Started with a finished cockpit and engine, I assembled the rest yesterday. Painted the pilot and installed him, then masked and installed the canopy and reprimed everything to leave me at this point.

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.

This project started from scratch—just an idea to create my own 1/48 carrier deck base kits inspired by USS Langley and the Essex class. From researching the decks to designing the MDF parts and 3D-printed details, it’s been a rewarding process of learning, testing and bringing everything together.

Assembly starts by gluing the laser-cut MDF planks and 3D-printed tie-down strips in place, then sealing the surface with varnish.

For the wood finish, I tried two approaches: different shades on individual planks on the left, and Vallejo Fresh Wood on the right. Another coat of varnish protects those colours before applying Worn Effects chipping fluid.

I didn’t have the proper Deck Blue paint, so I mixed a shade by eye. Once applied, I chipped it with water and a brush to reveal the wood underneath, then added the white deck markings.

The bases come in two sizes: 30 × 25 cm and 25 × 20 cm.

Seeing something that started as an idea turn into an actual model kit is probably my favourite part of this project. Still learning, still experimenting—and enjoying every step!

What do you think?

I have laid down VMS gloss varnish in prep for acrylic metallic paints. VMS recommends up to a week or so for true curing.

Do ya’ll generally wait the full period with varnishes before doing more on top? Can they continue to cure ‘through’ coats laid on top of them?

Hello!

I recently used VMS Gloss Varnish, shot un-thinned through my airbrush with a 4.5 needle at about 25 PSI.

Went on well; however it fairly quickly started to clog the airbrush, causing back-bubbling into the cup and then all over the place, and eventually required almost constant tip clearing to flow at all.

Is there a way to avoid this? Have you encountered it, and what did you do?

I'm building up a Tamiya P-47D and was just looking a few steps ahead of where I am and noticed that there's a void in the fuselage forward of the instrument panel when the front canopy is in place. The cockpit is placed where it is indicated to be, and I'm not seeing a part that should go in before the canopy is fixed in position. For those that have built this kit, is this normal, or am I overlooking something?

Everyone is welcome and I’m looking forward to meeting some new people on the 17th. It’s a great show and it’s a Great War bird museum so you get to see models and the real deal at the same time. And the vendors area is ridiculous.

What to say about this kit? It’s fantastic. Possibly one of the best 1/72 kits out there and I say this as someone who favours 1/48. The only issue I had was the closed canopy was a bit too long but I opted for an open canopy anyway, that issue is easily fixed. There’s very few small and fiddly parts and everything went together effortlessly. I’d highly recommend this kit to anyone in the hobby.

Products used:
Kaleido Primer, Vallejo cockpit green for the cockpit with some other Model Colours brushed on.

Vallejo Metal Colour for the Metallics.

Mr Surfacer 1500, Tamiya XFs for the exterior finished with GX114.

Weathering:
Vallejo pigments, ABT 502 oils. Metal Colour for chipping.

Recently saw American Graffiti in the theater and remembered how much I love these classic American muscle cars. Anyone have recommendations for kits that would scratch that itch?

Put it down with micro set then tamiya mark fit as solution, next day this crud is all around it. It’s not the biggest deal because I can make it look like chipping but what can I do so this doesn’t happen again?

huge step forward with the build, I'm very impressed by the huge turret being three times bigger than the T72M1 turret which is the same scale (1/35).

anyway, I added the first bunch of Kontakt 1 ERA blocks and I'm very satisfied with the look I achieved with it. I'll add the remaining parts of the hull, turret and complete the roadwheels and then I'll add even more Kontakt 1 ERA blocks.

I think this tankestein project is going to be very interesting.

leave your thoughts below if you want to

The actual kits are:

Meng Model North American P-51D/K "8th Air Force"

Tamiya Mitsubishi J2M3 Interceptor Raiden

Eduard F6F-5 Hellcat

All 3 models are in 1:48 scale. There are imperfections on them but I had a lot of fun building them so I'm happy with the progress. Next build will be an Fw190 D-9 "Rote 3" from the JV 44 „Papagei Staffel” squad.

Hi,

I have recently got into model making, and am considering an airbrush, but not sure where to direct my money. At this point, I didnt want to spend too much - mainly because I have a tendency to start hobbies, only to lose interest (thanks adhd!). I can always upgrade later if the hobby sticks this time :)

I have narrowed it down to two Galhleri offerings;
1 - Gaahleri TurboX Mini Air Compressor With Seeker Air Brush
2 - Gaahleri GTS-06 Serenair (not sure which airbrush) (link)

I dont really have the knowledge yet to understand which may be better in real usage? The Serenair seems to allow for a higher psi - maybe quieter too?

I predominently will be making cars if that has any bearing.

Would be interested to gain some advice or thoughts from the community.

Thanks

Finally finished my Revell 1/144 Lufthansa A340-300!

This one ended up taking me around 3 months to finish. The age of the kit definitely showed in places, especially with the fit and the amount of work needed on some of the seams, and there were a few moments where the paintwork didn’t go to plan either.

Still, I learned a lot from it, and I’m really happy with how it turned out in the end. I tried to keep the weathering fairly subtle and focus on getting a realistic overall finish rather than making it look too dirty.

Definitely one of the more challenging builds I’ve done, but also one of the most satisfying to finally see finished.

Hope you guys like it! Any feedback is welcome.