Heller 1:72 E3 AWACS

 

You would think a kit like this would be easy, and with only about thirty or so major components, and a reasonably good tooling, it would be a quick job. But what it lack in complexity is makes up for in scale which makes it something of a painting and masking challenge. I used almost two rolls of masking tape.

Build wise it's a bit of a rotter as it's quite clunky and the wings didn't align very well. With an aircraft of this scale, age and brand I wasn't expecting much, particularly since it costs very little for such a big bird. I don't mind though. It's nothing a halfway competent builder can't overcome. In its favour the decals are superb and caused me no problems whatsoever. Beyond that there isn't much to say about this one. It does all the talking for me. It's glorious. 

Monogram Marauder

 

I think I was nineteen when I gave up model kits for other concerns. I was working on this precise kit, - Monogram B26 Marauder boxed as Revell in 1:48 when I concluded that without investing in an airbrush (which I didn't have the money for) I was not going to be able to do a worthwhile job of it and abandoned it mid-build. I don't know what happened to it - but there was unfinished business for twenty years. 

Happily I found one recently on Ebay for £25 in the original Monogram box and with extra decals so decided the settle the score. Surprisingly, for a kit as old as me, this is a really nice kit. It's almost as good as a Tamiya from the same era. Normally Revell/Monogram twin engine warbirds are clunky and require a lot of structural correction, but this one practically fell together with very little filler. Even the glassware is pretty good which is not usually the case for older Revograms. 

On this I've been quite sparing with the weathering. I haven't quite mastered paint modulation and I got to the point where I didn't want to risk ruining it. I may revisit it in the future but for the moment I have a perfectly nice and respectable 1:48 Marauder. I can lay that demon to rest.

This was my first attempt at invasion stripes which is actually a lot hard than it looks. But it is one of those modeller's milestones you just have to try. I'm glad it was this kit. Twice now has this kit been a marker in my development as a model maker. And isn't she lovely?  

Something a bit different

 

I stumbled upon a book featuring Tamiya's Pink Panther LWB Land Rover in BAOR colours and I just knew I had to have it. I'd never had the remotest interest in building the Pink Panther, but sometimes you just get that flash of inspiration. And at less than £20 from the excellent Tank Museum online shop, it would be rude not to.

Though mine isn't quite as good as the one featured in the book, it ain't bad at all. I traded the plump desert tyres for some resin European theatre wheels from Accurate Armour and it really does look the business. I added various stowage pieces recovered from the bottom of my bits box, which aren't as good as handmade accessories but I just don't care that much. 

And then on completion I figured one good Land Rover deserves another. I went for the Hobby Boss Defender Wolf WMIK - essentially the same vehicle for the same role in modern times. Also an excellent kit save for the virtually unusable PE parts and inaccurate headlamp cages.

The result is two lovely little trucks. Quite a rewarding little project. I'm glad the range of military Land Rovers is quite limited or I could very easily end up with a collection.  

Strip and refurbs

Last seen in the two-tone Royal Navy scheme, I wasn't happy with this one, and having just completed a Desert Storm Buccaneer, I had the decals and spares to make good of it. I put the wings down and added the ECM wing pods and tanks. Now it looks proper.

I do love the colour on this. It's a middle blue/neutral grey blend, darkened with a little black. It looks like a dark grey but ocean grey comes out a rich sea blue in certain lights and the gloss finish really makes it shine. As it happens this is a pisspoor kit and a strip and refurb job so it was never going to be a showcase piece buy all the same, it's a nice thing to have. Meanwhile, I've been on with a little side project...

Since taking this pic at 4am I've added a few other subtle bits of weathering but you get the picture. I actually built this precise model about twenty years ago and it's been sitting on a shelf in Dad's office for years, painted in the wrong colour with amateurish weathering. I've been eyeing it up for a while now and so I kidnapped it to give it a BAOR makeover. I was intending on doing the Berlin Brigade scheme but I think you have to paint that scheme during assembly. I also chickened out. It looks like a lot of faff and I didn't have quite enough paint for it.

There's a lot be said for strip and repaint jobs. That way you get twice the value from a model and you don't have to take up room with new ones. This week's modelling has cost little but the paints.

On both these projects I've mixed my own colours. The green on this Chieftain is one of my own making and the black is a mix of black and dark green. I wanted authentic colours on this one. It's nice to have the confidence to mix your own blends. Prior to now I would usually look for the closest match in the Tamiya range but I now have sufficient empty jars to play around - and now have as many mixes as paints. It's a lot of fun. But also, you end up using quite a bit of thinner thus end up using thinned paints by default which has resulted in better finished. This tank had about three coats of extra thin paint and it really does make the difference.

