Sweet 1/144 P-51B Pioneer Mustang "DING HAO!" - Completed

Very nice Mustang from Sweet, which i completed over a year ago before the airbrush, i can now tell how much detail that's kept with the airbrush. Remember how i took time painting the white strips on top of the green which took quite some time.
Going to build another Mustang sometime, probable a red tail.









Ian

Sweet 1/144 P-51B Pioneer Mustang "DING HAO!" - WiP

This is a old photo (check the date 08, 2010) of a build which i only recently finished.

Was sorting out the hard drive and found this in pic which then made me dig out the model and it was practically complete, really ready for a wee photo shoot.

I brushed painted this with Tamiya paints, even the white was brush painted.
Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Hawker Hurricane - WIP 3 - Decaled and almost finished.

The very nice Sweet 1/144 Hawker Hurricanes decaled and nearly completed. Think they look really good as of now with the gloss coat which i think i will keep on the green and brown but go for a matt look on the desert so it looks sun baked.

Having a bit of trouble painting the canopy on the tropical Hurricane, the sand colour i realised didn't look correct because of the grey primer. Been mixing the grey and sand together hoping it will look correct.

Little weathering, attach the canopy and completed what is a very satisfying build.

Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Macchi Mc.200 - Wip 5 - Painted green and yellow?

Got these tow little beauty painted at the same time i painted most of the Rick dom parts, was really unsure about the yellow at first but now thinking in looks fine. Gloss yesterday ready for decaling.

Next think is to try out the unique camo decals which come with the Sweet kit which i hope will make the plane come to life.

Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Macchi Mc.200 - Wip 4 - Ready for paint.

The 2 Macchi Mc.200 both ready to be primed and painted, one tropical yellow and the other homefront green.

Will see it the plasticard is flush with the wing once the primer is applied, once that done out with the airbrush.

Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Macchi Mc.200 - Wip 3 - Completed undercarriage.

Probable the most work in progress posts ive made about a single after build and not even half way complete.

After much sanding and delicate cutting with the scalpel ive finally completed the undercarriage on this bird, twice.

Really very happy with the way it turned out, had the vague idea in my head how to make this whole new undercarriage and was not entirely sure it would work.

After sanding the replace wing section, i used some very thin plasticard for the struts in the wing section, once painted and wash is applied should look quite good.

Next problem is how to add the landing gear and without drilling a hole in the new wing section.

Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Hawker Hurricane - WIP 2 - Painting the camo.

Classic RAF WW2 Battle of Britain and Tropical camo scheme which im guessing nearly every Britmodler had done as one of there first models, usually a Airfix 1/72 Spitfire, was my first.

The classic looking green and brown worn by most of the RAF birds during the Battle of Britain. Sprayed brown first they brush painted the green, took plenty of very thin coats of Vallejo paint to get was i was looking for.

Tropical Hurricane, airbrushed the sand first they paint on the golden brown with a brush, did try to use the airbrush with white-tac and masking tape but didn't look right.



Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Macchi Mc.200 - Wip 2 - More work on the undercarriage.

After sanding down the plasticard on the wing i started to build the new undercarriage yesterday. This is really small stuff, from one end of the new wheel bay to the other is about an inch. Cut out the shape i wanted and glued that on and when that all glued i will attempt to sand it into the correct shape hopefully being flush with the wing.

Going to be doing 2 types from the research ive done, one which is the grey is so you can see into the fuselage and the other is closed.

After i cut out the wing section and before i started to make the new wheel bays, i replaced the section part with some plasticard and once the glue dried i cut away the excess as close as i could get to the wing. then spent quite some time sanding. Looks flush but guess i won't really know until i get some paint on.


Got some of the birds ive been working on airbrushed last week, will hope to add the detail on them tomorrow.
Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Macchi Mc.200 - Wip 1 - Starting the undercarriage.

Another work in progress, this time the Sweet's first kit the Macchi Mc.200.  Built this it before as one of my first builds, over 18 months ago! Where does the time go?

I liked the kit but knew it could be improved as it was lacking open undercarriage and a cockpit, otherwise the kit is perfect against reference ive checked.

Ive started the cockpit which is quite easy going but the undercarriage i reckon is going to take some time. Spent quite some time cutting out the existing one with a scalpel (what a task! going to get me a razor saw)  and what i plan on doing is making a new one with plasticard and sanding it down to fit the wing?

The yellow engine cowling is from a previous unfinished build which is going to be reused, really like the look of the engine, almost steampunk.
Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Hawker Hurricane - WIP 1

Been concentrating on the Hawker Hurricane mostly starting these new builds, this Sweet kit is like the other Sweet kits ive built a dream to build, goes together perfectly but im constantly worried that i might destroy some of the details

Added a very simple seat and dashboard which this was the first few sweet kits are lacking. In a week im practically ready to paint these two, which i think might be the fastest ive ever build a kit.




