On the workbench - 3 Harriers and a Tank (No it's not a Joke)

Having decided to hit the ground running with building Naval Aircraft - one of the most logical steps was to once again try to get a grip with the number of Harrier variants piling up in the cupboard. Long-term readers of this blog may well be familiar with the comical number of jump-jets that this model-maker has managed to accrue despite several culls of the stash.

Currently at the 'painted but nowhere near finished' stage - the above Sea Harrier FA2 in 1/72 scale. It just needs all the additional bits and bobs such as landing gear, jet nozzles, airbrake and underwing stores attaching. Once the interior is finished in terms of detailing the canopy will be glued in place and then the finishing touches of decals can be applied.

Currently at the 'finished and soon to go to a new home stage' - the Harrier GR7 using the older Airfix tooling with raised panel lines. The overall shape and finish of the model has still ended up looking pretty good - with the advantage of some additional markings such as the shark's teeth noseart.

Also on the go - but having virtually nothing to do with Naval Aviation - this Tamiya Kampfpanzer in 1/35 scale. This was testing the use of acrylics used via airbrush.

Most of my models (99.9% of them) are painted with enamel paints and either hand-painted, airbrushed, spray-painted with cans or a mixture of all three. I used some automotive spray paint to undercoat the model black - then slowly built up layers of green with the airbrush to get a sort of post-shaded effect of lighter/darker areas. This was using Vallejo Model Air - shot straight through the airbrush with no thinning. It is currently in the process of being lightly weathered, hence why the wheels and tracks are missing.

Finally on the go, this 1/72 Harrier GR3 finished in 1982 Falklands colours - currently (as of writing this) on a certain auction site and hopefully soon to go to a new home.

Once these have been finished off - it will then be time for something a bit bigger...

Models of the Month - Volume 1: Naval Aviation

For the past few months I've been pretty much building all sorts of things. There's half a German S-Boot sitting on the table next to me (still waiting to be finished), a Curtiss P-40 boxed for transit to it's new owner and three dozen 15mm AFVs all painted up and ready to go.

Orderly, this work area currently is not.

Beginning this month - I've decided to just focus on one type of model. To begin with I decided to focus on stuff that flies over water. There is a semi-sensible reason for this.

It is a basic fact that most aircraft in the world are land-based - so those make up the vast majority of the planes I model. I still buy all sorts of different planes based on any good deals or new releases that take my fancy irrespective. I tend to buy carrier-based or maritime kits; yet never actually build them. That is changing this month.

First up is this 1/72 Grumman Wildcat. Compared to the sleek lines of a Mustang or Spitfire - this thing looks a bit stocky. The Airfix model does a good job of replicating that heavy-set fuselage - dominated by that massive radial engine. Below is the real thing at Duxford - photographed in the hangar where they maintain many of the airworthy residents at the museum.

The kit itself went together with no issues whatsoever, it creates a smart looking model. This was built straight out of the box and using the second kit option with the brighter tail markings / old-style roundels. For newer modellers you might want to take your time around the landing gear area; it was a tad fiddly.

Second up was the Wildcat's historic rival - the Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero'. Physically smaller and more agile than the big Grumman; it was the Japanese naval fighter in the Pacific War. Ironically, there were far more potent / capable machines turned out by the Japanese as the war went on - but the Zero is the one that people remember.

The kit (1/72 Airfix) went together with no problems - it builds up into a decent replica of the A6M and was one of those kits that just kind of assembled itself without too much drama.

Not yet started but certainly on the to-do list, a pair of Sea Harrier FA2s - one in 800 NAS anniversary colours and the other in standard Fleet Air Arm markings.

The Harrier-stash-overpopulation problem is still very much a thing...

Hints and Tips No.3 - Natural Metal Finish

Natural Metal Finish - one of the hardest effects to replicate in model form. This is ironic - since on the real thing it simply unpainted aluminium - they don't really have to 'do' anything to create the finish!

Now there are many items on the market which replicate NMF really well - products such as Alcad come to mind. However I have found the easiest (and cheapest) method of making a decent bare metal look is to use car spray paints. Halfords do a can of 'Aluminium' spray paint - this is near-as-makes-no-difference a match to Humbrol 11 (allowing you to retouch areas with the brush if needed) but is harder wearing and easier to polish once cured.

