The Airfix Welcome Back GB from Jan 07 to Dec 07

Hi Everyone,

I've been quietly painting my British Grenadier...it's all done save one minor touch up. Good to see some of the others are getting done too. Keep it going. Pics soon.

Cheers

Tony 

Fabulous!! I love 1/72. Really cockpits are overrated. Great stuff!!

The F-I-L did major damage to german aircraft at night, mostly on account of exhaust patterns. Got to put shields on that aircraft, otherwise there'll be a Beaufighter on its 6.

The trimotor progresses: blue paint.

I'm sorry about this image. The blue is going to take another coat and the 2 lb test glued into the double wide joints is coming up at one end. Will fix and post.

Bondoman

The Bf110c is ready for decals which BTW will be comming soon thanks to Razor. I modeled it with landing gear up because it looks so much cleaner this way. The canopy was painted in the fashion of static displays because the interior details were nonexistant.After the decals arrive and a little weathering I will be off to bigger things. (1/48 scale)

Tgregory, try this site http://flightdecs.ca/

The sheet you are looking for is Techmod 72001 and they show it as in stock.

Oh gosh, this is supposed to not be stressful for you. I'd love to see scans of the boxtops, even, that you have, I don't know a thing abt helos and even less abt airfix kits of same.

Bondoman

On the bench- Ford Trimotor 40% the original decals were shattered when I tested them. The new decals work fine but are seriously off-register!!

She also required a bunch of modeling tools I havent used in a long time- rubber bands. There simply wasnt any other way to glue the four sided box together.

DURR wrote:

may i join i cant start until on or about may 22 and i have about a dozen helos  i will pick two in about a week or so

i am backing out of modeling as well for a at least a few months

again sorry

The trimotor progresses. The wing is a inverted version of the typical deal, ie. three across on top;, two on the bottom: as opposedto a 2 over 3 like Heller Constellations, DC-6, etc....

But... if all are glued together first, there is a BIG dihedral. And all photos of all Trimotors show a wing dead straight across the top. I'm also building the FROG Southern Cross, which wing is in the foreground of my photos and has the same issue.

I did not read the instructions well, and the lower landing gear struts did not get included into the fuselage construct. But I've cut them off at the point where they join the body, and I will glue them in with the top vertical strut.

This is a tough kit, but not bad at all. The decals look sketchy... more to come.

Bondoman

Bondoman

Duke,

Coming along nicely on both kits!  Almost bought the Airfix Harrier myself the other day on evil-bay with several other kits I was bidding on.  Got too many on the build pile, though.  Look forward to seeing the Harriers complete.

Thanks T! I managed to get more done on this Harrier. I have been working on two of them; one from Esci an the other from Airfix. I finally got them both to the same level of progress. Here are the pics:

Here it is sitting next to the Esci Harrier:

Thanks all for looking. I'll post more when I get some more progress done.  

Hi,

Really nice looking Lightning, grat job. It's one of my favourite aircraft. The harrier is coming along nicely too Duke. 

I've finally gotten around to my 54mm British Granadier from the American War of Indpendance. THe undercoating is done, and the body and legs have been done with oil paints. Next I'll do the head and accessories, and a base whilst I wait for the oils to dry.

Cheers

Tony 

Yeah, I had to do that too when I built the Trimotor. Still, I was able to get it closed without any gaps. That is a fun kit to build, I can't wait to see your progress pics.

So far, here are my pics of the progress I've made on the Airfix 1/72 scale Harrier jet. This is going together pretty well, despite all the flash from old molds.

But first, the Box, to prove it is the Airfix kit:

Now, for the progress I've done so far.  I got the pilot painited and the 'cockpit' installed in the fuselage half. Now all I have to do is install the movable exhaust jets:

Okay, there it is. I'll post more pics as I make more progress. Thanks for looking in 

That is a good looking machine. Nice work!!

After this I am die'n to build my 1:48 f.1/2/3.

