Bish1707821547

Wasn't expecting to add anything else to the stash this year. But in Sept i came across somthing i just could not pass up. One of my 2 holy grail kits is the Cyber Hobby 251/23, i have been after this kit for about 10 years. Then i saw one for sale on scalemates and the guy wanted jst under £50 for it, but he is in Canada. So i messaged him and after a few weeks he came back with a postage price then sent if off jst over a week ago, and its now arrived. The postage bumped it up to £80 and then the HMRC slapped a customs charge on it which brought it up to almost 100. So its now the most i have ever paid for a kit but worth every penny. And certainly better than the 150+ i have seen on the odd occasion one is on e-bay. But it won't be joining the rest of the stash in the shed, it will stay up in my model room where i can keep it safe. Now, if somone would do a 1/72nd Ju 87C, i can die a happy man.

Thanks, i think they updated it after i first read it as Airfix wasn't mentioned when the story first went up. Its good to know Airfix have performed well.

News article on the BBC website about how Hornby have had a good year. No mention of Airfix, but i assume that means the plastic model sales have been better this year as well. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54729801#comments

You might try looking for spring clamps and mini bar clamps. I use the Irwin quick grip mni bar clamps. I take it your useing the older style tube type glue that you apply before putting the parts together. Try loking at some of the thinner brush on glues or liquid welds. You have to be careful with these as they melt the plastic together, but the advantage is you can fit the part before ading the glue/weld.

As said you have a step there. If the wing section can be removed, then some sanding might do the trick.

Personaly, and i am talking about 1/72nd aircraft as thats my main aircraft scale, i think Airfix have the right combination between detail and buildability and as mentioned, at a good price. I am not sure what there is in the detail of the new kits that might put people off, but then i have been bilding for 40 years so maybe its hard for me to get into the mindset of some one new to the hobby. But any complexity in the extra detail is certainly outweighed by the fit issues of the old kits that i grew up with in the 80's. We also have to remember that model building is no longer the preserve of teenage boys sat at the kitchen table. Most of us are middle aged with spare cash and more patience. And many of us want more bang for our buck and are happy to pay a bit extra for it, even if we do swap out plastic for PE and resin. So ye, its hard to please both camps. I have gone from avoiding Airfix like the plauge to actually looking forward to the next set of releases, and even puting off buying kits from otehr brands in the hope that Airfix will release that subject, like the F-35B and Tornado kits. And Paul, you are right to say that Airfix are now competing at the highest level, and thats no longer with the far east companies, but the European ones, at least for Aircraft. 10 years ago my go to brand for aircraft was hasegawa. But now, like Dragons 35th armour, they seem to have stagnated, mostly bring out new boxings of old kits at a silly price, whilc other companies are bringing out better kits at a better price. The Airfix v Hase He 111 is a prime example. I have bilt one from each and the Airfix is a far better kit at a much lower price. But Paul, i have to disgree with your earlier comment about new companies bringing out kits with to many parts. While Dragon are well known for useing 5 parts when 1 would new, many of the new guys on the block, Amusing Hobby, Takom, Meng etc are producing stunning kits far better in detail than even Dragon, but are not, IMHO, over complex, unless you count the indy link tracks of course. I am currently doing my second Takom armour kit, a Chieftain. If this was a Dragon kit, i would have started by going through the instructions and removing a 1/4 of it as those parts would be for somthing else. I would hate to think how many parts the suspension would be if it was Dragon, and i can follow the Takom instructions without going cross eyed.

I always find it odd when people say they don't stress over accuracy because they are building for fun, as if those of us who do aim for accuracy are not. I aim to get my bilds as accurate as possable given my own abilities and the availiability of parts. But the amoutn of work i will put in wil depend on the subjects.If its one i have a lot of interest in, i will put a lt more effort into research and correcting errors than if its a subject i am less interested in. And for me, the research into a subject and figuring out what i nee to correc and if i can do it is all part of the fun. The main question i always ask myself is, is the work needed to correct somthing worth the end result, and if i don't do it, can i live with it. Earlier this year i was building the Academy Warrior IFV, to me, the most personal build i have ever done or ever will do. As i was converting it to a command vehicle, i already knew there would be some work to do, including one area that the conversion set didn't deal with. But soon after i started it, i came across an issue i was not expecting, the right side of the lower hull was completly wrong as all of the wheel stations were the wrong way round. After giving it some thought i realised the only way to correct it was to completly chop up the hull, and potantial make matters worse. So, as much as i hated doing in, i opted for the armour model builders most tried and trusted way to get out of a problem, cover it with mud. So while the first issue was within my abilities and worth the effort needed, the second wasn't. Yes, it did spoil the build a little bit for me. I doubt anyone else will notice, and when i look at the model the error does not jump out at me, so i can live with that. Now when i look at the finished model, i don't even remember there was a problem. But i know if i had not corrected the first issue, i would not have been hapy with it at all.

I am one of those who think you can't have enough detail. I only built my first new tooled Airfix kit 2 years ago, the Phantom FG.1. Soon after i built the old SM.79. The Phantom was a joy, the SM.79 remineded me why i stopped building Airfix kits all those years ago. I certainbly won't be adding any of the vintage classics to my collection. I will buy AM parts for aircraft kits anyway. Its only been the last couple of years that i stopped automatically buying AM for 35th armour kits, because some of the more recent ones just don't need it. But 72nd aircraft are not at that stage yet and i doubt they will be, except for those that include PE sets.