The Fury does not have 'Natural Metal Finish' as such - most of the surfaces are painted silver and the only bare metal is on the cowling ahead of the pilot. However in the flesh it looked every bit as shiny as an aircraft with bare aluminium - so the same techniques would still apply.

The 1/48 Hawker Fury below is the good old Airfix tooling - a bit rough round the edges and requiring some work to fit correctly due to the age of the plastic. After dusting on a light coat - it was then given a second heavier coat to finish the model. The wings and fuselage were then buffed with cloth and cotton buds.

The real thing below.

Same method of Halfords rattle cans - this time on a few different models in 1/72 scale. Note that the P-51 and Vampire were 'weathered' using a thin brushed wash (didn't quite work according to plan admittedly) - hence the duller/streakier finish.

A word of caution however - make sure that whatever primer you use is compatible with the spray paint you intend to use! Don't ask me how I know...

On the workbench....

A brief update with the models currently being worked on.

Spitfires x3 

The interest in the Red Arrows display models (see last post) got me thinking. One handy way of tackling the stash population would be to build several models at the same time and combine them onto a flying display stand.

So after some rummaging around - I found a Spitfire Mk1. (What aviation model-maker DOESN'T have one of these knocking around somewhere in the stash?) and a Spitfire MkV. That just left a late-model Spitfire to complete the set - so I found a PR XIX fairly cheaply in the local model shop.

Two weeks later - it was finished. 

Mig-21 PF

After a slight disaster with the nosecone of this thing - I had left this on the backburner for a few months. It sat there on the shelf, half-finished - looking very sorry for itself. 

In the end I had another go - fitted a spare nose from another Academy MiG-21 and decided to finish it in silver. Out came the Halfords Rattle Cans (Aluminium Silver) and on went some transfers from the spares box.

The result is one smart looking Cold-War jet. The decals just need sealing and this will be ready to go.

 

Other Stuff

I somehow ended up buying a Meng Char 2C in a impulsive Ebay auction purchase. It's utterly comical looking and could be an interesting build - pictures to follow. 

 

On the workbench...

A brief post this one - due to lots going on at the moment. Land Rovers are wonderful things and generally reliable - apart from those times when they aren't! My time has thus been taken up with an altogether bigger 'kit' that weighs two tonnes and delights in dripping oil all over the drive....

Red Arrows Old and New

This was an idea I had a while ago - a) to trim down the size of the stash and b) to do something interesting with a couple of the otherwise fairly common Airfix kits I have. So using the readily available Folland Gnat and BAE Hawk kits - I decided to create a stand showing the Yellowjacks (pre-Red Arrows), 1970s Red Arrows and Red Arrows as they are today.

The Hawk didn't have any locator holes for the stand arms - the under-body tank precluded drilling any holes in the underside as well. Instead a recycled part of sprue, combined with a meaty amount of adhesive and some modifications to the tailpipe were required. I am very pleased with the end result.

Black Friday (Lynx Kit no.3)

Due to a slight loss of fiscal discipline on Black Friday back in 2015 - I somehow ended up with three Westland Lynx AH-7s in 1:48 scale. The intention was to build one for my own collection and construct the other two for sale. That hasn't happened yet - other shiny kits have come along and distracted me. However this week I've cracked open the box and have dived in headfirst!

FAA Vought Corsair

A very old kit - this came out of a Heller boxing from a couple of decades ago. Occasionally I'll quickly cobble together one of these older kits in an evening or two to take my mind off things. With modern paints, decals and plenty of sanding/filling - the results are quite good.

Academy Mig-21 PF 

Not pictured at this time - however this is currently in the process of being cleaned up and prepped for assembly. I've built a few of these in 1/48 scale before and the final products have been snapped up. The plan this time is to do a Natural Metal Finish example (cue sucking of teeth from model-makers everywhere) - not an easy finish to pull off in any scale.

However I have a plan..... involving the local Halfords and some Nissan Silver.

