"You could clean up in here"

As a sort of addendum to the Flanker posting, I felt compelled to add this article, a story which I'm sure is familiar to fellow modellers.

There are often times whilst in the grip of your latest project when the hours fly past, the trash level increases and cramp in your neck muscles from not looking up gets too much to ignore. I may even be a bit unshaven and red-eyed. It is usually at this point, whilst in full modelling flood (frenzy may not be too strong a word) that the door opens and in comes my wife. I know she's there, I can hear her thinking, and I know what she's going to say. 'You know, you could clean up in here'. A moment later, 'Shall I bring the Hoover in?' This well-meaning remark is never well received, usually being met with a growl and bared teeth. 'Is this a bad time?' With tweezers and cyano poised and an annoying itch on my nose, a grunt is all I can manage. 'I'll come back later'. She reverses from the room. Don't get me wrong, after a hard day at the office, my wife's company is the only kind I can stand. Let's put it down to timing.

The point is, enthusiasm takes many forms. When I began work on the 'Flanker' I was moved to give my work room the long awaited make-over it deserved, and a good clean up. Unfortunately, my wife won't get to see the new look until I'm up to my armpits in the usual modelling detritus. Life goes on.

How does your Falcon fly?

On my 'Exciting year' posting, I was part way through building the early Hasegawa F-16. Well, I'm pleased to say that this project is now complete. Before it goes off to its new home, here are a few photos.

It was not the easiest build, but certainly a very reasonable one. A little rough around the edges, perhaps, but it did have the basics - parts were a fair fit, the detail was ok and the overall shape was good. If you've got those things, you have potential. And I'm happy to share the results.

Outflanked!

A few postings ago - well quite a few, actually - I was going on about certain loft insulation in the form of kits. One of mine took the form of the Academy Su 27 in 1/48 scale. I think I mentioned that it was a shame to build it with some of the inferior parts that came with it - it deserved better.


Just to show you my desire to build this kit wasn't just an idle jest, here are some photos of parts I recently acquired. Namely, a set of Aires afterburner cans, an Eduard Colour Etch detail set and two sets of decals; 'Flankers on patrol' and a full stencil set.

So keen was I to make a start that I gave my to-do list a makeover and began it that very night. I was quite justified to wait for the extra parts; a quick look at the kit parts compared to the photo-etched parts show the enormous gulf between the two. To illustrate, here's a photo showing both the Academy and Eduard cockpit instructions. Need I say more?

I will have more on this project soon. Is it going well? Oh yes!

Great Goose

This is something I've been getting to for a while now, and since I'm finally there it's time to share the photos.


As you can see, it's the Grumman Goose by Signifier in 1/48 scale. An unusual and interesting subject. But is it just like a Classic Airframe kit with a few extra resin bits? The answer to that is a definite no! There are a lot of resin parts, all beautifully rendered. The cockpit is possibly the best I've seen - and I've seen a lot of cockpits. I'll post more photos when that part is ready to be fitted. The surface detail is right up there with Tamiya and Hasegawa, and it has superb rivet detail and good texture.


The kit contains markings for four countries - the USA, UK, France and Japan. Work has already begun. The fuselage is fitted together as an aid to test-fitting the resin cockpit and cabin parts. So, painting is next. I predict a minimum of a week's work on that alone. I'll let you know.

An Exciting Year

Actually, I think I said the same thing this time last year, but every year it gets better and better. Lately I mentioned about the Hasegawa F16 in 1/32 scale. This has come on in leaps and bounds - check the photo. It's going to be a stunner, a very imposing model, full of fuel tanks and and with a striking colour scheme.


Next up will be a very unusual subject - a what-if from the post-WW II era. This is a 1/700 scale waterline kit of HMS Invincible, classed as a fast battleship. However, Britain signed the Washington Treaty and the Invincible became HMS Rodney. In fact I'll be using some parts from the Tamiya Rodney to complete this resin kit. It promises to be quite a challenge.


Lastly, for now, is this old favourite. The Tamiya Lanc has been around since Adam were a lad, but it is till a terrific kit. This build will include the full Eduard Big Ed set, a set of Belcher resin engine cowlings , a set of bulged resin wheels and a set of Techmod decals. I'll be starting on this in a few weeks, so stand by for a mega build.


I have plenty of other big projects on the go for later this year. I'm normally a builder of static models, but I do occasionally do some special work with dioramas which feature light-and-sound - details of this on here later in the year.

A Desert Song

Or how to build an IAF F-16 out of Hasegawa's really old 1/32 scale kit.

Quite recently I was asked to build an F-16A, and with it was a very nice IsraDecals set. Although the kit dates from way back (maybe the seventies?), it's possible to make an impressive, up to date job from one these older kits, especially with the quality decals.

On examining the kit you can't help but notice the good layout, and the full weapons set, and all those fuel tanks. It's been a long time since I had a look at a Hasegawa 1/32 scale jet, but I thought they only gave you the basics in their kit, and sold the ordnance separately. I know that Tamiya's F-16 in this scale is the bee's knees, but then it's a hundred quid, and usually you get what you pay for.

Below are some photos so you can see how it's going. On the box it says F-16A plus, which I assume is because they include a Metal Aces II seat - very nice, better than the plastic one.

Today's kits may be neater and tidier, with engraved panel lines and no flash, but the older kits still have a beautiful model concealed in their sprues, waiting to be brought out by the devoted modeller...

Nothing fits!

You know what I'm talking about. There are a few producers whose products can elicit such a response. Classic Airframes is one of them. Late last year I was asked to build their Lockheed Hudson in 1/48 scale. I'd always wanted to build one of these but I was a little concerned in advance because I knew what it would involve..

I looked through the sprues and noticed the thick plastic parts with nicely engraved panel lines. There was a bagful of resin parts - alarmingly all bundled in one bag. The detail was very well rendered but packing them together leads to the inevitable breakages.

I set to with determination. The flight deck built up nicely and I painted it, along with its attendant parts. I'm all ready to assemble, but surprise surprise, nothing goes anywhere near the fuselage. It was the very acme of foolishness to suppose it would.... It was the usual Classic Airframe problem - overly-thick plastic fuselage and an over-wide resin flight deck. The only way round it was to assemble it Johnny Cash-style - one piece at a time. I dismantled the flight deck and started again, test fitting the fuselage at every stage. Of course, I had to fill and paint as I went. Painstaking? Time-consuming? Oh yes, but ultimately a job well worth doing. As a pal of mine used to say, 'there's only one winner'. And now to get the wings on.