80 Years of Airfix GB

TWA, i can nevber get the hang of pre shading, gave up even trying. The camo does look nice even if you think its a little dark.

Same here - I don't worry about preshading panel lines.  They simply don't show on most aircraft.

The infamous knuckles.  I found the best fit was achieved by grinding out the back side with a 1/16" burr on a Dremel tool.  Still needed putty, though.

Painted and masked the wheel wells, preparing for paint.

Looking good Kensar. Those P-40 landing gear fairings can be a challenge on most any kit.

Bish. early on I stated that I had the Boeing Clipper and the old Airfox 1/72 B-29. This is the boxing:

..

I had started the B-29 kit maybe a year ago but put it away because I was unhappy with it. I pulled the kit off the shelf along with the Clipper kit for the group build. If the B-29 kit doesn't qualify for this build, no problem. I'll just take it out of the line-up.

The plan is to build a WB-29 weather recon ship sometimes deployed as hurricane hunters, with the "bug catcher" device in the upper rear turret location and a radome on the underside between the bomb bays.

Thanks Frank, i will get that added now before i forget, again.

What a neat idea for a B-29.

Found this on YouTube. An old TV show called FLIGHT. Never heard of it. Typhoon Chasers. The episode aired in 1958. The WB-29 normally carried two navigators and two radio operators, hence the two ADF loops, You can clearly see the "bug catcher" on the back of the airplane and the radome on the underside. This is a pretty tense episode so fasten your lap belt and shoulder harness. It's going to be a bumpy ride!

https://youtu.be/0oBrqlAz85c

fotofrank
Thanks for sharing that link, very cool video.  Looking forward to seeing your WB-29 project come together.

kensar
Nice work with those gear fairings.  Lookin' good.

TWA
Great camo work on your P-40.

Cheers,
Mark

Nice looking P-40's, both of them.

Interesting information, Frank.  I'd never heard of a WB-29.  Unusual subject.

Spitfire progress:

Fuselage and wings brought together.  I've used poster tack to mask the wheel wells for painting.

And the whole project overseen by Captain Archer, the cat.

Hi,

You guys are up to a good start already!

Bish, thanks for hosting this. I wonder if I could add a second kit?

I have the Airfix 1/72 A02041 Hawker Typhoone in front of me now.
Going to use this as a "scout" before I move on. 

Here is my new pilot:

Slightly intimidated by the 1/24 version, need to work through that with some extensive research of the subject as such...  

@ Frank, thank you for the clip, the bigger build now goes under working name "Marie" 

Svenne

Svenne, you can add as many as you like. I like your thinking.

Coming on nicely there check.

I'll check that video out this weekend Frank, thanks for posting it.

Bish, when you watch the video be sure to buckle up and hang on tight.

It will be quite a ride!

P-40 update

Tried to reinflate the tires.  As molded, they look very flat.

I think I missed the mark on one of them, but its not very noticeable.

Nearly done.

Kensar, that Pearl harbor P-40 certainly looks good.

I know that there's no rush, but after seeing kensar's P-40, I feel like I'm lagging behind.

Well from two Clipper kits I have four good propellers. That's all, just four. I've put them in a safe place so they don't get damaged. They will go on when the build is finished.

..

Putting weights in the nose of the B-29. I'm gonna be sure this airplane isn't a tail-sitter. Another layer will be epoxied in behind the flight deck just to be sure. That old Airfix B-29 landing gear is pretty stout so it should be able to take the weight.

..

Moving right along...

Don't rush, foto.  Take your time and create a model you will be satisfied with.

The P-40 is a simple build - one engine.

I built a Clipper recently, also.  Those props are fragile.  I had to fix one of mine.

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

Lots of cool builds going on here guys!

I am checking in with my completed pit on the 1/72 Tomcat and did what I could to bring some detail to this one. Not sure if it helped but I went ahead end tried to paint some Wolfpack designs on the helmets based on some old photos I found online. I will check back in with some assembly pics soon.

Love those little helmets.

Nicely done tehre Jack. Doing 72nd figures myself i know its not easy to paint finer detail. Those have come out well.

Think you might have our first completed build there kensar, i am liking that.

Thats going to be a weighty one Frank.

I always leave my props off until the end, i am certain to break one if not.

Just a one pic update this week. Construction is done after quite a bit of sanding a filling. Around the hump was especially bad. The clear pieces were a pain. The 2 side pieces behind the cockpit came out when i applied masking tape so i had to prize off the hump, refit the clear parts and refit and sand the hump. The main canopy was especially interesting in that i would be interested to know what kit it was designed for, because i am sure it wasn't this one. But its in.

Its since been primed and the first coar of yellow went on this morning.

Jacknewbill - Nice detail painting on those tiny figures. I'm sure the helmets will be visible through a canopy with them being bright colors.

fotofrank - like Bish, I leave off small, fragile details until the end of the build.

Bish - I can see you put a lot of work into that fuse.  It should pay off in the final result.

Good progress, Gents.

Complete!

This was a quick and enjoyable OOB build, like an Eduard Bf-108 I did a few years ago.  Overall, I would say Airfix has done a very good job on this kit.  There are a couple of fiddly steps - the landing gear knuckles and the fit of the wing to the fuse is complex with all the seams involved.  The pilot figure was the biggest miss and there are some things I changed - reshaped the wheels because they look like they are flat, and shortened the tail wheel some. 

I got this kit from Hobby Lobby with one of their 40% off coupons, making the price under $18.  Can't complain about that!

Again, I really enjoyed this build, and Bish, thanks for hosting!

The pictures:

There's some great looking builds going on here.  Looking forward to seeing more completed.

Kensar, your P-40 build is really nice. I've always been fond of the P-40. Maybe Dennis Morgan had something to do with that. The pilot figure adds real dimension to the finished model. The front of the prop blades being unpainted is interesting.

Yeah, Bish. A lot of split shots and a lot of 5-minute epoxy. I have wised up about the little stuff that sticks out like antennas and propellers and landing gear. They are definitely added last.

I'll have updates on the Clipper and the B-29 later today.

Painting the cockpit details on the Mustang:

Good to see everyone plugging along right nicely. Not much progress on the A-4 lately. I'm having to wade through a short barrage of family obligations. But, let's get caught up on all the choice building going on shall we.

kensar: Bravo on being first to the finish line. Your P-40 turned out marvelous. Superb building fundamentals and attention to detail and painting. You've certainly instilled some excellent insight for when I get around to building mine. Again, Well done.

Frank: Glad to see you managed to put together 4 full props. Treat them with loving kindness. The WB-29 is a really sweet subject. Always enjoy something new and out of the ordinary. Thoroughly enjoyed the video too.

Check: Nice progress on the Spitfire. Good to see that Captain Archer is fine with overseeing rather than launching the Spit into flight.

Jack: Sharp painting of the helmets. Looks great.

Bish: Well, you've done one bang up job of overcoming the SM.79's issues. I hope your patience is still in good order. Very well done indeed.

Armor: Good solid start I have to say. Nice.

That is all. Carry on.