Italeri 1:72 Lockheed SR-71

 

This is an old tooling that was never that great to begin with. The main parts don't fit particularly well, it has horrible raised panel lines and it lacks fine detail. That said, with half a tube of filler and a lot of sanding, you can knock it into shape. Once the build is sorted, the rest comes together with ease. There isn't much to it. For weathering I've used subtle white dry-brushing and dab wash of white oil paint. It really brings it alive, For a cheap palate cleanser this is a nice subject. It is quite large though. It's longer than a Vulcan and will take up a lot of shelf space. The new 1:48 Blackbird must be massive. 

Revell 1:48 Lockheed Ventura

 

I don't feel like I did justice to this one but it's competent enough. It looks better in the flesh. It's an unusual kit this one because it's not an old tooling, it's really well engineered, the decals are great and it's very cheap. What's more, there's a lot of aeroplane for your money. I think the Ventura is a beautiful aeroplane and really nice project to go to town on. There's scope for more advanced weathering and if by chance I happen upon some replacement decals, I will probably strip it and have another bash. There's just something about it. One of the few kits I unreservedly recommend. That's all there is to say about it.  

Roden 1:48 Bristol F2B

 

This kit is a bit of a paradox. The instructions are bad, the decals are absolutely useless and the parts don't fit as well as they could. It's difficult to build, quite badly engineered, yet for all that, it's scrubbed up nice and it's a really enjoyable little project. I've been meaning to test my modelling mettle with a biplane for a while, and there's just something about the F2B I find attractive. 

I used stretched sprue for the rigging, which is adequate for a model this basic, being that there are no actual contact points for rigging but it still feels a bit of a cop out. All the same, if you can even build this one then it's an accomplishment in itself. That it came out this well is something of a small miracle.

These tend to go for about £23 though it looks like there is a similarly priced one by Revell (a reboxed Eduard) which looks to be a far superior kit with better instructions. I would avoid the Roden if I do another. I feel this aeroplane would be better in 1:32. It's a good size in 1:48 but it's the sort of project you should really be able to go to town on. It will test most of your modelling skills.

I particularly enjoyed mastering the wood effect for the propeller and struts. I painted them an off white/yellow then used burnt umber oil paints, leaving long brush marks to simulate wood grain. I then sealed it with Tamiya orange clear coat. Once cured you can shine it up. Very simple and easy effect but massively rewarding.

This is my first proper attempt at a biplane, but certainly won't be the last. This experiment has opened up a whole new avenue of modelling, and now I'm looking at kits I never would have given a second glance.

Around 5000 F2s were built, and I learned from the IWM website that 52,000 aircraft were built in WW1. I never realised the scale of the WW1 air war, and have now resolved to fill that gap in my knowledge. That made this exercise all the more worthwhile. 

1:72 Hobby Boss Lynx

 

Rarely do I have unreserved praise for a kit, but this one by Hobby Boss is absolutely superb. More or less everything just fits and there's no fight to install the interior because there are decent sized locator lugs. This requires only minimal filler. The underside fuselage join is not quite aligned and there are some fit issues with the windscreen, but that's very easily solved.

Here I don't think the photo does justice to the end result. My phone camera seems to amplify all the flaws. What you get for a mere £15 is a very neat, easy to build and good looking little helicopter.

It would be better if the screen wipers were separate components and the intake guards were photo etch, but apart from that it is a rarity that you find a kit this pleasurable. I already want to do another.      

Meng 1:35 King Tiger

 

Having built the Ryefield Panther, I got something of a taste for German armour so when I spotted this special edition King Tiger by the Tank Museum for a mere £24.99 I couldn't resist. 

I thought with this one being a link and span track assembly it would be easier than the Ryefield Panther's individual links, but it's actually a lot more bothersome and harder to weather. The tracks are quite brittle and the plastic jig they supply isn't much help.