On the Workbench - Stash Attack

Every model-maker, whether they do it as a hobby or as a line of work - will have a 'stash'. This consists of models which have been bought as-and-when (in a short-sighted spending spree after you accidentally-on-purpose got lost and wandered into a model shop) or particular projects which you buy and intend to 'eventually get round to them'. The makeup of said collection often is without rhyme or reason.

This phenomena led to yours truly having at least a dozen harrier jump jets in his possession at one point (now trimmed down to half a dozen at last count). I still can't remember buying that many; I can count on one hand how many commission jobs I've had for a jump-jet so it wasn't a business decision at any rate. Short of them breeding and multiplying by themselves in the cupboard - the reason for accruing so many will remain a mystery.

Now the stash is getting bigger again, due to a combination of a prolonged period of ill health and my other line of work being a higher priority over the Winter months. The new stash theme seems to be focused around big multi-engine aircraft including 1/72 Lancasters (3 of them), a Shackleton and a couple of Dakota DC-3s...... and a few B-17s in various scales.

This is supplemented by an EE Canberra and a Merlin helicopter kit in 1/48 scale - the former I bought a few years ago in Wales on holiday - no I don't know why either.

In a moment of madness on a certain online auction site I also acquired a Soviet Mil Mi-26 Halo Helicopter from Zvezda in 1/72 - many tins of Russian AF paint shall be required for that particular beast.

However the workbench is not quite ready for airliners / bombers / transport planes / big helicopters just yet.....

Airfix Fairey Battle (Old Classic Tool) - Part of the Victoria Cross gift-set. Went together very nicely and looked good when finished / sent to it's new owner.

Airfix Hurricane II (Classic Tool) - Currently a test-bed for different varnishes. I have 'lost' one or two otherwise perfect models thanks to varnish reacting to the paint coat underneath - so whenever using a new formula/product it pays to test it on a low-value, easily replaced model first. 

The 'Car Park' - This is where the models sit in the sunshine to dry and generally cure. 

Bristol Blenheim Mk I - Old and New - Recently I finished off the Blenheim from the VC set - despite being an older tooling it went together with some filler and modern paints/transfers applied. It took about four days from start to finish - out of professional interest I bought the new tool from Airfix to see how much easier/quicker the new one went together. Currently at the un-boxing stage.

Keep your eyes peeled for some of these appearing online soon (I need the space!).

Harrier Building Frenzy

Of the Cold War 'fast jets' - the Harrier is unique in the public imagination for being the 'Jump Jet'. Other faster, more modern VTOL/STOL aircraft have been around since - but none come close to putting vertical take-offs on the map like the Harrier family.

Upon searching through the 'stash' I counted in excess of a dozen Harriers, Sea Harriers and AV-8s in various scales - of which a couple were duplicates (3 Sea Harriers for example). I thus decided to try to trim down the number of jump-jets in the collection - although given my previous track record I'll end up refilling the stash with more of them the next time I walk past a model shop.

Recently completed is the FRS.1 Sea Harrier in 1/48 scale - based on Airfix's older tooling from the 1980s. Once painted and decorated with decals - it looked every bit the part when finished - if lacking in minor surface details. I still think the overall shape and profile of this tooling is better than the Tamiya FRS.1 - so in this respect the kit has aged well when updated with modern decals and paints.

I then decided halfway through the 1/48 build to have a crack at the 1/72 version of another FRS.1 - also by Airfix. The newer tooling really comes alive when placed next to the older, larger kit - with recessed panel lines combined with fine detail on the fuselage and stores.

Much confusion ensued when this model-maker picked up the wrong set of instructions (1/72 tooling is modern, has more parts and is more detailed than the 1/48) and wondered why the part numbers didn't match up. 

The two morals of the story - 1) don't buy too many Harrier kits and 2) don't try to be clever and tackle two builds of the same type of aircraft from the same kit company at the same time!

Next Week - The 1/48 Hawker Fury.... and another Harrier

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!

On the Workbench this week...

I've decided if I can reduce the size of the 'stash' - that vast collection of kits and un-built models that any modelmaker ends up accruing but yet never seems to manage to build! Such collections only ever seem to grow in size and number!

