Show News
29th July 2010
This year we decided to scale down the number of shows we took Britmodeller to. So far this year we have attended the Southern Expo Show, at which John (Skii) took third prize in it's class for his wonderful B-2 (SHOW REPORT) RAF Museum Cosford show (SHOW REPORT) and the Coventry show. (SHOW REPORT) The Coventry show was rather good for two of our members; Dean (Deanflyer) and Andy (General Melchett) both took prizes in their class and Andy got best in show.
The next show that Britmodeller will be attending is at Elvington Air Museum, York (DISCUSSION THREAD) on the 15th August. This will be the first time that Britmodeller has attended the show and it will be a long day for Ollie (OllieHolmes) and myself. Anyone wanting to display their models, just bring them along we will find room for them. Likewise if you want to spend an hour or so manning the table you will be very welcome.
The same goes for any other show that Britmodeller will be attending. for info on what shows Britmodeller is attending see the calendar. We attend shows with the help of you the members, so If you want to see us at shows we need your builds on the table.
We look forward to seeing you at the shows.
Mish
Show Organiser & Group Build Coordinator
Group Build News
Sunday 18th July 2010
July and August sees a busy time in the Group Build forums, with four Group Builds ending and four brand new Group Builds starting.
In July we have the Ferrari Group Build and the Great War Group Build coming to an end with some fantastic builds in each. The Great War GB has some superb prizes on offer, including a choice of decals for the best aircraft and a set of resin for the second place aircraft kindly donated byr Rowan Broadbent of Pheon Models Also in July we've seen the start of the Airliner Group Build hosted by Rich Eellis and Antony Robinson. We have the start of the What If Group Build hosted by Daniel and Col. This looks like being a very busy and exciting Group Build with over 70, yes 70 proposed entries. I think this might take the record for the most popular Group Build ever on Britmodeller.
In August we have the ending of the mammoth year long Gulf War Group Build and the end of the Night Fighter Group Build. Starting in August we have the start of the Battle of Britain 70th Anniversary Group Build hosted by Walrus and myself, and at the back end of August we sees the start of the Buccaneer Group Build hosted by Ollie Holmes and Mark Marples.
So as you can see there is a lot going on and plenty for everyone. In fact over the next 18 months we will have a minimum of four Group Builds running at any one time, there is bound to be something of interest for everyone. If not come along to the Group Build Chat forum and suggest a Group Build.
Happy Modelling
Mish
Group Build Coordinator
HMS Illustrious Photo-Etch Update Set - for 1:350 Airfix Kit
The recent release of the long awaited (by many) HMS Illustrious kit in 1:350 by Airfix was the catalyst for many an aircraft modeller to break into maritime modelling, as the cross-over between the Fleet Air Arm and one of Britain's best loved current aircraft carriers was too much to resist.
I reviewed the kit here on release, and my comments gave a broad thumbsup up the release, but as is usual with any injection moulded kit, improvements can be made. White Ensign have stepped up to the plate, and have been working long and hard on a Photo-Etch (PE) update set for the Lusty since before the kit was officially released.
The set arrives in a padded envelope, inside of which are chunks of cardboard to keep the package stiff, together with a printed 7 page instruction booklet. The PE sheets are held inside a card-backed envelope, and sliding them out is a treat for the eyes, and should be done VERY carefully due to the fineness of the parts and the thickness of the sheets.
There are two sheets of PE within the envelope, one of A4 size that contains the major structural and detail parts, which is etched from a sheet of 0.1mm thickness. The second sheet is thinner, at approximately 0.05mm and holds a huge array of additional railings, some antennae and the fine mesh netting that stops crew members tumbling over board.
The first thing of note is the high quality of the etching of the sheets. I know for a fact that John @ WEM has worked closely with two etching companies to get this level of quality, and I'm happy to report that they have succeeded in every respect.
The instruction booklet is double-sided printing, and the first two pages give a complete run-down of all of the parts provided, naming every single one, so you're not just mindlessly placing parts that you have no idea of what they are.
The two main radar antennae are finely detailed, using only fractions of the kit parts, taking advantage of the scale-like appearance and thickness of PE to provide a much more lifelike rendition of these prominent parts. The main masts are similarly upgraded with platforms, aerials, and here you should also put a slight rounding on the foremast kit parts, as this is evident from the detail pictures that are available on the web.
The mainmast is a symphony of parts, including the tiny dipoles on the end of the replacement aerial for kit part 16D. You'll need very steady hands indeed to twist these into the correct orientation. A diagram accompanies construction notes so that you place all the platforms at the right height. Parts are also included for an early version of the main mast, which will require you to do a bit of research for the timescale you are portraying your kit.
A gaggle of raised platforms adorn the roof of the bridge, and the traffic lights are also provided to attach to the underside of the flying bridge. Further fittings and antennae are provided for the Scot Radome platform and the Mizzenmast base, and both funnels are provided with capping grilles, plus some tiny aerials that would have been impossible to mould in injection moulding. Railings are also provided for the platform on the aft funnel.
