Know what you mean there. Got an Italeri A10, Revell Victor and Italeri SU-35 all primed and ready for paint, but I can't be arsed.
Concentrating on small builds, like my GR3, before I get back on to them. I've got an Airfix Shackleton to tackle too, but I'm not starting that until I'm up to speed with finishing kits again.
Pretty much finished the assembly and put the first coat on this morning. I thinned the paints but the brush strokes are horrendous!!! I think it's exaggerated by the dark paint job on white plastic. Hoping it will get better when we put a few more coats on this afternoon.
I've noticed a couple of bits where the build didn't fit correctly, and a little mistake by me on the rear undercarriage where it's a bit out of line. But it's a learning curve right?
Was too embarrassed to post a picture after the first coat. Second coat looking a lot better. My 10 yr old did most of it. Following 'Owen Quick Fix''s instructions we're going for 4 thinned coats with half hour between...
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In retrospect I think I'd have probably done the majority of painting when I assembled the fuselage / wings, before fitting undercarriage etc. But again learning on the job!!!
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Decals tomorrow. I haven't got any gloss varnish but the Quick Kits guy reckons PVA + Water. Any idea what ratio?
You're kid's done a great job with the paint! Better than I could do at their age.
Thank you. I may have helped a bit and done the edges / 'cutting in' on the last coat (competitive Dad came out finally)...
Any idea what ratio?
Dunno. Enough to give a gloss surface without leaving any lumps or bumps.
Dunno. Enough to give a gloss surface without leaving any lumps or bumps.
LOL thank you. Trial and error it is.
On another note. I was talking to my son today about the models I made as a kid. All gone now I remember chucking them when I found them in my mum's loft when she moved quite a few years ago.
I remember making a 1:48 F14 Tomcat. I remember the swing wing worked. Reminiscing a bit I thought mmm what about getting another for my little project.
HOW MUCH?
That is all.
For a 1/48 modern(ish) jet I’d expect somewhere between £30 and £50
https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/product/1-48-f-14-a-tomcat-italeri-2667/
Not a bad price but Italeri are not known as great kits. There’s a Tamiya one for £85 too! Better reputation but that’s about £40 too rich for me
Cheers for that I spotted the Hobby Boss one for around £40 too.
Canopy fitted using PVA. 'Gloss' PVA coat applied where decals are going. Question. On 1:72 do people bother with every tiny little bleeding decal?
A PITA, but you will know that they are there!
I’ve put digitally reduced copies of the maps from the Dambuster’s Raid on the navigators table in my 1/72 Lancaster.
Can you see them? – No.
Do I know that they are there? – Yes.
Not a bad price but Italeri are not known as great kits
You have to be choosy with Italeri, some of them are really really nice kits (F-18 springs to mind) some are dross
do people bother with every tiny little bleeding decal?
Imagine it this way, 72nd scale is supposed to be the same size as a full scale airplane 72 feet away. Would you be able to see every detail from that distance? Your mileage may vary, but I never do.
I have to admit that I have a bit of a soft spot for Italeri because I'm a cheap bastard. Not had a particularly awful one yet.
So far I’ve built their…
F4U
Jaguar
Tomcat
SU-34 (x2)
SU-27
F15 E
F4 Phantom
B25 Mitchell
Harrier GR3 (current project)
And I’ve probably got another half dozen in the stash.
All in 1/72.
Some have raised panel lines and some lack detail (nothing down the intakes on the Phantom and Jaguar), but all have gone together OK with a bit of filling and sanding. Their decals are usually very good. Never had a set that have “silvered”, been out of register or fallen apart. Painting instruction can be a bit vague, but the internet will point you in the right direction.
Cheers all. In my isolation I've paged back through this thread. Some incredible work. I'm about 20 pages in. Some real nostalgia for me got me remembering all the models I made, now in landfill somewhere I guess.
Happy with the paintjob on my 1/72 Corsair. I can see some gaping gaps in the plastic now. Jr will be happy. I don't want to get too controlling about the details it's his model up to him. He's also keen to finish it. I think I may purchase a little project for myself, be very patient and take my time...
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Done most of the transfers. Mixed feelings with this one. It's my lads and don't want to take over (probably did to an extent). There's lots I'm happy with. And plenty I'm not. I think a coat of matt varnish and I'll be finished...
What a super little model. If that's their first go at it, it's brilliant
Well I made my way through all 40 pages of this thread.
