Request For Help.....

[ysi_maniac]

It is easy: SELF INFLICTED PAIN.
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[kitbasher]

1/72
Airfix:
Dominie
MiG-15
Gnat
Sea King
Bloodhound SAM
Grumman Duck
Westland Lynx
AH-1T Sea Cobra
Scorpion Tank
Chieftain Tank
Kopro:
MiG-19/Shenyang F-6 x2

There's some good advice out there Mossie, and the best is simply to finish one.  I was in the same rut as you until I joined this forum and let rip with whiffing.  Terrific fun, no rules, and you're NEVER wrong!  Oh yes, and discovering Hobby Boss quick builds.
I'd say stick to one scale and either aircraft or tanks.  Helicopters are the devil's spawn so bin/sell them.
How about the Mig 19 in Hunter colours, or a flying boat Mig 15 or 19 with the Duck's boat hull and floats, and the air intake atop the fuselage behind the cockpit.  The Dominie idea is cool - perhaps it could be in RFC BE2c colours as a mock 90th anniversary scheme or even a WW2 Boston - keeps the 55 Sqn theme going.  I've got an old Airfix Tornado I've been considering painting up in an imaginary 65th anniversay scheme for 617 Sqn, ie Dk Green, Dk Earth, Night with WW2 codes etc as worn by the Sqn's Lancasters.  Of course a big sqn badge would be neeeded to adorn the fin.  

[Archibald]

This damned Bloch MB-140 has stalled since october     No time left, and this week its worse than ever

But I keep faith in modelling.

Build a simple kit, straight out of the box.  I think I'll buy another Mirage IV from heller, and probably their Mirage IIIE/R/5 too.

[Mossie]

Wow, what a response!    Thanks guys, too many have replied to give individual replies but all your posts have been a great help!  The general gist of most posts is:  Keep it simple stupid!  So I've narrowed down the kits to four ideas partly based on some of your suggestions:

1/144 Dragon A-6 Intruder, Aeronavale.  The Hawkeye kit has Aeronavale decals with small roundels that'll fit the A-6 well.  No French ordanance though, although the Matra pods from the Hunter kit might work.  Might be able to scratch Exocets from Harpoons, should be minimal work so as not to get away from the quick build aspect.
1/72 Airfix HS Dominie, RAF tactical camo Support Command.  Not sure wether to go for 60's/70's hi-viz or or 80's low viz roundels.  If I went for 80's I could just about stretch to D-Day stripes for a 50th Aniversary aircraft, maybe even include squadron codes.  Could even do a chocolate & toffee tropical camo.
1/72 Airfix Gnat, RAF point defence fighter.  I could either go with a grey scheme with sidewinders as suggested, or maybe silver dope & hi-viz roundels, I'm pretty sure I've got some Fireflash missiles too.
1/72 Airfix AH-1T Cobra, South Vietnam (assuming a different outcome of the Vietnam war).  South Vietnam re-building their armed forces, using mainly surplus US equipment.  Kit decals, with a new roundels based on South Vietnam's National flag, hand painted.

What do you all think?

Again, thanks all of you for your help!    

[Brian da Basher]

I'd go with the Gnat. No scratchbuilding weapons or complicated paint scheme to slow you down.

Best of luck and please share your finished project with us when it's done.

Brian da Basher

[Gekko_1]

Hi Mossie,

some information needed.

Do you have a half decent airbrush?

Do you have a digital camera?

The reason for my asking is to try and identify some things that may be preventing you from progressing. For example if your airbrushing with Tamiya paint then I will be able to help you with that side of things, especially regarding mixing paint for specific colours as I've become quite good at that lately and thinning ratios etc.

Secondly, if you have a digital camera you can take progress shots and put them up on the board so we can guide you through any problem areas.

As for kits, I'm wondering what your budget is like? The reason for my asking is that one thing I've found over the years that if I start building a crap kit and things start going badly then that's basically the end of the build for me.

Personally I think the best thing you could do for yourself is start a kit with a very good build reputation. That way you will not be slowed down by having to fill endless join lines etc, therefore you build faster and keep the momentum going.

To that end I think you should start with a 'newer' Hasegawa or Tamiya kit in 48th or 72nd scale. Perhaps a couple of us could decide on a similar Hasegawa/Tamiya kit and try and build it simultaneously??

If you need inspiration in the meantime I'm sure myself and the other profile artists would respond favourably to requests for profiles for you to sort-out a scheme for you to follow.

I've found that if I build something half decent then that alone gives the momentum to get on with the next build, time allowing, but the enthusiasm stays because you have that finished model to look back on/at and that satisfaction can carry you through the next build even if it taking time to get done.



Richard.

[Gekko_1]

Now that I've seen your Tornado profiles, why don't you do a Hasegawa 72nd scale Tornado, or a 48th scale Italeri Tornado in one of your schemes?



Richard.

[ysi_maniac]

It is easy: SELF INFLICTED PAIN.
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^^^^ this was obviously a joke.

2 alternatives

Simple: Kopro MiG-19 with nuke as can be seen in Gunston's Encyclopaedia on Russian Aircraft. I do not remember whether it is in Buttler's book too.

Less simple: I know you like SABA concept. Take Airfix Gnat and assemble fuselage. Then add 1/144 A-10 wings in aft fuselage to get a canard config. vertical A-10 surfaces can act as fore planes. Then add a pusher propeler or leave the jet.  

[Glenn Gilbertson]

I'd go with the Gnat. No scratchbuilding weapons or complicated paint scheme to slow you down.

Best of luck and please share your finished project with us when it's done.