Bondoman

On the bench:

Trimotor: 20% glued the bottom to the right side, like building a wooden boat- had to curve the bottom with clamps.

Finished the Lightning F.3 yesterday.  This was definitely an "old-school" Airfix kit.  No cockpit or wheel well detail, raised panel lines, horribly overscale thick gear doors, out of register decals.  On the other hand, though, it went together reasonably well and seem pretty accurate in outline from  my references.  Best of all, it was cheap!  I decided to do the 3-tone grey air superiority scheme, but took a little liberty in painting the aircraft spine black.  I do have a picture of this actual aircraft (XR749) with the black spine, though the fin markings were completely different at the time the photo was taken.  Per the rules, the Lightning is totally built OOB, with the exception of the nose pitot tube, which I broke late in the build and replaced with stretched sprue.

bondoman wrote:

Jeaton- could you describe your photo lighting and camere set up? Very impressive level of brightness.  Bondoman

Nothing very high tech about it, I spread a white piece of paper out on the picnic table in the back yard under a tree, used the built in flash for fill lighting on a Pentax K100D with the lense set at 55mm and the electronics did the rest.  Natural light is a great way to take pictures, I can't seem to get anywhere near as pleasing photos indoors.  It was a partly cloudy day when I took the pictures and that helped too, I think.  I have had the K100D digital body for a month or so now and I really like it.

John, great job on the TSR.2.  It turned out really well.  I hope to get my hands on one of these someday if the new Airfix ever gets around to it.

Jeaton, fantastic job on that TSR.2. I am hoping to get one soon. Nice work! I'll probably do mine in an operational color scheme though, just for fun.

I started an old Airfix GR.2 Harrier Jet for this Group Build. It is the one with the movable jet exhaust nozzles. I'll post pics up when I can for it.

Jeaton- could you describe your photo lighting and camere set up? Very impressive level of brightness.

 Bondoman

Thanks for the nice comments on my TSR.2, guys.  It rests happily in the display case.

For those who haven't seen it, Airfix has a sort of web site up.  You can register your name with them to get updates from them, but that is all for now.  Here's the link,

www.airfix.com 

might be good to register and give the folks some encouragement.

TSR2- That is a beautiful warbird!! I would not do the Future. In my opinion, for what that is worth, 1/72 is a blended in or muted light scale.

My father was an aeronautical engineer at UAL from 1952 to 1998, assigned to BAC, and I grew up in Bristol in the summers. He was evaluating the Avon/ Olympus engines. I saw many Lightnings at RAF bases; take offs and landings. At least equal to the F-4 in drama.

The trimotor progresses. The fuselage is a four piece, four sided box, and the underside does not have any curve!!!

Bondoman

The TSR.2 is at a point where it has to rest in the display case for awhile.  White paint, you know, and also I am not sure whether I want to try a clear coat over the white, but if I do it will be thinned Future.  The other thing I am considering is weathering, some of the pictures of XR219 look pretty worn, especially around the access covers.  Not ready to try that yet.  Maybe never.  The decals went on very well, they really sat down on the Tamiya white which had 2 or 3 days of drying, and then was rubbed down with dry paper towels.  I mixed half and half flat and gloss Tamiya white for the last white coat, under that was 2 or more coats of flat white.  The canopies are just sitting there, I was not impressed with how Airfix had the attachments for the canopies in the open position, it was just too frail.  If anyone wants to see the cockpits the great big hand in the sky will lift the lids for them!  Maybe later when I am grown up I will try making wire supports, drilled into the back of the hatches.  It looks like a TSR.2, and I like it.  I am glad I have gotten this far with it, but I need a little rest from it right now.  The last picture is with the Airfix Westland Whirlwind that I did for the Airfix farewell group build.

Bondoman, that Vulcan looks spectacular! Now I GOTTA find mine and get it started! And that Trimotor is looking great! That's sweet that you have an interior for it; my old  Revell Trimotor had no interior at all. Looking great! Keep up the great work.

I also started another Airfix kit for this Group Build. I'll get pics posted when I can.