James H

Such a shame. That base looked great. Isn't that water made from a type of resin? Very surprised it did that.

Nice work Dave. You put those wings together yet to check the full span. Very impressive.

Jeroen, yes. Yes I did. I even picked the tools to use, and those to ignore.

Yes! About time. Step away from the Tamiya This actually builds up pretty well, and certainly better than their Mustang. Build photos please!

The Mosquito test shot had undergone so many changes that I have now abandoned the first one I had. This (still buildable!) will be on its way to Mal to make some masks. I now have the 2nd test shot, and work has started on this proper. If I thought the Do 335 was the most fun I've ever had with plastic, I have to say that this is even better. HK are making changes to this, so some things I've done here may, or may not, feature in the final release. I've added the instruments to the rear of the IP, as well as wiring, and other stuff such as the metal strips which run around the pedal box housing and that tray which sits on top of it. You'll notice I'm skirting around with this, but that's the nature of a mag build.....many areas are built at the same time.

Just WOW!!

That looks great Jase. I wish you'd shown some steps in between too What a great looking machine. Those tip tanks are a work of masking art.

Hi Dennis, Can you do me a couple of photos of decals and profiles? Sounds interesting! Cheers.

Dave, I blame you. You did such a great job with thus that I might get one. Absolutely love it, and that muddy water puddle is fantastic. Tutorials please....

Real weird to see this bird in olive drab, and more bizarre with the US markings. Great work! Love the tones, shade and modulation.

Hi Paul, I have Mal from Miracle Masks producing the markings for me, but thank you very much for that offer. Perhaps one of other guys would like to try their hand though, and show what your masks can do?

Progress Dave?

Hi guys, It is actually the stencils I need, and not the markings, as the main stuff will be made in mask form. You can't mask stencils, but I sure will need them on this build.

Stunning work Ralph. Those rivets really transform things, and the interior is a gem

Hi all, I'm asking in here instead of the 'Wants' forum simply because I'm on a mission. Shortly, I'll be building the HK Models 1:32 Mosquito, and I have no decals. I'm intending to use masks for the main markings, but I need to source some stencil decals. Can anybody here offer a solution as to how I can get these? I could contact Revell for a set of theirs, but that feels so wrong since this is for a competitor's kit which will pretty much render their own release obsolete. This one is for Military Illustrated Modeller, and I promise I'll mention you in the article too, as helping me out. Over to you folks.......

Great work on that underside. Are you replicating that seriously knackered looking paint job in that actual photo?

Bloody hell Chris, that looks great! Treat her to the Revell Trabant with graffiti next!

1:32 WW1 aircraft accessories Taurus Models Catalogue # see article for codes and price Available from StoryModels Taurus Models have been a little quiet of recent, but that doesn't mean they are just sitting on their laurels. There have been a small number of releases over the last months, and they might just have slipped your radar, so today we thought we'd bring these to you. Don't plan your next WW1 project until you've seen what's on offer here. D3224, Fokker cowl nuts, £4.75 D3226, Propeller hub and back-plate (for Sopwith Snipe/Camel), £1.90 D3227, WW1 Pulsometers (British type), £3.00 D3224, Fokker cowl nuts All of these sets are packaged into small zip-lock wallets, and sealed with card headers which are stapled to them. These depict a small colour image of the actual airframe item which the update set is designed to replace a kit part, or indeed be added to your kit, where none previously existed. These sets have the ability to prove to you that even 1:32 parts can sometimes be unfeasibly small and very fiddly. This is one of those, yet adds some very important detail to your Fokker-built aircraft. Fokker's metal cowls (Fok D.VII, Eindecker series etc) utilised their own proprietary cowl fasteners. These consisted of a series of bolts that protruded from the airframe. The cowl parts themselves had holes drilled into them, which located to the bolts. A washer was then placed over the bolt, and the cowl nut was screwed over this. The nut itself pretty much resembled a wingnut which just one wing. There are FOUR grey resin casting blocks in this set, containing enough parts for FORTY-SIX cowl nuts. Each cowl nut comprises TWO parts. Firstly, if your model has any moulded cowl nut representation, you will need to shave that detail away and then carefully mark and drill each new cowl nut position, using a 0.45mm drill bit. The first component to install is the base washer. The back end of this sits into the hole you just drilled. Now, preferably with a magnifying lens, you will need to drill a 0.2mm hole straight through the cowl nut, and then sit this over the base washer stem, before trimming the stem back to length. I'm not going to pretent that any of this is going to be easy, and if you have a distinct lack of patience, or are ham-fisted, I would think twice about this upgrade. All parts are nicely cast, although a few have become dislodged from the casting block. Supplied instructions are very clear, but of course won't make the actual installation any easier. This one is for dedicated scale freaks only! D3226, Propeller hub and back-plate (for Sopwith Snipe/Camel) This is a very simple set, comprising of just two components for your Sopwith Snipe/Camel propeller. These replace both the forward hub, and also the back-plate. Again, to install these, you'll need to shave away the moulded plastic detail on your propeller, and carefully centre and install these parts. Detail is absolutely first rate, with even the castellated forward nut detail being just about visible. Each part is connected to the casting block by a wall of resin which equals the width of the part, but a clearly defined line can be seen, and you need to remove the excess resin, up to this line. As both parts exhibit a little of the propellers timber through cast holes, these will be quite fragile when cleaned up, so take care with them. Instructions are clear, and you should have zero problems with this neat upgrade set. D3227, WW1 Pulsometers (British type) This set contains enough parts for TWO pulsometers. What's a pulsometer, you ask? These were fitted into the cockpits of some aircraft, and were a visual representation that oil was flowing to the engine. A glass section would show the flow of oil from the tank to the engine, and a small stop valve could be used to turn this flow off, or regulate it. The design of the interior of the sight glass, with both a constant flow, and a static oil level head, caused that head to pulse a little as oil flowed, and the head level was maintained, of course enabled by the draw of the oil to the engine. Now, these things are extremely tiny, and compose of three parts each. Two of these are cast in clear resin, on the same block, and the remaining four parts are cast in grey resin. I'm thinking the reason there are two of these is because of how small the parts are! One part is the lower section of the pulsometer, complete with tap, and the other grey resin part is for the section which holds the clear sight glass. Assembly is very simple, and only perhaps made difficult in itself by the size of the parts. Of course, you will need to add an oil line to this too, and this should be from 0.25mm wire (not supplied). Painting instructions are also included, and these are simply brass and steel. Conclusion Taurus never cease to amaze me with their attention to detail, and these sets live up to their previous, meticulous eye for detail. Two of them are certainly aimed at the more hard-core modeller due to the size of the components, and the ease of application, whilst the prop hub set is a general, easy to use and attractive option that most modellers could fit. None of these sets are very expensive either, so if you feel like you can handle the minute detail, then it won't break your bank. Quality is excellent too. Highly recommended My sincere thanks to StoryModels for these review samples. To purchase directly, click the links in the review. James H

