633 Squadron Project: 1/200 BRS Models

If you look closely you will see "half" of 633 Squadron (see below, queue theme music - I know you know it): 

This is one of my long standing childhood "silly dream" projects. 1/72 scale is way too big, as is 1/144 [as well as being seriously expensive last time I looked]. 1/300 seemed "almost right" but a little bit on the small side, so 1/200 seems the manageable compromise and the Warlord kit is very nice (plus I also have a Skytrex Action 200 Nazi Flak Battalion which is the same scale). I know I don't need twelve planes (as you can recycle them round) but once I have done the first six, in for a penny, in for a pound - just the question of a making the fjord scenery and a Nazi atomic factory to blow up ;) 

Painting Tray (Cupboard Review)

What's in teh cupboard before Xmas to do?

The AFV collection (see above):

• 1/72 Italeri/Esci Hetzer (to make up a Command Decision ersatz panzerjaeger late-war company of three)
• 1/72 (notorious as big in scale) Skytrex 1944 Bren Carrier (to be the universal helper to my Paltoon 20 British PBI)

The "half completed" aeroplane collection (see above):

• 1/72 Westland Whirlwind (pain job and decals required)
• 1/72 De Haviland Mosquito (bomb and rocket racks to add, paint and decals required)

Repair jobs (see above):

• 1/48 Spitfire Vb (bits dropped off that need replacing)
• 1/72 Do 17 E/F (bits dropped off and upgrade to paint job)

Terrain Projects (see above):

• The "real water" effect, see interesting scenery box  

Kits lurking in other corners of the house (see above):

• 1/700 Fujimi HMS Hood
• Revell snap-together Millennium Falcon

Can the above be done before 2013 turns into 2014?
(On teh other hand need they all be?)

Airfix Mosquito Assembly/Painting WIP (Part II)

The Mosquito gets an "anti-shipping" (aka Mk VI version) camouflage pattern, grey irregular waves using Tamiya XF-82 (Ocean Gray 2 [RAF]) that gives a nice deep gray though slightly shiny no matter how much I stir the pot (satin perhaps, see below?):

I still need to work on the perspex (see below), I may have to go out and get myself a Games Workshop Chaos Black as despite my previous protestations, it does cover bare plastic very well and I need some sharp black strands to mark the strips of metal:

The second part of the camouflage "wave" scheme is a more standard Tamiya XF-61 Dark Green (see below):

I'm in two minds how to go next, as to whether I leave it with a standard one coat paint job (as per the 1/48 scale Spitfire I made) or lighten parts of it up (as per my usual 1/72 scale small to medium sized kits)

Decisions, decisions ... 

Airfix Mosquito WIP (WW2)

BBDBA Platea looms but first a slight diversion away from the ancients ... 

This is an all time classic kit (possibly my favorite) that has been waiting in the wings for a while. It brings back images and the theme tune from that post-war film classic "663 Squadron", the Airfix Mk VI Mosquito Fighter Bomber variant (see below):

Endeared to me in my early childhood through my eldest brother making me one when I was but too clumsy to make it myself, the "Wooden Wonder" was a brilliant "backyard toy". Naturally I am going to rack her up with rockets and bombs (keeping the four 20mm cannon instead of the one big 57mm anti-shipping gun) and take her for a test flight, probably when the family are fast asleep upstairs (see below):

Naturally I am building this for my kids, but if you excuse me first I have to fly down a Norwegian fjord and drop a bomb on a German factory making rockets that could destroy the D-Day invasion fleet.