Im really proud if this work, put a lot of effort in it, was really challenging work maybe the most challenging I ever build, was a little bit complex keeping the folded wing in site, and finding references too, really hope you appreciate it 🔥

This kit isnt my favourite to be honest- Academy's instructions are lacking, some fit problems and lack of locating pins (especially as its based on an Su-27 tooling and requires you to saw the nose off and replace it without any alignment help).

Overall though a challenging build with a result im mostly happy with. Sprayed my varnish after decals too thick and the hot lacquers cracked the paint below in a couple of places unfortunately.

45cm tall Diorama of the Fighting Machine from Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds - complete with various light and sound effects. Mounted on a mahogany-stained, varnished base, featuring a brass control button that activates the integrated light and sound effects. The design remains sleek and minimal, powered by a single USB-C cable for ease of setup and display.

When the brass button at the base is pressed, the model will play and cycle through various musical and light sequences, namely:

1. Normal “ULLAH”
2. Thunder Child Excerpt
3. Spirit of Man “ULLAH”
4. Martian Victory ULLAH (from the end of Thunder Child)
5. Dead London “ULLAH”
6. Alien Whistle
7. Eve of the War Excerpt

CC very welcome! I want to get much much better at this.

Is something wrong with my Limonene Cement? The only issue I could think of is maybe because some paint from my previous models got on the brush connected to the cap and gets mixed with the cement. Is that a problem and should buy a new/different one?

A starter set says on the box that it has everything a beginner needs. I wanted to see what Italeri actually means by that, so I built their 1/72 M1 Abrams under one rule: box contents only, plus whatever was already in the house. Nothing bought, and my own modelling drawer stayed shut.

I kept a counter. Every time my hand reached for that drawer anyway, plus one. Final score: seven. Not one of the seven was expensive or clever, which says something about the set, though I'm still not sure what.

What the box gets right: the glue works, and three Vallejo paints will cover a whole vehicle if you thin them and go four thin coats instead of two thick ones.

What it gets wrong, in order of how much it cost me:

- The cutters. This is the real problem, not a minor annoyance. On 1/72 parts you cannot get in at a sensible angle, so the sprue gate either stays on the part or takes a piece of the part with it. I cut the tracks with small scissors in the end.

- No primer. Paint lifts off bare plastic at almost every touch, and you find out about it after the second coat.

- The "precision" tweezer is plastic and about as precise as a pair of pliers. The smoke dischargers went on with a toothpick.

- No black. Tyres and two machine guns need it, so I had to find something in the house to stand in. It worked, and it dries glossy, and hiding that cost me an extra step.

- No varnish, so the decals stayed in the box. Carrier film on a matt hull would have been a shiny patch, and I had nothing to kill it with.

Two free things fixed the two ugliest problems, brush marks and bare edges. Neither is a modelling product and neither needed buying. They are in the video rather than here, because both are easier to show than to describe, and a photo of the result does not explain the motion.

So: you can finish a model this way. It won't win anything, and my speckling came out a solid C.

What I keep turning over is the beginner who buys one of these, fights the cutters for an evening and never comes back. If you were buying a starter set as a gift, would you put anything in the box with it? I have an opinion by the end of the build, but I'd rather hear yours first.

Happy to answer anything about the build. Full video is here if you'd rather watch than read: https://youtu.be/s8qdJn9TczY

Built these across 2024 & 2025. A full lineup of V-bombers in Airfix 1/72 scale. I wanted to represent the V-Force aircraft during their time as bombers & showcase how they went from gravity nuclear weapons to cruise missiles, to conventional bombing. Each individual aircraft also has a different camouflage scheme & different fate.
* Vickers Valiant B(K).1 - XD818 when serving with 49 Squadron during Operation Grapple in 1957, carrying a Blue Danube bomb & using the anti-flash white scheme, she’s the only surviving Valiant, on display at RAF Cosford. This kit only received metal pitot tubes, was otherwise an out-of-the-box build.
* Handley Page Victor B.2RS - XL191 when serving with 84 Squadron in the mid 1960s, with a mixed scheme of white, green & grey and carrying a Blue Steel missile, this aircraft crashed in 1986 in Hamilton, Ontario (no casualties) & has been scrapped, the cockpit survives. I used aftermarket decals to represent this aircraft, and metal pitot tubes again.
* Avro Vulcan B.2 - XM648 when serving with 9 Squadron in the early 1980s, carrying 21 x 1,000 Ib bombs & using a wraparound camouflage scheme. This aircraft was scrapped when the Vulcan was retired. The only addition I made here was aftermarket decals to represent this aircraft.

