realworkingsailor

Not so much generic as uninspiring. In the lower “legs” of the plastic instrument panel piece, Airfix did manage to mould in some raised detail (which you then cover with a blank decal for some reason). It seems like they could make their instrument panels a little better, they just choose not to. Probably for the sake of keeping things simple for less experienced modellers. Andy

Hmmmm…. OOOooooh….. Blech 🤮…… Decision Made! Just ordered the replacement instrument panel from Yahu Models. 😁 Andy

I think one could write a doctoral thesis on the multitudes of hobby paint lines and cross references, and still not have everything sorted out… As you alluded to, the best bet seems to be to stick to one or two (or three) paint lines that offer a decent enough range of colours, that you’re comfortable working with, and are happy with the “close enough” option for colour selection. Andy

Ahhh, I see what you’re saying! Here’s a reference I use: https://www.sunwardhobbies.ca/humbrol-paint-colour-selection-chart At the very least, it has the colour name alongside the reference number. Andy

Airfix usually has colour call-outs in the instructions as well. Look for uncircled numbers in each step. This is a sample image of the 1/72 Buccaneer instructions (Scalemates doesn’t yet have the 1/48 instructions posted). I’ve circled in red some of the paint call-outs: Hopefully that helps! The numbers in triangles refer to previous assembly steps, and the circled ones are part numbers. Andy

A small update on my build, as I am still waiting on my paint order to arrive. I have begun doing what I can with the materials at hand. The good thing is I can get a fair bit of this prep-work done so that when the time comes for assembly, I won't be waiting around for the paint to dry. For now the inside of the fuselage has been painted. Some of the details have been picked out in black and gunmetal. I may will probably add a pinprick of red where the various knobs and levers should be. The detail is quite indistinct, given the small scale and mostly won't be visible. I've also been picking at the piece that makes up the cockpit floor and landing gear bay. Not much else to really show at this moment, until my paint shows up, and the slowest game of e-mail tag (with Airfix) gets resolved.... Andy

Well, Canada Post is hijacking my paint shipment, so please feel free 😁 Hanging around Scalemates, I’ve taken the opportunity to look through the instructions for all of Airfix’s recent 1/24 offerings (Typhoon, Spitfire, Hellcat), quite frankly they look almost overwhelming! Andy

I think there’s a joke about all that a P-47 pilot has do when he’s attacked by the Luftwaffe… Duck down and run around the fuselage to avoid getting hit…. 🤪 Andy

From what I read, Davidson was using a different airplane, MN957 (F3 N). I can only assume his regular plane was down for maintenance. On May 8th 1944, they were conducting operations in France, in preparation for the coming invasion. Davidson’s (replacement) plane developed engine trouble and he was forced to crash land. He evaded capture and ended up with the French resistance, even fighting alongside them, until liberation in September 1944. There are a number of stories of other Typhoon pilots similar to Davidson’s. Sadly, many do not have such happy (or adventurous) outcomes. Mossip’s story is one of them. On his last mission in March ‘45 (also in a different plane), after attacking a train he was observed to crash into some high tension wires, and was killed as a result. Andy

