snibble

I have a lot of sympathy with this point of view. I do use forced shading but overcoat it to the point where it becomes almost subliminal and shows up only when the light hits just right and then only as a difference in reflectivity. I have seen models lauded which in my view have been ruined by heavy "shading" insufficiently blended that appears to depict an aircraft viciously vandalised.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I long ago lost some of the white metal parts for the kit including one prop blade. I purchased a resin prop intended for a Mk1 from hannants to use the blades but thought I might as well contact the manufacturer just in case. The long and short of it is that after a careful inventory a total of eight parts were missing and replacements are on their way to me FOC!

Pictures. Why not? Here's my fantasy airshow display.

I thought the same but then I realised the thread was asking for thoughts not models ..... but I'm more into ships than planes I'm afraid......Still it would be great if anyone could post pictures! Would be nice to see a nineteenth century "74" under full sail.

You don't have to be realistic!

We're all on lockdown aren't we, so no days out being deafened at airshows. So to invent a fantasy airshow. Supposing you could conjur up a live display of anything since the invention of flight what would it be? Slow flypast by the Hindenburg? Sidewinder launched from a Vietnam era Thud? Anything at all so long as once upon a time it actually flew. Let your wildest dreams out!

Will you not get that information by popping the box open and looking at the instruction sheet? Looking at that box I think it will be one of the old "locate and cement" instructions. Brings a tear to me eye so it does.

Well as can be seen I've duplicated this subject. This is down to the recent troubles with the site where it decided to give us a hit of nostalgia reminding us partly of old first generation dial up and partly of pre internet days. Perhaps admin would delete this one and I will post ypdates on the other.

Flightpath multi media super detailed kit. Kit and I believe manufacturer now defunct. Bit of a rave from the grave in that the wings and fuselage are vac form components. Vac form modelling seems to be a dead art these days so for those not familiar with it, here are the main components. TAt the risk of teaching my granny to suck eggs, the technique is to cut fairly close to the component then place it flat on a piece of abrasive paper and sand away the thickness of the backing sheet to free the component. Black marker pen is used to outline the component so that as the sanding proceeds the black marker shows through to guide even removal of the backing material. Fuselage half cut and outlined ready for sanding. Sanding in progress showing the black marker pen line showing through to guide which areas are thinning more quickly. Component freed from backing sheet.

This model was produced by Flightpath. It's now defunct and I am going under the presumtion that it in no way represents a competitor to airfix any more than Britten Norman are a competitor to Boeing! First off, the majority of the airframe is vac formed. These days I think that working vac form is to the contemporary modeller what napping flint is to a toolmaker. So, this is the major components. For those unfamiliar with vac form the black line is a guide. The component is placed flat on a sheet of abrasive and rubbed down to remove the thickness of the base sheet. The black marker pen line seen here on the lower wing slowly becomes visible through the plastic as a guide to keeping the abrasion uniform. The base sheet eventually comes away as a thin wafer. AAnd that's what you get. Back when I've finished this stage. Presuming admin are happy to let the thread stand.

Same as title really. Injection moulded plastic I wash in soapy water then prime with halfords plastic primer. Brass parts I have previosly primed with matt white enamel but it can and does chip off. So, what do other folks do?

Well it finally got finished. Pretty much OTB except for flags and tags and I butchered the stbd red top to represent a training acquisition round. The nose ring is aluminium tape.

Nice to see a "what if" that isn't another blody 1946 luftwaffe. I have often considered putting together the possible fighter shortage that spawned the Miles M20 with the possible engine shortage that resulted in the Lancaster BII to produce a hurcules engined hurricane.

Plan D! Hannants have a four blade prop labeled as being for a Mk 1 but that will do it!

Plan c is what I had in mind. It's a rotol 4 blade, any ideas? Spitfire?

Well here we are in lockdown and I'm looking at a "Flightpath" multi media Firefly Mk 4/5. Unfortunately one prop blade has made good it's escape. Anyone any ideas to make good the loss?

I built this one with the brilliant flightpath detail set years ago. Wennt together easy enough with as already mentioned sticking the fuselage halves a bit at a time. What was the story though, with the missing panel on the upper side?

Armstrong Whitworth Argosy. Scope for a detailed interior and appropriate cargo. Big kit with an interesting and unusual shape.

It would be nice to see her in her troopship warpaint for a change sometime.

I ws eleven when that historic small atep was taken, the world was a wonderful place for a little boy. Project Apollo probably did more to spread respect and admiration for the United States around the world than anything since Bastogne. I would love to lay my hands on some of those kits.

Don't know if it counts as a new acquisition but I just liberated a kit that's been hibernating in my ex wife's loft for some years. Flightpath Fairy firefly 1/48 in vac form, etch brass, resin and white metal. Next build i think. 😆

Gentlemen, I think your collective wisdom has renewed my confidence. I have touched up the very slight damge to the lower edge of the topside coulour where it had adhesion trouble over the enemel under the cable trunks. Next I will mask that off, apply a line of top coulour to seal the edge and then a puff of primer and respray. Similarly wings and tailplanes but without the primer. Next up an old Flightpath firefly 4/5 multimedia in 1/48. Time for a project!

Wow, thanks for all the replies people. I quote the above as my answer I believe answers most points. The model was primed with white halfords primer, all other paints are humbrol. A small natural metal area on the belly tank was coated with gloss black acrylic, shaded with extra dark sea grey acrylic then finished with polished aluminium enamel. This was then masked off with maskol. Then the underside had two coats of medium sea grey, shaded with dark sea grey then two coats of medium sea grey to blend the shading in. After drying for a day or two this was masked off and the topsides sprayed with 2 coats of dark sea grey, shaded with black then two more coats of dark sea grey then unmask and disaster. Firstly, the idea of painting the "under" colour across the edge of the tape is I think going to be the answer to most of the poblem. The peeling was confined to acrylic peeling off the polished aluminium enamel so clearly there is an adhesion problem and in future I will lay enamel on acrylic and not the other way around. Tape tearing due to being on to long. Two coats dried overnight, shading dried overnight, two topcoats dried overnight. Thats 5 days even if I don't have any other life! Minimum! Unless I de mask and remask every coat and that's just rediculous! Ordinary household benzene. Nevr heard of such a thing. I've heard of benzene of course but the ordinary household version? Does that come from a pharmacist, a garden centre or a drug dealer? Thanks again, I think the solutions are all there.