Brian da Basher

Can't put it better! Keep it simple, don't start anything for which you do not have all the bits (I'll get on with it when I find the decals/references/missiles etc etc ...................) - been there, procrastinated over that!
Have fun!
 

[Mossie]

I've actually ruled out the Gnat, because I can't get it out of my head that to be a fighter, it'd need a radar nose.  I could build it without changing it, I but I wouldn't be satisfied at the end, always thinking it wasn't quite right!  Might make a good build for the near future though, just a simple conversion.  I've also ruled out the Cobra, the kit has a reasonable amount of detail which might slow down the painting.

So that narrows it down to the 1/144 A-6 & the 1/72 Dominie.  I've got decals for both & Imay well have some weapons that are suitable for the A-6 rather than scratching some Exocet.

Richard, I do have a digital camera & I'll be posting in progress pics.  I own an airbrush, but it doesn't fit my old compressor!  I'm hoping to find an adapter (I've checked the model shops, Badger don't do one but I might be able to find something at plumbing outlet) but until then I'll make do with hand painting.  The info on the Tamiya pants will be great, thanks!  I've got a Tamiya Mossie (appropriately), but there's a fair bit of detail which I would want to do justice too & it seems like a longer build in this respect.  Apparently the two kits above fall together, so they should be okay & the Dominies simplicity may be a bonus in this particular situation!

A sponsered build has been mentioned & I think this'll be a good idea, although after I've got a kit or two finished.  Several people are looking at building a USAF Tornado, maybe we could all start them together in a kind of informal group build?  I've got Airfix kits (I've got so manyof those!) of the Tornado F.3 & GR.4, but maybe It might be worth getting the Has F.3 kit, although I've doubts about it's accuracy.  Although it's whiff, I think (having only seen pics) that the GR.1 kit was simply lengthened up front so the proportions would be all out if this is the case.  Getting a bit anal & JMN-ish, I know!

[John Howling Mouse]

I do hope you let us in on the progress you make.  I don't finish all my stuff but I sure found that not being permitted the time to model for the past five months (moving and setting up house, etc.) sure made me miss it.

While finishing is a valuable part of modeling, I hope you find the building to get to the finish line pleasurable enough to keep you in the hobby.

 

[Mossie]

Baz, I do find an enjoyment in building, that's probably half of the problem!  And usually by the 2/3 to 3/4 stage, my mind is starting to wander & I loose that enjoyment.  A lot of it is just a problem keeping a focus which pervades into the rest of my life, it can happen at work too & get me into trouble!  I'm hoping that if I can crack it with models, I can break the back of it generally.

Lee, yeah, my stash could definately do with updating.  Trouble is, the main model shop I visit stocks a lot of Airfix kits!  Airfix tend to kit the kind of subjects I like too.  I've recentlry tried to make a concerted effort to buy kits other than Airfix & especially more modern ones, I've picked up several Revell kits, although I've found myself slipping back in the last month or two.  I've tried one Hobbyboss kit so far (the P-40 floatplane I was banding about at Aeroventure) & to be honest I found it needed as much PSR as many of the Airfix kits I've done, the gap between top & bottom was large, there was also a step on the vertical tail surfaces & there were gaping gaps between the canopy & fuse.  It went together okay, just making a neat job of it seemed to be as much work as normal.  Is this just the P-40?

[Gary]

Two things.
What Gecko said about good quality new kits is exactly right. And I love the suggestion that we all start with the same kit and build it wiff style! Awesome idea!

Second, re: Gnat without radar. I had read some time ago that there was a move for clear sky fighters in places like Saudi Arabia and such. Basically, fighters armed with infra red missles, like Sidewinders and the like that would be very inexpensive compaired to the mega superfighters, and thus a country could purchase many more. The basic premise was radar guidance by ground controllers to visualy aquire targets and take them with Sidewinders. Tactics and the like would need to be worked out. (Aren't two place Hawks are currently used as dual trainer and point intercept with sidewinders? I have a pic somewhere in my boxed library. There are Mirage and Jaguar varients that carry missiles and don't sport intercept radar)

Very early in the F-15's career during a Maple Flag competition, and while Canada was still flying CF-104's, a tactic of heat seaking hit and run got developed. The Canucks confused a lot of issues by not turning on radars, using T-33's and 104's at great distance for decoys and sticking strictly to heat seeking weapons and had reasonable success.

[Gekko_1]

Trouble is, the main model shop I visit stocks a lot of Airfix kits!  Airfix tend to kit the kind of subjects I like too.

Mossie, what about an Airfix 48th scale Lightning kit?   Its a very nice kit with lots and lots of Whiffing potential!?

With others here building along with you, going at a very realistic steady build pace with lots of ideas and techniques thrown in along the way its sure to encourage you to see it through to the end. Don't concentrate on a completion date, just take it day to day. We could all update each other on a daily basis, or even every second day and share with each other how we anticipate tackling a particular section of the build and report back our success or lack there of and put our heads together for remedies.

Clear away an other kits that may distract you and fully concentrate on the kit in question. The fact that there may well be one or two other modellers doing the same kit at roughly the same time may well keep enough "positive" pressure on you to get you over the period where you tend to stall and come to a stop.

What do you think?



Richard.

[Thorvic]

Just go for a simple kit with a simple scheme, and leave the whiffing to the decals, as Richard said clear off your workbench of other distractions to allow you to focus on the job in hand.

The key factor is inspiration you have gototo find a subject that you want to build, (just one thats not too ambitious) and you should find yourself getting back into the mood.

G