Airfix 1/72 Shooting Star - Korean War

After reading a good book on a subject, I invariably get the itchy modelling fingers. So it was with the Korean War book from Max Hastings. I therefore bought an in period model kit to make. As it happened it was a "model I missed as a child", aka the Airfix Shooting Star (re-released in the Vintage Kit series for old nostalgic fogies like me to buy). As a kid I was still very much a "WWII Spitfire Propeller" aficionado. I thought jets were a bit like cheating and not as interesting as the "piston-engine" planes (see below, I did not quite understand jets, I thought they were flying vacuum cleaners):  

A bucket-list project for the winter months. This also means I will be on the lookout for Airfix re-releasing their Mig-15 [and as Bob Cordery pointed out .. The Gloster Meteor as flown by the RAAF and just as importantly, available in Airfix Vintage].

Desert Air: RAF Curtiss Tomahawk IIB

I have been listening to James Holland's War in the West, Volume II recently (not quite finished it yet, as it is a very long audible listen), but one of the things it really emphasised was the importance of the allied Desert Air Force in fighting the DAK. Alongside the Hurricane Mk II tank strafer was the ubiquitous American made Tomahawk (see below, the "shark's teeth" epitomised the gruff ground attack ability to destroy the Axis supply lines and bomb it's armour, a war winning contribution): 

So I am looking forward to making this, plus I class it as another bucket list build, one that I regret not making as a kid! Or rather small kid, as I am still a kid, just a big kid. 

The Airfix Bofors Posse - A Bunch of Old 'Part-Kits' Made Good

One of the joys of the Conference of Wargamers (CoW) is the wonderous "bring and buy" stall, wherein a cornucopia of feasts is found: from books, board games to plastic models and the ubiquitous boxes of toy soldiers. More spare 'odds and ends' than full eBay collections, the useful left overs from last night's Indian curry that can make do for another meal (maybe I stretching the analogy there). For example from three separate Airfix boxes marked separately as: almost a Tractor and Bofor, two Bofor Tractors and a final one marked "more than one" Bofors and Tractor there came a veritable "Jock column" of 1/76 light AA guns was made (see below, admittedly two tractors were missing 'bonnets' but leftover plasti-card from other projects made up that shortfall; there was a final missing mudguard [to which I say is just character] which sadly came from when the wife poured out the soapy detergent basin of water in which  they were "soaking in" to de-grease somewhat prematurely - in her defence she had emptied the dregs of a coffee cup into the waters and was actually trying to make good her perceived "damage" to the models [moving on]):   

A final posse of four tractors in total were made which was quite an achievement from all the separate boxes (see below, I am quite proud of the production line effort now ready to be shipped to the front. Somehow I am thinking Western Desert or Mediterranean - although it was a ubiquitous piece of kit used throughout the war so perhaps British Army "Green" would be better 1940, 1943-45): 

Part two of the build, the actual Bofor AA guns, which I made three models of in total so there is a spare tractor which comes in rather handy (see below, all in a WIP state - the two to the right look more "lunar lander" than finished AA guns at the moment): 

The complete battery (see below, three guns and plenty of binoculars scanning the sky, by Holmes like abductive reasoning I think in total there were at least six different original model kits in play to generate my four  complete tractors and three complete guns): 

Bring on those Stukas we are ready for you! And a big thanks to the suppliers of the original raw material from the CoW 2019 Bring and Buy stall, look forward to seeing you for some more in 2023.

German Recon 20mm Airfix Classic (Vintage) Set

Another Airfix classic, this time a muddled box of confused spares and complete sprues with had two Kubelwagans and two 222 armoured cars. Yes the early war German classic Recon Set (see below, one twist as I left teh turrets off the armoured cars as I will be converting these to a 221 machine gun armed version and a 223 radio car version - wish me luck):   

This would mean that combined with my existing force of 222 armoured cars (good for Russia 1941 onwards to 1943 in grey), or I can either go more early war, and field the machine gun armed 221 and Hortch Kf 13 armoured cars (thinking Poland 1939 and France 1940). Either way the 223 is a good radio Command Car option. 

