On the Workbench - F-16 'Fighting Falcon' , Sea Harrier FRS 1 and the B-25 Mitchell

I prefer to build 'classic' or 'historic' aircraft - namely machines which tend to no longer be in use and generally consigned to museums. This can range from the usual suspects such as Spitfires all the way up to the now-extinct (at least in the skies over Britain) Harrier jump jet. These machines tend to be popular in model form due to their recognition among the public at large - rather than their original purpose as weapons of war.

Occasionally I will produce a model of an existing type if it's service life goes back far enough to be considered historical - such was the case with the F-16 - specifically the early production F-16A which saw use in the latter half of the Cold War. Considerable numbers of NATO F-16s were parked around Europe waiting for a war which thankfully never happened.

This is the Italeri kit in 1/48 scale. While it does have a one or two accuracy and fitting issues compared to newer kits and toolings - you would have to be particularly keen and familiar with the nuts and bolts of a real-life F-16A in order to notice. It otherwise builds up into a smart replica of an early-model F-16 and gives the modeller plenty of bits and bobs to detail (such as the cockpit above).

Also on the bench is a Sea Harrier in 1/48 scale - built up using the Airfix kit. Again it is an older tooling with raised panel lines and limited detail on the under-wing stores. Having built more than a few of these - the raised panel lines aren't so noticeable on the Harrier when it is painted in EDSG (Extra Dark Sea Grey) if you aren't aiming to pin-wash the model. The under-wing stores issues are being remedied by liberating some spare parts from the F-16 kit sprues!

Now that the main sub-assemblies (wings, main fuselage, etc). have been painted - the airframe will be brought together and fitted with landing gear, stores and canopy before finishing with decals and final detailing.

Inspired by a recent visit to Duxford and the refurbished American Air Museum - I decided to get a move on with the B-25 build. This is Airfix's version in 1/72 scale - albeit with a few tweaks to the colour scheme (the kit option was natural metal finish in USAAF colours or olive drab in RAF colours - so I decided to mix the two) and a bit of free-hand painting for the nose art.

Coming soon to an auction site near you!