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..and the last 2...
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...and the big b*gg*r with "Little Friend" escort...
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Tamiya Churchill Crocodile.
Tamiya Churchill Crocodile.
Thnaks for kind comments @JonEdwards, the B-17 and P47 looking very impressive. Like the Crocodile HtS, that's the flame thrower, right? Just imagine; apparently it could fire (effectively napalm) over 100m, must've been utterly terrifying.
I've a Hobby2000 (Ex Hasegawa) P40-N5 in 1/48 sitting on the bench conspicuously not started, that I found a Chinese Nationalist Air Force scheme for. Now that it's pissing it down though, might be the push I need to get on with it.
Finished the 1/9 bike kit I found at a local auction (see above). I replaced the supplied wheels and bottle cage, and found some Tamiya 0.5mm diameter wire to replace that supplied for the cables, which would have scaled up to something like hosepipe. Just a bit delicate for the final assembly (the spokes are only 0.15mm diameter) so damaged them a bit.
I've got enough parts to make a second one, but I may try and improve parts such as the brakes and gear mechs.
That bike is lovely! I couldn't do anything that delicate.
Yes, it is the flame thrower. Apparently it was particularly effective at getting people to surrender.
The £15 Tamiya Panther!
Tooling is from 1968 and you have to scratch build a few bits. But £15!!!
Trumpeter Challenger 2 with Mini Art crew figures.
Looks really good HtS. I realised a while back, I can't paint figures for toss, and I want to do a coupe of diorama/vignettes, so I'd better get some practice in. Are the mini-art figures any better than Tamiya - which seem a bit long in the tooth now, and not as crisp as they could be
MiniArt figures were very sharply moulded.
I can't paint figures either. A black dot on each eye then hit it with a panel wash.
Harry have you considered a Theatre Entry Standard CR2, I think you'd do a fantastic job of it.
What is that?
To be honest... After this one I'd be happy not to touch one ever again!
There are 430 parts in it. Many too small to pick up without tweezers and most needing to have flash trimmed off.
Before the paint had even dried I broke open a Revell F111 Raven and got cracking. 63 parts total, all of which could be picked up with your fingers and found if they got dropped on the floor.
This monster.
No thanks.
Question: I have a kit missing its decals and a page of those decals. Any ideas for printing replacements?
I thought of just a print on paper, but it would look rough and fade I guess.
16Sqn Spitfire FRIXc. Normandy Aug 1944. Most PRU spitfires were hazy blue, but for low level stuff the RAF had what was called "camotint pink" about half a dozen mkIX were painted and used by 16sqn specifically for tactical recon for the Normandy campaign, most famously they were used to take photos of Op. Market Garden. 16 Sqn was a dedicated PR squadron and had a mix of unarmed PRU X and XI spits and these FRIX which were used in dawn/dusk low level sorties known as 'dicers'. Pilots were sceptical about the colour, but apparently it was very effective. There's precisely one colour photo of these planes, and in them they're very very pale, almost off-white, and the sources vary about exactly how pink they actually were, so it's almost certain the shade I settled on is wrongt. Eduard 1/48. which went together beautifully. I'll definitely do another
I had a go at printing decals and it was a pain in the arse. Special water slide paper, sealants etc and the faff of cutting them out. Also, if the decal is white you will need white paper (see cutting out faff) or you will need clear paper and a printer capable of doing white. What is the kit? There are loads of aftermarket decals about that cost less than a pack of printable decal paper.
@nickc That spitfire is gorgeous.
I'm doing a Revell F 111 Raven at the moment and the fit is questionable in places. Also, it has a gloss coat on prior to decaling, so it looks double shit. I've got it sat next to a F 14 to make me feel better as this too looked horrible before it had a matt finish applied.
Loving that pink spitfire! I've got a gun camera from a spitfire/hurricane with a film cartridge, I often wonder whats on the fim, maybe an epic dogfight or just some RAF oiks messy about in a hangar.................
I know that Revell EF1-11 really is a shabby bit of shit, (there are too many parts that fit 'where they touch' ) so to make it look that good is impressive work HtS, nicely done.
Big 'ole thing though
I can forgive it because the tooling is a) 40 years old and b) American.
On the Shitometer where the Italeri Rafale M scores a solid 10 this was a mere 4.
I can forgive it because the tooling is a) 40 years old and b) American.
https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235154696-revell-f-111-raven/#comment-5233123
On the Shitometer, where the Italeri Rafale M scores a solid 10, this was a mere 4.
