February 2021

 I have to admit that I can't think of a strapline for this month. I am getting a bit jaded with all of this. The integration between members is lost so I find it hard to generate anything interesting on my own. Still, maybe March or April (2025??? - grin).

No turntable this month as, when I got it out of the box, it seems that it was turned on and thus the batteries had run down. Nowadays, we all have lots of AA and. AAA but not any others and this takes C type and I don't have any. I am sure that Amazon will supply some but not in time for this blog.

So, lets get started. 

Bill Banks

Bill is still working through the back catalogues of the big names.

"Kit Airfix HO OO scale  I calculate this to be 1:763.This kit form will be familiar to club members.It is dated 1973. Although small there was plenty of detail and made up an interesting model.Derived from the M2 half track car.15000 standard were produced and 38000 variants by Diamond T White Motors and Autocar. International Harvester produced 2000 of their own variant for Lease Lend.My army unit had one of these. The tracks were moulded rubber with steel wire reinforcement and metal track guides. The armour was 5 to 10mm.Used world wide"

"Sopwith Camel Kit Revel 1.72  A small model and in places fiddly.Managed to rig it in spite of the EZ cord being too thin. Introduced in 1917  and derived from the Sopwith Pup.Powered by a powerful rotary engine....the Bentley was150hp.The aircraft was difficult to fly as the engine produced a strong gyroscopic effect.Used to good effect by experienced pllots but many consequent losses due to inexperience. 90% of the aircraft weight was in the first 7 feet. There was no variable incidence tail -plane hence difficult take off.Overall in spite of this an effective aircraft.Some 5500 were built.Was used by NAS and even launched from under an Airship. Post 1918 was deployed in Russia fighting the bolshevic forces.Withdrawn 1920 and all aircraft in Russia destroyed. The aircraft was perpetuated in fiction by Captain W E Johns.The first of 96 novels with his character Biggles...Bigglesworth was The Camels Are Coming.My son and I are avid fans."

David Pennington

"I was given this figurine by an old friend, Mark,  from SBX days. It is a Mitches Models 120mm moulding of Guy Gibson. Mark had put the figure together but hadn't started the painting so that is all mine. It is a lovely moulding and extremely easy to paint. I had to search for a decent match for the uniform. The photo makes it look a bit glossy but, in actual fact, it is nicely matt. I am very pleased with it."

John Ovenden

"I assume there is a meeting (virtually) this Thursday so here are my entries.

Revell 1/35 Panzer IV aust H with skirts. Finished in tri colour cammo finish with faded winter wash over. Not bad to put together but the skirt brackets didn't line up!! Tamiya 1/35 Panzer IV audt F finished in overall sand yellow with Nato Green cammo finish and three man crew. Extra tracks fitted for protection. As ever with Tamiya no real problems putting together, this is an old kit but stiil a good build."

Peter Carlo

"Two photos of the V22 osprey. This is the Italery kit and as such is not 100 percent accurate.
It goes together quite well but needs some extra plastic tabs along the length of the fuselage. Very little filler is needed until you get to the props as these need a fair amount on the under side and if you drop the flaps a fair bit more is needed. Also needed is nose weight which is not mentioned in the kit. It is quite a size so leaving the props free to remove is a good idea. Decals are by Xtradecal, which are really good but complex. I needed to leave the engines and props off until the very end. Cutting the flaps out needed the wing to be assembled first and then flap tracks and spars had to be added allowing adhesive to set over night before gluing on the flaps in lowered position. Having said all of the above it turned out quite nice."

Peter Terry

"Here goes for the February Blog, Looks as if we will not be able to meet till April hope every one is safe and well. This month i have the Airfix Classic Vintage re release of there 1/72 scale Henschel Hs 123A-1 ground attack aircraft, This is a thirty eight part kit that builds well and the mouldings are as good as they were when first released in nineteen seventy six. I selected a scheme from a Xtradecal sheet for a post war Spanish version all others on the sheet were for World War two schemes mostly Russian front versions.

This being one biplane that did not need rigging and i left the top wing of to last which made the painting and decaling a little easier all in all a very enjoyable build."

Jim Smetherham

Model : Gloster Javelin FAW.9/9R

Make : Airfix

Scale: 1:48

Paints: airbrushed using Vallejo acrylic paints apart from undercarriage armaments etc hand painted and the nose cone and tyres which are hand painted in  Xtracolour.

After market additions: Eduard etched brass cockpit detail and scale aircraft white metal landing gear

Decals: Xtradecal - XH 960 ‘V’ of 29 Squadron RAF RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. February 1965.

Camouflage mask: Humbrol Maskol

Model :-   Sukhoi  su 27 flanker with additional decals and paint scheme for PLA converting model to Chinese Peoples  Liberation Army J11 - W.I.P.

Make : Hasagawa special addition

Scale: 1:72

Paints: airbrushed using Vallejo acrylic primer 

After market additions: etched brass detail  supplied with kit

Decals: Hasagawa decals for PLA

John Rose

"This month I have concentrating on clearing the work bench. Some of these have been on the bench for about six months. Sometimes I get an idea and follow it until I'm bored with it an start another. Some get to the painting/ decal stage and I get bored.

So, from the left, rear Italeri Sherman B32 recovery vehicle. However, its a fantasy build. Although the US marines had the exhaust stacks as shown, the rest is my imagination and the spares box. It might have been like this if the war progressed beyond '45

Next is a dragon M4  used on Utah beach at Normandy OOB, apart from wading stacks from the spares box. 

Next ,Takom M3 Lee CDL. OOB,needs tracks done.

Next, Tamiya M4A3 105 OOB with a few modifications

Next, Tamiya M4A3. At the moment,  l'm looking for a project - either a decal change or something more drastic! 

Next  Tamiya M4A3.  I started this about a year ago and forgot what its finally end as. It has thickend cheek armour and the loading hatch has been welded shut. However, I can't find the reference i had, which is a real bugger!

Front, left to right. 

8ton halftrack, Hobby boss(I think) 

This took no time to build until the indy tracks. I hate indy tracks. Managed to invent new swear words to describe the build of these spawn of satan.

But it looks alright now. It will be in a diorama timing the 88 gun on the far right.

The one in the middle? Ah, thats a secret.....!"

That's All

Keep the models flowing so that we can have interesting blogs every month.

David