Highlights of this mad building frenzy include this Tucano trainer in 1/72 - this has since been bought not so long ago and has gone to a loving home. Quite a nice 'weekend kit' - the only issue is in getting a glossy black finish devoid of brush-marks. I prefer brushes for small jobs like this one and spraying for larger multi-engine beasties. Lots of thin coats and some decent brushes resulted in a smooth finish as seen below.

Also on the table is this Folland Gnat - at this point it currently needs gloss coating and a pin wash to bring out the recessed detail - but otherwise quite a smart looking model even unfinished. A small aircraft even in real life - in 1/72 scale it fits in the palm of your hand.

I enjoy putting them together (especially the recent Airfix tooling) - one future project will be to buy up nine of them and create a full display team - I just need to work out how to create a stand that will hold nine models aloft without looking like a small tree!

Finally, a Sea Harrier FA2. Not a personal favourite of mine in terms of shape or lines - the large radome makes the thing look like it's always nose-down when landed or in flight - however in model form it looks good in 'clean' format (no hardpoints or weapon stores). It has been bought since this photo was taken - so someone obviously agreed! The aforementioned stash is populated with a fair few too many Harriers and Sea Harriers of different marks and scales - so expect to see a few more of these in the next few months.

On the workbench - The old ones are the best.

The model kit manufacturers have been releasing a rapid succession of new and improved toolings that replace many older kits. The newer toolings have greater levels of detail and are often considerably more accurate in proportions due to advances in measuring the prototypes.

The models below are not new toolings - the moulds for one or two of these were made and first put into production before I was even born. Some parts of the kits simply did not fit together unless attacked with sanding paper and vast quantities of filler. The Grumman and Douglas in particular were covered in a swathes of rivets that made the surface of the fuselage more akin to a cactus than an airframe.

1/72 Douglas Devastator - The vibrancy of the colour scheme makes this model stand out on any shelf. The difficulties in getting the various assemblies to fit were more than compensated by the end result.

1/144 Boeing Clipper - How I would have loved a 1/72 version of this - however posting it to it's new owner would have posed some problems on account of the size of the thing. The natural metal finish was simulated by painting metallic silver enamel with a few coats of gloss varnish over the top to give it a sheen.

So why choose these models to build rather than a selection of Airfix or Revell's newest offerings?

Sometimes it is good to tackle these classic kits - if only to act as a reminder of how far things have come in the plastic kit world in a fairly short space of time. The quality of the plastic; the resolution and brightness of the transfers and so on.

1/72 Grumman Duck - Most amphibian aircraft tend to look ungainly (with some exceptions such as the Catalina) and the Duck is no exception. Main issues consisted of trying to align the wings and struts - none of which seemed to want to fit straight and true. An improvised jig with elastic bands and cotton reels in between the wings kept them in shape while the glue dried.

They also act as an excellent opportunity to practice and hone those modelling skills which don't really see much use with the modern high quality kits we have access to now. Older models like these take a fair while longer to finish in many cases (even though they have fewer parts and are simpler to put together) - simply due to the fact that they need a great deal of additional care and attention to bring them up to standard.

The end result is satisfying and gives a good account of itself even when placed next to modern model kits which are decades younger. All of the above models were soon sold and went to a loving home - each of the owners was very happy with the finished product.

Indian (Irish?) Hawks

After a brief hiatus from model-making I decided to begin to attack the 'stash' again (it has grown since my last build - so better to keep on top of things before it takes over the house!) My target this time was to to do one of the alternative schemes for the BAE Systems Hawk.

The Hawk

Typically those members of the British public who have been to an air-show will know of this jet in Red Arrow guise - less would necessarily recognise it in Indian Air Force colours. When first painting it I did initially regret selecting the dull-grey of the Indian AF rather than the rich forest-green tones of the Finnish examples - however this was one of those models where the addition of transfers made the difference.

I had a moment of blind panic and had to check some reference photos when I applied the last few national markings - since the tail flash/wing roundels seemed to be identical to the Irish flag I feared I'd made a one-off Indo-Irish aircraft!

Google images came to the rescue in this case (I have to confess I don't have any photos to hand of Indian Air Force machines - they don't fly over the home counties that often).