That said, this is an outstanding kit. The Ryefield was a nightmare because it was packed with largely invisible and unnecessary detail. This Meng kit, however, is every bit as good with a far fewer parts, and very little in the way of photo etch nonsense like Ryefield. I really don't like photo etch parts. They don't add much and they're difficult to glue and paint, and being that model building is all about painting and gluing things, the fewer PE parts the better. This Meng kit doesn't lose anything for it.

This is my second attempt at German ambush camouflage and I think it's worked better than my Patnther. The colour balance is better from using a brighter yellow. Still, though, I don't think I've cracked it yet. My scheme is a little too regimented, and it would benefit from a more randomised pattern. I would have done it freehand but I'm really struggling with flow problems at the moment. Cheapo Chinese airbrushes have their limitations.

Usually I stick with the cheaper brands for vehicles because the price leap after a Tamiya is considerable, but when you build something like this it's easy to see why the higher end kits cost more. There's nothing at all wrong with Tamiya kits but as a rule they only give you the bare minimum, and some of them really are showing their age now. Tamiya is is gradually being eclipsed by newer brands, and their range hasn't evolved much in thirty years. If this is the general standard of Meng kits then I'm a convert.

Build wise, once you've got the tracks assembled and mounted, everything pretty much falls together. The parts are nicely defined and there are no major problems. The instructions could be clearer but an experienced modeller should be able to muddle through. Other than that, you get a lot of bang for your bucks.

1:35 ICM Zil-131 Emergency Truck

 

I wasn't sure what to expect from an ICM kit at this scale. I've built three of their 1:72 kits and they're not the best quality, but they still scrub up ok. I'd say this was about the same. This one is lacking in detail and very basic. That said, it's done well. It's far better than the Revell M34 and it fits together with no real problems. The instructions are also pretty good, If I had to sum up this kit with one word it would be "adequate". It gives you everything necessary to get a fine result, but no more.

That said, there's nothing wrong with basic. I'm not one for detail for its own sake, especially when it's unlikely to be seen. The rear compartment does come with some interior detail and it's quite good, though I did a bare minimum job on it as it can't be seen. It might have been nice to have hinged rear doors so that it could be seen - and that's the kind of detail missing from this kit. The cab detailing is practically non-existent, but there's just enough for my purposes with the doors closed.

What I like about this kit is that there are no annoying sub assemblies split into many parts. Another way to look at this (and other ICM kits) is that it's no nonsense. It does what it says on the tin. And in this case, that's all that really matters. They've picked a really nice subject that looks good even in all over green, and given us something that really stands out.

This is basically three small kits in one. There's the chassis assembly, which is neither difficult nor onerous, the cab, and the rear compartment, which can all be built and painted separately, and then very little is required when it all comes together. For this I've used basic misting techniques and oil paint streaking, with a subtle dry-brushing, and though I've gone to town on the rear compartment, the rest largely speaks for itself.

The rear compartment could have done with a bit more exterior detail as it looks like a plywood box and it has some accuracy issues, but I expect it's presently beyond ICM's capability, and would have driven the price up. ICM kits are easy on the wallet, while most other brands are now costing more than they should. There's certainly a place for merely adequate kits at affordable prices.

But, you know, never mind all that. I mean look at it. It's fantastic and I love it. It was fun to build, challenging enough, and the result is glorious. I'm totally happy with it and I would build one again. If ICM survives the war in Ukraine then they're likely to be a fixture in any modeller's stash. They do a wide range of off-beat stuff that you just can't get anywhere else. Their box art is also seriously cool. It would be a great loss if they don't survive.

1:35 Ryefield Models Panther G

 

I've put this one off for quite a long time. I took one look at the number of parts and the individual track links and chickened out. I enjoy the painting more than the building which is why I'm more of a Tamiya fan. This is just balls-achingly fiddly, where components that could just as easily be one part are split into five.

