December 2024

I finish the year as it began, with something colourful !

My main build of the month is this colourful Hobby Boss kit of the Sikorsky MH-60J “Jayhawk” helicopter used by the US Coast Guard for medium range rescue and maritime patrol.

And finally, here are a number of small (1/72) AFV models that I have built (or in some cases, simply painted)  as side projects alongside some of my more complex builds:

• FV4333 Stormer HVM anti aircraft vehicle,
• FV180 Combat Engineer Tractor,
• M142 HIMARS artillery rocket system
• Thales Hawkei protected mobility vehicle.

Three of these are 3D printed models, of  varying levels of complexity, but all relatively low cost compared with plastic model kits.   The level of detail achieved is pretty impressive, although it does take away a lot of the fun of model building!

June 2024

Back to my Malta Air War project this month, with two fighter aircraft of the Luftwaffe’s  X Fliegerkorps, based out of Gela and Comiso air bases in Sicily

The Messerschmitt Bf109 was the main Nazi fighter throughout WW2, fighting on all fronts and holdling the record for most aircraft shot down.  The 109-E, or “Emil”was introduced just before the invasion of Russia and fought during the Battle of Britain.

As the Italian campaign in North Africa faltered,  in 1941 the Luftwaffe sent Fliegerkorps X, including many of  its most battle hardenend veterans to Sicily to help suppress Malta and protect Rommel’s supply chain across the Mediterranean.   My first build this month is the Bf109-E7 aircraft of  7/JG26’s Commanding Officer, using the Airfix kit and some Xtradecal markings.

The Luftwaffe returned to their attacks on Malta again in early 1942, bringing with them the latest Bf109 variant, the Bf109-F, or “Freddie”, featuring an improved engine, better aerodynamics and a ground attack capability.  My second build, based on the Italeri kit and Xtradecal markings, is a fighter bomber Bf109-F4 of 10(Jabo) /JG53 that crashed on Donnalucata beach in Sicily in March 1942 when returning from a raid on Malta.

May 2024

Whilst I catch my breath after the marathon P-8A Poseidon build, for this month I have built two old FROG kits, one exactly as FROG intended, and the other a little bit more colourful!

The De Havilland Vampire saw widespread service with the RAF, then with the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.  This is the ancient FROG kit, built “out the box” to represent a Vampire Mk.5 of 502 (Ulster) Squadron of the RAuxAF.

The Gloster Meteor also served as one of the RAF’s key fighters of th e1950s, but saw its final days as radio controlled pilotless target drones.  This is another ancient FROG kit, this time as a Meteor U.15 drone of 728B Naval Air Sqn at RNAS Hal Far in Malta during 1960.

April 2024

And here it is, my first “big model” of 2024.  It has taken me since Christmas to assemble this lovely kit, but it was well worth it !

The Boeing P-8A Poseidon multi-role aircraft is based on a highly modified variant of the Boeing 737.  120 and 201 Sqns of the RAF have been operating the Poseidon MRA.1 since 2021, based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.

This is the 1/72 BPKkit.  Not an easy build, but it is a good kit and certainly provided me with a lot of fun.  As with my previous large kit builds, photographing, displaying and then storing something this size can be a bit of a challenge !!!

March 2024

I am steadily working my way through a BPK 1/72 P-8A Poseidon.  Progress is slow, but I’m reasonably confident that I will finish it this month.  In the meantime…….

The Grumman Hellcat was probably the best carrier fighter of WW2.  It saw extensive service with the Fleet Air Arm in Europe and the far East, often from small escort carriers.  

This is an Academy kit, using Freightdog decals for an aircraft of 808 Sqn / HMS KHEDIVE, at Trincomalee immediately after the war ended.

The Fairey Albacore was intended to replace the Swordfish, but in the end its predecessor outlived it.  Nevertheless, after a shaky start in Norway, Albacores saw much success in the North Sea, as well as flying from Malta and over the Western Desert.  

This is a Pegasus kit of an 826 Sqn Albacore in the Western Desert  that I built some time back, which I have repainted and given a general tidy up.

February 2024

I have a BIG build planned for next month, so I’m making a little headroom now by building 2 smaller kits, both from roughly the same period of WW2.

The P-51D Mustang was built to British Purchasing Comission requirements and became one fo the best Allied fighters of WW2.  Its massive range meant that bomber raids could be escorted all the way to the target and back.   This is the 1974 Airfix mould of an aircraft from 352 Fighter Group in eastern England during 1944.