Some IMPRESSIVE work. Puts mine and Jr's little Corsair to shame. All of you who have posted photos make me realise I have to work to up my game. Spent last night slurping up as many videos as YouTube as I could.
Well last few pics. Final few decals. I fitted a 'walk line' on the wings. These silvered a tad even with a PVA 'gloss' coat and some decal solution.
Sealed with a couple of coats of thinned matt varnish. Got the Humbrol then read online this may not be the best stuff. It didn't give me any trouble. Fitted the drop tanks. PVA to fix the canopy.
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There's a lot to be happy with this first attempt. A lot we're not. And we've learnt a heck of a lot.
1) It should be fun
2) Thin paints and lots of coats
3) Don't rush
This was mostly Jr with some help from me on the fiddly bits
We made a start on the Hobby Boss 1:48 Corsair. Less detail in the cockpit interestingly. Top tip for the wheels / tyres from the Britmodeller forum - drip a bit of thinner towards the rim / bead then drop the tyre colour in.
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We'd like to have a go at some exhaust and gun smoke on this one when we get a bit nearer to that stage...
Jr has a country cricket assessment tomorrow for 2 hours. So I'll have some time to waste. Hobbycraft isn't far from the cricket centre. What are my 'must haves' to up my game?!?!
1) Decent paintbrushes
2) if you can afford it, an airbrush. Doesn’t have to be expensive to start with - Revell do a basic one for about [s]£15[/s] £30, plus you’ll need a source of air. Canned air is available at Hobbycraft if you’re heading that way. A cheap way into airbrushing to see if it grabs you
3) a cutting mat if you don’t already have one
4) side cutters & a quality knife
5) some spare fingers 😉
6) patience, lots of it
7) gloss varnish. Revell now do their Aquacolour (acrylics) in a rattle can.
8) Matt varnish. See above.
9) plastic filler - Revell & Humbrol are often in stock at HobbyCraft.
10) a credit card with a hefty limit!
11) some mixing pots - Tamiya do them for a couple of quid, basically their paint pots but empty
Thank you for your quick reply - much appreciated 🙂
12) if you’re anything like me, some magnifying glasses. Especially if you’re going to be fiddling around with anything smaller than 1/48 scale
13) good supply of some wet'n'dry I start at 350, then 800, 1000 for finishing. used with a dab of water you can smooth to a good enough finish.
14) Tamiya masking tape.
That Corsair is smashing. And you’re right, every day is a school day with modelling - always something new to learn…
That Corsair is rather good.
15) Primer. I use grey acrylic from my local motor factor. Costs about £6 for a can. It helps the paint bond and it highlights any areas that need attention before the colours goes on.
16) Sanding and polishing sticks. I got some from Flory's.
17) Tweezers.
18) Cocktail sticks and bamboo kebab skewers.
You don't need all of this stuff on day one though. I've been adding tools over the last 4 years.
Can anyone recommend a good magnifying glass lamp combined sort of thing? I would like to get back into making a few models this winter (after about a 50 year break) but my eyesight's not what it was.
I too could do with one of them and one of those jig things that allow you to get the wings level.
Can anyone recommend a good magnifying glass lamp combined sort of thing?
I think they're pretty much of a muchness; I have quite a good generic mains/battery chinese one with a heavy base and a ring of LEDs that I got from a local craft shop but it's not seen much use since I got a head magnifier (see johndrummer's item 12)) - my head magnifier's similar to the £16 Rolson one that Amazon have and has been a godsend for various things including modelling, particularly since developing a covid-related eye problem that has really not helped with fine detailed work!
Well I popped into Hobbycraft. Kinda felt expensive but I bought a few things. Got an A3 cutting mat. I may have splurged a tenner on a little Revel 1:72 P47 Tomahawk. Got some Tamiya masking tape. Some Revell filler / putty.
I already had a sprue / side cutter and decent knife.
Got the instructions open for the Tomahawk. I need to drill some holes out on this model. Is a cheap £10 Amazon hand drill OK for this kind of thing? The ones in Hobbycraft were like a tenner plus another tenner for the bits.
I used to use the tip of the knife blade to open up the holes in the wings. Then I bought a pin vice & some small drill bits, it’s a lot safer. I have a nice scar on the tip of my wedding ring finger…
https://www.modelhobbies.co.uk/tamiya-fine-pin-vice-d-01-32mm--74050-53689-p.asp
https://www.modelhobbies.co.uk/tamiya-03mm-fine-pivot-drill-bit-shank-dia-10mm--74114-74498-p.asp
As for paints…
You can buy them as you need new colours for your next model. I prefer acrylics to enamels, they clean up and dilute with water rather than white spirits, dry a lot quicker and they don’t stink the house out.
