Tarantul Corvette (1:72)

It seems that Australia is without a doubt the home of 1:72 scale ship modelling. If you haven't allready, check out the link to Task Force 72 on the 'useful links' section on the right hand side of this page. This particular kit is from Australian kit maker APS models. This is actually a semi-kit, the contents of which can be seen in the picture below:

The hull is a beutiful GRP moulding, and measures a bit over two feet long in 1:72 scale. this is one of APS' smaller kits, as Allan Pew manufactures a huge range of kits from tugboats to battleships, all in 1:72 scale. Some smaller details plus the radome and gun turrets are supplied in a dark grey resin, while the builder is expected to supply materials to complete the superstructure and running gear to finish.

The array of resin details is impressive, however it is apparent they were cast without the aid of pressure or vacuum, as there are bubbles abound, which is a bit unfortunate considering the patternmaking of the masters is quite well done.

At the end of the day, the abundance of bubbles in some of the castings shouldn't be an issue for anyone who's model building skills are up to the level of semi-kits, as a large amount of scratchbuilding needs to be done to complete the kit anyway. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in to this kit, and will be posting updates on progress on this blog. If you are interested in large scale warship semi-kits, check out Task Force 72's website, you should be able to contact APS models through there.

BF-109D Werner Molders (1:48)

Surely, not another BF-109!
This is the Bf-109D which Werner Mölders flew in the Spanish Civil War. The model is built from the Classic Airframes kit, which includes injected styrene, resin and photoetch metal parts, and not to mention, one of the most beutiful injection moulded canopies ever produced! The kit requires quite a bit of effort to build, but the result is well worth it, considering the level of detail afforded by the resin and metal parts. Weathering includes pre shading, post fading, watercolour wash and various graphite pencils.

This time, the images are being presented by way of photobucket slideshow, so if you can't see the photos, try updating your Adobe (Macromedia) Flash plugin to the latest version.

SH-70B Seahawk, RAN (1:48)

This model is the result of an extensive conversion from the Italeri SH-60 Seahawk kit in 1:48 scale. The markings are from Aussie Decals, representing one of the Australian Navy's choppers.

The Italeri kit requires several lumps and bumps to be fabricated in order to better represent one of Australia's machines, as they differ substantially from the American SH-60 in terms of radar domes and sponsons. The work has been done mainly with Magic Sculpt and styrene stock, with some limited use of copper and brass.

The model also benifits from some scratchbuilt tail hinges, as the Italeri kit omits them, even though they are prominent on all helicopters of the Blachawk family which have folding tails. I've broken away from my usual habit of finishing with Tamiya and Gunze acrylics, and used testor's ModelMaster enamels.

F-4E Phantom, RAAF (1:48)

RAAF F-4E Phantom from the Hasegawa kit. The markings are from Aussie Decals, and represent one of the Phantom aircraft that the Royal Australian Air Force flew for a few years before the delivery of the infamous F-111, which the RAAF now use to this day. This model is equipped with two TER's and a MER on the centerline pylon, as seen in a photograph from the book Phantom, Hornet and Skyhawk in Australian Service by Stewart Wilson. Most photographs in circulation of the RAAF phantoms do not show any underwing stores attached. The aircraft shown here is A69-7220, which was returned to the USAF in November 1972. The only modifications to this model are the inclusion of several metal pins to reinforce the Mk.82 bombs on the MER and TER's, and metal rods in the landing gear struts.

Dassault Rafale M, Royal Australian Navy (1:48)

This model is somewhat of a flight of fancy; Dassault's new Rafale M naval fighter wearing Royal Australian Navy markings. The RAN-fans out there will recognise the camouflage and tail markings, a homage to Australia's early Skyhawk squadrons, from a long time ago when Australia had operated aircraft carriers. The kit is Hobby Boss, and the loadout is an assortment of American weapons, GBU-12 guided bombs with targeting pod, TER's with MK-82 free fall bombs, and of course, the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile mounted on American pattern wingtip launch rails. This loadout will probably never be seen on a real Rafale, however on this model they represent a sample of the many American made weapons the Australian Navy and Air Force have operated for a long time.

FW-190 A8/R2 Sturmbock (1:48)

Focke-Wulf FW190 A8/R2 'Sturmbock' Aircraft of the famous Luftwaffe elite unit, the Sturmgruppen. Kit is Tamiya 1:48, figure from ICM. This model marks my first attempt at simulating chipped and scratched aluminium panels using a silver pen. Although the weathering appears somewhat heavy, many Sturmgruppen aircraft were seen to have extensive weathering.

Henschel HS-129 B1 (1:48)

This is the Hasegawa kit of the German WW-II ground attack plane the Henschel HS-129 B1. Although the planes themselves were not particularly successful during the war, it is nevertheless an interesting airframe and makes for a good looking model. Kit is built straight out of the box, using the kit supplied decals.