Revell 1/144 E-2C Hawkeye and AV-8B Harrier II+ Completed.

  Yes, you did read the title right.  After a year I have finally finished the Hawkeye.  It wasn't the "dream build" I've read about.  But I think thats more to do with my stupidity than anything else.  I also "finished" the Harrier.  I balls'd it up tho so I have left it where it is.  Still quite impressed with it.  I'll post pictures of the Harrier first.

   I can't believe how well the cockpit has come out.  Love the fuel tanks too, shame they messed up too.

   The transfers/decals where not that bad actually.  I was expecting far worse.

  Close up of the cockpit, can't believe how much detail you can see in it.  I need to make better cockpits, but I am happy with this.  The HUD looks cool.  Learning how to make seatbelts will be my next thing.

  Top view, if you are wondering why the fuel tanks are on the middle station instead of the inboard ones. Thats because I wanted to use the GBU-12 and TILAD pod on the inner ones.  I've got pictures of AV-8B's like this, so I know its a viable fit.  Might break off the tanks and use them again.

  And finally the tail, the decals weren't that bad really.  However they are not a simple fit, I cut mine into two parts, wish I had done 3 or even 4.  Now that I think about it, I am going to make this model again.  Maybe with aftermarket parts and dropped flaps.  Now onto the Hawkeye.

   I am really loving this model, now the bugger is finally finished.  Think the de-icing boots could of been done better or masked off.  But live and learn eh?

 Top back half.  Really am pleased with how this came out.   I will be buying this again at a later date.

   I just love that Green and Yellow band around the forward fuselage. It actually fits and it wasn't that hard to put on either.  As for the "Danger" one for the props... that was a complete bastard and didn't go on straight :(

   Think if I was to do this kit again I will have to do it as an Hawkeye 2000, and have folded wings on it.  I'm gonna have to paint the "button" on the radar as it's a different colour.  Also the cockpit will be painted better as you CAN see it through the windows.  Still I am well happy with what I have done.

   Decals for the rudders look really cool to me.  Not too sure if they are on correctly or if they have silvered a little?

   Love the little decal for the "USS Kitty Hawk".  Oh yeah the walkway decals.  I forgot to put them on before I had rebuilt the rotordome housing.  However you can put them on after the housing is on the plane.  However I do still believe that it would be easier to place them before the housing is on and maybe to cut the main on for the wing up into two parts as it has to match a panel line on the wingspar and there is also an emergency escape hatch on the rear fuselage that they wont match up with.  Still this is one good kit.  The decals are really good.  Need to recover the windscreen to varnish it and try out a little wash.  I will see about doing that tomorrow.

  Any comments or suggestions please let me know.

  Peace!

  Dazz

Bombcat, Typhoon, Hornet, Harrier, Hawkeye WiP and New Purchases

  Well it's been a while since I posted anything.  But here is a few posts of what I have done the last two weeks.  It's a struggle atm because I am fighting for control of the table with my family.  Well I'll post some pictures up of what I have done thus far... well thats not correct.  I am further along with some models than I am with others.

  The AV-8II+ with it's 3 coats of grey.  I think the grey thats on the side of the body was a little too dark.  Oh well...

  Top side of the Typhoon.  Not too bad.

  Bottom side of the Typhoon, with the harrier in the background.

 Top half of the Harrier, you can see the 3 different greys but I still think the middle tone is too dark.

  Top half of the Bombcat.  Buggered this up totally.  I think the top half is a little too dark.

  Bottom of the Bombcat, the paint has leaked where I didn't mask it up correctly.  Still learning with the airbrush... should that be "Canbrush"??....

  Top half of the Hornet.  I'm gonna strip this model and start again.

  Read above.

  Now the Hawkeye I am actually happy with. :)

  Think the grey on this one is really good.  However I later found a picture of the very model I am doing and it's supposed to be darker than this... bugger.

  see where the radome housing is buggered?

  Those rudders look very cool to me :)

  The fuel tank for the F-18 and the two Storm Shadows for the Typhoon.

  The fuel tank and the Storm Shadows.

  And again?  God knows why I have 3 pictures of the same thing.

  Last but not least the GBU-10's and GBU-12's that I am gonna be using on the various kits. :)

  Now on to the purchases.

  Got this one when I ordered a few paints.  It was only £2 and I love the MiG-29 for some reason.

  Now this purchase was a complete mistake.  I clicked on it by accident and forgot to take it off at the checkout.  Oh well it is a model I wanted, just not now.

  Smaller than I thought it would be.

 
  Well thats it for now.  More to come when I can be arsed.

  Peace! 

  Dazz

Hawkeye, Super Hornet, Bombcat, Typhoon, Harrier WiP Update

  The last few weeks have been manic for me, with the wedding stuff we had to sort out to all my hayfever playing havoc with me to my anti-hayfever medication actually knocking me out (long story).  Onto what I have done then.

  First up is the Hawkeye, now the rotordome housing is totally buggered I will not lie there.  However I have managed to scratch build new legs for the housing and get it glued onto the body.  Pictures as follows.

  If you look at the housing you can see that its melted to crap, so I am hoping that the rotordome will hide most of the damage.  The yellow bits are from the sprues for the Ex-S Gundam.  It seems to be working well.  Next up the Hornet.

  I've brush painted on some Vallejo Light Grey to see what it looked like, but shes all masked up for spraying now.  Harrier next.

  Once again all masked up ready for painting, I'm gonna have to sort out those intakes now I look at it.  Bombcat next.