On this kit it makes very little sense since it isn't a full interior kit, so there is no merit to adding the extra interior detail, and the gun assembly is so fragile it breaks when trying to shoehorn it into the absurd turret pivoting mechanism which plugs into two poly parts that don't fit at all. It's neither fish nor fowl.

Ironically, the thing that put me off the most (the individual track links), ended up being less hassle than I imagined once I managed to undo my initial mistakes, and now I may never go back to the bog standard rubber band style tracks. The reward is worth it and it really makes the final result.

Having elected not to go to town in interior detail that wouldn't be seen, I did more or less the bare minimum on this one, and there must be a hundred parts left over. I'd have gone mad otherwise, particularly since the instructions are not clear and most of the photo-etch parts are either useless or completely pointless.

Painting it wasn't so much fun either. German armour never is. I think it's the one instance where you can't get away with cheapo Chinese splatter guns. After four attempts I ended up going for alternate stripes masked with blu-tac, which is good as far as it goes but I don't feel it does justice to a kit of this price and quality. Another reason I put off doing it. It has to be done well or not at all.

Grumbles aside though, the added exterior fine detail really is good and if it sat aside the older, cheaper Tamiya Panther, the difference in quality would be obvious. The weld lines and the machine-gun ports set this apart from the competition. 

Weathering this one was challenging. I again attempted the hairspray technique for chipping but whenever I try it, it just looks like a defect rather than intentional weathering. There are other ways to achieve the same thing, and it's better to not do it than to overdo it. Mind you, I can see why so many modellers over-weather their vehicles being that most of the little features are missed by the camera, and if you really want to show off your skills, you have to go larger than life.

As a project this took at least three times longer than something else of its size. It is a high quality kit but there are some serious faults, not least the bar suspension system which is laborious and brittle, and the wheel holes need drilling out so they fit. For a kit so accurate in terms of detail, the kit engineering isn't very good. When you build a recent Airfix kit you know they've really thought about the user experience. This one is just a string of endless difficult chores.

As for the final result, it really belongs in a diorama. Without added stowage and tools, there's only so much you can do with the base kit. For a large vehicle it doesn't have much free surface area to play with weathering techniques. The King Tiger is probably a better subject.

This kit is hard work, quite expensive, and quite expensive in paints, and if you're going to do a Panther, I'd be tempted to say avoid this one - but the alternatives are inferior. The Academy/Airfix Panther is ok (much easier to build) but it isn't that much cheaper than Ryefield and the detail is nowhere close. The Tamiya is basic and low quality. But then if you are going to this much expense and this much bother, you might as well go all in on the Takom with the full interior. I have that one in the stash for when I'm next feeling masochistic.

1:48 Airfix DeHavilland Chipmunk

 

This should have been a quick and fun little project. It wasn't. Some builds are just cursed. There's nothing at all wrong with the kit, except for the terrible canopy which comes in four parts and requires a four part jig to stick together. I don't know what they were thinking. 

I first used Tamiya's extra thin cement which I have never successfully glued anything with. That didn't work, so I used PVA which didn't work either, so defaulted to the Revell Contacta which has the same melting effect as Napalm.

Painting the canopy wasn't easy either. Masking it didn't really work (and I wasn't going to spend £8 on a die cut mask) and all of the paint peeled off during the weathering process so I ended up doing it freehand. Consequently, the canopy is a bit of a bodge, which ruins an otherwise lovely kit.

On this build, for ease of colour matching I used the recommended Humbrol acrylics, which are ok, but a pig to clean out of the airbrush. They have a tendency to dry like a thin layer of polyurethane film and are not as resilient as Tamiya to white spirit during weathering. I ended up having to do an emergency repaint as the paint peeled off. 

It didn't help that I'm still using the hated Vallejo primer. Once this bottle is done I'm never buying another Vallejo product again. I have absolutely no idea why Vallejo products are popular because they've sucked the fun out of every project I used them on.

