Boeing P-8 Poseidon - Walkaround at Le Bourget - Academy 1:144

recent builds of the Academy Poseidon in 1:144 by Thomas, Steve and Stu. US Navy  P-8 "759" photographed by this blogger at Le Bourget, Paris in June 2025 where it was on static display.

text based on Des Brennan's "Poseidon - both hunter and hunted" in SAM Vol 45/4

The Boeing P-8 is a multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defence, Space and Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. Developed for the United States Navy the type flies anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance,and search and rescue missions. On 20 July 2007, the Australian Minister for Defence announced that the P-8A was the preferred aircraft to replace the Royal Australian Air Force fleet of Lockheed AP-3C Orions, followed by the United Kingdom in 2012, Norway in 2014, then New Zealand, South Korea, and Germany. 

Poseidon MRA.1 ZP805/05/Fulmar (the Naval Air Station name for Lossiemouth prior to it becoming an RAF base) operated by a crew from No.120 Squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth drops a torpedo (recoverable exercise variant of the Mk 54) over the Moray Firth in July 2021. The rear fuselage weapons bay doors are still open, the forward fuselage FLIR ball is lowered, and no wing pylons are fitted. (Cpl. Adam Fletcher Open Government Licence) 

Poseidon P-8A YD/755 (168755) of Patrol Squadron VP-4 ‘The Skinny Dragons’ overhead Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, in February 2020 during Exercise Dynamic Mantra 2020. This gives a good view of the various aerials and sensors under the aircraft, the inboard wing mounted weapons pylon, and the mounting plinth for the outer as well as the location of the weapons bay aft of the wing. (US Navy photo)

The US Navy has 133 P-8s in service. With a six-screen glass cockpit the P-8 is operated by two pilots on the flight deck with another seven members of the crew operating the mission systems from consoles in the cabin, of which originally five but later upgraded to seven can be installed. The P-8’s maximum speed is 490 knots/564mph (908 kph), it has a service ceiling of 41,000 ft (12,500m), and an unrefuelled range of 4,500 miles (7250 km). Endurance is around ten hours but this can be doubled with air-to-air refuelling (AAR) although unusually for a US Navy aircraft (and for some of those current users who practice that art) only the flying boom method is provided for, as opposed to their long-standard use of the probe-and-drogue method.

The UK ordered 9 examples of the P-8 in 2019 with deliveries beginning in early 2020 and completed two years later although in the past year RAF sources have commented on the need for a further three aircraft to meet changed threat levels. Aircraft are operated on a pooled basis from RAF Lossiemouth by Nos.120 and 201 Squadrons with training conducted by No.54 Squadron’s Poseidon Flight

Note Steve's build of RAF Poseidon  ZP 804 "04" (below) has Harpoons installed on the wing pylons.

Model build below by Stu Davies

Phantom February @ IPMS East Kent

 

The theme for February's model club meet was Phantoms! Here's a few views of the table with Tamiya, ZM, Hasegawa/Revell, Esci and Academy F-4s in 48th and Airfix and Fujimi F-4s in 72nd. 

uploading your model photos to ChatGPT to create AI-generated scenes and backgrounds..(1)

 

Have you noticed AI-generated model 'images' appearing on model forums yet? AI is everywhere. AI is still developing - the world is not due to end until mid-2028 - and will likely penetrate even further into all aspects of our lives. 'General' intelligence is apparently the goal - when AI learns how to improve itself with no human intervention because we simply won't be able to keep up or control it. AI has already come frighteningly close to 'creating' decent music, video film clips and images. It is everywhere and in everything on social media and youtube - although a lot of it is dross. In some sectors, for example, the music scene, it is already embedding itself among “real” artists and albums. AI has already 'created' the No. 1 song in the charts! So much so that we’re being fooled without even realizing it. If it isn’t explicitly stated that something is AI-generated, it has become increasingly difficult nowadays to distinguish between real and fake.

If you don't already know, it is possible to upload any random model photo to the ChatGPT app on your phone and ask it via a simple text box to create any sort of scene/background you wish. The 'results' are pretty impressive  -  provided of course that you are very precise with the 'prompts. And while doing this consider for a moment what the software is actually doing. Trawling or 'scraping' the web for similar scenes which it can 'copy' and 'reproduce' or 're-model'..

Put it in AI and on one level of course 'your' model no longer represents the model you originally completed. The app has the annoying habit of 'manipulating' your original photo in ways that are unexpected and hopelessly 'inaccurate'...the key here is to be very very precise in the text prompts that you give the app; eg after creating some of the images here I learnt to add a 'Do not modify the aircraft' prompt ..but even that does not always work..