Hobbycraft do Humbrol, Revell & Tamiya paints, plenty enough colours to start with
Thanks again!
I was pleasantly surprised that the vast majority of paints for the Corsair are good for my Thunderbolt (yesss I know I said Tomahawk got mixed up). Only need a few extra colours. I have a really good local craft shop I'm going to visit next Saturday. Would prefer to support them if at all possible.
Is a cheap £10 Amazon hand drill OK for this kind of thing?
Cheap hand drills often have eccentricity problems - I have one that's completely useless for small bits as the eccentricity is often larger than the hole. For small holes I use pcb drills, available cheaply from Ebay in a large range of sizes and can be used without a pin vice or in a dremel. Very sharp though, so be careful - I once spent a day at the Telford model show wondering why my finger hurt only to discover when I got home that when I'd stabbed myself with a drill the previous day a bit had broken off in my finger.
Thanks! Ordered the Model Craft one plus some bits!
When buying kits I find that Jadlam are usually reasonably priced and they don't sting you with postage. Aldi sometimes have them in for a fiver too.
Chipping away at the 1/48 Corsair. Taking a lot more time on this. Cockpit done. Engine nearly done. Freester Jr did the painting. The assembly and decals were fiddly so I helped with that. The exhausts on the engine nearly finished me. Fiddly as... then I realised when I tried a dry run on the fuselage that they were offset by 90 degrees. Luckily the glue hadn't dried. Disassembled, got it right. By then the paint had worn off. Realised the exhausts weren't going to be seen apart from the ends so do I touch them up...? According to the rule you'll know even if I can't see them they got painted again...
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Just finished this. Tamiya kit. A bit different from the box art!
EDIT: obviously I have no idea how to embed images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/70071315@N02/51659955094/in/dateposted-public/
PSA - 25% off Revell kits on the Hobbycraft website as part of their Black Friday offering.
PSA – 25% off Revell kits on the Hobbycraft website as part of their Black Friday offering.
Great PSA thank you. As I'd been to Hobbycraft for the first time a few weeks ago I got an extra 15% off code that worked!
Bought a Revell Red Arrows Hawk starter kit (comes with paint and glue) as a present for one of my lad's mates
A Revell 1/72 Lancaster and BF109. They'll go in Jr's Xmas stocking 😉
The Revell Lancaster is a good kit. I posted some pictures of mine earlier in the thread.
Needs a lot of gloss to prevent the big aircraft code decals silvering on the Matt black.
The Revell Lancaster is a good kit. I posted some pictures of mine earlier in the thread.
Needs a lot of gloss to prevent the big aircraft code decals silvering on the Matt black.
Thanks! Good advice I'll go find the pics.
If you are doing exhaust stains the smoke from the outer exhausts went under the wing, the inner three went over the wing. Something to do with the airflow and the wing dihedral.
I will try and remember that!
@Freester - This past week I have been building the same Revell Corsair kit as you - I feel the part count is too high for a small kit that doesn't fit together particularly well. Not really enjoying it to be honest.
@Freester – This past week I have been building the same Revell Corsair kit as you – I feel the part count is too high for a small kit that doesn’t fit together particularly well. Not really enjoying it to be honest.
This was my first build in many many years and Freester JR's first. Looking at it now I can see a few things that are obviously fitted very badly but I don't know if it was rustiness or lack of skill or the kit.
We've currently got a 1/48 Hobby Boss Corsair F4U-5 and a 1/72 Revell P47 Thunderbolt in progress. I guess we'll be a bit more aware of what is / isn't so good about these kits this time round.
It's gotta be fun right?
As long as you don’t have to make tank tracks link by sodding link!
We've have had a productive day.
Win #1. Realised the crappy Revell 'Painta'brushes were crap - not stiff enough and no real point. Spent marginally more on a different set that had a couple of flat and some really fine stiff pointed brushes and noticed the win with the detail. This was Freester Jr who did a great job of the detail on the thingummujobbies inside the cockpit on the 1/72 Thunderbolt.
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Cracked on and got the Thunderbolt fuselage welded together. Undercarriage up was the decision on this one...
