Peter s

Sadly that is entirely true. The pilot was still in the plane too. They didn't recover him either. A tow truck reversed into it and A4, pilot and enormous H bomb went straight to the bottom of the Sea of Japan. There's a good few "lost nukes" out there. The US admit to 32. The only plus point is that nuclear weapons have a short shelf life and can't function after a few years. The isotopes used in the detonator degrade fast. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_Philippine_Sea_A-4_incident

I think the Stuka kit you refer to is the first re-tool from the original 1957 kit that was released in 1978. There were two releases, one in Series 2 and another in Series 3. The Series 2 kit was basic with one decal scheme, the Series 3 could be built as a Ju 87B or R and had extra detailing and optional schemes. By the standards of the day they were pretty good and even now I think they'd be worth a build. Your point about Palitoy plastic is a good one, sadly there were a number of negative things about the Palitoy era. Its got drop tanks and a choice of a 1940s (France based) aircraft or Italian fascist markings so I'd assume the series 3 version. I can copy the exact serial off the box when I do a "build" Some of the Palitoy kits gave me a long lasting prejudice of airfix kits. When I was a kid I basically spent my pocket money on 1/72 planes. The matchbox were generally good (there's a few like the Lysander hold up OK by series 1 standards today) The airfix seemed so variable. Either (at the time) great like the Stuka or truly impossible for a kid with basic equipment to put together. Jump from early 80s to 2010s and I get back into planes after doing some commercial modelling. I avoid airfix until I took a chance on a zero (which was a new tool although I didn't appreciate that at the time) and the difference in quality blew me away. I've rattled through the range and found most new tools better than any comparable manufacturer globally. Last year I built a baby blue 1/72 Firefly..... not good. i've just finished the old tool JU-88. That was tricky to do a good job on and the clear parts show their age but like the JU87 considering the kit is a few decades older than me it holds up OK.

It should look more or less like this: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StuG_III_Ausf.G_%E2%80%98802%E2%80%99_(45296964112).jpg Its been a few years since I've done a Stug but I used to do lots (BIG ONES: 1/16 scale). I always found the standard dark yellow, red-brown, olive green colours looked too toylike initially so I oversprayed with light filters. Usually a dark brown to mute the colours down a little. The scheme might look a bit weird but the point of cammo is to trick the eye for a critical few seconds. Parked under a tree that scheme merges with the dappled light coming through the leaves and can blend the vehicle into the background very effectively. If you're driving a 30 ton vehicle thats 8 foot high at 20 mph you could paint it bright orange for all the difference the cammo will make but most AFVs are ambush killers and a clever paint job really works then. Especially in Normandy with allied air superiority Stug crews enhanced the camo with lots of foliage. The pic at the top of this forum page is pretty representative: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235042375-using-cardboard-effectively-for-buildings/

I bought an old tool 1/72 Stuka by mistake thinking I was getting a new tool at £5 less than normal price. Its marked 75th anniversary of the battle of Britain so much be about the final red box issue of the old kit. Its actually still pretty good. I've a lot of fond memories of that kit as it was the first one I built as a kid aged about 7. I've bought the new tool and both are unbuillt and ready to start this weekend. I'm trying to do the entire battle of Britain in 1/72 while in "sort of lockdown" so I'll post pics of both builds side by side (I've had to add a few Matchbox kits to cover a few minor players but everything else is Airfix, mostly new tool). I think the important thing with old tool airfix is to avoid the baby blue plastic Palitoy issues. I've done a couple recently and not enjoyed the experience.

I didn't realise that although I should: most ebay model stores do. I'll buy direct next time and cut evil-bay out of the loop!

Oh... the water shot was easier than you think. There's a guy on eBay called "coastal kits" that sells printed polystyrene boards for dioramas. I used to make my own (Jessops the photo shop did A3 blowups but I've got lazy so I just buy them now). Generally I use 1/48 scale for my 1/72 models as they're bigger. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Coastal-Kits-Rotor-Wash-Display-Base/113902144589?epid=1877501148&hash=item1a8518cc4d:g:6swAAOSw8b1aAJ~k Basically I got a bit of steel wire (like wire coat hanger) with a small but powerful magnet stuck on with epoxy resin & another magnet behind the board and a big lump of blu-tac under the helicopter. The camera angle more or less hids that. The model wobbled a little so the pic I posted is the least blurred. By the sound of things both old tool kits are basically the same. It was the lower side/nose windows ruined my first go. I just could not get them fitted neatly. The use of much more clear parts on the new tool is genius. OK, its more masking off but the final job is so much neater.