Below; Dick's GWH Victor in 144th scale. AI image by FalkeEins

Below; Stu's Hasegawa Sabre of JG 71 seen getting airborne from Fliegerhorst Oldenburg

Airfix Jaguar in Gulf War setting..despite specifying 'RAF' the ChatGPT app still gave me a 'pointy' nose French-like variant and got the undercarriage doors 'wrong'!

Here's Keith's Viking from my last post. I asked the app to depict a scene from Manston, Kent in 1967. However it shows passengers attempting to board via a non-existent 'door'. The door is at the rear of the real aircraft on the port side! I could perhaps have used the 'edit' button to eliminate this error I presume. Being a little more 'precise' on the ChatGPT 'prompts' would possibly make for a better image.

This is Dale's Kittyhawk Mirage - the image I took of the model on club night last week and then uploaded to the ChatGPT app and the AI-generated result from the app. Note how the app will modify the 'pose' of the model according to the scene you ask it to 'create'. I don't think this AI result is too bad - although note the typo on the tailfin and the weird 'hybrid' airframe in the background!

Harmless fun or a threat to modellers and model-making everywhere? I can see some modellers building models just to create these sorts of images-  no need to detail cockpits or worry about a decent paint scheme. The AI image generation app really renders the detail on the aircraft - including 'metallic' finish - really rather well...but - and its a big 'but'. AI is a divisive topic at the moment. Everyone and his dog appears to be using it - use it or be seen as 'out-of-touch'. The ChatGPT app is free to use at the moment - 'creating' a 'dependency' as some would have it. And while there are some constraints to usage in the 'free' app, an unlimited 'subscription' costs around $20/month. It is in the field of music particularly where the 'science' is moving faster than our law makers, where AI has copied millions and millions of songs to 'create' new material for whoever - no musical knowledge necessary- with no apparent thought for plagiarism or copyright. But it is hardly the end-users' fault that our legislators haven't ruled on this yet! As usual, there are big bucks to be made..

Here is Nigel's  AI image generation attempt with the Airfix Jaguar. Well unfortunately the nose is still 'wrong' and the app has 'mis-rendered' the base of the tailfin. 

Building the Airfix Sepecat Jaguar in 1/48th (part 6)

 

Finished painting except for one or two details. Discovered AK Real colors (laquer) after selecting their 'RAF Desert Pink'.  These are fantastic - with a little Mr Color Levelling Thinner easily the best spray finish I've ever achieved, probably the most 'in control' of the airbrush that I've ever felt. Getting some more !

Meanwhile, as I slowly complete my first, Mr. Bill Clark of our club has completed two, both of which will be on the Jag-Uhar SIG table at this weekend's SMW 2025 in Telford.

A few close-up views of Bill's model of  XZ 375 as seen at a recent East Kent Scale Modeller's  club night..

Building the Airfix Sepecat Jaguar in 1/48th (part 5) - reference pics of the gear bays and legs

 Finished painting the airframe.

'Black-basing' the airframe prior to application of the AK Real colors 'Desert Pink'  proved to be a complete waste of time. I was very impressed though with the AK paint and used in conjunction with 'Mr Color Levelling Thinner' proved to be a revelation..(..to me at least..)

Next; dealing with the gear bays and undercarriage. Assembling the legs can be pretty tricky at first sight. Note the 'ring-like' attachment point on the long inner strut is canted. Make sure you position it the correct way round otherwise it will bow just like it does on Gary's build! And a shout-out to the model channel 'Hobby Wan Kenobi' or whatever it is he calls himself - why on earth do all that masking around the gear bays? Paint the bays and then use the kit gear doors to 'mask' them by just positioning them in place closed up.

Close up of the gear legs on the Manston example, and, bottom, detail views of the gear bays. Airfix's colour call-out for the legs - Humbrol 27 - is rather too dark in my view. Overall though Airfix have done a fantastic job on this part of the kit.

Port main gear bay looking towards the rear of the aircraft and, bottom, looking directly into the starboard bay. Note inner faces of the main gear doors are not in zinc chromate..

Building the new 1:48th Airfix Jaguar - back to the build (part 4)

Returning to the Jag, but not before I've watched this video - embedded here with youtube's 'embed' code -  a complete 'modellers guide' posted by Airfix. And added some more of my own pictures here. 'Walkaround' tour by ex-Jaguar mechanic and modeller Cpl. Jones who delivers an excellent commentary highlighting some of the areas of interest on the kit with advice on how to model/paint them...