Refurbing is a good palette cleanser between major builds. It's usually when I potter and experiment, catching up on odd repair jobs and marginal improvements to my whole collection. It's a cost effective way to experiment with new techniques and a nice way to pass the time. 

1:72 Airfix Jet Provost

I don't usually build 1:72 scale birds and certainly never this small. I wanted to build one for my dad who flew them in his brief air force career. It's basically the Vauxhall Chevette of the sky but a very likeable little bird. If somebody started making them new for private use they would certainly sell. 

Here the camera doesn't quite do this one justice. I elected not to give it a dark wash or panel liner because at this scale it would spoil it. Airfix have latched on to the fact that modellers like to accentuate panels so they add them to absolutely all of their range now, and in my view the grooves are too many and too deep for 1:72.  People rave abut the new Airfix 1:72 Buccaneer but I think it looks daft for that very reason and it's the reason I don't like the Corgi die casts very much - and certainly not now I can make better myself.

The kit, though, is lovely. You really get a sense you're looking at state of the art kit engineering when you open the box and if that is the standard of all new Airfix kits then their new releases are definitely worth a look. The updated V bombers could be very nice.

I like this one so much I built two of them. I did the silver-grey variant with the dayglow orange straps (though be warned the dayglow decals are useless). These little 1:72 birds work will as side projects and good for instant gratification. This one took just a single afternoon. An afternoon spent well, methinks. 

Italeri 1:48 F-14A Tomcat

 

It looks far better in this picture than it actually is. I did not do a good job of it. This was one of my first. I recently bought a second one so this could take its rightful place in the bin. My view is that if you're a serious modeller then the F14 is one to crack and anything less than perfect won't do so I'll keep going at it until I get it right.

I'm posting this one because I just want to rave about this particular kit. It's not particularly detailed and it doesn't have flaps or configuration options, but at £27, for a massive Tomcat, you can't really complain. The interior is very basic and the ejector seats could do with replacing with something better, but if you want an imposing "big fighter" then this will do. Any other brand of Tomcat will cost you substantially more.

The Tomcat is the one to crack largely because it does so wonderfully lend itself to advanced pre-shading techniques and marbling and there's a lot of scope for advanced weathering. It's an excellent canvass to get creative with. I plan to use the next one as a training experience with a view to doing one of the more advanced Tomcat kits in the future. As someone who generally prefers painting to the building, this is a nice kit because there are relatively few pieces and it's a fast build with no senseless interior ducting. It's basic and that's what I like about it. If you want convoluted builds, go for the Revell 1:32 Hornet. 

For those considering it, be warned, it is not at all small. It takes up twice the shelf space as a Tornado. It's about the size of an Su-27 which isn't small either. As it happens, I think the Tomcat is a much overrated aircraft and is only pretty from certain angles, but in this particular USS Nimitz scheme it does look the business.

Trumpeter 1/32 Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3

 

Trumpeter have established themselves as a leader in the field - and rightly so. This is a great kit with excellent detail and it's a nice subject matter. I took this one on particularly because of the painting challenge it represented and I think I did a pretty bang up job. I'd only been airbrushing a year. It looks like I skipped out on detailing the landing gear and I could probably go at it with a bit of panel liner, but I don't think I was that bothered because warbird generally bore me. I just wanted to see if I could crack the interesting camouflage scheme. As a painting challenge I absolutely recommend it and if you like your warbirds, there is nothing at all wrong with this kit. 

1:48 Airfix Hawker Fury

 

This is very possibly the worst kit in the entire Airfix range. I'm not a master modeller but I'm not incompetent, and I simply couldn't make a good go of this. Many of the pieces are malformed and the fuselage join is awful There's quite a lot of filler on this one and it lacks detail and texture. As it happens I think 1:48 is far too small for biplanes and there wasn't any way this was going to end well. It was a fun little experiment, but it went straight in the bin. In its defence, the decals were good - but that's all one can say about it. I'm sure somebody has made a good go of this kit, but it's never going to be me. 

1:48 Airfix Sepecat Jaguar

 

This is a frustrating kit because it's almost good, but is actually terrible. There aren't many issues with the main body of the aircraft, but the landing gear is absolutely pathetic and the parts don't even fit. It really lets it down - as does the complete absence of cockpit detailing. If you want to do a halfway decent job of this you have to buy a resin ejector seat and scratch-build a better interior. You can get after market landing gear legs but they're not much better. Meanwhile, the canopy doesn't really fit, the missiles are poor, and if you bought it boxed as Heller then the decals are rubbish as well. 

This one is my second attempt and it's not much better than the first. I hoped with more advanced skills I might be able to do justice to it but I have to resign myself to the fact that you have to be a master modeller and detailer to do justice to the subject matter.

