The first Tornado

Not available from regular suppliers, or even irregular ones such as the cottage industry kit makers, this Tornado is a private venture. I was asked to build this kit some time ago when its creator, a real aviation enthusiast, initiated the design and build.

Using Hasegawa's 1/48 Typhoon kit, the cockpit area, propeller and radiator have been properly altered. The new parts have been carefully integrated into the fuselage. Compared with diagrams of the real aircraft, it looks seriously authentic.

I will have to add the slots for the double exhausts, remove the cannon fairings and fill in certain panel lines on the wings. There's a lot more work to do, and of course, there's be an account of it on here.

Just taking a break

Look what I found under my workbench - it's been there since last year, and now seemed like a good time to make a start. Sometimes a straightforward build is as good as a holiday.

Eduard's F6F-5 Hellcat looked really good in the box, but after building their FW190 I was not so sure how it would go. As it turned out, I need not have worried. The parts went together very well. Engine detail was good, so I added some ignition wiring. The cockpit looked pretty good too, so I decided to add Eduard's own colour etch detail set, and I think this gave the model a nice lift. The landing gear is appropriately complex, as Eduard strives to achieve accuracy.

I had to be careful when attaching the wings; since the F6F has gull wings, they need to attach at the right angle. Unfortunately, wing- to- fuselage fit is not very positive.

These gripes aside, though, it is a lovely build.

As a point of interest, the base is actually injection moulded plastic, by Eduard. Guess where I found it? Under the bench...