Airfix 1/72 Supermarine Spitfire F MK.22

I've always been a great admirer of the Spitfire and more so the later marks due to my involvement in the restoration of the Spitfire MK22, that is now on display at the RAAF Association Aviation Heritage Museum in Western Australia. As a consequence, when I was offered this kit at a discounted price at a recent competition, I just had to have it. Although my initial plan was to build it as an out of box model, when I saw what was available from the aftermarket manufacturers, I couldn't resist and ended up spending almost four times as much on the additions as I had on the kit. The aftermarket additions consisted of an Eduard detail set (73436), Eduard Brassin wheels (672146 - to replace the broken tail wheel), Eduard masks (CX334), Quickboost exhausts (72404) and some Master Models gun barrels (72-004).

For a new generation kit this has been one of the nicest builds I have done to date and it all went together without a single major issue. The aftermarket additions are also a great improvement and raise the detail to another level, however they are not essential as the kit will build into a very respectable model even without them. Like me at the end of the day the choice is really yours.

The thing that really grabbed my attention when I bought this kit was the box-art and from the outset I always intended to finish it in this scheme. After priming the model with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (white) I then sprayed it with AK Interactive, Extreme Metal, Aluminium (AK479). Unfortunately this was a lot brighter then I realised and although it produced a beautiful finish, the colour was not representative of the correct shade of high speed silver. To correct this I then over sprayed the model with a very thin mixture of Vallejo Silver (71063) and Light Grey (71050) until I obtained the correct hue, which seemed to work very well. I then followed my usual process of Future, decals (which all went on superbly), panel line wash and Future, which sealed everything in prior to final assembly. With the exception of the propeller the model was then sprayed with overall coat of AK Interactive Satin Varnish (AK191), after which I then fitted the propeller and canopy and the model was done.

Airfix have produced a really beautiful kit of this iconic aircraft and their newer generation products bare no resemblance to those kits that I cut my teeth on, many decades ago. Although I have shunned their products for many years now, due to my past experience, I am happy to say that I am now a convert and plan to build many more of their newer offerings.

Wolfpack 1/72 North American T-2C Buckeye - 'US Navy'

I've always had a liking for US Navy aircraft, especially the ones in flamboyant colours and with a real sense of purpose. I'd often considered doing the 1/48 scale version of the Buckeye one day - as it is my preferred scale - but when the Wolfpack kit appeared on special at my usual retailer - BNA ModelWorld - I just had to have it. In addition to the kit I also bought the Eduard canopy masks (CX423) and T-2C interior etch set (73534), with the latter really helping to lift the cockpit detail to another level.

The kit was an enjoyable build with no major issues and the fit was so good that only a minimal amount of work was required to cleanup the various joins. With assembly completed the model was then primed with Tamiya Fine Grey Surface Primer, followed by an overall coat of Gunze Gloss White (H1). The areas to be painted Orange were then masked and my own mix - consisting of Gunze Orange Yellow (H24) mixed with a few drops of Red (H3) and few drops of Yellow (H4) - was then applied to the relevant areas. I was very happy with the colour as it was a much better match to what I'd seen in photographs, in comparison to what was recommended on the instruction sheet. The areas to be painted black were then masked and sprayed with Gunze Tire Black (H77), as I find it to be less stark and a much better colour for aircraft in this scale.

With painting completed the model was then sprayed with Future and once this was dry the myriad of decals were then applied. The decals are very thin, went on without any problems and reacted really well to the application of both Micro Set and Micro Sol. The model was then given another coat of Future, followed by a panel line wash of MIG PLW Light Grey (A.MIG-1600) and once this was dry a coat of AK Interactive Satin Varnish (AK191) was then applied over the entire model, giving it a nice scale sheen. It was then just a matter of removing the paint masks, fitting the undercarriage, attaching the canopy and then applying the appropriate clear colours to the navigation lights and rotating beacon.

I found the Wolfpack Buckeye to be a superb model and a fun build, that can be enhanced with a few added extras without to much effort and is one I'd highly recommend to all.