Most kind. Thank you. Yes it was me. I make no claims for accuracy but what I used was the AEW old tool kit of the sea king plus the bright yellow HAR 3 new tool. I completely destroyed the cockpit and canopy getting the old tool version together, made a total gluey mess of the canopy and quit while I was behind but stripped the kit for parts including the larger radar dish and the blanking panels to cover the rear windows. Old and new tool kits are very similar in size for very compatible with each other. I used Hannants xtradecals for the ace of spades etc https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X72303 and home printed the little Scots flag for the nose to make it an HMS Gannet detachment. I grew up in Scotland (Glasgow) so saw those guys a lot. More so than the yellow RAF version which lived at Leuchars on the East coast. My biggest problem (and it was a small one) was getting the right shade of red-orange. In the end I mixed up by eye a cocktail of Vallejo day-glo orange with bright red and sprayed over a white primed base. I then masked the red and sprayed the grey next. Pretty straight forward but I spent a LOT of time with the masking tape cutting lots of bits for the canopy. Ps by AEW I mean this kit: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/airfix-a04048-westland-sea-king-aewmk2-asacmk7--100291 Although it doesn't show the larger radar dish on the AEW version as with many Airfix kits there's extra parts in the box for other versions and I found everything I needed in that box.

I've just spent the afternoon painting the canopy on an airfix Bf110c by hand. With a really nice bit of clear perspex (as found on all the new tool airfix kits) the framing is raised nicely. I added the canopy at the end of the build so to paint I stuck it on a little bit of duct tape, painted it carefully with a fine brush using tamiya acrylics (which being alcohol based tend to stick faster so you can get away with 1 coat) then overpainted with the vallejo model air I'd used to paint the plane. I then sharpen a cocktail stick and run it along the raised lines. That takes the acrylic paint straight off and leaves a nice straight line. I've used commercial masks before and made my own with yellow masking tape. It sort of depends on the individual project as to which one makes the most sense. The cocktail stick method (or use a sharp HB or H pencil) works really well but the brush painting is time consuming. Masks can be fiddly though but once fitted dead quick to paint.

I can usually build it in a couple of hours. (that doesn't include painting obviously). Some purists are rude about it. In airfix's defence their kit is a good copy of the real plane in the USS Intrepid air museum. Its unfortunate most A4-Bs in museums are a bit none-standard. Generally the kit goes together well but it needs weight in the nose to keep its front wheel on the table. I've had fit issues with the ejector seat sitting too high and making a closed canopy awkward. Thats worth checking before gluing. Its one of the few kits I'd advise fitting the canopy during the build and masking it. I've ended up doing quite a few of these because its a really fun little jet to build and with aftermarket decals and weapon options you can build quite a variety. I did one with a single big nuclear weapon on the centreline a few years back. The basic paint job is quite easy but again by virtue of accidents I've learnt to leave 24 hrs between coats of vallejo model air otherwise the paint can pull off when you remove masking tape. That US navy scheme is one of the few where I spray the underneath colour first. Paint the whole plane white, then the next day mask off the white parts on the upper surface plus demarkation line between upper and lower and spray with light gull gray. Its easier than spraying grey and trying to mask off the elevators etc.

Final bit of advice from me because it was something really simple I was slow to adopt. For getting the parts off the plastic frame (the sprues) I'd buy a sprue cutter. Like an electricians side cutter but about half the size https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pointed-Model-Cutter-sprue-cutter-clippers-Side-Cutter-Jewellery/223692616655?hash=item34151e73cf:g:iJoAAOSw3F5dl0EU I always used a scalpel or craft knife but the knife isn't as good and isn't as safe. Any twisting action on a scalpel blade can shatter it. Because of my day job I know that full well but i've still done it at home a few times. I broke far more kit parts with a scalpel than I do with my cutter. There's no need to pay more than about £5-£6 for the cutter. Some tools sold for "modelling" are overpriced. I never buy sanding sticks sold for modelling... disposable nail files (emery boards) from the beauty section in a pound shop are just as good. Little eye brow tweezers are good for handling decals. Again dirt cheap. You can usually pick up small sharp scissors from the same aisle.