1:32 and 1:24 Luftwaffe cowl latches Yahu Catalogue # See article for code and price Available from StoryModels If you like to pose your model's cowlings open, or indeed wish to do so for a maintenance diorama, then the various aftermarket companies serve us well in respect of the resin and PE internal sets, such as engines, weapons bays etc. Where they do fall down in many respects are with supplying cowl latches for Luftwaffe machines. Cowls were very typically secured with an adjustable clip-latch which was packed full of tension in order to beat the airframe and vibration stresses placed upon them. To give you an idea of a latch, here is one I own, which came from a Focke-Wulf Fw 190. The majority of this latch was actually fastened within the fuselage skin, with the tab of course being the part which you would outwardly see. This would clip to the adjustable, cast part which would be fastened to the cowl itself. Even after all these years, it still operates. The part is made from a cast alloy, with a high tensile steel spring within, and a steel latch. Yahu might not be a name you've heard of before. They are a pretty new company, from Poland, producing small PE sets, and colour-printed instrument panels etc. Two of their very latest sets are dedicated to the modeller who has been looking for a photo-etch latch solution for their project. Well, look no longer, as I'm pretty sure that these will cater to your requirements. The two sets we have here are: YMS3201, Luftwaffe latch (10 pieces), £2.90 YMS2401, Luftwaffe latch (10 pieces), £2.90 I have to note here that these are ALSO available in 1:48 too, directly from StoryModels. Each set is packaged into a small zip-lock wallet, with a cardboard carrier stapled to it, with product code. Inside each wallet, you'll find a piece of folded card which depicts how you need to fold the etch parts, and of course, a sigle photo-etch fret containing 10 latches. In the 1:32 set, the fret is packed within another small sleeve. Now, these really are amazingly simple. There is NO assembly to perform at all, and all you need is a PE bending tool. Some folds can readily be performed with just tweezers, but the external latch has wings which need to be folded backwards. Each latch should take no more than a minute to prepare for your model. You will of course need to remove any resin/plastic from the model, representing the folded latches, and insert these as replacements. It goes without saying that you may need to adjust the size of the moulded slot to accommodate these parts. Each piece is connected to the fret via two tags. These are a little wider than I'm used to, but they are thin, so will be easy enough to cur through. There is a small amount of etched detail on each latch lever. Work starts with folding back the wings on the latch lever, and then simply concludes by bending the mechanism to the rear of the latch. Etch quality is excellent, and the small drawings are easy to follow. Conclusion Yes, this is only a small review. It really couldn't be anything else, but this is such a handy little set to have in your drawer for when it comes to building something German, and with opened cowls. A number of us must surely have forgotten to add these during our projects. I know I have, and this simple little set will now mean you have no more excuses. Sometimes, it's the small details which really enliven things, and I'm thinking that Yahu think the same. Highly recommended My sincere thanks to StoryModels for the review samples you see here. To purchase directly, click the links in the article. James H

You saw my wood effect Fly Natter then?

Which kit is it Steve?

Those are the kit parts. They did pretty well with them. Not as good as metal, but no cost either.

Ultra-fantastic!! Great review. Nice clean photos too.

...so did I!!

All finished folks! Check it out HERE!