[Kit Review] - Trumpeter 1/144 - F86F-40-NA Sabre -

One of the kits ive had in my stash for years and one kit ive already built before, the US Air Force F-86. This is one of those top quality 1/144 model that nearly every 1/144 modellers seems to have built or has one waiting to be built being really very cheap for the level of detail.  Hope the Trumpeter start releasing more fighters in this scale, feels like years since anything been brought out by them with only the promise of new 1/144 models each year.

Even though this kit only comes with one decal option, their are plenty of decal manufacture who can supply you with numerous schemes fro this little jet, haven't decided which version i will do yet but do like the US Air Force sabres with the checkered tail.

You can just about see the great paneling this has with what i really like being the option to have the airbrakes open. Also always nice to have a canopy which also can be open when each piece is seperate. Also remember the previous version i built had very week landing gear but that being one of the first 1/144 models i built might have been because of over hadling and clumsiness.

Only one decal option for the Japanese Self Defense Air Froce, very nice and crisp.



Ian

Real Grade 1/144 - RX-78-2 GUNDAM - WiP 3 - Panel lined + assembled

Took this photo of the first assemble about 4:30ish and by 5 o'clock had decided to repaint all the light grey panels to a even lighter shade of grey, reckon it should be more of 80's Tomcat ghost grey. Turns out the blue which i was never happy about is to me at the moment perfect.

Taking the grey pieces apart turned out to be quite difficult, this is a kit that seems like once it assembled remains so, almost broke a few pieces and infact broke out one of the ultra small Gatling guns off the head which will be fun getting that back in its place.

Light grey in this photo is about 60% white and 40% grey, recently repaint with more of a 80/20 mix which i hope is more like the 1/1.

Ian

Real Grade 1/144 - RX-78-2 GUNDAM - WiP 2 - Painted

My little project this weekend (ts early Saturday morning right now and raining) is to get all these parts which have been airbrushed over the last fortnight, decaled, panel lined and ready to assemble. Got to get this Gundam built before the Mk.II is released.

Might have to repaint the blue chest parts, really can't tell is the blue is the correct shade and as i think its wrong will probable mean it wrong.

Ian

Resin 1/144 - ALIENS - APC -

Some unknown resin APC i bought of ebay, don't know how accurate it is all how much i will have to remodel any of this but looks like quite a few bubbles and flash will need to be removed before i get anywhere near painting. At first i though that very little work would be need to get this painted but to my untrained eye when it comes to resin looks like i will be relying in MrSurfacer soon.

Such an awesome design, know there is a 1/144 resin Dropship out there bit i got the patients to wait for that one to come along as a injection model in the future, probable from Japan. Also remember seeing a 1/144 Narcissus from Halycon? but in early 90's.

Painting this should the easiest model ive ever done, it all dark green.

Ian

Japan trip 2011 - Day 9, part Ni - Odaiba

Last part of day 9 in Japan was spent on the artificial island of Odaiba, did alot of thing that i had on my to do list in a very short time here which was a result. Travelled there on a boat going under the incredible massive Rainbow bridge, eat Octopus balls and visited what has to be the biggest arcade ive ever seen where i had ago at baseball batting which i totally sucked at, didn't expect i'd be so bad at that. Would have come here earlier if i knew i could do so much in such a short time.

One my my favourite photos i took on my phone is the replica of Lady Liberty with rainbow bridge behind, wish i got saw it at night now all lit up.















Ian

[Kit Review] - FE Resin 1/144 - Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.1 -

Been wanting to buy this kit of Hannants for years but was always over priced for me to actually buy, £25, over double what i would usually pay for a excellent injection kit dual combo. But got lucky as it was on sale and was able to get this little beauty from the now defunct FE Resin.

Really find a plane that pleasing to the eye, probable because it looks somewhat like a Hawker Hurricane with that very WW2 turret. Which caught some Luftwaffe by surprise as they sneaked in from the rear thinking these looked like Hurricane silhouettes.



Except for the easily removed flash and a few bubble in the resin seams like a good cast and some of these part look like these been re-cast from the Sweet Hurricane? From looking at reference i reckon quite a few of the panel lines are wrong, looks like mostly on the wings

2 decals options one the standard RAF green and brown which i will probable model and cool looking all black night fighter.

Only 1 set of vacuum canopy's worries me, only one chance to get it correct, other FE Resin kits ive bought come with 2 sets.

Ian

Revell 1/144 - F14A Tomcat and F-14D Super Tomcat - Just about done.

Just over a year ago i finished these 2 Tomcats in the back before i got a little bit addicted to gunpla but today i started to finish these again. Used the dragon flight deck again with one of my first model i completed, the classic jolly rogers.

This WiP is a year old! http://www.flickr.com/photos/37164963@N06/6859007415/

Reason i worked on this today was the below zero weather here in the UK at the mo, too cold for me to go outside and use the rattle can to prime the eduard MiG-21's so started looking much like ive been doing this past month ive been finishing up a few models that ive basically forgot i ever started.

Ian

Eduard Super44 1/144 - MiG-21MF "Fishbed" - WiP assembled

After almost 24 hours since i started building the fantastic kit im almost ready to prime and paint! Due to a snow day here, what i was going to do this weekend got cancelled so almost a weekend of modelling, sweet.

Is a beauty of a kit to put together, everything fit perfectly and ive never seen such a perfect fit with the wings and canards, only one seam line to sand when all those where glued.

Added some detail to the cockpit and will have one with the spine behind the cockpit open showing the avionics, both have flaps down with one tail flap off centre, added buckles to the cockpit and that was about it, this is the first model where i didn't have to add plasticard as panel in the cockpit, already there with a perfect dashboard too, incredible!

Halfway through the build i noticed that even though this is a MF MiG-21, one of the paint options is SM which means i can paint one up in the beautifully simple sliverbird with the red star.




Getting the correct cockpit colour was a big pain, soviets certainly choose one random colour for there pilots to be surrounded by.
Ian

[Kit Review] - Eduard Super44 1/144 - MiG-21MF "Fishbed" -

Eduard are back into 1/144 with the new amazing Super44 range starting out one of the most famous aircraft in the world the MiG-21 with 3 versions released BIS, SMF and the one i bought this MF each with schemes to choose from!

I plan on buying every new 1/144 aircraft released by eduard, hope maybe a Mig-29 or Su-27 next. I'll wait to see how many variations are released of each do some research and then pick which one i think coolest.

Get 2 of each sprue in the kit and extensive decals covering all the marking including warnings.



Check out the fantastic detail!



8 schemes to choose from, im liking the Vietnam People's Air Force and the 2003 Czech Republic schemes.



Unlike most kits i review you can expect to see this one started soon.
Ian