For most of WW2, Italian fighters sufferred from poor engines and a lack of firepower.

The 5 Series fighters changed that, adopting the powerful German DB605 engine and heavy canon armament.  The Fiat G.55 was one of these, excelling at high altitude, and proving a good match for Allied Spitfires and Mustangs.  This is an Aliplast kit of a G.55 of the Nazi puppet Aviazione Nazionale Repubblica (ANR), also in 1944.

July 2024

This month sees a long delayed conversion project finally reach the top of my build pile !

Some of the less well known variants of the De Havilland Mosquito were the naval torpedo carrying TR.33 and TR.37.  Introduced immediately after WW2, they only served for a short time, and with only one front line Fleet Air Arm squadron (although several went on to serve with the Israeli Air Force).

This is the 1972 Airfix mould, in its final release from 2008.  I have added a thimble nose dome, torpedo, hook and strengthened undercarriage legs to turn it into one of the prototype Sea Mosquito TR.33s.

August 2024

A trip to the RAF Museum at Hendon has inspired two World War 1 builds this month.  It’s perhaps not my modelling speciality, but I definitely enjoy the fine detail of 1/72 biplanes!

The Albatross D.V was one of the late WW1 machines used by the Imperial German Air Force, intended to be an improved version of the earlier flawed Albatross D.III.  Ultimately it proved little better, but remained in service right up to the 1918 Armistice.  

This is the Eduard kit of an Albatross D.V from JaSta 26, based in Flanders, and built mostly “out the box”.

The Fokker D.VII was one of the finest German aircraft of WWr 1, with over 3,300 produced in the 2nd half of 1918 alone.  The aircraft was regarded so highly by the Allies that it gained specific mention in the Armistice treaty, with Germany required to hand over all aircraft .

This is the 1963 Revell kit in its most recent incarnation, with CMK lozenge decals for the undersides.  

The aircraft represented is the Fokker D.VII of  JaSta 15, also based in Belgium during 1918.

September 2024

Yes, I went to Tank Fest at Bovington this year !  Two AFV builds were inspired as a result.

The Challenger Armoured Repair & Recovery Vehicle (CRARRV) is a beast of a vehicle, designed to work with the Britsh Army’s Challenger 2 tanks.  It can tow and recover all current Britsh Army tracked vehicles.   This is a Cromwell Models resin kit, which includes the Theatre Entry Standard (TES) modifications currently fielded by the Army.  Several CRARRVs are currently operating with the Ukrainian Army during its daring incursion into the Kursk region of Russia.

The Sturmgeshutz III (StuG III) was based on the Panzer III chassis and was the most widely produced German tracked vehicle of WW2.  This is an ancient Airfix kit, built very much as a nostalgia build - I first built one of these when I was about 10 years old!  

October 2024

A Ship and an Aircraft this month, representing the best of humanity and also its darker side !

The Shannon Class Lifeboat is the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s (RNLI) latest seagoing lifeboat.  Airfix have produced a superb and relatively easy to build 1/72 kit of this boat to celebrate the 200th anniversary of thefounding of the RNLI.

The MQ-9A Reaper is widely used by western aligned forces around the world.  Very much larger than its MQ-1 Predator predecessor, it is heavily armed and can remain in the air  for up to 40 hours at  aheight of 50,000 ft.

November 2024

Two helicopters join my early Fleet Air Arm collection this month.

The Hiller HT.1 joined the Royal Navy as a training helicopter in 1950.  A simple and easily maintained design, it was ideal for initial flying training.  This is the recent LF Models kit.

The Wessex HAS.1 started life as an ASW helicopter, but was soon pressed in to an additional role as a commando carrier.  Seeing heavy use in the Borneo and Brunei conflicts where it frequently landed Royal Marines in remote jungle clearings, it was quickly nicknamed the “Jungly”, a title that has stuck with the Fleet Air Arm’s Commando Helicopter force.  This is the Matchbox kit, with a few modifications,plus decals from theold FROG kit.

January 2025

Another year begins (the 19th year of this website).  I have grand plans for this one, so let’s see how it goes…..

The F-35C is the conventional carrier-based variant of the Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.  With folding (larger) wings and tail hook, it is visibly larger than the F-35A and F-35B variants.   

This is the Orange Kit / Orange Hobby kit of the F-35C.  Up until very recently, this was the only kit available, and it still passes muster.   This one is in the markings of shore-based VFA-101 “Grim Reapers”, one of the first US Navy squadrons formed to use the F-35.