  Yeah I've primed it white, doing a little experiment with it.  But shes ready for spraying soon.

  All primed and ready to be sprayed too.  :)  If you've noticed that the pictures are better than normal, thats because I've purchased a Canon 1100d DSLR.  I love that camera :)

  More to come tomorrow.

  Peace!

  Dazz

Typhoon FGR.4, F-14D Bombcat and Harrier II+ WiP 1

  I decided to do all of these planes together at the same time, just seemed like a good idea...

  I've only done the cock pit tubs and closed the fuselage halfs but liking what I have made thus far.  For some reason I think the F-14 is out of scale compared to the Harrier... I dunno... On to the pictures.

  See what I mean about the size of the F-14 compared to the Harrier?!  It's like Daddy plane, Mummy Plane and little Plane... weird tho

  Nose section of the F-14, dunno if you can see it too well or not but I have attempted to scratch-build my own ejector seat handles and HUD, I am quite happy with what I have done.  But please let me know what you think I am always open to suggestions. Of the 3 cockpits this is the one I like the most. :)

  Typhoon FGR.4 cockpit, done some ejector handles and an HUD for this one too, this model is a dream to build, as are the other two actually.

  And the Harrier, I messed up the cockpit on this one as I lost the control collum when I was trying to fit it.  God knows where it went!!!

   This is as far as I have gotten with them, my hayfever was knocking me for 6 today.  But I got quite far with them I reckon.  Please let me know if you got any suggestions.

  Peace!

  Dazz

New models 1/144 and 1/72

  Me and Nat went out to Lakeside the other day, first time in ages and we had Wagamamas... yum yum.  Anyhow I always go into Modelzone to check out what they have and usually I try to sneak out with a model that Nat hasn't noticed that I have picked up :P  Well we went in there and I was on the look out for a new E-2C Hawkeye as mine has fubar'd up.  I might be able to recover it but I am not in the mood for it right now.  Well I spotted this instead, Nat told me to get it as it's not a "little fart arse thing"... anyhow below is what I got.

  I love the look of this plane, looks mean and it's a European theater plane too, which wins point for me as I saw the Battle of Britain's Memorial Flight C-47 Dakota fly over the other day.  Such a beautiful plane, anyhow it was in the colours of the D-Day landings and I was kinda inspired by it

  I also got these 3 in the post from Ebay, I did order an EA-18G Growler too but I am waiting for that to turn up.  Anyhow I was looking through the kits and I had brain storm concerning the two models below.

  Now these two both had nothing but Air-to-Air missiles in it, I wanted to do something different.  Then when I was researching the Tornado GR4 (Below)...

 It comes with 4 Storm Shadows, as you can see on the box art, there is two Storm Shadows on the wing plyons.  As far as I am aware that would hardly ever get used, its very rare to see a Tornado without the fuel tanks on that station.  I have only ever seen a Tornado without a fuel tank when it was on QRA or parked up.  But I know the Storm Shadow can be put there so technically it's not wrong, just odd.  Anyhow, while researching where they went I saw that the Storm Shadow is used on the Dassault Rafale and the Typhoon FGR4, and I had an idea once I saw the GBU-10/GBU-12's in the kit.  I am gonna turn my Typhoon into an FGR4 and the Tomcat will be turned into a Bombcat.  As far as I can see there wont be that much to do to either models.  The Bombcat put it's bombs where the AIM-54 Pheonix goes (the wiki picture demonstrates this perfectly) and there is some Mk.84 "dumb" bombs in the kit too.  The Typhoon FGR4 is easier, I just gotta find the right pylons to put the bombs on, now I can either have 6 GBU's on the wings, 4 GBU's and 2 Storm Shadows or a mixture with the "Supersonic" Fuel tanks.  I liked the look of the fuel tanks so I am going to go with that.  Now one part that was missing was the LITENING or TIALD pods for the Bombcat, I'll have to find out which it used but that problem was solved by the next kit...

 
  What do you see on the inner-most plyon?  A LITENING pod... well I think it's a LITENING pod, I gotta check that up, but still as I only bought this kit for the decals and the weapons.  I think I am sorted here.  I got the spare Sidewinders too.  Now part 3 of this weapon mix up.  I've got these pictures of an F-18 that I think looks cool...

 Or

  Now, the top one from what I can see has 8 ARMAAMs (AIM-120) possibly 10 with 2 in the body recess with two Sparrow AIM-7's and two Sidewinder AIM-9's.  And the bottom one has 6 AIM-120's with 2 Sidewinders.  Now I dont think these are viable load outs because as usual carrier aircraft usually have extra tanks on.  But it looks cool, so I am going to use the missiles I have left over from the Tomcat and the Typhoon and use them on the F-18.  Cool idea no?  I also got this model turn up...

  I have always had respect for the pilots of this aircraft and the amount of bombs this thing could carry was ridiculous.  I'll make one as the A-6E but I might try to make the other one into a Prowler, I'm sure that Retro-wings do a conversion will look into it.

  For people who like to read I purchased this...

 I was a little disappointed with this book, I thought it was going to be a book about the actual "fights" of the war day-by-day kinda thing but it describes what planes where involved and the paint they had on them instead with a little of the history behind it.  I likes this one tho, there is a few Pumas in it and I have an 1/144 Puma awaiting some loving care, I might get some ideas from this.

  More ideas as and when they come to me...

  PEACE!

  Dazz