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On our other project - the 1/48 Hobby Boss Corsair good mix of Blue and Grey (after asking advice on Britmodeller) that makes for a nice USN Sea Blue so been cracking on slapping that on various bits in readiness for some assembly...
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So almost a year since I bought them finally got round to building these with the kids
Being honest I finished up the details on all, reasonably happy considering it my first model planes in 30? Years
Aldi have these in again at the moment and can't recommend them enough (come with paints & brush)
https://www.aldi.co.uk/airfix-spitfire-starter-set/p/062318187957511
and a 1/72 Revell P47 Thunderbolt in progress.
Airplane jokes: What's the procedure for evading enemy fire in a P47? A: Undo the seat harness and run around the cockpit....I thank you, I thank you, I'm here all week, have the fish...
Good work everybody. Finally finished my Tamiya Storch. Brother in laws brother in law (!) passed away last year with a large stash of unbuilt kits, from which I bought this and sort of did it in his honour - cheers Stephen!
A nice kit but tricky in places, lots of fiddly canopy etc…
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John D - looks fiddly - you want to try these track links 😀
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Looks like someone had the same grief as me
Looks like someone is mentally scarred by those tracks you keep bringing it up 🤣
Lovely work on that Storch @timbog160 not sure I fancy painting that canopy...
Cheers Freester - it does come with masks but you have to cut them out yourself - pretty intricate!
Not a very manoeuvrable plane?
no, just really really big...
Indeed. 🙂
Funnily enough my next in line is a 1/32 Thunderbolt - inspired by this chaps work:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GAd_4E8wcx8
I have no idea where I’ll put the finished thing though, and there’s also no way I’m doing the bare metal finish.
^ Planning on doing some plastic surgery?
Taking shape... https://photos.app.goo.gl/wRp5eVUmHkJPrRT87
Only popped out for a couple of paint pots…
I think you forgot the paint
@Harry_the_Spider - Needed for some remedial work on my Corsair build! Razor saw is awesome, not sure I've got the hang of the scribing tool yet - still have a tendency to wander like when using a craft knife.
Harrier looks great, what scheme are you doing? Also what ever became of your Victor build(s)?
@Freester - Managed to get one colour but the other one was out of stock, think I can mix the right colour though so all good🙂
Nostrils best way to use the scribing tool is with some old style thick plastic Dymo label tape as a guide - still tricky though!
The Harrier will be in Falklands colours.
The Victor lies half painted and ignored. It needs finishing, but I'll probably re-paint it in camouflage rather than the hemp scheme.
I did tha Tamiya 1/48 Sea Harrier a few years ago. Not their finest offering…
I just spotted this for 12.95 on Jadlam and was wondering why a Tamiya 1/48 was so cheap. I'm cheap. Is it worth a punt?
The Storch is a thing of beauty.
The Tamiya SHAR gets slated because it has raised panel lines, and the intake shape isn't quite right (they're too fat) it goes together well enough though, and it's cheap. If you're not massively fussed by total accuracy, it builds into an a OK model.
A full evening last night chipping away at the 1/48 Corsair.
It took me the whole evening to dry fit then glue the centre part of the wing that fits under the fuselage. There was a part that took me about 45 mins to work out exactly how / where to fit. Glued and fitted together well once I worked it out the instructions were useless.
Then I took on a job I've been dreading. The tail landing gear. It's fiddly loads of little bits and quite critical placements to do with the landing hook when the fuselage is stuck together. It just kept falling apart when dry fitted. I tried masking tape to temporarily hold it all together but that didn't really work. Then I tried gluing some parts and not others which seemed to work. The critical part that might need a little movement when I bring the fuselage together is still moving, I'll glue that up when I bring the fuselage together. A picture is probably easier than words I'll get a couple tonight.
Jr has decided he'd like the wings 'up' / 'folded'. That makes things even more fiddly as there are some parts of the folding mechanism on view in the wing join. Dry fitted all of that just to see how it looks.
I think at the moment it's the fiddly stuff and he gets a little frustrated with these bits. So I'm trying to press on, get the fuselage joined so he can be a bit more involved again. As the wings are going to be folded my plan is to paint and decal the folded wings (and probably fuselage) before the last act of joining folded wings to fuselage.
I bought some of those Model Craft peg / clamp things. Waaay better than normal pegs. Came in really useful for the undercarriage assembly after gluing. I also got some Tamiya Extra Thin cement for the really fiddly glue bits which seems to prevent a sticky mess (fnarr).
