jopres57

That's a neat looking display. It just goes to show that a decent result can still be achieved with the older kits. It's a good reason for Airfix to bring out more Vintage Classics.

I'm all for having unexpected kit releases, it definitely adds a bit of extra interest to the hobby. It would be good to see more Vintage Classics, perhaps including six to twelve limited run products over the year.

There are some good 1/72 scale subjects there. I don't think any mainstream manufacturer has made a modern detailed kit of the Skyraider. Its a bit surprising when you consider what an important and widely used aircraft it was for many years.

Some good choices in that list, I would second all of them. Just hope that 1/72 scale isn't neglected in the new year.

I assume that Chris is thinking of the Chaparral mobile air defence vehicle based on the M113 chassis. Actually that's sound likes a good idea, I'd like to see it in 1/72 scale.

I've always thought that there is a good possibility that any military or aviation equipment, if it survives long enough, may well be re-painted, in some areas, in a different colour to it's factory finish. Items in museums sometimes use a bit of artistic licence when being painted, although the zero mentioned is in its original paintwork so there's no dispute there. I've also learned to be wary of copying other people's model colours because they might not be accurate. Over the years I've learned to choose my colours carefully but don't take things too seriously.

It's probably a bit late now but I think you would have had some leeway with the driving figures. If I remember rightly the ferret driver's seat has a lot of forward/rearward adjustment and the backrest folds down almost horizontally.

I would second all those kits on your wishlist, I'm waiting for the Bloodhound missile which is due for re-release soon. I think a problem with space models now is that young people don't seem to be as interested in the subject as they used to be. Back in the day there was a genuine fascination with space exploration, I'm not sure when it will be coming back. I would be keen to see some new sci-fi kits though, especially Gerry Anderson based.

That's a neat looking build, the Basset is a very efficient looking aircraft. Fighters and Bombers are good modelling subjects but some new auxiliary machines like this would be welcome in kit form.

Let's not forget the 1/72 Spitfire XVIe from the 'History of the RAF' set, also known as the 'RAF Collection'. Its a grim looking little kit, moulded in black plastic as I remember. I assume it's a re-release of a Heller kit. It's definitely due a replacement.

Airfix probably couldn't replace a P1127 canopy but you could try obtaining a replacement Harrier canopy. The two are very similar, might just need a bit of trimming and filling.

This subject was briefly mentioned in another post a few months ago but received little response. It would be good to see younger contributors mention what TV or film figures they would like see as subjects for new Airfix sets. The old themes such as High Chaparral, Tarzan, and Wagon Train are unlikely to be seen again except as vintage classics.

That's a really good result Andy. As a matter of interest did you coat them with PVA glue before painting. A lot of people recommend this to stop the figures being too pliable and the paint flaking off. I've never actually tried it myself. Like you say though it is amazing what can be achieved with old figures.

That's a first class new kit. It's a good idea to split up the new releases so they aren't always announced at one time in the year. 1/48 scale seems to be becoming more popular, let's hope Airfix keep up with the smaller scale kits.

There doesn't seem to be any regulars here who have attempted this Ian but there are some articles on the subject on the Britmodeller site. Good luck, and some pictures of the end result would be welcome.

That looks like an old Frog kit, the Focker D21. You made a good job of the painting back in the day. It seems to be in the supplied kit markings of a neutral Dutch machine.

There are quite a few of these on eBay. I spotted at least one that's for sale in Italy.

I'm glad the Airfix 1/35 kits are not a disappointment, I have several in my stash but haven't tried them yet. I was a bit concerned that they may be a flash in the pan that soon fade from the catalogue. I hope the company has every success in its efforts so it can afford plenty new tools to keep the wishlist contributors happy.

Another good result there Andy. You obviously have some experience in building 1/35 kits, how do you think these recent Airfix offerings compare to other manufacturers?

I hope you manage to obtain your missing part, Airfix are usually fairly good so it shouldn't be problem. If things don't go well though it shouldn't be too difficult to make a piece from plastic card. The lack of detail at the back could be disguised by fitting something that looks like a rolled up tarpaulin. This is often achieved by rolling some tissue paper soaked in PVA glue.

That clip from the newspaper certainly raises more questions than it answers. There is mention in Wikipedia of a Bf110 being captured in Iraq (Wk-Nr 4035) but no details are given. The article also claims that no Messerschmitts in the country were left serviceable by the end of May 1941. It has to be wondered if this latter statement is correct because Wikipedia is not an ideal source of information. The markings on the Iraqi planes are certainly interesting and perhaps deserve addition to any future re-release of the kit.

The British dark green colour is interesting, it looks like a matt version of the post war bronze green. British Army colours in WW2 seems to be a more complicated subject than I thought.

That's a really neat job Andy. British Army paint schemes in ww2 are an interesting subject that I am still learning about. Is that a British colour or the original U.S. paintwork?

I’ve had plans to complete a model Washington B1 for a while but haven’t made a start yet. A couple of years ago I managed to acquire a useful decal sheet for the project, but I think its out of production and may be hard to find now. It’s sheet ACD72002, ‘Washingtons of the Royal Air Force’, from a firm by the name of Air-Craft models, which apparently is part of Coastal Craft Models. I think that Coastal Craft ceased business a couple of years ago so that would make the sheet fairly rare. Some good news is that the Hannants website has a new Washington model due for release from Hobby 2000 (listed as H2K72069 on the site). The kit appears to have decals for several versions, including those for WF 512, so it could be worth looking at. Going back to the Air-Craft sheet, this also has markings for several aircraft, one of which is WF 552 with tail markings similar to WF 512 in the picture. There are three sizes of roundels, large for upper wings (28 mm diameter in 1/72 scale), medium for lower wings (19mm diameter), and small for the fuselage (15mm diameter). Lower wing serials are 17mm high and tail serials are 13mm. the fin flashes are 9mm deep and 8.5mm wide. The sheet also includes a small selection of tiny brass aerials for intelligence versions. Hope this is useful.