Knowing what I know now, I could probably have a second stab at this kit and produce it to perfection, and I probably will because it's such a pleasing little aeroplane and one that really suits super-detailing if you're into all that. I could develop a thing for piston powered monoplanes.

I have to say that Airfix is really knocking it out of the park lately. I've had my foibles with some of the new generation kits, but on the whole they're excellent, and I'm increasingly hesitant to take on older kits. The latest Vulcan is a triumph, and this summer sees a 1:48 Buccaneer and Avro Anson. They really are listening to their customers.

1:72 Airfix Vulcan B.2

I had misgivings about this kit. I was troubled by the depth of the panel lines on the wing but, if memory serves, it would struggle to be worse than the old tooling. As it happens, it's really a non-issue after four rounds of touch up coats. White is a nightmare to work with and nearly impossible to keep free of marks. 

All the same, it's come out alright. A bit tattier than I had hoped for, but I know next time to use a better primer than Vallejo. The last three builds have had serious problems because of it.

The kit itself is a challenge. You would think for a new generation Airfix kit it would go together better than it does, but if you're doing the Blue Steel variant, there's quite a bit of work to get the bay sitting flush. That said, I now have to do another one in the familiar green/grey because the bomb bay detail is superb.

As to the cockpit detail, you can't see any of it apart from the yellow ladder, and in classic Airfix tradition the instrument panel decal doesn't resemble the part in the slightest. It's good to know that will never change.

The main difficulty for me was attaching the nose gear doors. They don't slot into place without a fight and the hydraulics are a nightmare to fit. I've left them off the nose bay. There is also an irritating oversight in that the engine rails don't have locators so I ended up leaving them off. The instructions aren't especially clear either. There is some confusion over version options which extend to the decal sheets.

One thing I'm quite pleased with is the fin ECM thingy, where I'd assumed it was a decal, only to find after adding all the other decals that it wasn't - and had to delicately mask off the area and mix the right colour. It's these small victories that make a modeller.

A mistake I made was adding the exhaust pots before painting, and filling and sanding the seams. There is now no line of delineation and it made painting them harder. I suspect though, I'd have had fitting issues had I done it any other way. We shall see next time. Also, if you're attempting this one, I suggest adding the airbrakes before painting.

Painting wise, I have at least refined my technique with white paint and had it not been for the primer problems this would have been better. I thought I would have an easier time of it with a white primer, so to test the theory I did white on the top and black below, and I surprisingly, the smoother, black primer yielded a better finish.   

I'm usually quite a fast operator when it comes to model building, and I have very little patience for waiting around. You can usually get away with it, but this kit is one to savour. I ended up having to make corrections at the worst possible time, which I should have noticed before priming. I think I was just excited to see it done. This is a very nice thing to have. 

I don't have any serious gripes about this kit other than those that go with the territory, and it should be appreciated that this kit is for reasonably advanced modellers. It's trickier than its shape suggests. I expect the version with the conventional bomb bay is easier to do build, and probably more rewarding. 

If there is a gripe it's the price. I bagged a bargain at £59 which for me is at the top end of model kit affordability. I know it's a precision boutique item, but I'm not alone in feeling gradually priced out of the hobby especially when consumables mount up. It's expensive when you consider the kits like the 1:48 HobbyBoss Intruder or F111 which comes in at around £40 - and there's no quality penalty. At this price it should at least come with a canopy mask. They all should really. 

In the round this is a long overdue kit, and a worthy addition to the range. It's not without problems, and it doesn't fall together like some other new generation Airfix kits, but you will get a fine model out of it. Now I have to go and scrub all the white paint off the kitchen floor. 

Airfix 1:72 Beaufighter

 

Again referring to RAF Radials by Spencer Pollard, I had a bash at the Airfix Beaufighter. Aside from the inexplicably fiddly three piece engine cowling, this is as close as you get to a perfect kit. Like all new release Airfix kits the panel lines are too deep and it lacks rivet detail but I have to give it top marks for sheer modelling pleasure. It really suits panel line accentuation and paint modulation and the decals are really nice. Lovely little kit for a pleasant little aeroplane. 

