The Airfix Farewell GB from now until 1st Jan 2007

Check out these guys - IMPS Stockholm is one of the best modeling reference sites I've found:

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/colorcharts.asp

Scroll to the bottom then pick your country of interest.  Note though that not all Humbrol colors have a direct MM equivalent.

How's the Harrier coming?  Love to see some pics.

Does anybody know what the humbrol codes are egual to in Model Master.

Thanks

Thunderbolt379 wrote:

Osher, can I transfer my Dora to the Welcome Back GB? I'll build another kit or two for it as well.

Hi all,

Traveller, what a wonderful job on the Vulcan! Let me join everyone else in congratulating you on a superb piece of work. Only today, I came across a news story I taped 24 years ago, about the Vulcan being placed in the Hendon museum, the very plane that bombed the runway at Port Stanley in the Falklands. I didn't know that when I stood beneath it in the museum just a month ago!

I won't have my FW 190 finished in time for the end of this GB -- another project needs finishing at top priority for a mag overseas, and there's enough work on that to take into into the New Year. Osher, can I transfer my Dora to the Welcome Back GB? I'll build another kit or two for it as well.

Cheers,

TB379

Cool jeaton, thanks for that info. I had never known that.  Man, it's great to learn new stuff like this.

I agree too, it does look more alive now. That's one thing I like about building models. Watching them 'come alive' under my nose from all my work. 

As to the black on the underside of the port wing, for a few years in the early part of WW II that was a scheme used by the British to aid their gunners in identifying friendly aircraft. Here is a photo. I also found that the Whirlwinds differed from the standard scheme in having a light blue rather than Sky undersurface like other British fighters. There are five colors used on the model's finish (not counting the markings), Dark Earth, Dark Green, Duck Egg Blue, Flat Black, and Sky Type S (on the spinners).

Traveller, outstanding job on the Vulcan! I have definitely got to start mine! That is beautiful! Thank you for the larger pics.

Jeaton, awesome work on the whirlwind. Even with the old decals, it looks great! I'm curious though, why is the one wing painted white underneath and the other one painted what appears to be black? Either way, that is an excellent aircraft and truly deserving of the badge. Thanks for posting those pics, and best of luckj getting that ALPS fixed. I only wish I could get one!

jeff wrote:

Beautiful job on the Whirlwind.  Agree with Traveller, the Whirlwind was one of WWIIs great "might have beens".

ditto  

it reminds me of the mosquito  'without the steriods'   more lean and mean

but first I have to finish my Whirlwind. It is probably as close as it is going to get by January 1, because my decalling plans have come a bit acropper. I was planning to use my ALPS printer to make replicas of the Airfix decals which are obviously a bit long in the tooth. So, I was a bit dismayed to find that my ALPS MD-1000 has up and died since I last used it. No way it is going to be replaced by Jan. 1, so I sent off the artwork to another ALPS owner, but what with the holidays and all, that failed to make the deadline. So it was off to the spares box and using the Airfix decals as an interim until I can get the new decals made. The poor little Whirlwind survived (more or less) several near disasters during the decalling. Those old decals were really fragile, but they are on, with the only glaring issue being the un-straight codes on the left fuselage. That decal really told me it was time to quit fussing with it. That means I can't go ahead with a flat coat, panel lines, etc. or at least I am afraid to. So, here it is, as it will be on January 1. I don't like the landing gear too much, the wheels are really too small, but this is an OOB GB. I do like the little bird.

I hope these are better pics.

Really like the Vulcan, very nice job.

Steve

Traveller,

The Vulcan looks great!  Got any larger pics, I'd love to see them.  Going to do one of these myself someday.

Traveller, unless you used a cell phone to  take these picture it appears you've made a link to your thumbnails instead of the actual picture.  From what I can see though it looks great.

Duke the other aircraft in the picture is a 1/72 Revell  E 555 America Bomber (Luft '46 stuff).  I have that in my stash and it is just so cool looking!

Traveller, it looks okay so far, but do you have anything larger than these thumbnails? I really want to see how this bomber looks since I have it in my stash as well. Also, what model and in what scale is that plane that is next to it in the second pic?

Merry Christmas to you, and I'm looking forward to seeing larger pics.

I hope you guys like this, I think I have done this right!!!!! Merry Xmas to all!!!!!!

razordws wrote:

Duke Maddog wrote: Dave, your Meteor looks fantastic! I have got to get me one of those! You mean to tell me that there are kits out there that you haven't built yet Duke? Thanks Jeff and Duke for your comments.

As a matter of fact----Yes!! 

Duke Maddog wrote:

Dave, your Meteor looks fantastic! I have got to get me one of those!

You mean to tell me that there are kits out there that you haven't built yet Duke?

Thanks Jeff and Duke for your comments. 

Dave, your Meteor looks fantastic! I have got to get me one of those! Congrats on finishing this Group Build, you deserve this badge! 

jeff wrote:

Duke, Thanks for the kind words.  I know all about parts falling off!  I had to fabricate the refueling boom and two HF antennas from stretched sprue because of breakage.  The refueling boom snapped and flew off to who know where while prepping to paint!  I still haven't found it.  As I've stated before, the plastic in this kit was the most brittle I've ever seen.  I thought about using the hair dryer method, but I broke one of the vertical stablizer halves while trying to straight it out with hot water, and was afraid from then on to bend the warped pieces too much. I've got the Heller kit in storage back in the states.  I'll be interested to see how the two kits stack up against each other.  I suspect they share alot since Heller and Airfix were in bed together for awhile.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I remember correctly, the Heller kit is all raised panel lines.  This Airfix kit has recessed lines on all major fuselage and wing components and on the optional TF33 engines (E-3A/B/C).  Interestingly, the CFM-56 engines (big turbofans for E-3 D/F, the primary engines for the kit) and the rotodome have raised lines, making me think these pieces were lifted from the Heller molds.  Its hard to tell who's moulding what these days without a scorecard!  Post a pic when you get your Sentry done.  You don't see these built every day.

Well Jeff, let me tell you, you'll have an even harder time with the Heller E3B model if it is anything like my kit. I had gaps in the wing roots as least 1/4 inch wide on each side! Spreading the fuselage won't work either, you have to fill them up and sand them down. I got some 1/8 inch sheet styrene from Evergreen and cut it into strips to fill them, filled the remaining gaps with gap-filling CA glue, and sanded it down.

As for the panel lines, mine also has the recessed panel lines on the fuselage and wings, although on my wings you'd never be able to tell with all the paint on them! The TF33 engines are also recessed, they are the ones I have on this kit. The CFM-56 engines on my kit are raised. So it basically looks like they are the same kit, although, I wonder why mine had major gaps in the wingroots that yours didn't have. Hmmm. Now I'm interested in starting my E3D just to see if the fuselage gaps were a fluke, or a part of the model.

Right now, I think I'm ready to decal this bad boy. I won't know until I take off all the masking and see how much bleed happened. After I get them on, I'll be replacing the nine or ten parts that came off (including one whole engine assembly!) and then adding the rest of the detail parts. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually get this one finished by this time next year!