British Army Chieftain and Berlin Camo Reference Material

Another Airfix build from the loft, this time a Cold War veteran, the BOAR Chieftain or rather a second to keep an earlier Chieftain build company (see below, it was an old kit in the hard plastic [cover picture showing a finished model as opposed to the "crossing the rugged field" artwork - so it was pretty old] and dangerously brittle tracks): 

Thinking of the Berlin garrison with its unique urban camo (see below, nothing like setting yourself a challenge): 

Well I had me some fun running around the Internet seeing various sources and takes on the Berlin Camo pattern: 

https://www.emlra.org/index.php/library/general-articles/29-elmra-articles-berlin-brigade-urban-paint-scheme

https://www.themodellingnews.com/2018/01/painting-guide-fv432-mk21-winterior-in.html

https://www.team-yankee.com/Default.aspx?tabid=909&art_id=5363&kb_cat_id=242

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMO1jirNvDc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKX2Te90IHI

https://www.migjimenez.com/en/acrylic-colors/558-british-berlin-camouflage-colors-1988-1991.html

https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/13666-british-berlin-brigade-urban-camo-paint-scheme/

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235082905-chieftain-mk10-berlin-brigade/

https://laststandonzombieisland.com/tag/berlin-brigade-urban-camouflage-scheme/

http://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/in-berlin-camouflage/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/gdw1988/berlin-camo/

Watch this space for the painting description (eventually), but I think it will be a slow process.

My "Last" Airfix Churchills

There are Airfix "Vintage" kits and then there is the Airfix Churchill, more challenge than nostalgic joy, but satisfying nevertheless (see below, one look at the picture and old-timers will know where I am coming from - "bogie wheels are us"): 

Apparently there is a clever - "keep it on the sprue until the last moment" - technique I have never been privy to (see below, one done bar the turret, the other WIP, plenty of glue being used to keep everything in place): 

Both ready for their tops, but one will have a twist (see below, when you get as far as this point there is a certain "downhill from here on in" satisfaction as you sip your tea, with the 'hard bit' well behind you):

A standard Normandy 75mm Mk VII turret and a "bridge layer" - yes it is that "add on bit" to the vintage kit model. Airfix seemed to go through a phase of taking an old standard kit then adding a specialist sprue on -  Churchill Crocodile, Churchill Bridge Layer, Sherman Flail, Sherman Calliope and Matilda Hedgehog .. all good stuff (see below, my final Churchills are now made, small question of painting and decals):   

The Airfix Bridge Layer Churchill complements the Matchbox Revell AVRE Bridge Layer. I like the fact that this is a non-fighting specialist AFV. One for the bucket list done!

Looking forward to this (Vintage) release from Airfix later this year (2022): RAAF Boomerang (WWII)

A bit like the Fairey Battle kit, the RAAF Boomerang was a kit that I sadly missed first time round from my childhood Airfix shopping list. As it approaches a new [Autumn, so still a bit off] release date my salivation will start. Luckily it is one of the smaller models so even with the current plastic manufacturers price hikes [some of the prices of the recent large Airfix kits have caused consternation over the morning coffee, quite scary to the likes of little old me] I should snap one us (see below, I love the classic box art): 

 

Note: Not a smidgen of red anywhere to be seen near the markings. Quiet the opposite in fact, blue highlighted by white. That is meant calm the twitchy trigger finger nerves of friendly Allied AA gunners and Allied aircrew alike, to avoid common "blue-on-blue".

Vintage Airfix and Christmas

I found that I could not really say no (see below, some of the ones I missed when I was a kid): 

The doubling up on the Fiesler Storch was a case of one for Rommel and one for the European theater of operations (including rescuing Mussolini).