WWII Allied Ground Support Equipment

 

Tamiya 1/32 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVIe

This was my first experience of building the new Tamiya range of 1/32 scale aircraft and as the reviews have all said, they are an absolute joy to build. However, that's not to say that I didn't have any problems during construction, because I did, but for the most part their assembly was fairly trouble free, with only a small amount of filing and sanding required to alleviate any joins.

Although I'd intended to fit the cowls as shown in the instructions, by way of magnets, they didn't fit as well as expected and despite having detailed and painted the engines, I ended up having to cut away most of the detail and attachment frames, just to get a good fit. As consequence, the engine cowls ended up being glued into place and some styrene strip was needed to fill a slight gap at the forward wing root fairing joins.

The only kit parts I replaced on the models were the seats (Barracuda BR 32001), seatbelts (HGW 132004), gun barrels (Master Models AM 32-081 & AM 32-082) and mainwheels (Barracuda BR 32335) and Montex Masks (MM 32120) were used for all of the main markings, with the kit decals only being used for the smaller stencils. I used Tamiya AS12 for the primary colour on the silver aircraft and Gunze lacquers were used throughout for the remaining colours on both models.

The Tamiya Spitfire is a great kit, is an easy and enjoyable build and with a few added extra's builds up into a fine replica of this iconic and beautiful aircraft.

Nationaal Militair Museum (Soesterberg)

This is one of those museums that I'd always wanted to visit and as the Netherlands was at the end of our holiday and we'd only have a few days in country, it was definitely on my 'to do list'. The museum building alone is quite amazing and once you walk inside it just keeps getting better. The displays are well laid out, with plenty of room to move around and the light filled building makes it photographers paradise. However, be prepared to spend at least 4-5 hours here, especially if you want to see everything, including the outdoor and interactive displays. This is one those museums that will not disappoint and should be a must do for anyone interested in military history or who is a military enthusiast.