Very true.... or to use the plane in your profile pic an F-86 sabre. Not currently in the Airfix range but normally not too hard to find the Airfix version online. Its a very nice build. Better than the other two from "other makes" in the same scale that I've built. I made one for a friend who was responsible for getting me back into modelling but is now too old to model himself. The airfix version has the decals for the astronaut John Glens aircraft. Basically all over silver then the decals do the rest. The new Mig17 would work really well in all over silver too but I did find that a slightly harder build than the F86. My favourite twin engine kit is the Airfix beaufighter. In coastal command colours thats grey above, sky below. I'd add black for the props, tyres and engine rings, silver for the legs, yellow for the prop tips, olive green for the rockets. 6 paints min only? Its a nice size too. Most German tanks are acceptable just in all over dark yellow and either the T34 or Sherman look perfect in plain olive drab. I've had some disasters with humbrol acrylic varnish in a can but their matt spray paints are as good as anything I've bought (I prefer them to Tamiya rattle cans). Someone - possibly on this forum- suggested putting rattle cans in a bowl of hot water for a few mins before using them. That was really good advice.

That looks really good! I used to see the real thing as a kid all the time (I grew up under the landing path for Glasgow airport and the AEW2s often used to stage out of there.... Nimrods too... ) You've done a great job on it. The yellow wing decals break up what could otherwise be a dull scheme. For T2B's benefit I tend to use multiple layers of varnish and always spray my decals. Normally I use Vallejo Matt spray as its never attacked a paint job before and doesn't react with Microset / sol (I've had other varnishes go "salt stained" when they two meet). I tend to go for dulled down weathered aircraft. For a shinier finish their satin is good too. I weather with watercolour pencil and that needs a very matt surface to work properly.

To quote your recent comments about a Bf110, the RAL 70 and 71 are so similar ithat at one point it was believed they were the same colour. The Stuka at Hendon appears to be one colour dark green as did the 1980s stuka release (although If I stare hard enough I can maybe convince myself there's two shades in that photo). Certainly the first Stuka I did myself (about 1983) ended up one shade of very dark green above & I was happy with that at the time. http://members.iinet.net.au/~joan.ahern/boxart/ju87b2r_airfix_box-T8.jpg If you google "Airfix Stuka" you get a hell of a range of colours from ones like the box above to one with much more obvious difference between the two shades. Personally I favour the latter where its at least obvious I've used two shades but that seems very much dependent on what brand of paint you use. It may not be 100% accurate but as a starting point a monocolour aircraft is easier than one requiring a complex camo. Some paints like unprimed plastic more than other. The starter pots do not. The only time I used one it was like painting with butter. Again, I'll point you to a recent airfix competion on this forum where the modellers could only use the beginner kit... apart from a commercial primer. I actually don't bother with a primer... I airbrush all over with Tamiya flat black. Tamiya is fine on unprimed plastic but its a thin paint and better suited to airbrushing. If I was going to paint a model without an airbrush I'd use a spray primer myself. Again, thats my personal preference after 40 years practice. I don't bother washing sprues before I start though. I didn't know humbrol do a needle tip cement. I'll have to try it some time. I quite like humbrol paints but I've got such a collection of other brands I don't use it much. Humbrol acrylics DO brush paint pretty well.

Wow.... I started modelling about 7 and I'm now a few years younger than your husband. With about 40 years experience I'd say the following: First get the revell polystyrene cement with the needle tube. I know it's not Airfix but it's so easy to apply neatly it's a no brainer. The tiny tubs of paint that come with the beginner sets are garbage. However the brushes are pretty good. I still buy beginner sets because they're good value and fun. For a first model I'd be wary of a German ww2 plane. The colour schemes are deceptively difficult. Bright yellow is a horrible colour to paint. The mottled sides are very hard to pull off. This weekend I did a Bf109e I'm happy with. Nearly 4 decades to do that! That said the first plane I did on my own as a kid aged 7 was a stuka. You could do far worse than that especially if you do it 1980s style just dark green above blue below. If you ignore the crew and cockpit you could do a passable stuka with three colours of paint. My other recommendation would be a hurricane from the battle of britain. Dark earth dark green black and sky blue/sky type S would be enough. The desert P40 is pretty good too. Middle stone , dark earth , azure blue , black (and ideally gloss red for the prop spinner) will do that. Airfix don't do a suitable kit at the moment but a late war US navy plane such as an F4 corsair can be done all over in very dark blue. The very first kit I made with my dad was an F4. A P51 mustang can be primarily done all over silver but for silver id use spray paint and id get my hand in first spraying something like a beer can outside. If you see a really nice model here it was almost certainly airbrushed. All mine are. That's not hard or expensive but it's a step up for a first kit. Brush painting can actually be harder but you need less kit or practise. My final advice would be get a spray primer. Paint doesn't like Airfix kits (or any other make) and a spray of primer really helps. Some people use Halfords stuff but I'd use Tamiya or vallejo. Best wishes and good luck to husband!

