Airfix Hannover

Out of storage for a little touch-up

I've had this kit a long time, it is one of my favourite WW1 aircraft

I've got another one of these to put together, and a WW1 game scenario set in 1918 where the Germans get x2 to use in a ground attack role, keep you posted on that one - thought I might attempt the harlequin paint scheme that some of these had too

However, just accepted a short term contract near Townsville so all of my projects and plans will have to wait a little while. Show you some pictures of my new man-cave once I've found one.

Cheers

Al

Airfix Handley Page 0400

Been on and off this for about a year. I estimate I have spent over a hundred hours on completing this kit. These had a crew of 3-5 and a top speed of about 100mph fully loaded. Operational by late 1916, they served throughout WW1, and was later used by several countries, including China

Several parts were quite rough, bent, twisted, or in the case of the wing-strut-thingy below, missing

Here it is minus its crew and payload

Most of the rigging went slack when I applied the spray under-coat, the paint sort of melted the wire. I have tightened it where I could but there are still a few strands that are a bit loose 

The crew. Only the forward gunner is original, 

The pilot is from an old Monogram kit

Mid-upper gunner is from Airfix

Undercarriage and payload

Decals are from what I had lying around, the originals all broke into pieces when I put them in water; I hate decals :)

Invented paint scheme. This model will certainly see tabletop action at some stage. This was an extremely difficult kit to build owing to vague instructions, missing parts and my unfamiliarity with rigging such a large model. Still, I am happy with the overall outcome and very pleased to have it in my collection. 

WW1 Martin Bomber

This model dates to the earliest parts of my collection. I got it on ebay when you could still get decent models for 99 cents, at this time I knew little about the hobby, the historical stuff, paint schemes, unit markings, etc

This model is by Glenco, I think it dates from around the late sixties or early seventies. It has seen a couple of tabletop games. I added a forward gunner from an Airfix kit, I think the rear gunner is somewhere inside the fuselage because it was rattling when I was repairing it the other night :) 

Will remount the machine gun, once I've recovered the gunner

Not sure if the decals I put on this are authentic. When I built this, it was with a minor nations inter-war addition kind of thinking, and for gaming it simply represents a light or medium bomber, depending on the era your playing

It suffered moderate damage in getting here but is now fit for service again. These were intended to be a far superior improvement on the British Handley Page 0-400 but actually fell a bit short in a number of areas

Might repaint and decal it one day? Very few of these were produced and all that were saw service only with the US military, deploying in October 1918.

Spad XIII

Completed this over the last couple of nights. Academy's Spad XIII

As you can see a total of about twenty five parts, undercoated on-sprue with a couple of coats of Tamiya Khaki-Drab

They are pretty well engineered kits, with very little flash. Still quite intimidated by wire that went into the (as yet still unfinished) 0400 so this one went together un-rigged 

These models were in just about every corner shop we ever went into when living on the Peninsular, and it was considered almost un-Korean for a boy not to have at least one somewhere in his room. Most Academy kits are 1/35

The camouflage is not quite authentic but near enough 

Decals for the American option only

A pilot figure would have been nice but the kit doesn't come with one, and the only spare one I have is going into the 0400

Operational in April 1917, nearly 10,000 of these were built before the end of the war. They were used by about twenty different nations; some into the early 1930s.

Revell Albatros D.III

The latest of my German aircraft for the Great War - entered operational service in late 1916 and continued to serve throughout

I used this to help get my aircraft making mojo back, and to give me something else to do whilst waiting for parts on the 0-400 to set

Simple little kit this, great for wargaming. I was going to rig it but after the amount of that I've been doing on the 0-400 I just didn't have it in me! More on that later

Now, somehow I need to get my trench boards http://20thcenturywargames.blogspot.com.au/search/label/trenches over here from NZL (currently residing with Dave) and this little addition might actually get some game time. I also have a Roden one of these that I might have a crack at later in the year, we'll see.