Another 1:48 Canberra

I didn't want a Canberra. I didn't need one. I've already got one. But this was a low ball Ebay bid that actually won. For a mere £11 I can't possibly complain.

I do like this kit. It's chunky, very easy to build, has plenty of options and the results are pleasing. This one, however, was not without problems. Someone had started the kit and glued the wrong halves of the ailerons together which made them almost impossible to salvage. They had to be filed down and reshaped with filler, and they're never going to look right.

A thing to note with this kit is it actually needs considerably more weight in the nose than the instructions say so that it will sit on its own wheels, Like the real thing, it has tendency to fall on its tail. The kit even includes a small plastic prop on the assumption that it will. This time I compensated and it does sit well, but the undercarriage is unlikely to take the whole weight of it for very long.

The photo here doesn't do it much justice but this is quite a nicely finished silver grey of my own creation. The instructions recommend an aluminium coat but but in my view it's a metallic grey and the aircraft itself does not appear in the bare metal.

I've been pondering why I like it so much and then it occurred to me that in the gloss white with the circular bubble canopy looking like an astronaut's helmet, along with the 1950's lines, there is something quite space age about this one that gives it a real presence.

If I had the space and the money I could easily do a dozen Canberra's because they always appear in interesting schemes, and though it's by no means a sexy aeroplane, or even an interesting form, there's just something about it. Though it was the first jet bomber, it was one of the last proper bombers in the conventional sense. It serves as a bridge between the ages where you can tell where bombers has been and where it's going next. You either get it or you don't. You really need to see one in the sky to fall in love with the Cannie. 

Trumpeter 1:35 AS90

Usually I can bang one of these out to a decent standard in a couple of days but this one was a real slog. I started it back in May and half way through lost all enthusiasm for it. It's not a good kit, the plastic is low quality and it's not all that accurate. In the end I skipped on the last few fiddly bits and slapped it with some paint just to get it out of my sight.

Having done that, I now regret it because a paint malfunction caused it to dry in uneven tones and it actually looks brilliant. This kit is more than the sum of its parts and it's a cheap way to fill the gap for a large self propelled gun. This is not a small vehicle.

This is the first time I've tried oil paint weathering on a vehicle and it really has worked. There's nothing better for rain streaking than a mucky blend of black, brown and white. I will probably revisit this one because there's a masterpiece hiding in this somewhere. If someone else releases a version of the AS90 I will jump at it because it can't possibly be worse than Trumpeters effort. I am quite surprised to be saying this. 

1:72 Airfix Avro Lancaster B2

 

Notwithstanding a few finishing touches, I've just completed the Airfix Lancaster B2. I was inspired to build this having bought RAF Radials by Spencer Pollard featuring three masterclass builds in 1:72. I decided to use his build of the Lancaster as a visual template to see if I could get anywhere close to that quality.

Though Pollard's book is a great resource, there are some procedural omissions leaving you guessing how to proceed so it isn't a how-to guide, but it does give you a few clues. It's also a review of the kit which was nice to have if only to have my own impressions confirmed.

I'm a little less diplomatic than Pollard. This is a stinker of a kit. The fuselage was warped and putting it together was seriously hard work. The main landing gear assembly is just bizarre and no thought has been put into attaching the bomb bay doors which are only precariously attached by small sprigs. The engine mounts are also a bit of a problem. They don't really attach to anything save for the forward cowling ring and they don't stay in place.

For a new tooling this was a bit of a disappointment from Airfix. I don't much recall if its predecessor was any good but this release isn't a quantum leap in development. As it happens, I did build the 1960's Airfix Handley Page Halifax not so long back which is not without its problems, but the fuselage rivets make for a more detailed and enjoyable finish. I do recall that the transparent parts weren't up to much but I have to concur with Pollard's conclusion that the fuselage detail on this Lancaster isn't as good, and is too smooth and too even to be considered realistic.