No sweat. The current Airfix B model despite the inaccurate bits (understandable because the one they copied is a bit weird) teams up very nicely with the Hasegawa weapons and pylon kits. I've put everything from 18x 500lb bombs to a nuke under the airfix. An E model would open up a lot more possibilities though.

Most Airfix kits are made in India so as with cheap paracetamol (also made in India) the Covid-19 situation has basically cut off the supplies to the UK. Its an understandable situation. Until India opens up again I wouldn't expect to see any deliveries. I'm grateful for my stash! The amount of kits I've built recently has been insane. That said some of the "vintage" kits I've had on pre-order have been on pre-order for 16 months now and the delivery season keeps moving forward and forward. The suspension of the fan club is equally annoying. Both are bad business too. If you paid £15 for club membership you need to spend £150 on the airfix website to break even with the 10% discount. That £15 ensures a lot of repeat orders in a year.

Two tips from me: Almost all my pilots end up having their boots cut off. You can't see the feet anyway and it helps with the fit. If I can I fit the canopy towards the end of the build but with the Spit 1a I've found its an awkward fit and best done BEFORE you paint the outside. Gently sand, dry fit, repeat until it's right. It's an easy one to mask off. there's nothing wrong with the kit at all, merely an issue of tolerance and a fraction of a mm is the difference between a perfect fit and an annoying gap. The Beaufighter is another one it's best to fit the canopy early. Again great kit but needs to be perfect or you get a gap issue.

My understanding is that the only A4 to take down a Mig 17 was an A4-c with its zuni rockets. "While flying a U.S. Navy A-4C Skyhawk on 1 May 1967 during a sortie against Kép Air Base, North Vietnam. Lieutenant Commander Theodore R. Swartz of Attack Squadron VA-76, flying from the U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31), shot down a MiG-17 using only his Zuni unguided rockets. This was also the only MiG aircraft to be shot down by a A-4 Skyhawk during the Vietnam War. Lieutenant Commander Theodore R. Swartz would later receive the Silver Star for his actions." i had a go at recreating this but fell short with the decals. The A4 B and C are pretty similar and I've got the zunis on the A4 at least. The A4 simply wasn't designed for air to air so kills BY the A4 will be in very short supply. Usually it was the victim of a dedicated fighter.

Great build! I've just started the same one. I also use that Vallejo set but TBH I'm pretty dubious of some of their Luftwaffe shades. They do a better job with RAF and Japanese shades. That said I've used other brands and found the colour contrast is so minimal you wonder why you bothered. I'm going mine the same as yours although possibly with different decals.

Some kits come with the tail insignia cut in half.... It's several L shapes until you push them together. Personally i find that a pain so just use xtradecal. As others have said in countries such as Germany you can go to jail for displaying a swastika and individuals may find them offensive so I don't blame Airfix keeping it simple. They're not unique in this approach by any means.

For what it's worth that's clearly an early lanc because it's got the little side windows. It's a very nice pic though. Later war versions may have been different. I've been inside "just jane" and the Yorkshire air museum Halifax (I know... Neither are exactly perfect WW2 examples) and both are very black inside.

39p is a very special price!! Kit looks ok too. I love helicopter models but they're rare these days. That's basically a CH46 sea knight so you could do a lot with it. Good luck.

It's not going to help here but I've damaged a few side windows before (wessex and catalina) and found painting them with Tamiya smoke paint saved me. It's a dark semi translucent gloss.

Thanks all! I did notice when building this one that there seemed hints of an earlier model planned for the kit. Alternative supercharger and twin holes on each wing looked like bomb mounts. Any ideas if a mkvi was considered then not followed through?

andf post 3 final job: /media/tinymce_upload/3fc5a32d3d4c7b1211c71439f92ed3a7.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/2c60fbb572c53519b982fb5b4f94f433.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/b033fb6b981f7aacf950342635a82c5e.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/e6e2f66b1c53e9357ac1f120fff228d2.jpg I've sneaked an enemy in for the final shot (Ki 43) ! I used a load of AK interactive products for the final weathering. Enamel wet oil around the engines. The engine rings were built up using their coloured metalic wax. They shouldn't be bronze, rather heat damaged steel. I started with copper then thin coats of gun metal and finally metalic blue. More mig pigments on the tyres also a thin solution of mig pigment in enamel thinner on the props. Bit of a short and sweet one here. Hope you like. Personally I think its my best beau but there's still room for improvement.... God help me when the Beaufort arrives.