Sorry for long essay. Good to talk out loud, I seem to spend most of my bedtime reading staring at the assembly instructions planning my next steps to see if I can do some things in advance and minimise hold ups when I get to the next stage.
PS @Harry_the_Spider I took another skim through the whole thread yesterday. Your work has really come on since your first ones 4 years ago. Something to aspire to!
liquid superglue is my go to for undercarriage. If you can't get that, then regular superglue applied with a toothpick. You can get delayed setting superglue, that gives you 30 mins to move stuff about if you not super content using the instant bonding stuff, and have some nail-polish remover on hand to remove overspill or glued-fingers!
@Freester. Thanks. My first ones look like I painted them with a catapult.
Given the thread title, would anyone be up for a Christmas group build?
No real theme in mind although maybe keep it to kits under £10 and document the builds on this thread. For an added twist I did have an idea about gifting the completed model to another modeller taking part (recipient drawn at random) in time for Christmas - Incentive to do a good job on the model then!
Happy to organise if there is interest but we will need to start soon.
Why not 🙂
Some progress! Been dreading bringing the fuselage together. Need to wedge in cockpit, engine and VERY FIDDLY rear undercarriage at this point. Penalty for failure. Then a Eureka! moment. Glue the bits in one at a time on one side, dry attach the other half of the fuselage to ensure fit, let it dry then remove fuselage add the next bit etc etc.
Cockpit and rear undercarriage sorted. Just the engine to go... Cracked on doing some easy bits with my son as well - ailerons, wings, stabilisers . As this is what it should be about...
This thread is turning into my Corsair 'work in progress'.
Fuselage bits glued to one half - the engine was the final bit.
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Dry assembled to let the engine dry then I'll glue up the fuselage.
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One last shot before it all gets covered up...
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Wing lifting gubbins that will be on display OMFG that was fiddly.
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Kind of frustrating and enjoyable in a masochistic kind of way. Should be thinking about slapping some paint on tomorrow.
Tail wheel looks like a nightmare!
I’ve had a change of plan - the Storch came with a couple of different Rommel figures and some barrels and Jerry cans, so I’m going to have a go at a bit of a diorama. Done a few (very poor) figures in the past so been genning up on techniques..
Tail wheel looks like a nightmare!
It was fiddly. But I cracked it in the end. Patience, don't rush, it takes as long as it takes.
Mmmm dioramas... Makes me realise the more you dig into this habit hobby the more you have to learn.
Off into town today. Need some +1 reading glasses 🤣 and gonna have a mooch in my local craft shop.
This is turning into the Corsair thread it seems - Good work @Freester
Decals applied yesterday, gloss coat looks horrible...
Landing gear and aux fuel tanks to finish next then a panel line wash before matt topcoat.
Hey @nostrils you've done a good job there I think that looks really nice. It's a subtly different kit to the one I did (I think mine was an F4U-1A your is a 1B) tho I doubt there's any difference in the kits / detail probably just decals / paint? I know you weren't feeling it a couple of posts up but it looks niiiiiiice. 🙂
Popped into town today to get some essentials
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Went into the local art and craft shop. It's one of those tiny old school shops but an absolute goldmine. Loads of modelling kits packed on a shelf up to the ceiling on one side of the shop. They had cars / tanks / aeroplanes I was just looking at the planes and saw they had Airfix, Tamiya, Italeri, Academy and Humbrol paint. I could have spent some money but resisted. Just a cheap little 1/72 nice easy level to keep Jr engaged.
@Freester - thanks for the kind words, undercarriage fitted and painted and just need some nice weather to spray some matt top coat on. Not 100% happy with it but it is only the 3rd kit that I have finished as an adult and I've learnt loads.
Not sure what to build next. My airbrush runs off canned air and is very basic so I am sticking to single colour paintjobs at the moment.
I bought this from the Hobbycraft sale: https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/revell-f_16d-tigermeet-2014-model-kit-172/656078-1000 but am a bit intimidated by the decals.
I'm following your thread on Britmodeller by the way - nice work!
Lovely looking Corsair there Nostrils.
Regarding the Tiger Meet F-16 - should be a nice kit, don’t forget to give it an all over coat of gloss varnish before doing the decals. For the larger decals e.g. on the tail fin, I’d also use some decal setting solution e.g. Humbrol Decalfix or equivalent. This softens them up and allows them to seat better as it dries. I paint the model first with decalfix, then apply the decal followed by more decalfix, then leave to dry naturally
