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Presumably wrapped in something clearly labelled, or in an appropriate container. Remember that in many areas, recycled waste is still sorted by hand!

Hi Ratch - sorry for the capitals (not shouting at all!) ...... So I've whispered this!

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH USED BLADES? I’ve got a couple of craft-type knives with removeable blades on the go at any one time – both Excel with comfi-rubberised-grip – one with a straight blade and one with a curved blade. And also a razor saw with detachable blades. But what does anyone else do with used blades? I like to fit a new blade to start a new model – and certainly when I’m cutting masks for canopies – but if I buy a sharps bin, what dol I then do with the contents? At the moment I’m storing the used blades in a tin with a lid, which isn’t very satisfactory, so I’ve ordered a sharps bin… but what do I do with the contents when that’s full? Any ideas? And does anyone know of how to dispose of used knife blades (which are still very sharp, after all) safely and legally?

Thanks for the kind words in the replies, and thanks for moving the post to a more logical place Ratch. Perhaps the forum area could be renamed Cars and Trains?

TRAINS (not boats, nor planes…) I’m sure there used to be somewhere on the Airfix forum for trains and railway linked builds, but I can’t find it, so I’m putting this into General Discussion – if one of the Mods wants to move it, then feel free! As those of you who are kind enough to read my posts, you’ll know I usually build WW2 1/72 scale aircraft (mainly British/RAF), although I have had an occasional foray into other areas – for example, the RAF Rescue Launch. So that covers the boats and planes, so here’s the trains! I found two Airfix kits, and in a fit of nostalgia, decided to go off on a little tangent. The 0-4-0 Tank engine – A2660-2 - was first released in 1964, and consists of 44 parts (some of which fit together…). It was reboxed as A2660-2 in a 1978 Type 4 box. The kit contained old school instructions, combined with not necessarily entirely to scale (or clear) diagrams. The young modeller back in the 70s (who might also have been a train-spotter) probably recognised instructions such as: “Place crosshead into position between the slide bars of the left hand cylinder. Note that the crosshead slides between the slide bars and piston rod engages in slot on cylinder cover end” And also, one needs to be careful to note “that oil box on opposite end of connecting rod is to the top”. Actually, it was a mainly straightforward build, and the wheels and pistons, and associated rods and bars, all connect, and actually turn, reciprocate and sort of work. The plastic is glossy black, but I painted it using Vallejo Model Air black. The buffer beam was painted using Humbrol 60 red, and the brass and copper and chrome bits were highlighted using Vallejo metallics. A little splash here and there of Vallejo Sepia wash was added to give an impression of rust and grease. I was pleasantly surprised that in spite of being nearly 50 years old, with the exception of the end of the loco number on one side, the decals all held together. It was quite fun detailing a train cab rather than a cockpit. To go with the locomotive, the Meat Van – A2661-5 - was first issued 1962; mine was a 'new' mould (in 1972), and came in a new box (type 4) in 1979. It was a much easier build than the locomotive, and the instructions were far more accurately pictorial, although it would have helped if all the parts had been numbered, as there were several bits that had to be left or right. The kit came in bright red shiny plastic – the chassis was painted with VMA black, and the body of the van with VMA German Red Brown. Again, although somewhat old and curled, the decals all went on happily. The only bit not OOB was the addition to both the locomotive and the meat van of coupling chains to replace the rather clunky, unrealistic and out of scale kit parts. I bought a small section of OO gauge track and some ballast and grass scatter to provide a base, and a few figures were added to give a sense of scale and animation. So an enjoyable departure from my normal builds, and a definite move out of my modelling comfort zone, but that said, I’m looking forward to getting back to ‘normal’, with the first of probably three Gloster Gladiators.

Hi AJ - No personal connection to RAF Warmwell, other than it's a couple of miles away from where I live in Dorset, and was very important as a satellite field (initially) during the BoB and thereafter. Also of interest because of the wide variety of units that were based there, and therefore a wide range of aircraft types and markings.

I mainly build WW2 aircraft (all in 1/72 scale) with an occasional dip into 1/76 AFVs (with accompanying figures for dioramas), although I'm currently building a very old Airfix 0-4-0 tank engine and refrigerated meat van (nostalgia-fix!). The core of my main thread however (WW2 aircraft) is the range of aircraft flown from RAF Warmwell between 1939 and 1945 - plenty of scope for different aircraft, different squadron markings, and of course the arrival of the USAF.

