempt at using oil paint for weathering which I'm moderately satisfied with.
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