Peter s

Reassuring.... It's been included in the dozens and dozens of Airfix kits ive bought too until I had a kit that didnt. Then I was given various impossible tasks to perform like send a photo of the unopened box (because I always do this just in case I find a missing part). It was very very telling that despite quoting the sprues ref numbers and taking pics of the instructions with the missing parts highlighted the person replying to me (as sir/madame/other throughout the exchange) argued i was wrong and quoted random parts from every other kit going back at me. After a fortnight a UK based manager took over said sort it out with my local model shop not our problem. Despite the PIR XIX spit kit being available on the Airfix website they wouldn't break open one to replace the part.....

That looks great! Also if you think that's a messy workspace I'm never showing you mine. Mine is a dusty landfill of unpainted pilots and bits left out to one side for projects I've been not starting for years BTW if that was my model as you've put exhaust stains on the belly Id also put some from the exhausts too. I can maybe see some but id do more. I think I can see some chipping at the wing roots. Again personally I'd go a little OTT as it's really only desert and Japanese/Pacific planes get sandblasted. It's purely personal choice though and I have spoilt models overweathering at the end. Ps I like the blue-tac shade you used underneath too. I tend towards vallejo. Their middlestone and dark earth are great but their azure is ridiculously dark and bright. Yours looks "right". I've the same kit in my stash and I'll copy your blue

Ps the claim that Airfix not including an essential sprue in a sealed plastic bag in a sealed box isn't Airfixs fault but that of the vendor is a very dubious claim. This incident reminded me of old Airfix in the 1980s where missing parts were so common there was a postcard in each box to claim what you needed. For what it's worth it's the only missing part I've experienced from dozens of new tool kits but the outrageous way I was treated has made me wary of buying really expensive kits from them. I cancelled a Victor on the strength of this. A spitfire without a canopy is one thing. A £60 Victor quite a different problem.

UK Customer Law says "In the event of problems/missing parts return to vendor". Airfix's spares service is "above and beyond". If you live in a non-EU market I'd suggest that your issues are with vendors or importers, who are not within Airfix's control. It was bought from a model shop in Nottingham but by the time I started it i'd lost the receipt. Hardly unusual given most of us have a stash. Airfix customer support messed me around for weeks. btw I'm not sure what the suggestion I'm none EU is meant to mean. I'm British born and have lived here 41 years. Given the time return on my emails I was clearly dealing with india.... Where the kits are moulded As you will see from Alan's use of the word "interogated" that's two of us don't think airfix customer support is " above and beyond". Who the hell would go to this much effort to defraud them of some vinyl tracks or a spitfire cockpit??? Must be 20p worth of plastic.....

Hi Alan, I've only had to contact Airfix once about a problem (missing clear parts in 1/72 PIR spitfire XIX) and after 30 odd emails from people who were clearly 6000 miles from where I was i gave up, bought another kit (ebay) and used what was left for the parts box. TBH The prop and undercarriage improved another manufacturer spit XIV nicely. The new tool kits are as good as any other kit you can source (and better than most), the older kits variable but the customer support if you have a genuine problem is utterly insulting (and below that required by basic consumer law)

I've almost finished an M202 (TBH I've had it almost finished for ages) italeiri kit from ebay. It doesn't seem that common but you should be able to get an M200 easily. The matchbox fiat cr42 biplane is obtainable too. You'll pay more than £10 for it... Probably closer to £20 but it's a decent model for its age. unfortunately the "6 guns in the wing" P40 variants are quite different. If Airfix made a new kit of one or would give a lot of options. They fought hard in Italy into 1944 and also india/burma

Jeff: using the international unit of pints of beer you can get a perfectly decent airbrush for 3 pints. 95% of what I post is done with a £10-£12 pound chinese double action airbrush which I chuck away and replace as it stops performing. My compressor cost 5x that but is ten year old. I've had a variety of more expensive brushes (up to £150) but found they're so fine they clog easily and can need more cleaning time than spraying time. The build is coming on really well. Have you seen the new series of Catch 22? 3 real B25s (later models) plus dakota Harvard ju 52 etc. Yossarians has the two canopy panels above the pilots eyeline in green perspex. I haven't a clue if it's accurate or not but I mixed 1 drop Vallejo US dark green with 5 drops Vallejo gloss varnish and painted mine the same. Looks really good.

Ha! Now there's a laugh, but thanks for the kind words. If I could do opthalmic surgery I'd be doing on myself! A good magnifyer certainly helps though. Using a magnifying glass is an art in itself. I've never got used to my eyes telling me that my hands are moving 4 times further than they really are. Training i guess,....

Looking brilliant so far! You CAN get 8mm masking tape via ebay but it's inferior to the yellow tamiya type low tack type. I've found sticking it to my arm reduces the tack at the cost of a few hairs and some "ouch".

That's an excellent job. VERY neat job with the free hand spraying too. Given the shine on the model it looks like an air show example to me so I'd be very careful doing any weathering. It's too easy to spoil a model that way

You're wasted making models... You should do ophthalmic surgery! I've built a couple of these myself and until you do you don't realise how tiny they are. I've rigged a gladiator but that's twice the size of a moth.... Even then i cheat a little and use 0.2mm brass rod which is rigid. Amazing job Ps Vallejo have a newish "metal colour" range which is water based but pretty good https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VALLEJO-METAL-COLORS-AIRBRUSH-PAINT-WHITE-ALUMINIUM-32ML-77-706/262150814633?epid=25012070198&hash=item3d0967fba9:g:qTkAAOSwGYVXBNHy&redirect=mobile Doesn't react badly to acrylic varnish either.

