Please use the buttons at the left to navigate around the site (if you can't see the buttons try this link to restore the Navigation Bar) Website News and Updates: August   70 years ago, this month, the Battle of Britain was being fought in the skies above the British Isles. Although final victory was still a month away, this month's models are dedicated to the courageous men and women of the Allied Air Forces who participated in that crucial battle. What else but: The Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane. July   This month it will be 70 years since the Royal Navy attack on the Vichy French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir and Oran, intended to ensure that the French battleships could not be used by the Germans. To reflect those sad events I have built another Blackburn Naval aircraft; Pavla/Octupus' Blackburn Skua of 803 Sqn, Fleet Air Arm, representing one of the aircraft that fought against the French. And for Bastille Day 2010 - the beautiful Dassault Rafale, in its Carrier-based form. To finish the month, a fast build of the marvellous new Airfix kit of a Royal Navy Trafalgar Class nuclear submarine, represeting HMS TIRELESS. June 70th Anniversary of the loss of the 51st Highland Division at St Valery-en-Caux As a variation on my ongoing Seafire modelling project, this is what could have replaced the Seafire in 1946, the sleek and very fast Supermarine Seafang Mk.31 And to reflect the events of 70 years ago, a Blackburn Roc of 806 Sqn, Fleet Air Arm, one of the very few British fighter aircraft providing cover to the evacuation of the BEF from France in June 1940. May To start the month and finish off my run of Mirage deltas, I have built the Frog Mirage IIIO (A) in Australian markings, as well as taking some pictures of all my Mirages (so far) together. Back to my Seafire project, this time using the new Airfix Spit IX as a basis for a silver painted Seafire Mk.III of the British Pacific Fleet. April Continuing my Mirage theme, the attractive Airfix Mirage 2000c joins my collection. Then a slight shift of theme to build the re-released Airfix Grumman Gosling. And to finish the month - A bus (no really!). An Edinburgh Corporation Transport Bus from the late 1950s March A slow month so far, due to a number of more pressing family issues. I haven't been idle though, so here are my first two builds, a Bristol Beaufighter and a Mirage IIIc. To finish the month - what else, but another Seafire, this time the Rolls Royce Griffon powered Seafire Mk XV, introduced just before the end of WW2. February Time for another helicopter, and one of the finest Airfix kits I have encountered, the Kaman SH-2F Seasprite. Second build of the month is the Airfix Seafire IIc from the 2009 Airfix Club kit. And to finish February, celebrating 100 years of the Bristol Aircraft Company this month, an unusual helicopter model with a family link, the Glencoe 1/72 Bristol Sycamore HR.14. January 2010 To start the year off in style, I have been building Lee's 1/72 Grumman E-2C Hawkeye. Then a change from aircraft, to build a Soviet Marines BTR-60P Armoured Personnel Carrier To finish off the first month of 2010, and kick off this years first modelling theme - a Supermarine Seafire Ib in a rather different colour scheme. December   A busy year is rapidly drawing to a close, so for my last builds of 2009, two more British Naval Aircraft to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of British Naval Aviation . The first of these is the Hawker Sea Hurricane 1a "Hurricat", as launched from merchant ships during WW2 to defend against the Fw200 Condor. I have also begin to re-organise some of my sub-indexes, to make them more accessible and graphic, starting with the Friends & Allies and Helicopters pages. And the second build, probably the last of 2009, is perhaps the most attractive fighter that the Royal Navy has ever flown, the sleekest of the sleek, the De Havilland Sea Hornet F.20 And that was 2009, the 100th anniversary of British Naval Aviation. I really thought I would build less this year, but it seems I have achieved the opposite. What will next year bring; I wonder? Merry Christmas from the GenGriz! November To finish off my quintet of Wildcats/Martlets, I have started the month with the excellent Hasegawa kit, marked as an early Martlet Mk III in the Western Desert. Second build of the month is a little larger than any kit I have built for a while. The famous Consolidated PBY Catalina, as used by RAF Coastal Command, in its Airfix guise. And bringing a wet and windy November to a close, an addition to my Adversaries pages in the form of a North Korean MiG-15. October   To start the month, and continuing the FAA Fighter theme, one of the most successful and useful Fleet Air Arm aircraft of WW2 (and up to the Korean War) was the Fairey Firefly. This is the old Frog kit, re-released more recently by Eastern Express. To continue the theme, a Grumman Wildcat Mk VI, using the old Airfix kit and the superb 2009 Airfix Club decals. ... And just in time for the FAA Museum Model Show on 17 Oct, a Harrier GR.9 in the colourful Fly Navy 100 markings. Back to the Wildcats/Martlets to finish the month - this time an ancient Frog Mk.IV Wildcat, representing one that took part in the attacks on the TIRPITZ. September   70th Anniversary of the Start of World War 2 Continuing the Fleet Fighter theme and marking the end of the biplane fighter in British Service, first up this month is the Gloster Sea Gladiator, based on the very crude Airfix kit. In September 1939, the Sea Gladiator was the best and newest that the Fleet Air Arm could offer against the might of Hitler's Luftwaffe. It looks almost as archaic, but like the Swordfish, it was a lot better than it looked! By 1941 the FAA had its long awaited modern replacement fighter, but although it achieved considerable combat success, the Fairey Fulmar was not exactly the quantum leap forward that the FAA wanted and needed. A quick diversion from aircraft to build a Challenger 2 Tank of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, from the 2003 Gulf War. And to complete a busy month, a Hawker Hurricane Mk 1b of 806 Sqn, part of the Western Desert Royal Navy Fighter Squadron in 1941. August   Another gem from my collection is the Aeroclub Fairey Flycatcher. This tiny inter-war Fleet Fighter has always been one of my favorites and makes a very satisfying build. One of its replacements as a Fleet Fighter in the early 1930s, was the beautiful Hawker Osprey, and I have converted this one from the Airfix Demon kit.   July   Over the last month I have continued to update many of the photographs across the site, including a number of photoshopped images of models against real backgrounds. However, as the spell of fine weather now seems to have broken, I have cracked open my "rainy day stash" for something slightly out my normal subject area; an old Frog F-100D Super Sabre of the Royal Danish Air Force. Second build is another old Frog kit, albeit with modern decals; this time an USN A-6E Intruder from the first Gulf War, followed by a quick update and tidy up of my old Jetstream T.2 build. 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