I'm aware there is a Kitty Hawk production of the Jag in 1:48 and I may yet stretch to it and send this one to the aeroplane graveyard in the sky. I'm told it also has issues but it can't possibly be worse than this. Perhaps an amalgam of the two might yield results?

I don't know why I'm determined to have a decent Jaguar. It's not the fastest or the coolest, nor does it have an especially interesting combat record. It's not even nostalgia because it wasn't an airshow star particularly either - especially when they were displaying the Tornado. There's just something about it. It doesn't have to be pretty to be interesting. 

Hasegawa 1/48 BAe Harrier GR.7

I love Hasegawa kits. In 1:48 there aren't usually better companies. They've been pipped just lately by Hobbyboss but their classics are still first rate. Unusually, though, I didn't like this one.

The build was a bit awkward. The cockpit section is separate to the fuselage in order to paint and detail the lift fan, and it doesn't quite align. It's a bit of a faff. But then that's not really the problem. As you can see, apart from the improperly trimmed refuelling probe/nozzles, I did a pretty respectable job of this (even though the lightbox shows up the faults). What bothers me is that I don't really get a Harrier vibe off the finished product. Usually when I build something to this standard I get a sense of satisfaction. This left me feeling a bit meh.

As it happens, it's one of the best Harrier kits out there. Its a magnitude better than the Tamiya Sea Harrier Mk1 (which is dreadful) and much better than the decidedly mediocre 1:48 FRS2 from Airfix. The landing gear is better defined (although the main belly gear doesn't actually reach the ground) and the transparencies are good. I just feel like there's something missing.

Unusually, it doesn't come with a range of munitions and I have bought the Hasegawa aircraft weapons sets which may help bring it to life. My hunch is that 1:48 is actually not big enough being that the Harrier is such a small aeroplane. It's not by any means a large model and it's about half the size of the average fast jet. There is a Trumpeter GR7 in 1:32 I think I need a crack at.

If you're after a GR7 in 1:48 I suspect this is still the one to get, and with a bit of engineering and investment it can be brought up to standard, but I reckon when it comes to Harriers, go big or go home!

1:48 Revell AC-47D “Spooky” Gunship

Pictured here before I went to town on the weathering, it satisfied my two basic criteria for a fun build. It's big and it *was* cheap. For reasons unclear the price has shot up lately. Must have grown in popularity after the 75th anniversary of D-Day. This kit goes back to 1978 and originally came boxed as a Normandy Skytrain. I may yet repaint it as such.

As with Revell's reboxed Monogram kits, it's clunky, basic, lacking detail and with lamentable transparencies. The cockpit glassware on this was especially difficult to fit and I may revisit it for some major surgery in future. None of that matters though. You get a chunky Dakota with miniguns. The decals are terrible but finding after market decals isn't a problem if it bothers you. 

One warning about this. I said it was big and it is. It occupies almost as much space as the B17 in 1:48. It won't fit on many shelves. This one I did freehand with the airbrush. I have seen more elaborate attempts at this camouflage but my skills aren't there yet. The build itself was a walk in the park. The interior detail is a bit basic - but most of it can't be seen. I'm not a big one for going overboard on the interior. It just has to pass a cursory inspection.

Building this kit is largely reminiscent of the Revell B17 Memphis Belle kit. It has roughly the same flaws, and feels like much the same plastic. Slightly waxy with thick sprues. But as with that kit, if you're a halfway competent builder you can sort out the worst of the problems to produce something quite respectable. There is, I believe, a more modern kit of this by Trumpeter which will no doubt be a magnitude better (and more expensive), but I like these cheap and basic kits as palette cleansers after more complex and expensive builds.

I would recommend building a Dakota to any modeller. It's a lovely aeroplane and to be able to hold a large model of it just to admire it is great. Unlike may other aircraft, it's beautiful from any angle - and very possibly one of the most gorgeous aeroplanes ever built. And this one has miniguns. What's not to like?

1:32 Matchbox Sea Venom

 

I saw this on Ebay going for a song and I just had to have it. I remember wanting one as a kid but was told it would be too advanced for me - which is ironic because this is probably the most basic kit in existence. I wanted it largely because of the absolutely gorgeous box art which gave me a rush of nostalgia. I normally throw the boxes away when the build is complete - but not this one. 

I loved every minute of this build. It's a lovely antique kit with strangely antique feel to the finished product. It's let down by a lack of detail but then the real thing is almost as basic. I didn't have fun with the decals on this (when does one ever) as they were ancient and the adhesive had perished. The landing gear is also useless. I'll probably have to keep gluing it on after it falls off. 