Best fitting kit I've done so far was the Dragon Sea Vixen FAW2, which is now reboxed by Revell. I've just popped open the recent Airfix Mitchell and so far that is very nicely engineered too.
Airfix B25 Mitchell.
New tool. Nice kit. Used an Eduard mask set to preserve my sanity.
Everytime I think I might want to do something like B-25, I look at all the glazing and I lose the will to live. Nice work HtS, lots to work on a Mitchell, the wing angles are all over the place, it's almost guaranteed to be a tail sitter (and where do you put the weight?) and you have to make two of everything. Love the scheme. 🍻
Eduard mask sets are an absolute game changer! Well worth the money.
The Mitchell is a really nice kit. No fit issues and a couple of "oooh that's clever" bits.
The problem with all Mitchells is getting the nose weight in, as the glass front means there is no space. Got 15g of tungsten putty under the cockpit floor and another 15g in the engines, plus a 5g wheel weight in each nacelle too. And it only just avoids tail sitting.
I'd do another. The alternative livery is the Desert Warrior that was used on a war bonds tour, but by mixing the decals with the one that I did I think it could be done in the combat scheme.
FW190A8 "Gloria" Personal aircraft flown by Edwald Priess of JG300 Oct'44 based at Lobnitz. This model of the Fw190 was designed with additional 30mm wing mounted cannons to try to shoot down B17/B24 later on in the war. The dark red band on the rear is the "Defence of the Reich" markings, but these changed frequently; for instance JG 300 markings have been identified as blue and white stripes as well as the 'weinrot' on this aircraft. The model is the older Eduard Fw190 which has a reputation for being a bit of a git, which I can vouch for. It's mostly OK, but its hugely overengineered - why have one piece when you can have three separate pieces to make it more complex for no reason? And there's a couple of stages where you need to be mm accurate otherwise the whole thing won't go together properly. Finished article is pretty good, but never again.
I like ^
What scale is it?
I’ve got a Special Hobby Gloster Meteor NF.12 on the go at the moment. That too has a massively complicated and detailed cockpit that can only be seen if you are an ant with an endoscope.
Looking forward to “the modelling season” now that summer has finished, but Mrs The Spider wants the bathroom decorating and a load of shelves putting up first.
Cheers HtS, it's 1/48th. Similarly, there's some pretty detailed work in the cockpit...trust me 🤣
I'm on a Tamiya Spitty Mk1 as a palette cleanser. I'll be humming the BoB theme as I build it.
Missed BoB day by just a week or so, but finished the Tamiya Mk1a (It's the old 1996 mold rather than their newer one) as N3200 of 19 Sqn in Summer 1940. I think lots of folk think of the RAF in those days as "Jolly Japes for public school boys" and while there certainly was a effort by some of them to affect an air of nonchalance, this particular plane was sometimes flown by Brian Lane who you can see from the famous photo taken straight after a sortie, the strain on his face. Brian was later KIA in 1942 during one the [frankly pointless] fighter sweeps into northern France, his body was never recovered. N3200 crashed on Sangatte beach after shooting down a Ju87 and was recovered and restored to flying condition in 2000. It's regarded as one of the most authentic flying Spitfires, and currently is part of the flying display at IWM Duxford.
So, what did everyone get?
My haul.
The Shuttle is a big bugger. Going to try and do something with medical tape to replicate the thermal blankets as the kit is completely wrong.
Meteor NF12 night fighter.
1/72 from Special Hobby. The kit went together really well with lots of detail. The decals however were absolutely shocking. Anything other than the smallest square stencil either folded or ripped, or both. Won't be buying another from them.
For those who stress about exact colours, these images of Russian AFVs will settle your nerves 🙂
Fuller images on X for those who do https://twitter.com/Jonpy99
I've joined your ranks with a Revell F14 for Christmas. I just need brushes and paints now
Revell Space Shuttle.
1/72 scale, so chuffing massive and difficult to photograph.
Have uploaded some image to Chatgpt to generate backgrounds.
My latest: the 1/32 Tamiya Spitfire LFIX, 412 sqn RCAF late 1943. This particular aircraft was lost on a sweep over Northern France. The kit is my first ever "larger than 1/48" plane, it was a Xmas pressie and wanted to scratch that itch Probably won't do another, not my thing, but the kit itself was fun - all be it a bit gimmicky. Tamiya has engineered it so that panels are removable and held with teeny magnets, and there's a complete engine as part of the kit, if you don't want to do that (like me), it's a bit of a finagle to get all the panels to line up. I decided (because I'm an idiot) that I'd paint all the markings, including the wee maple leaf - If I ever decided that it would be 'fun' to do that again - just give me a slap.