Ok, so it's time to let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. Or maybe just time to get my modelling backside into gear. For my next airplane model I've opted for another 1/72 kit from Airfix (they're a bit addictive, to be honest): A 2019 rebox from a tooling released in 2013, the kit originates somewhere near the beginning of Airfix's current resurgence. The overall detail is quite good, albeit somewhat clunky in odd places like the pilot's boarding step. I may be tempted to scratch build a replacement out of some bass. The kit is comprised of four sprues moulded in the typical grey plastic found in many Airfix kits, along with one small sprue of clear parts. The clear parts appear to be well cast, and for the most part the grey plastic parts are crisply moulded with minimal flash. I did discover a couple of issues with the landing gear parts. The first issue I found, one part was broken on the sprue. This must have happened during the picking/packing phase as there was no sign of any wear and tear on the box or anywhere else, the second issue was a short shot on the opposing landing gear leg. I've highlighted the errors here in this detail picture: I have been in some form of contact with Airfix's spares department and I hope to have this issue resolved soon-ish (at this current moment in time they claim to be dealing with an overwhelming number of e-mail requests for spares. As I have no contrary evidence I have to take them at their word, and will give them the benefit of the doubt). Otherwise the kit comes with the usual A4 instruction booklet and decals from Cartograf: The two included paint schemes are for Typhoon MN666 (C G) flown by 121 Wing Commander Charles Green out of Le Fresne-Camilly, France in June of 1944 (In the Canadian Sector inland from Juno Beach), as well as MP197 (MR U), part of 245 Squadron. The later is quite interesting as it was the only known Typhoon to be painted with a shark mouth. From November 1944 to March 1945, "Sharky" was flown by Harrison "Moose" Mossip, a Canadian. I plan to deviate from both of these schemes. I did a little research and have decided to give a go at painting mine up as a proper Canadian Typhoon. In my case, it will become MN518. Initially assigned to 143 Wing Commander Robert Davidson, (and marked "R D"), it was reassigned to Wing Commander MT Judd, after Davidson went missing in May 1944. Under Judd it was re-marked "M J" and served as his airplane through the summer of 1944. Some careful decal surgery should allow me to create the necessary letters for this plane, and I can print the registration number myself, as I did with my Hurricane. I am also planing on painting the aircraft as it would have appeared later in the summer of 1944, after the order had been given to begin removing the invasion stripes and repainting the camouflage. In my case the stripes will only be applied on the lower surfaces only. Also, to add to the fun, all the Canadian Typhoons in 143 Wing were equipped with bombs, not rockets. Airfix does provide a couple of bombs in the kit, but I happen to have a nice resin set from Eduard (that came as part of pack of goodies for my Wellington). So I'll be using these bombs instead: I can honestly say I have not seen too many bomb equipped 1/72 models in my online searches. I can understand, as the rockets are a more interesting feature, but at least this way, mine will stand out a bit from the rest of the pack. With any luck my parts issue will be resolved, and I've just ordered the necessary paints, so construction will begin shortly. I've seen a number of these kits build online, and they do produce some excellent models. Hopefully mine will live up! Andy

The other side of that coin, there are people who buy stuff at retail prices then turn around sell it on Amazon at a huge markup. Trying to pull the same scamy stunt as concert ticket resellers…. This guy offers a good explanation: Andy

Pictures are great, but you just can’t beat hearing those old engines run: Andy

If you take a quick trip into the history of Holt tractors, the first machines that Holt built were all wheeled tractors. The tracks were a later development driven by the need to spread the tractor’s weight out over a greater surface area when working soft ground. The other option was to use massively large diameter and width drive wheels, which would have been impractical. So as a development of a four wheeled machine, a steering clutch was unnecessary. Holt did eventually buy the patent for a steering clutch system (from Richard Hornsby & Sons), in 1912. This did enable Holt to eventually do away with the front tiller wheel, but likely any manufacturing development would not have come early enough for government requirements driven by WW1. Andy

I used Testors Glosscote in a rattle can, although any gloss finish applied with an airbrush could work, as long as the subsequent layers of paint will adhere to it. Taking this even further, when masking for different colours, seal the masked edge with the first colour before switching to the second colour. If something is going to bleed under the tape, it may as well be the colour you want, rather than the colour you don’t. Andy

Very interesting, I did not know what that yellow patch was all about. I assumed it was possibly some early iteration of the fighter command stripes seen on the leading edge of later war fighter planes’ wings. As for its location, I will again plead ignorance, I just followed the Airfix instructions, so if there’s an error, it’s theirs. 😜 Oddly enough, the day colour scheme does have the yellow patch on the left: Perhaps because of the second man in the turret, it wasn’t as critical were it was as long as either the gunner or pilot could see it. Thanks for your kind words! Andy PS: As to the aircraft/aeroplane, being Canadian, not sure which side of that fence I’m supposed to land on… 😆

Thanks guys! Every day my shoulder is getting better, I would say I’ve recovered better than 95 percent of my range of motion. I have another follow up appointment at the beginning of March, hopefully I’ll be given the go ahead to be able to start lifting things again. Yeah, the turret had its moments, and there were more than a few occasions where I ripped all the tape off and started over again. The biggest help, I think, when it comes to masking, is after taping, make the first coat clear gloss. It will seal the edges of the tape (so there’s no colour bleed later on), and won’t fog the plastic. Andy