This was my first 32nd scale aircraft. It wouldn't have worked at 48 scale as it's a surprisingly small aircraft, little bigger than a Jet Provost. I could have done a better job on the painting and it suffered from a bit of orange peel effect on the Humbrol grey. It did the same on a recent Buccaneer. This one was a bit of a revelation though. I'd always assumed the lower colour was a cream colour with just a hint of green, but the actual colour is closer to mint-choc icecream green and only takes on its cream shade when juxtaposed with the grey. And by the way, yes, those wing tank decals are as difficult as they look. I just about got away with it. 

I have to say, I'm absolutely in love with the Sea Venom now. It's an ugly, ponderous beastie but you never really understand a form til you model it. This little bird was a proper aeroplane. It just looks better in the sky. 

Airfix: can't beat the oldies

Kit technology has come on leaps and bounds and modellers now have far higher expectations. But there's something comforting about building a classic kit and I really do recommend it just to see the difference. As it happens, leaving aside that the transparencies are terrible, there isn't that much wrong with them. These two Airfix beauties above scrubbed up really well, and in fact, I would go as far as saying they're better than some of the modern ones. The modern Revell Lancaster from 1994 isn't nearly as good as this Halifax in terms of surface texture. The Halifax has all the rivets and imperfections.

As to the Sunderland, the finer features are a bit rough, but again, the riveted fuselage makes for a super accurate finish that's incredibly well suited to heavy weathering. Where the Sundy is concerned, there's no such thing as too much weathering.

Both these builds were relative easy with no major problems. The interiors are limited but there's even less point going to town on the interior on 1:72 kits than some 1:48 bombers. The Sunderland has issues with misshapen windows, and this photo makes it look better than it actually is, but in both cases I got a respectable build.

With Airfix being a long established company with an incredibly diverse range there is a major variance in quality and some are absolute stinkers. I recently built the 1:48 Hawker Fury biplane which, though produced in 1980, it feels far earlier than that. It's one of the few kits I haven't been able to bash into a respectable shape. And then there's the 1:48 Etendard IVP, which is absolutely fine but underwhelming in every respect. The Mosquito FB VI isn't up to much either. It's featureless and clunky.

That said, there's the English Electric Lightning and Canberra in 1:48, both of which are fantastic kits although they're not that old in kit terms. 1995 onwards is what I call new when recessed panel lines became the norm.

Due to budget constraints I have not yet had the pleasure of building many of the much newer Airfix kits but I have bashed out a couple of the 1:72 Jet Provost which is a lovely little kit with superb decals. If that's the standard Airfix is hitting these days then they still have a future in this game. The newly released Handley Page Victor looks amazing and I will, one day, get round to doing the Airfix Shackleton. When it comes down to it, Airfix will always be king of 1:72 scale. Revell are great across all scales but when it comes to 1:72 aircraft the crown belongs to Airfix.

As much as I love their kits, there's also a lot to be said for the box art. Probably one of the most overlooked popular culture genres of art, known by nearly all men of a certain age, is Airfix box art, particularly pre-1980. It's good to see them reviving the traditions.

Thankfully, Airfix are maintaining a classics range, republishing some of their famously awful efforts, but that much is understood in the unwritten contract. It's part nostalgia, and part frugality. The older ones are much cheaper and with so many after market parts around, they make for nice little diversions. Particularly the 1:24 warbirds. I just wish they'd re-release the 1:48 Buccaneer, even though it's one of their all time worst. I've built four of them and will happily do another.

If memory serves, the Airfix Lancaster isn't a bad kit, and some of the 1:48 monoplane fighters are easily comparable with Tamiya. When they're good, they're up there with the best. That's why Airfix is synonymous with modelling as an endeavour - and long may it be the case. 

1:72 ICM ZiL-131 Soviet Army Truck

As a gift for my dad who collects 1:72 vehicles I decided to have a bash at one. This one is from ICM, a Ukrainian company I'd never head of. I've built three of four of their trucks now and I really like them. They're basic, easy to build, and there's nothing at all wrong with them. It also makes a nice change to step outside your usual groove. Here I've employed a lot of the techniques I normally apply to 1:35 vehicles. With a mixture of weathering powders (red earth brown and black) and rust wash fluid, this one has really worked well. Better than I expected. With aircraft less is usually more, but with vehicles, the messier the better. 

This one looks particularly good because of the contrast on the white body. I did a similar Ural command vehicle in Soviet dark green and though it looks ok, it just doesn't look as cool as this. The little red flash of the fire extinguisher and the orange indicators just adds that little bit of life to it. It's a nice little thing to have. I must have had to glue that wing mirror back on at least four times though. 

In the wake of this I will probably try my hand at a 1:35 Warrior MCV in UN white, Bosnia campaign. The desert one I did looks cool so it's worth a try. White is right!!