GusMac

Hi Dennis, yes I've seen it but not sure I'm ready for it. This is only the second thing I've airbrushed and I still find things like thinning a bit of an adventure. Not sure I could get the 'top' coat thin enough - I find it hard to control the flow if the paint is very thin. Now I know why some airbrushes come with the little lock to control the flow rate! Currently doing the missiles so I'm getting a bit more practice and I have an old Skyray I might have a shot at trying things on. Keen to push myself so I will keep this in mind. Sorry to hear the Hawk has bitten the dust. Did Revell ever respond? Gus

Thanks Dennis, I've relatives down in Invercargill and from what I remember the weather there could be similar to here. Anything at any time! Hoping to make a start on the painting this weekend.

Evening all, just an update on progress with this. Everything is now primed ready for the real painting to begin. It's not until you start to paint this that you realise how big it is, there's a good chunk of a bottle of Mr Surfacer 1500 on here even with it well thinned. Apologies that the photos are a bit overexposed - the sun was actually shining here in Scotland and it takes you by surprise! Here are all the sundry components. The sharp eyed will notice something rather odd about the missile load - I've seen a couple of photos of Doubletail squadron Baz with an asymmetric load on the wing pylons of two AIM-9L on one side and two Python 3 on the other from 1982/3, the time period I'm after. I've no idea if 840, the plane I'm building, carried this load but I'm pulling a bit of artistic licence as I think it'll add a bit of visual interest. Good illustration of how much bigger the Python 3 is than the Sidewinder shown here. The Python 3 and the Magrefa pylons are from Isracast and went together very nicely. Next step is giving everything a polish with micromesh clothes and then on with the painting. As usual, comments, etc welcomed. Cheers, Gus

Hi Dennis, have been busy constructing all the detail parts, missiles, etc then removing the seam from the canopy and started priming. That's where things slow down as it's bigger than anything I've built before and the airbrush work seems endless! Have a day off on Tuesday so hoping to get the priming finished then. Will post some pics then. Cheers, Gus

Could have been worse gents, I held off buying our euros for France until after the vote and it cost me an extra £90 or so.

Can't blame you Cees. We do produce some more appetising foodstuffs and also abominations like the deep fried Mars Bar, 'invented' about 20 km from where I stay. Mind you I always remember the Smurf ice-cream my son was so fond of in Amsterdam - there is no way that blue colour came from anything natural or healthy! James, I sincerely hope you don't end up needing a passport to visit your relatives in the future depending on what our elected 'betters' come up with down the line! This all reminds me of the great Billy Connolly line 'that you can go anywhere in the world and come across someone with Scottish blood in them other than Princes Street during the Edinburgh Festival'.

Great picture. I like the green & blue tartans best myself. The kilt I wear most often is Hunting Fergusson which is one of our clan tartans. Can you get haggis in the Netherlands? Not sure about the EU rules but I know it's banned in the US as it's consideed unfit for human consumption due to the offal in it - my kids would agree, not being fans.

Your parcels would be alright by that route Rob if all our excise men were as efficient as old Rabbie Burns. He was too drunk most of the time to be very good at his job. Ah well, another national stereotype confirmed.

Thanks again Rog. They certainly look easier and better than trying to glue runs of individual links.

Don't worry, once our glorious leaders get their way and we secede from Brexitistan and become the People's Socialist Republic of Scotland within the EU you might be able to get it from Wonderland in Edinburgh at a reasonable deal! Mind, we might all have to climb over a large pile of metaphorical dead bodies before that happens. Sorry, too much politics. Actually, that sums up the last 2 years here in Scotland. If I didn't see or hear from another f****** politician for the next two years that would be just perfect. There are times when becoming a hermit seems like quite a good career move!

Thanks Rog. I'd seen the name Magic Tracks mentioned but wasn't sure what they were. They sound easier than having to cut wires, etc for the Friuls so L may have a hunt on evilbay to see what I can find. Regards, Gus

Very nice Tom. It will be interesting to see how the new Trumpeter versions shape up when they come out later this year (?). Bet you won't pick them up for 25 quid!

Thanks Erik. Never really done any armour since I got a bit more 'serious' about things, so I've only used the rubber band tracks and one set of the individual link type on an AFV Centurion which I found horrible to work with. Looking on various forums the Friul metal tracks seem to get great reviews so I might give them a bash. Cheers, Gus

Hi all, just back from another great holiday in Normandy. We were staying in Arromanches so I had the daft idea of a diorama of part of the artificial harbour. Looking at it now back home after some research it's not really feasible in 1/35 as just one section of Whale roadway would be about 70cm long and my scratching skills aren't up to that. However I quite fancy doing a Sherman V probably of the 2nd Fife & Forfar as I had a great uncle who served with them. So question is, there seem to be two options for an M4A4, Dragon or Asuka, but which is best? I know the Asuka kits seem highly rated in general but is it true? Any thoughts/advice welcomed. Gus

Thanks Dennis. Hoping to see some of the sights we didn't visit last year and for some decent weather.

Thanks Paulo, that's good to know. Especially as I had attached them using CA and it might have made a bit of a mess to change it. Gus

Thanks Rob, I'll check the Osprey book I have and have hunt online to see if I can find any photos to clarify that. I'm certainly no expert, so could well be I've got it wrong.

Evening all, bit more progress to show which might be the last for a while. Off to Normandy for a couple of weeks soon so 'me' time will be limited by packing, organising kids packing, etc. Anyway, construction of the main fuselage is where I'm at, with the then obligatory filling and sanding. Apologies for the photobomb! I decided to take the pictures outside to see if I could get better light but Mitzi, one of our Jack Russells, decided to have a nosey to see what I was up to. I followed advice seen on other forums to attach the top wings to the upper fuselage before joining the lower fuselage but I was still left with a bit of filling required. I should have been more ruthless and cut the tabs which are meant to get screwed in off completely as this seemed to be what pulled things slightly out of alignment. Fairly big bit of filling required around the covers for the cannon. Seems a strange idea to have part of the area attached to the upper half which has to slot into the lower section. Just a means get to get poor fitting to my eyes but that's the way it is. Overall, I'm fairly happy with where I am - my filling and sanding skills are definitely improving with every build and getting some good quality sanding sticks has certainly helped. I know this is one of the earliest Tamiya lsp kits and that they've moved the game on in a major way since, but I can't say I'm overly impressed with the fit and engineering of this. I'll now commit further sacrilege and say it's no better or worse than the two Trumpeter kits I did last - the P47 bubbletop and the Mig-23. Maybe it's just the common denominator - me! Perhaps it's just my hamfistedness but anyway I'm happy that after the rest of the construction it'll be fine under a coat of primer. See you all in a few weeks.

Looks wonderful in that light Arno. Brings the warm shades in the camo to life. Gus

Wow Craig, that looks amazing! How thick is the Al sheet?

Nice Peter, that looks suitably distressed.

Looks great Tom. Once its primed you won't know what was original and what was added.

Hi Dennis, been busy assembling the main fuselage and wings. Bit of filling and sanding to do next. Will post some pics soon.

Interesting picture Tom. Do many estate agents have a side-line in surplus Shackletons?

That's big - cart almost 28cm long. Makes you realise how big the actual plane will be!