Construction of the Shar is complete so ashide from masking the canopy and intakes, its ready for primer. After some advice from a member on another forum, i realised i had used the wrong intakes. Airfix offers 2 options but doesn't explain which option should be used for in flight or on the ground. While i was able to remove the intakes, i could not take them apart. So i ordered the resin Pavla set which was swiftly fitted. The doors and hatches will be done off the kit. And while its in the paint shop, i'l get to work on a tractor for the diorama.

The Harrier is now ready for priming and painting, just got to mask off the canopy and intakes. The various doors and hatches will be painted off the kit. While its in the paint shops, i will start on a weapons loader.

Look forward to seeing this, i have the last boxing in the stash. ratch is correct, all Ju 87B and R variants had the cockpit in RLM 02.

Try contacting Airfix. The kit has been re-released this yera so they might be able to help.

Alongside the Shar, i am also doing a harrier GR.9A. This will be in the Op Herrick markings. I'll be adding a resin cockpit as wel as resin exhauts and intakes. First task was to fit the side to the pit and get all the pit parts painted. With the detail painting done the pit was fited into the nose which was then fitted to the main body of the fuselage. Then got the wing fitted. There is a large gap behind the cockpit, but thats a resin piece so can't blame that on the kit. In general the fit has been very good.

I have never built a Harrier, but i have 5 1/72nd Airfix kits in the stash so figiured if i am doing one i might as well do 2 together. This is the Sea harrier FA.2. I'll be adding an Eduard PE set and Quickboost resin exhausts. I started out with geting the pit parts prepped and painted. Not a lot of detail in the pit OOB, all the instruments are added with decals. After painting i just went straight to the PE. Then the pit was fitted and the fuselage put together. No fit issues here. You can see in the pic above that there a rim of plastic inside the intakes. I didn't know it at the time but this would be a problem. Its not suppossed to be there and will have to be removed. Its not flash as its thick plastic, and there is no indication on the instructions. As i went to fit the iner part of the intake attached to the fan i realised it neeed sanding back. I did this just enough for it to fit. But when i went to fit the outer part of the intake, i needed cutting all the way back. The left hand intake is fitted here, but not the right. The wings did go on nicely, no issues there. There was some filler needed around the intakes. tail is fitted just need to do some clean up of the filler. More soon.

Built this one a couple of years ago, my first airfix new toled kit. Loved it. Look forward to seeing this come together.

The Meng kit is the warrior as it appeared in Afghanistan, i have not seen a review yet, but just looking at the box art, it would take some work to backdate it to 91.

Look forward to seeing those. I do like the pre war scheme, i have done a 72nd Ju 87A in that scheme. This is my He 111 that i post here back in Jan. https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/forum/172nd-he-111p-1/?p=1/#post-316808

I am currently building the Academy warrior and useing the Accurate Armour conversion to build the FV 511 i drove between 2001 and 2007. Not completly accurate, but builds up nicely. There are 2 boxing's of it, the second released in 2004 gives you options for Op Telic and Bosnia. The first release from 96 has an Op Granby option, but thats hard to get hol of. But i don't think there is any differance to whats in the box.

Looks good so far. I built this last year and backdated to a P-1 with pre war camo, it was a nice build. Though i did have issues with the fit of the outer lower wing sections.

Hannants are now shipping to SA, so you should be able to get them.

Unfortunatly, if you are going to model German aircraft, its somthing you have to get used to, especially if your buying kits from European companies. Models from the far east often include them complete, Fine Molds for example. Get a good selection of AM decals, as mentioned Hannants has plenty. I totally disagree with the laws in Germany and other nations, but they are not going to change them for model builders. So no point complaining. Its not completly illegal to display the Swastika in public, aircraft in museums have them. The model companies are just playing it safe.

Thank you. I try and use them for any build now, even the simple ones. But i have learned to stick to the Eduard sets. The cheaper vinyl ones are just not worth it.

Thanks aphilla. I did have minor issues with a couple of the windows. I did blank off the ones by the bomb bay so that helped. These are not really windows on the bombers as the kit suggests. I added an Eduard Big ed set which included a masking set, a must have on these types for me.

I built the Airfix He 111p-2 (backdated to a P-1) late last year. This was a lovely kit, despite a few fit issues with the engines and lower outer wing sections, i would rate this kit much higher than the Hasegawa kits which i have built in the past. I repleaced the kit decals with some from Xtradecal and painted with Xtracolor.

I don't often build ships. But i have had this in the stash since the mid 80's after the last time my dad took my brother and me to see the real thing. /media/tinymce_upload/dc74a40d478a18fa692ac76a856b8cd0.JPG I finally got around to building it, wrapping it up and the end of 2019. I added some WEM PE and painted with Humbrol and Xtracolour. Not perfect, but i did enjoy this and for a none ship builder, i am pretty pleased with how its come out. /media/tinymce_upload/58030aebc6c02b5436d618be9309ede4.JPG /media/tinymce_upload/27889579fd06a8d8f5a7302b04ad8b24.JPG /media/tinymce_upload/c4c25952269a0ea5e9f13c9ad4205d48.JPG /media/tinymce_upload/8ec4015e659daeadca578ecd3e4b8216.JPG /media/tinymce_upload/40ff431459273e6f608d95d4e19b0bd0.JPG Thanks for looking.