Broke the radio antenna on the brown plastic one almost instantly, will wait until the after decaling then add a new one, metal maybe.
Ian

New build - Sweet 1/144 - Hawker Hurricane -

First 4 build ready for 2011, last is the Battle of Britain workhorse, the Hurricane, bought these fantastic little kits over a year ago and for some reason never got round to building them. Going to model 2, one in the classic brown and green Battle of Britain livery and the other in the very nice desert scheme.

Ian

[Kit Review] - Sweet 1/144 - Macchi Mc.200 -

Another one for the bench,  already made one of these over a year ago and was not all that great, this kit has excellent detail but is lacking a cockpit and undercarriage, plan on making 2 one in the located in Italy and the other in Africa with scratched built cockpits and open undercarriage.



All the panel lines and proportions are perfect but lacks a cockpit and open under carriage.
Ian

Sweet 1/144 - P-51B Mustang - Dorothy II - Finished

Finished 1/144 P-51B Mustang from Sweet Aviation Model Div. Another great little kit from sweet, seems to me to be more detailed than some 1/72 kits ive built except for the cockpit, totally lacks detail in there.

Decided to go with the livery because of the cool looking yellow and black checkered tail, the fighter belongs to Major Robert M. Barkley serving in Foggia, Italy, August 1944. 325th FG, 15th Air Force.









Ian

Sweet 1/144 - P-51B Mustang - Dorothy II - Wip - Painted

Got the Mustang all painted up on Sunday then gloss on Monday. Airbrushed the entire bird in aluminium first then painted the rest by hand, discovered how great red looks when paint on top of the silver, really bright.

Decaled during the week i hope.
Ian

Sweet 1/144 - P-51B Mustang - Dorothy II - Wip 1, all ready to be Primed

Started the first Sweet 1/144 P-51B Mustang with what i think is the best looking decal option from the kit, Dorothy II. Went together perfectly as expected with all these great little sweet kits. Next to be done is optimus primed and hopefully be able to paint up tomorrow.

I think this was the first Sweet kit to come with a somewhat basic cockpit, which included a seat that was molded into the 2 pieces to form the fuselage.



Ian

[Kit Review] - Sweet 1/144 - P-51 Mustang "15th Air Force" -

Next kit i will be building is the cool black and yellow checkered tail 1/144 Mustang from the super detailed Sweet kit. Nice Nasa-chan as pilot and then engineer on the other side
Everything that comes with the kit, excellent detail and very nice looking decals, wish there were alot more kit and detailed as these and at the price.



Either side of the box show what mustangs that can be modelled, will be modeling the mustangs on the other side, means you don't know which is the front.



Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 Zero Fighter - "202nd Flying Group" -

The best 1/144 scale kit ive yet built, the detail is amazing for something so small.

Canopy took me quite sometime to get right, amazing that a pilot could win a dogfight with so many obstacles in your line of sight.

Toned down the panel line with this build, wanted to be able to see the panels but not for them to stand out too much.



This photo seems somewhat wrong, i think it needs to be pointed the opposite direction like in aircraft profiles.



"X2-172" Pilot by Lt. Toshio Shiozuru, March 1943, Timor island, Koepang.



Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 Zero Fighter - Painted and decaled -

Working very fast on the little model, just as i hoped,reckon i could have ti complete by next week.

Looking good so far im thinking, once the decaled where applied it really came to life. Next to be gloss coat then given a dark wash to bring out the panels lines.

Below is the Zero all built and ready to be primed from Friday. Best fit ive ever had on a model, as can be seen only a few drops of putty on the seam lines only where i over cut the sprue.



Accidentally stood on the propeller which is a pain, going to have to try and fix that as best i can. Droped it, looked at it, went to pick it up and for some reason i stood on it, strangely funny when you think of it.
Ian

Sweet 1/144 - Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 Zero Fighter - WIP 1- Cockpit

Got the cockpit done in one week, the Sweet kit is quite plain but the rest is suberb, decided to add a little detail to the cockpit.

Added a instrument panel, cut out the shape in plasticard then to make the gauges i drilled holes to make them, added the pedels even  though they cant be seen, a joystick and finally used masking tape to make the belt for the seat.



Ian

[Kit Review] - Sweet 1/144 - Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 22 Zero Fighter -

If your going to build a Sweet 1/144 kit you've got to build one of there Zero Fighter, Sweet love em and it shows by how many variation they've released.

Amazing detail for something so small, checked it against the 1/48 hasegawa kit.



 Ive decided that i need to start building the many many kit ive stashed, i plan to start building and finish a model every 2 weeks. Hope i can do that.

Ian