2nd Paul brown. 3 on most swordfish missions (taranto was a rare exception due to the range). p and j resin figures are good but quite pricey. I just save up my spitfire pilots for this sort of project. A "competitor of airfix" does good German figures which can be adapted easily too.

I'm with T2B. 2hrs modelling is far better use of time than 99.9999% of what's on tv. The struts above the engine on these kits are insanely delicate. I've never got a full set off unbroken although I've always cemented them back again easily. The moth is just a little too small for me. I can thoroughly recommend the swordfish and new tool gladiator though. As a birthday present to me I treated myself to a 15 min moth flight a few years ago. Instructor said I did really well but that plane didn't like me. The torque from the engine plus wind at 1000 feet kept trying to roll it upside down. Like a fool i thought a primary trainer would be easy... It's a plane to weed out those who shouldn't be allowed near a spitfire. When I'm on my laptop I'll post a couple of real pics

That's nice masking. I normally just find a surplus decal and cut a thin strip of suitable colour decal.

Ps I did my b25 in us colours. If I did another i personally wouldn't load the bombs. In place they fill the bomb bay and all you see are the lower 2. Left out there's a lot of detail in the bay. Just something to consider.

I'm taking pics now. Had a slight drama with fuselage stripes and ended up touching up by hand which has given it a "done quickly the night before d day" look but the rest is great. I changed my mind about the door configuration at a late stage, went for para drop config rather than cargo doors open and didn't prime the doors properly.... You live and learn.....

The top message seems utterly garbled. What I tried to say was "better sets of weapons for the A4"

Seconded. With a little imagination Airfix could do very well from this idea. Everything from decals to better sea On options for the A4. I bought a spit xix (used) on eBay just got the clear parts to adapt their IX into an arnhem pir IX. It's the best way to provide sensibly priced kits for regular modellers while also providing for pros

I'm doing a d day dakota at the moment and wasn't sure if the stripes should be painted over the deicing boots or not. It's 50/50 with 2019 flying aircraft. Your original pic clearly shows that wasn't done on your original aircraft. That's valuable info. Good luck on the build. It's a great kit but complex for its size.

That looks excellent! It's incredible how we built the same model but produced very different end results. My decal spares for single engine ww2 planes are enough to do the entire battle of Britain but with those big decals i was properly nervous. Microset and microsol decal agents plus a big flat paintbrush always serve me well. I tend to favour a Matt finish but decals are happier over gloss (which you can then matt)

I 've got a few ikea shelves to display mine and to double the capacity i hang a lot from the shelf above (fishing line and cup hooks) . You could maybe consider something similar?

There's a million ways to make your own stand. The easiest would be to buy appropriate lengths of clear plastic rod https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-3-4-5-6-8-10-12-15-20-25mm-Round-Clear-Plastic-Rod-50mm-upto-1m-Long/323353714404?var=512415177375&hash=item4b49621ee4:m:mWK8_FmE1oYu3GBej-iEvkg&redirect=mobile Cut them to the appropriate lengths and mount vertically on a wood base. Personally I'd drill holes in the base and insert the rods and id paint the base black. I'd also drill a small hole in the top of each rod (0.5mm) and glue a sewing pin into each. Drill a small hole into the plane and use the pin to help join plane to rod. 2mm rod will be ok for a spitfire but id go for 5mm for the mozzie and up to 10mm for a lanc

I think I saw your shackelton. If so it was amazing but if it's the same model I'm thinking of you're in the very top % of modellers. What they need to balance up is providing a challenge to experienced modellers but not making them too hard or too expensive that new builders don't catch the bug. I'm 42 and suspect I'm a young modeller. I got into the hobby aged 6 back when a spitfire would cost me about £2 in today's money. With the new tools i think Airfix have got it about right. More or less anyway. The option of a £10 1/72 spit to a 1/24 £120 hellcat gives a pretty good choice. I can afford the hellcat but don't have the time to do it justice. (Or the shelf space) my latest purchase is another 1/72 gladiator i think I can convert to a sea gladiator with spare sea hurricane hook.

Generally mine are flaps down/wheels down and where possible open canopy but for open panels only my typhoon and that's because the guns included in the kit have plenty of detail. I often wonder why the larger Airfix kits (even the open cockpit 1/72 swordfish) have so much interior detail you never see. Too many options people won't use (generally) just increase kit costs and increase development time.

Just to add to this incendiary rounds aren't the same as tracer. Tracer is basically ball ammo with a tiny bit of phosphorus in the "tail" of the bullet which lets you see where the rounds are hitting (and in turn tell the other guy where you are....) Incendiary is more like a mini cannon shell. The bullet is filled with a flammable/explosive compound which REALLY burns of it hits anything. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incendiary_ammunition technically a war crime to use de Wilde incendiary ammo against infantry but I've repeatedly heard tales of British troops at Dunkirk loading their bren magazines with raf ammo from aircraft that ditched on the beach.