One of the flaws with the latest batch of new Airfix releases is the panel lines. On this and the new Vulcan, they're too deep and wide, more resembling a diecast model, presumably done that way for amateur modeller satisfaction but they do nothing for accuracy. The fuselage looks more like one of Brunel's iron clad ships than an actual Lancaster. 

That said, I don't think it matters all that much if you get everything else right. The flaws in the kit can be overcome by a competent experienced modeller. Modelling, in essence, is the process of correcting a succession of problems either with the kit or from your own mistakes. 

Speaking of which, I was not pleased with Pollard's recommendation to paint the tail plane separately. I categorically do not recommend this approach. The stabilisers don't fit on to the fuselage particularly well and it took several dry fits before realising that the locator slugs had to be more or less completely trimmed off, and in the process of fitting them the aft fuselage started to split open. If I ever do this kit again I will add them even before joining the fuselage. I would also say that there isn't very much point in going overboard on the interior because most of it cannot be seen. 

As to the the paintwork, I must have done three or four RAF black/green/brown bombers in my time so this ain't my first rodeo. I went with my own mix of Tamiya colours. I've developed a reasonable instinct for it. The weathering was the real fun. Having watched a video on oil paint weathering, I went to town on this one, being that with oils you can simply wipe off what you don't like. Here I was able to fade and modulate the finishes in ways I have never succeeded with an airbrush. I've managed rudimentary pre-shading before but it goes wrong more often than not. Oils appear to be the way to go for now.

What really makes the difference on this one is the Eduard canopy mask. There's no way it would look nearly as good as it does without it. I'm now having to bend to the expensive truth that one should never attempt a complex kit without the laser cut masks.

There are a few problems with the end result that I may address with some advanced surgery later down the line. I always revisit my kits eventually. A second look often makes the difference between an average build and an excellent one. I had some problems with primer peeling and chipping, suggesting a release agent on the kit so I probably need to get back into the habit of washing Airfix sprues before commencing. This has left some surface imperfections I couldn't correct since I never seem to have a fully functioning airbrush.

With the help of Spencer Pollard's book I think I've produced one of my all time best efforts, if not the best. I'm usually a bit timid with aircraft weathering as you can very easily do something to ruin it, but this time I had the confidence to go much further. As Pollard points out, Lancasters did get absolutely filthy. 

To seal in the streaking and modulation I gave it a very thin coat of (the now obligatory) Pledge floor polish, which may warrant a matt overcoat. I was going to give varnishes a miss but there was slight decal silvering and the Pledge takes the edge of it. The demarcation markings on the wing were something of a headache and I still don't trust decal solutions not to melt the decal completely or ruin the paintwork. I used a heavily diluted Humbrol Decalfix which was just enough.

Airfix HP Halifax

As you can see from the Halifax I built just two years ago (click image for larger), I wasn't far off a decent standard but with printed colour pictures of a master build as a reference I was able to take it the rest of the way. The oil weathering and grey misting as suggested by Pollard has taken me to the next level. With a new standard now established I may dig the old Halibag out for a bit of a refurb. Those wing rivets you can see make for a pleasing finish.

I have to say I am somewhat disappointed with Airfix on this one. This is the newest large tooling of theirs I've attempted and was expecting something a lot better. The technology has got better so you wouldn't expect to have to address the same warping problems found on the Airfix 1962 Avro Anson.

The other problem is that they're putting 1:48 design & build philosphy into 1:72 kits. What works for the former does not work for the latter. Elaborate interiors are a complete waste of time, deep panel lines don't work and complex rudder/elevator assemblies are best left to 1:48 kits. I can see this Lanc being very fragile and requiring ongoing repairs.