I've just looked up my records, and the previous not-so-easy Lysander was the one from Eastern Express - get the Airfix version if you can find one!

Thanks AJ - very kind of you. It's the second Lysander that I've built - the first one was not an Airfix model, and I seem to recall having lots of problems with it. An East European kit, if I remember rightly. So, as mentioned above, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this somewhat ancient Airfix moulding.

Here’s my latest build – the Westland Lysander produced by Airfix many years ago in 1/72 scale. I’ve built it as part of my on-going RAF Warmwell project, as a 277 Squadron ASR version, based at RAF Warmwell in 1944. Here’s the picture of the poly-bag ‘header’ (which unfolded, becomes the instruction leaflet): And here’s a 1944 picture of the actual aircraft: Apart from the cockpit canopy, it was a reasonably straightforward build, and the parts fit was actually very good, with very little filler being needed. As you can see from the next picture, there was a need for some rather intricate masking needed for the ‘greenhouse’: The canopy comes in several parts, and is structural in that that the wings attach to two lugs on one of the sections, so PVA was not going to be strong enough, so G-S Hypo Cement was used to fix together the various components of the canopy – strong bond and no fogging – thanks to Ratch for the tip! ASR aircraft carried a dinghy to be dropped, and also smoke markers. I scratched the ASR dinghy ‘module’ – working from photographs, and the 'smoke markers' came from the spares box. The yellow code decals were sourced from Hannants (actually intended for French aircraft), along with the rather more generic roundels and black serials. Paint was brush-applied Vallejo Model Air Dark Green/Extra Dark Sea Grey with Sky Type S undersides, all sealed in with Vallejo Matt Varnish (which dries to just about the correct sheen for a 1944 aircraft). I enjoyed the build, which for a very old mould threw up fewer problems than some older kits, and it’s another one to add to my RAF Warmwell collection. Thanks for taking the trouble to have a look!

What a good idea AJR! And think of all the fun I can have doing the rigging for three more Gladiators....

Another Gladiator in 1/72nd scale.... Just too tempting I'm afraid. I've already built one as a 247 Squadron aircraft (1940, BoB), and I've got one waiting in the pile to be built as 1940 Battle of France 615 Squadron. Now, should I build this one OOB as 1940 Norway battle, or waste the unusual scheme and decals, and build it instead as 'Pat' Pattle's aircraft from North Africa? Decisions, decisions....

The mono pictures are especially effective - and the project underlines that OOB (for the most part!) "basic" kits can produce really nice models. Thanks for sharing.

A few 'favourites' seem to be emerging if you scan through all these posts. I'd certainly part with some pocket money for: a new tool 1/72 scale Fairey Battle a new tool 1/72 scale Avro Anson a new tool 1/72 HP Hampden Not much to ask?

Thanks Dominic! Perhaps a red nose might be more appropriate for the officer on the tarmac...

After the ease and pleasure of building a newish mould Spitfire, it's back to basics again (and a return to RAF Warmwell) with this Lysander, which will be built as a 277 Squadron ASR version, based at RAF Warmwell in 1944.

An interesting article about light coloured spinners - thanks for posting the link HT - but I'm not going to repaint it! And Randall, you are so right!

“Another Spitfire…” I hear you say. Well, yes, but why not? It’s great to build a kit that’s well-engineered and familiar from time to time, and especially if the latest ‘livery’ is that of a well-known pilot – in this case, Sq Ldr Brian Lane who led 19 Squadron – based at Fowlmere and part of the Duxford ‘Wing’, during the Battle of Britain. The latest iteration of the 1/72 scale Airfix model – A01071C – holds no surprises, and so the modeller can focus on tweaks and (hopefully) improvements on the last Spitfire build (and let’s face it, some of us do build quite a few Spitfires…). It was largely OOB – I did cut up the canopy with a razor-saw and then use a Blown Sliding Hood from Barracuda so I could pose the cockpit open with the pilot sitting waiting to take-off. The cockpit detail is actually quite good for the scale (and price) and as it’s mostly hidden once it’s put together, I can’t really see the point of after-market additions that are invisible! I did add a few figures around the aircraft to enliven the pictures of course. The book is well worth obtaining and reading if you’re at all interested in the Battle of Britain. It contains some photographs which confirm the kit’s livery. The apparently outsize fuselage roundels are confirmed in several of the photographs, and the relatively undersized under-wing roundels are similarly pictured. One decal that is missing is the lightning-bolt shattered swastika which Sq Ldr Lane had on the side of his aircraft – again confirmed by one of the photographs in the book – but I suppose not viable for Airfix to include. As is my wont, the aircraft was brush-painted using Vallejo Model Air acrylics, and the aerial was AK Super-Thin rigging line. The Dark Earth/Dark Green combo was obviously correct, but the kit colour call-out for the undersides was for Humbrol Birch Green – I thought that Vallejo Eau de Nil was a pretty good match. The pictures in the book are monochrome, but I’ve no reason to doubt the recommendation that P9386 could have had a yellow spinner – and I think it looks the part anyway! I thoroughly enjoyed building the kit and it’s always interesting to build something that has real history, as homage to one of the very brave men who fought in the Battle of Britain. Thanks for taking a look!

