More relics for renovation - Mig I-270 and Zlin 142

I think CMK's MiG I-270 might be the first resin kit I tried. And perhaps just as well as the resin kits I worked on afterwards were the challenging Unicraft offerings. It's been  a fair few years since I built this so I can't really remember much about except it seems to have been an  easy introduction to resin as the  finish seems okay.

As you can see, there is insufficient room in the nose  for  lead weight to counteract the heavy resin rear fuselage, so this one needs a base and a tail trestle. I substituted  plastic main-wheels from the spares box  by the look of it Also it looks as though I experimented with Alclad for the first time too.

My Zlin didn't fare so well. I think this was the first injection molded kit from Broplan and I found the canopy a difficult fit. Still it was a nice project and it'll get replaced sometime as I have the Hobby Boss kits in the stash.

Dusty 1/72 relics from the past - Harrier and Bobcat

I've been having a massive tidy-up; trying to get the spare room ready for students. In the shuffle of bookshelves I had to relocate some old models. Some of these have languished next to a window and the pain has peeled  or faded. i thought it proper to at least record these before they get consigned to the wargames fleet or binned. Perhaps I will restore one or two.

Anyway, first  is the old Airfix Harrier. No  vanes ahead of the windshield nor antennae on the hump. Needs a new nose probe. Judging from the hairy stick application this was certainly built for wargaming and I might pop it on a base.

Airfix Harrier GR3

Next ,  the  Cessna T50 Bobcat  by Pavla. Over the years since I built this (for Scale Aviation Modeller International), the decals have started to blister and flake. i wonder if I forgot to varnish over the top of them?

One of my few bright yellow aircraft, I think a little touch-up is in order and this can go back on display.

Pavla T50 Bobcat

Pavla T50 bobcat

Fw190 A6 and A8 R11

Last night a good friend picked out a box from the stash and said "build this ". so a revell A8 and an academy A6 / A8 were inside. This morning I made a quick check of the parts and decided to build an A8 R11 nightfighter from the more advanced looking revell kit, and an A6 from the older academy kit.

This is the academy fuselage and cockpit, pretty basic, but I expect to add some details. 

The other fuselage is of the more detailed revell kit, with a picture of both kit's sprues below. I will possibly need new decals for the academy A6 and swastikas for the A8. More progress soon I hope.

Me 261

This was due some repair work after I'd mistakenly stuck one of the main wheels on backwards after a previous repair! Gave it a dust, removed and reset some wonky props and put the undercarriage on the correct way round. I also added the nav lights on the wing tips as I often forget these.

This was a resin kit, probably by Planet and usually way out of my financial reach for a kit. Fortunately I was sent it for review by Scale Aircraft Modeller International and I was careful to get as clean a finish as possible. The whole of the upper forward fuselage is a single clear vac-form piece and this is very fragile so it was supported with plastic strip around the edges so it would survive filling and sanding.... just. It did well at the local club night despite not having masses of weathering and panel shading. Thanks for looking.

Airfix Gnat 1/72

Had fun last year (or was it  the year before?) building the new Airfix Gnat. Lovely little aircraft and not a bad kit. Attention needs to be paid to the intakes and undercarriage. Other than that it's sweet. I have another on the kitchen side ( much to the annoyance of my wife) so I can build a Yellow Jack and I have an old Aeroclub single seater for a Finnish Gnat or Indian Ajeet.

BV P.213

This funny little jet comes from the Luft '46 collection of Unicraft.

 The jet pipe was replaced with a  section of aluminium tubing. If i could do it again I'd use my airbrush to do nice multi-colour heat staining.

Somehow I think it would be an awful gun platform -  unstable, fast, made of MDF and short on fuel.

KHAI 3

This is an interesting flying wing design from 30's Russia. I believe  there were one or two flying examples.

 I found a radial engine to fit it and had fun wiring it up.

The long thin vac-formed canopies were a nightmare to blend in and mask. As you can see - it didn't work.
Damn! I forgot the nav lights again :(  But I did find a little venturi in the spares box.