For all that, though, I really cannot complain because, for all the griping, it clearly can be done well, it's reasonably priced, and what you get is a Lanc variant that nobody else does. It's a distinctive and unusual version and all credit to Airfix for taking the risk. I'm really pleased with it. 

Heavy metal - the Monogram 1:48 B17

 

Metal effect is a bit of a dark art. I had done a P51 Mustang using only Tamiya flat aluminium and it just didn't look right even with panel liner and off shade panels. For metal you really need specialist paints. I've gone with Vallejo Metal Color (Chrome) for this B17 - and I think it's worked. For the off panels I've used Tamiya flat aluminium which works for the effect.

As to the darkened panel lines, I used Tamiya Smoke - which is a translucent dark varnish colour. Unlike pre-shading, this is an after effect applied to the base coat. It takes a little practice and it woks best if thinned a little with Tamiya thinners, and then a light mist overspray of the base colour. I've since tried it out on the Mustang (which is now a test mule) and I'm close to refining the technique.

The chrome paint is not what I was expecting. It's a slightly whiter shade of Vallejo's aluminium but a second coat at close range with the airbrush will give it more of that polished metal/chrome look. I did a test panel but in the end decided the full polished look wouldn't look right for the model. The only high polish B17's are modern day classic warbirds which isn't what I was going for.

When it comes to metal finish, surface preparation matters a lot. Olives and greens will hide a multitude of sins but metal finish will show up every defect and the chrome paint just doesn't look right if the priming is uneven. I learned this the hard way and had to clean off the wings and re-prime. In most instances I get away with a rough prime job but for metal surfaces you need a full and even coat - not least to even out some of the surface defects.  

The kit itself is the old Monogram in a Revell box. It's essentially the same as the Memphis Belle B17F kit but I think this one is a little better. The dome on the top of the nose looks better than the flat windows. This would be a far superior kit if it wasn't let down so badly by the badly formed glassware. That said, the HK B17 in 1:48 is going to set you back easily three times as much money. With a little bit of extra time spend on filling gaps and sanding seams, this one scrubs up fine.

On that score, this kit takes a lot more work. It does mean scuffing off a lot of panel line detail being that it has raised panel lines, but it doesn't really matter. A smooth top looks fine and the underside isn't visible. I have built the Belle version of this and I tolerated bad seams to preserve the panel lines and it just looks poor next to this one. This one with the chin turret is the one to get. 

The one thing I will say is this is one of the very few kits where "paint before assembly" applies. I painted much of the fuselage before joining to minimise the risk of getting paint on the windows. Even though they were masked off, it saved me some worry. What I do like about this kit is the wings slot on so well that you don't need to glue them on. I built the wings as separate models and completed them before attaching. This means I can disassemble it for storage without damaging it. It's a big kit!

The interior on this kit isn't great but then it doesn't need to be unless you're doing a documented build. If you're doing it in the dark olive then chances are you won't see very much but in the bare metal finish you can (for some reason), so it was worth going the extra mile on the cockpit and the forward compartment. As with all the old Monogram kits, they could be better but there's nothing much wrong with them if you're prepared to put the work in.

I think this is probably my first successful attempt at bare metal. The A26 Invader I built using the Vallejo Aluminium looks competent but the chrome on this B17 seems to work better. I might have done more fuselage panel tinting had I known what works beforehand but I'm inclined to think less is more. You can overdo it.

Considering silvers and and yellows are some of the hardest paints to work with, I picked a real challenge here. For the yellow I used Tamiya flat yellow, building it up in several thin coats with a gloss varnish. I've had problems with gloss yellow consistency. Four coats seems to be enough for a truly even coat. I'm not too worried about the imperfections since yellow paint is much the same on real aircraft.

One the whole it's a relatively inexpensive, high impact project with lots of learning potential. I probably will come back to it to add a bit more weathering but for now I'm just happy to bask in its presence. I would recommend it to any modeller. Even a badly done big B17 is still a big B17. What's not to like?