Full of admiration for the double-wired rigging! When I built mine (in Vintage Classic 1/72 scale) I found single strand only just manageable. I've enjoyed following your build - thanks for posting. And here's a picture of its little brother by way of comparison!

Lovely build - thanks for sharing. Seeing outcomes like this rather tempts me to try 1/48th scale - if only I had the space!

Some of you might recall my preference for building WW2 fighter aircraft, particularly if there is a 'back story' - so I couldn't resist the latest 1/72 Spitfire livery, that of the aircraft flown by Sq Ldr Brian Lane, to go with the essentially autobiographical account written by the pilot about his BoB experiences, which I purchased at the same time (though not of course from the same on-line emporium...). So something to read and to build - what's not to like!

Hi Matthias - thanks for posting your various BMF Lightnings. The one that I built was in a 'Starter Set', so only had one set of decals and suggested colour scheme (even though I had to discard the included paint pots!). I'm impressed by the finish you have achieved - air-brushed or paint-brushed?

My ‘go-to’ build preference would be for World War 2 fighter aircraft (not least because of lack of storage space and lowish cost), but I also enjoy an occasional foray into other areas – one such being iconic or particularly notable (in historic or developmental terms) jet aircraft, hence a recent build of a Gloster Whittle, and previous builds of a Gloster Meteor and DH Vampire. So it was with some trepidation that I embarked upon the Airfix 1/72 EE Lightning F.2A. A much higher parts-count than I’m used to of course, in a much bigger box. But the kit was very well engineered and although there were some fiddly bits, the instructions were very well illustrated (especially compared with some of the old-mould models that I’ve been building). Actually, the tolerances were much finer than I’m perhaps used to, with even a coat of paint being enough to put things out of alignment. The build was almost entirely OOB, and therefore represents the aircraft flown by 92 Squadron in 1974, then based at RAF Gutersloh. My usual acrylic paints are brush applied Vallejo Model Air, but for this one, to get what I hope is an accurate colour and finish, I purchased the called-for Humbrol Acrylic 163 (in the new dropper bottle). It dried to a really nice satin finish, but I found that I had to dilute it quite heavily (almost 50:50, with plain water) to allow a smooth brush finish (using a good quality sable flat brush). The BMF under the wings and lower fuselage was Vallejo Aluminium, sealed with Vallejo Glass varnish. The rockets were painted white and then gloss varnished. I went to the added expense of purchasing a set of ASK Scale Masks for the canopy, which was money well spent, in my opinion. The decals – for the most part – went on very easily and using MicroSet and MicroSol look suitably ‘painted on’. Thanks to the satin finish of the Humbrol 163, I didn’t need to varnish the upper fuselage after applying the decals. I had a bit of difficulty with the curvature on the lower fuselage markings, and ‘lost’ one set of the parallel lines. I’m pleased with the final model. It certainly presented a few challenges in terms of complexity, but it was an interesting departure from perhaps simpler (but no less satisfying) builds, and it was certainly a step-change from some of the old moulds that I have been building recently. Thanks for taking a look!

Some great models - thanks for posting in this thread!

With the 80th Anniversary of D-Day tomorrow, I wanted to post a couple of images of invasion-striped aircraft as my own remembrance. Two ASR Spitfires of 275 Squadron (RAF Warmwell) and a Tempest Mk V (very old mould) as flown by R Beamont