Thanks guys! I’m kinda torn between the fun of keeping it a secret, and the excitement of announcing what it is. Suffice it to say, it’s an airplane from later in the war, and I’m thinking of chancing mucking about with the decals to reflect an aircraft of the RCAF. (Even though one version of the included decals schemes was actually flown by a Canadian during the last winter of the war, it was still an RAF aircraft). Andy

Thanks, once again, everyone for the kind comments and likes! Well, this proved to be a rather quick little build, especially with the simplified paint scheme. Applying the multitude of stencils proved to be the most time consuming task. Had I the proper materials (and a little bit of practice under my belt), I would have tried maybe adding some chipping and done other weathering effects to beat up the paint a little bit, but I only have pastels on hand. I may add tome brownish burn streaks from the exhausts, just to liven things up a little bit, but for all intents and purposes, I think I will call this build done!. To me, the all black makes for a rather striking, and not often seen (unless you google "Airfix Defiant"), paint scheme, and that shark mouth really stands out! Unlike it's contemporaries, the Hurricane and Spitfire, the Defiant had an underslung radio antenna. One fixed arial was located between the main landing gear, a second arial was located just forward of the tail wheel, with an antenna wire strung between them. The rear arial would retract when the landing gear was extended (for obvious reasons). I'm happy I went with the "unprototypical" green landing gear bays... notice the numerous stencils 🤪 I'm also glad I diverged with the turret interior colours as well, the small details around the gun stand out nicely. You can see how "girthy" Defiants were in order to accommodate the turret. Notice how the plane widens as it goes aft of the engine. All in all, this was another great kit offering from Airfix, the turret definitely added a bit of interest to the build, enough to keep a more skilled builder occupied! For the same reason, I wouldn't suggest this kit for a first time builder. The detail level is in keeping with all the more recent offerings and there were no real fitment issues. I think I will be taking a bit of a break from building for a short while (until my fingers start to get itchy), but I have one more 1:72 airplane lined up, as well as some figures to try my hand at painting. If nothing else a little time is needed to catch my breath. I hope to see you all at my next build! Andy

Thanks Mike! I never figured myself as much of a bar setter, I just find one at a convenient height that I can comfortably step over! 😜 Andy

I’m in! You did a great job on your Buffalo and FM-1 builds, I’m sure this one will be phenomenal as well. Having recently subjected myself to the test of patience that is Eduard origami, I can say that it is, for the most part, a worthwhile exercise. Shame about all those ejector pin marks, though, especially for such a recent tooling, and a full interior. Looks like you’ve got it handled, hopefully a smooth build from here on out! Andy

Thanks for all the likes, everyone! Painting has begun in earnest. Although being a simple scheme, it hasn't taken too much time and effort. I feel a little bit like Henry Ford... "You can have it any colour you like as long as it's black" I think it's going to look quite striking when it's done. The monochrome colour scheme really focuses the attention on the details of the aircraft. I'm really pleased with the way the landing gear bay came out: Prototypically, yes everything is supposed to be black, but I like this look better. I am currently working on the radiator and air intake cowlings and they will be attached soon. Afterwards a layer of gloss and it will be time to begin the lettering process. There is a ton of stencils to go on this airplane. The gang at Boulton-Paul were a little obsessive with labeling apparently. I wonder if they had a "label maker" label on their label maker...... Andy

Now that I am finished my Wellington, I can forge ahead, guilt free, with my Defiant. It didn't take too long to finish up the Defiant's interior. The last remaining item was the instrument panel: This panel looks like it will be more visible compared with the Hurricane build I did earlier. Some thought could be given to getting an after market PE instrument panel, but I opted to keep things out of the box. Yahu models makes sone nice PE instrument panels for a variety of aircraft, if anyone is interested. It didn't take too long and things began to look a little more airworthy. There is a fairing on the upper fuselage just behind the turret, the kit offers the builder a choice of having this fairing raised or lowered. On the prototype, this fairing was operated pneumatically, and raised and lowered automatically as the turret was rotated. A similar moveable fairing was located between the turret and the canopy. I've decided to model both these fairings in the raised position, as it does give the aircraft a slightly more streamlined appearance. With the fairings lowered, things look a little disjointed, and realistically, they would not be lowered for any great length of time, unless the turret was paused in a position that required them to be down. Following the main airplane assemble, it was time to turn my attention to the canopy and turret masking. The canopy was fairly straightforward was more surfaces are flat and square. The turret offered a good reason to build this kit only once! If I had to do it again, I would probably try to track down a masking set. Prior to painting, I have since sprayed the turret and canopy with some Glosscote to seal the tape. I did this with my Hurricane and had zero paint bleed, or, at least, no coloured paint bleed as the Glosscote left no marks as far as I can tell! Painting is coming up quickly, although being all black, it should be nice and simple. No issues with wayward camouflage bands this time! Andy