The gun platforms have railings and anti-fall netting, as do the Goalkeeper and CIWS platforms, with a nice add on lattice work barrel framing to add detail to the Goalkeeper turret.
Additional catwalks are supplied for Invincible and Ark Royal if you plan on converting your kit to either of these ships, and the instructions recommend that additional plastic card is laminated to the brass sheet to get the correct thickness. Lusty's own catwalks were upgraded and widened at her last refit, and parts are supplied to do this, as well as converting the catwalks to the perforated surface for ease of drainage.
Floodlight gantries are supplied for fore and aft of the superstructure, and are laminated from a number of parts, with additional railings provided for the platforms above. The fixed deck crane is a simple affair on the kit, and all that needs adding are the pulleys and cables, which amazingly are provided as PE parts on the fret.
The kit approach light platforms are replaced by new parts, and detailed Life Raft canister racks are also provided, with instructions for separating the supplied canisters from their all-in-one moulding. A few extra parts are supplied for detailing the ship's launches, and new ventilator grilles are provided for near their stowage points.
The firefighting gear attached around the Island is represented as rather two dimensional raised detail on the kit, and the PE replaces it with 3D parts aplenty. These hose reels fold up around a modeller provided length of styrene rod, and should improve the look immensely.
The last page of pictorial instructions shows where the rest of the railings and anti-fall netting goes, and believe me when I say that there's a lot of it!
Conclusion
This is a superb set from a company that specialises in this sort of thing. The asking price might seem high on first look, but one and a half A4 sheets of PE does not come cheap, and the amount of research that went into producing the set is immense.
If you're keen to make the best of your Lusty kit, go buy this PE set - you won't regret it.
It's worth noting that WEM also produce additional items that you could use to further enhance your arsenal, such as an airwing fittings kit, and a re-release of their Harrier FRS-1 set, which will bolster your early airwing strength.
Review sample courtesy of
Group Build News
Tuesday 11th May 2010
It's been a busy time for Group builds recently. As you will have seen we have just had the results of the Airfix Starter Kit GB. From idea to fully fledged GB was just a few weeks and was probably the best supported GB that Britmodeller has ever run.
We ended up with some great builds, two well deserved winners and an awful lot of fun.
Last weekend saw the end of the Armour GB and you can vote for your favourite build here, but it's not an easy task. Last weekend saw the start of the Nightfighter GB and we already have some interesting builds started.
Of course let's not forget the ongoing GBs, we have a our year long Gulf War GB still plugging away some quite adventurous builds have, and are being tackled. Then there is the Finnish Airforce GB, where many diverse subjects are finding a place in this GB. It is amazing to see all the types of aircraft that the Finns have used over the years. I really must pull my finger out and finish my Gladiator! Going even further back in history we have the Great War GB, which is producing a variety of builds from early tanks to the wire brace early warbirds.
I've even delved into this one myself, thoroughly enjoying building and rigging one of Eduards weekend series Nieuport 17s. I've enjoyed it so much I'm tempted to build another! So if you've ever wanted to try your hand at building and rigging a biplane, here's your chance, if I can do it anyone can.
If planes and tanks are not your thing we have the Ferrari GB still running and a real chance for you car modellers to show use some gleaming bodies - I meant the finish on the cars, you lot at the back!
Upcoming GBs are the Matchbox GB running during June, the Airliner GB starting in July, the What If GB starting in late July The Battle of Britain 70th Memorial GB starting in August, followed at the end of August by the Blackburn Buccaneer GB.
We have a packed calendar here for the remainder of this year and nearly half of next year. Some great and diverse subject are planned and many more ideas are being discussed here.
So come on - join in a GB and if there's nothing you fancy planned or being planned, start a thread here and you may be surprised at the response your idea gets. To get a GB approved and on the calendar you normally need fifteen members interested in participating and two hosts to oversee the GB.
Mish
Group Build Moderator
Airfix Starter Set GB Results
Saturday 8th May 2010
The "back to your roots" Group Build has been a great succes, and finished at midnight on the 1st May 2010, with 56 kits completed in time for the deadline. The vote took place during the week and we now have our winners.
Congratulations go to Sartois66 (Kirk) for his fantastic rendition of the Airfix F5-E Tiger II below:
Kirk wins himself a kit from Airfix's current range of series 8 models, which he is yet to choose.
A second prize was also awarded to one of the younger competitors, Sophie, daughter of Milo, for her excellent job on her Mustang, which was appropriately named Daddy's Girl:
Sophie's prize is being arranged by the Group Build Moderators - namely Paul of ABC Models.
Congratulations to you both, and well done to everyone that took part - you all did a fantastic job, and probably re-learned some skills you thought you'd forgotten. I strongly suspect that this Group Build will be appearing each year from here on in, as it's a great cure for modeller's block.
Thanks also go to Airfix for providing one of the prizes, and to Paul for the other.
You can see a montage of all the competitors' builds here if you're interested, and you can see their build threads by clicking on the appropriate pictures.
Mike
Britmodeller admin team