ME 163

 

 ME 163 Komet 

Another kit completed from my MAYDAY build, it has been finished for three weeks or so, but I mislaid the canopy, which I found yesterday…… a simple build, the paint job is part airbrush part hand painted as I had masking tape tear so a sand back then brush job to complete, added decals from the kit, pilot is a supplied one. Not much use for wargaming but I knew I had to have one. When I worked at the Australian war memorial as a guide I often would take my guided group past the one in the memorial reminding people that this little jet was really a glider that was often a one way ticket. 

Cheers

Matt

P38J droop snoop

 370th Fighter Group P38 part 2

Finally got some time to complete this model, the P-38J from the 401st reconnaissance squadron of the  370th fighter group USAAF.  I have always wanted to build one of these for my European theatre ground air support as this unit was the close support for Pattons 3rd Armys breakout through Pays de Loire in August 1944. The droop snoot nosed aircraft was used coordination for targeting and low level rockets and bombing by the rest of the group, targeting the German support elememts and retreating convoys to the north and east into the Falaise pocket. 

As Wargamers we like to think that air support was easily available, with ground to air contact regularly. Pattons 3rd army was the first time that units at the front had direct radio liaison between the ground and the target liaison aircraft during the breakout. US aircraft were available every 8 mins to be targeted on the Germans units directed by these aircraft in constant contact with the lead elements of Pattons Armoured units. The P38s were flying out of Cardonville in Normandy so were over targets in the Mayenne region in around 5 mins as they chased the German 7th army east towards Paris then the border. The unit was also the first to drop Napalm incendiary bombs in Normandy on the 17th of July on a German fuel depot at Coutances west of St Lo. 

My kit is the superb Dragon model, only complaint no pilot….. so a Revell one was used, markings are for the 401st squadron of the 370th Fighter Group, fuselage code 7F. 

Cheers

Matt

 

Israeli Dassault Super Mystère

A very old Airfix Dassault Super Mystere B2 kit, a very clean build but the decals were not in great shape so aftermarket were added. It will serve in my Arab Isreali games nicely. Really happy with this one as part of my May Day aircraft builds. 

Cheers

Matt

Vichy Armee de l’Air Bloch 152 “Potent Pedro”

 

 Vichy Bloch 152

As a palette cleanser this week I completed a Bloch 152 for the Vichy airforce, I already have two Bloch 152 in the collection so I thought I needed to do something different, and here it is. 

Cheers

Matt

Luftwaffe F4 Phantom

 

 Luftwaffe F 4 phantom 

This aircraft has been almost complete pile for 10 years at least, the interior and base coat was painted, but no detailing done, panel lines, weathering  decals or pilot.

 Last month I unpacked boxes of kits from storage to complete some for the 30 day kit build. In these boxes were a number of aircraft in various stages of completion, mostly built but no paint, or pilots. So my goal this month is to finish off as many as I can before moving onto armour! 

Now I also have 3d files for pilots, so I have started printing loads of ww2, helicopter and jet pilots and looking for or purchasing decals to complete a number of builds that had stalled along with matching canopies (which is ok for some but difficult for others….). So expect a lot of aircraft over the coming month as I paint pilots, airbrush built kits and add decals. 

Really happy with my results although I think I would like to build it again and be more careful within my fit and finish. Overall really good to have it completed. 

Cheers

Matt

Newark Air Museum

  We are in Nottinghamshire for the weekend to attend Partizan, so visits to various museums in the area is always on the cards. First up was Newark Air Museum, what a great space and some excellent predominately modern aircraft display. The shop was also well stocked with kits at a very reasonable prices. 

Cheers 

Matt

WIP Wednesday - Saab Viggen

 Saab Viggen WIP

Another aircraft for my Swedish army, a Saab Viggen from Airfix again straight out of the box. A simple build with very few fitting problems (body and wings needed clamping) we shall see how the decals hold up when I paint it in late April. 

Cheers 

Matt 

Duxford IWM visit

 Duxford IWM visit

Day two of our holidays in the UK we visited the Duxford IWM airfield and hangers. What a fabulous museum and both of us really enjoyed it! It is great when your wife is also a ww2 aircraft nut! We payed for the private Lancaster talk and visit, walked around under and actually entered the Canadian built Lancaster, (the AWM canberra could learn a thing or two from this exhibition). We also visited the airborne museum in the main hanger (next post), the 1940 hanger, the privately owned aircraft hanger, the 1940 BoB ops room and the American aircraft hanger, but run out of time to visit the East Anglian regiment museum, and the armour museum, next visit perhaps!. 

I would of liked to have seen the aircraft in more of a order, ww1, mid war, ww2 and modern….but that is my need for order coming out. A few pics of my favorites! 

We had two highlights the Lancaster talk and visit into the aircraft interior and seeing the spitfire two seater take off and fly past. Lots of inspiration for my aircraft builds, I only picked up two kits (both ww1) and no books…..the wife purchased five though, which I will read also. 

More fun to come this week with several castles and two battlefield walks! 

Cheers

Matt