Let me first start off by once again offering my gratitude to all those who've been following my build and all those who left such nice comments and likes. Thank you all so very much! Well, for all intents and purposes, I think it's safe to say this build is done. Not 100% finished, as one day I will plan a small diorama around this model and there are a few details that will remain in storage until that point, but all other construction is finished! Hooray! After a final shot of Dulcote, the masks have all been removed to reveal a bunch of more or less clear windows (whew!). The sacrificial canopy was also removed and for the first time in a few months all the cockpit detail was once again visible. A large part of the interior remains just visible through the over-wing windows, so my efforts are not entirely lost. Rather than getting too long winded, I'll just post a bunch of photos for you all to enjoy! I am please how most things turned out, Airfix has produced a nice model, that can built out of the box and will achieve a very satisfactory result. The PE and resin upgrades were not without their challenges, but I think the results were worth it. Apparently Airfix will be re-releasing the Mk Ia/c later this year with new markings, so the kit should be readily available on the market again soon, although for Merlin fans, the Mk II is still in plentiful supply. For anyone interested in doing a bomber, but lacking the space to do a Lanc, this is a great option. Hopefully I'll see you all over at my Defiant build! Andy

Thanks everyone who's joined in on this build (and those just passing through)! In between waiting for paint a glue to dry on my Wellington build, I have been picking away at the odd pre-assembly job on this build as well. My Wellington needs to sit for a bit to make sure everything is cured before I add the final shot of Dulcote, so I decided today would be a good day to start some assembly on my Defiant. This will only be a brief interlude as I've told myself I must finish my Wellington before I really get stuck in on this one. Like pretty much every Airfix model, assembly begins in the cockpit. There's a fait bit going on with this one, as it is a two seater, although to be fair, at this point the only thing going in at the rear is the turret support ring. The rudder pedals and control stick are particularly small, even for this scale. They're about half the size of the ones in my Hurricane. The control stick mounts in an odd location at the front of the seat (if you shake it more than twice, you're playing with it!🤪). I still need to add the instrument panel, but right now I'm waiting for the instrument decal to dry. Once that's set, the panel will be installed and the fuselage can be closed up. Jumping ahead a step, I've prepared this wing, so it will be ready to go on once the fuselage is assembled: Diverging from the instructions slightly, I've painted the insides of the landing gear bay the same colour green as the cockpit, and I've picked out some of the cabling/wires in gunmetal colour. The instructions say to paint everything black, but as I said in the intro, I feel that some of these details may get lost in an otherwise monochromatic paint scheme if they were all the same colour. I will be doing something similar with the details inside the turret, eventually. So far the model has gone together reasonably well, the only real issue I had was extracting the control stick from the sprue. Despite my best efforts the ring/handle at the top got a little a lot mangled. I was able to save it with a quick application of glue before the various bits wandered off into the ether, so no harm done. For anyone else attempting this kit, do beware of this particular part, it's booby trapped! Andy

Thanks OC and Andrew, glad to have your kind feedback. If anyone else were to build this model, I would recommend this one upgrade kit over all the others, in terms of how much the appearance is improved (after that, I would suggest the engine upgrade!). Steady picking away, and the last doors have now been installed! First a quick in progress shot after getting the fourth run of doors installed earlier: Followed by a couple of shots of all the doors installed: Once the CA has had a chance to fully cure, the doors will be gently coaxed to their final open position, and the runs streamlined somewhat. Afterwards, a quick touch up of silver paint on the areas where there was some paint loss due to the Eduard origami, and a shot of Dulcote to seal everything. The end is now rapidly drawing into sight as only a few remaining fragile bits are left to install, as well as swapping out the cockpit canopy. This was the last major assembly hurdle to be cleared. Andy