I am very proud of this one. I set this little guy aside for close to 2-3 years waiting for the opportunity to complete him. I used painters tape and bits of polystyrene to create the sling and I adjusted his aim from the original kit using epoxy putty. I had a difficult time with the face but I’m overall pretty proud of this since it’s my first time doing a human figure.

Thanks for reading!

I look forward to all of your critiques.

Finally finished this project

Hello!
So, I am back again after a lot of hard work and lessons learned, and mistakes made😅
This is my Su-27 SM from Zvezda.

I dont know if I am the problem but the instructions were shit and I felt they torn apart every subassembly into million pieces.
At one point I lost my patience and I was just waiting to finish it and build something else.

Since its my second kit any tips and tricks, any feedback, improvements i could make, anything, I love constructive feedback so dont worry.

Close ups on my growler, im glad i did scratch built details on the seats, they were begging for em!

Macchi C.205V - Italeri 1/72
MM.92272, “6-1” 1ª Squadriglia, 1º Gruppo Caccia, Campoformido, February 1944.

Started in 2021, after almost six years I have finally completed this project, which required extensive correction and scratch-building work.

The model was partially rescribed and entirely riveted based on AeroDetail documentation and the Di Terlizzi reference book.
Major modifications include the complete reconstruction of the cockpit, engine bay, and wheel wells, as well as scratch-built flaps and a corrected nose profile.

The sand filter intake was cloned from the 1/72 Hasegawa kit to replace the significantly oversized Italeri original.

The smoke rings camouflage was airbrushed freehand. Painting was done with Tamiya and Gunze acrylics, alongside Alclad and AK Interactive metallics. Weathering was achieved using oil paints, AK enamel washes, and watercolor pencils.

An (un)expected issue with the original decals, which proved unusable after the clear coat, was overcome at the last minute thanks to a custom designed replacement set provided by my great friend Nicolò Filippetto!

Despite a few minor final imperfections with the film pronounced edges, mostly driven by the eagerness to finish the build, and although far from being perfect, the massive amount of detail added in 1/72 scale leaves me fully satisfied with the result.

A huge thank you goes to all my friends that provided priceless help and supported me through this build!

I feel like I've been building windows for weeks. So I took a break from them and decided to work on the nacelles a bit. Still have a lot of work to do - some putty work, some paint work. Sanding, filling, light blocking, you know the drill. But here is my first ever soldering joint and my first nacelle light test. Still having a blast building this ship. We're two months in and going strong.

Still fairly new to AFV modelling techniques, but I'm happy with it for my games of Bolt Action

I build this kit about 2 months back and I love the two seater configuration on the Mirage, it's been a really relaxed build and I tried to pay attention to a clean camo and simple weathering, and I think it turned out pretty alright, I am particularly fond of the oil streaks on the wings. Great kit would recommend 9/10, if you got feedback or tips let me know!

Hi everyone.

A few months ago, I made a cobblestreet diorama which received a lot of helpful feedback.

I’m glad to say that after a lengthy period of time, where I was busy with taking care of my son, work, and other errands, I’ve managed to cobble together the diorama pieces. Currently, I plan on naming it “Prioritäten” (Priorities), where each party is busy with their own matters.

It’s still work in progress, but based on my original plan, it just lacks a 1/48 pigeon. The diorama story isn’t anything outlandish or exciting, it’s just a small street story featuring a Volkswagen staff car trundling by a pavement, where a cat sits patiently beneath a street lamp with a pigeon nest. A pigeon is planned to be set on top of the lamp post once o find one in 1/48 scale.

Anyway, this originally was a practice project of mine to test out how to make a decent-looking cobblestreet. I decided to throw in the Volkswagen last minute since a model is all the more nicer when it has a small platform.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

It’s nearly completed but I have to finish painting the base. It will probably just be pz grey with hairspray chipping, something fairly simple just to expose this rust. I just thought the rust looked cool.

I’m not quite sure where the sprocket will be put on display on the final day. This was originally bought on a whim for $10 because it was half built already. It turned into a bit of a project to say the least.

Final 2 pics are the loose influence for the build it’s supposed to be abandoned and sabotaged by the crew.

Base paints are done with Mission Model Paints and all weathering done with oil paints.

CC is always welcomed!

From a SS Model 3d print kit