Spey_Phantom's corner of solitude

[TheChronicOne]

... perfect for my next builtplan, witch is a modern version of Area 88 aircraft (call it an Area 88 2.0 idea  ). ideas are being made for new mercenary pilots, new aircraft and markings,....i still need to work out all the details.

Urm... count me in! I'd love to see what hat plan looks like!

I agree!!

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #235

more progress on the bench, i have finished another smaller in-between build, a revell 1/144 Bell P-39Q in Soviet markings.
also on the bench are 2 1/144 MiG-29's (coming from 3, one completed model has been set aside for the new Area88 project) and prep-work has begun on a revell 1/144 Hawker Typhoon.
i also just ordered an Academy 1/144 Mig-29 as a source of parts to rebuild a partially completed revell Mig29 model i got as a freebee in a secondhand AN124 kit.

lately ive been trying to slim the stash by takig in a couple of Revell microwings kits, i know most of them are horrible, but they make great whiff fodder and are used mostly for modifications and parts source, but i wanted to build at least one of each OOB, just to add to the collection. im also looking to build a couple of navalised Fw190's and Ju87's as naval fighters/torpedo bombers for a planned escort carrier project, using the regained hull of a 1/350 Bismark model i bought ona rumage same a few years ago. other miniwings will be converted to WHIF's (Soviet Dauntless, Typhoons & Tempests, captured aircraft, French Me262's, Belgian F4F Wildcats, Khemed Spitfires, Bordurian Bf109,...).

looking at 1/72, i just placed an order for new kits, including AMK's briliant new Kfir C.7, witch comes with a wide selection of decals and weapons options. i might build it as a Belgian version (upgraded & converted from older Mirage 5's). aslo various helicopters are planned, including Bell 212's in Luftwaffe SAR markings, civilian UH-1H, Belgian SpecOps A109K2 and mercenary choppers. there are more plans for 1/72 builds, but for now, im more focused on slimming the 1/144 stash.

more soon...

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #236


more progress made in the past week, and a lot more will follow. lately i had a lot more bench time, making it ideal to build and/or finish multiple projects.

at this moment, i have 4 1/144 builds on the bench that are nearing completion, 2 realworld (Hawker Typhoon and Messerschmitt Bf109E) and 2 WHIF (a pair of MiG-29A's). all are now fully painted and awaiting decals, this is to follow later this week, depending if i have to work or not (currently home for the bank holiday today and there isnt that much work at the moment, should know more tomorrow).

looking at the stash, its starting to get out of control. to make some room i will look into taking on some larger sized boxes.
in 1/144 scale that will be larger models, such as airliners, transports and bombers. one of them is a Luft'46 version of a Tupolev Tu-95 Bear-D.
in 1/72, im looking to tackle some of the more modern jet fighters and Luft'46 fighter/bombers. last weekend i managed to get hold of an Italeri Me410, these come with extra bombs & bombracks (the 50kg SC50 bombs). im planning on fitting these on either a Blohm & Voss P.194, Focke-Wulf Flitzer or any other fighter that can be converted to a fighter-bomber. i might even hang them under the wings or fuselage of an Arado Ar.555.

continueing with the RAF100 theme on multiple GB's in various forums, im planning to throw some What If's and cancelled projects in the mix. aside from the RAF F-104K Starfighter F.1, im also looking at the proposed F-117C, witch the RAF was looking at in the 1990's. i have a spare Trumpeter 1/144 F-117A in the stash and enough RAF roundels, serials and british paveway bombs in the sparebox to tackle this subject. others are a Vickers Vanguard AEW.1 of 8 Squadron (using the markings from revell's reissued Hawker Hunter).

more soon....

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #237


being home at the beginning of the week, due to the bank holiday and insufficient work, i got some more time to spend on the bench.
all 1/144 builds (Bf109, Hawker Typhoon & 2 MiG-29's) are now finished, so that means more room for new projects.

as the stash of larger models is getting out of control, i have started work on some of the bigger boxes. first off are 2 1/72 F-16AM's, both will be realworld Belgian machines (one standard viper and 1 Tigermeet'09 version) and a 1/144 Tu-95 Bear-D (to be built as a Luft'46 Amerika-Bomber). there might be some smaller builds to be taken in between.

when the vipers are done, im going to start on a 1/72 WHIF, i have settled for a SAAB JAS-39D Gripen two-seater in Austrian Air Force colors (decals to be sourced from a EF2000 Typhoon kit). a smaller kit will be built allongside it, im thinking a 1/72 Mystére IVA in Somalia Air Force markings and desert tan/green camo (as seen on the Mig-21's). might add some rocket pods or bombs under the wings. AMK's new 1/72 Kfir looks amazing, and ive decided to build this one in Belgian markings, the extra weapons will be very usefull in future builds. the only thing im struggling with is the color scheme, im thinking 2/3-tone gray camo or the SEA camo as seen on the Mirage 5.


more soon....

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #238

Very little progress on the bench the past 2 weeks, im currently focusing my efforst on 2 realworld 1/72 F-16AM's in Belgian Air Force markings (one standard viper and a Tigermeet 2009 version). another kit on the bench, a Revell 1/144 Tu-95 bear-D, is still to be started once motivation and time is found. this will be WHIF model in a Luft'46 version.

a little stuck in a case of WHIF-Block, i have managed to crawl out of it and came up with a few next-to-start projects.
the first one is a 1/72 Austrian Air Force SAAB Gripen, as the AAF is planning on replacing its Typhoons (witch IMHO it didnt need anyway), still need to choose between a single- or a twin-seater. another project im looking at is revised version of the Airfix Tucano. i started one some time ago for a Soviet GB, but the project got stuck after i had under-estimated the size of the Soviet armaments. now im thinking of building it as western COIN version, maybe in Belgian markings.

in 1/144, i have loads (overstock) of revell miniwings aircraft, although not as nice by today's standards, they make excellent WHIF fodder. a number of German aircraft (FW190, Ju-87, Me262,...) will be navalised for a 1/144 escort carrier. i have about 5 or 6 hawker Tempest V's, so next to a RW version built OOB, i will also built a Soviet, French and/or Italian versions. a few of the 6 spitfire Mk.1's will be used to convert a pair of Eduard Mk.IX's into Mk.V's (even if its just for the propellor). of the Bf109, one has already been built OOB, i still have plans to make Bordurian, Swiss & Dutch (dorito roundel) versions, might use the leftover kits to build Zweilings. as for the other kits (Hawker Hurricane, Typhoon, .....) i still need to look for potential ideas in the decals box, they might make good racers 


more soon....

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #239

its been over a month since the last entry, thats because ive been busy with a number of realworld projects in 1/72.
i just finished a Belgian 1/72 F-16AM, my first model to be painted fully by airbrush. another F-16AM, a Tigermeet version, is still in assembly stage.

as of today, i have started on 2 new WHIF projects. i am converting a revell 1/144 Tu-95 Bear-D into a Luft'46 Amerika bomber, its going to take a lot of modding, painting and sh*t tons of putty. i have sawn off the radar bulges, tail and salvaged a new tail from a Huma 1/72 Junkers Ju.288. so yes, it will be a Junkers bomber, im thinking of calling it the Ju.495.

another project on the table is a protytype of a new kitbashed model. i have a number of extra revell 1/144 F-5E's and prenty of spare F-16A/C tails, burner cans and other parts. as a testbed, im using an old 1/144 F-5E from my scrapyard, and shortening the tail and fitting an F100 engine on it, making it a more F-20-like aircraft. i have no designation for it yet, but im thinking of calling it the Tigershark II, but its not going to be a Northrop designed aircraft.


more soon....

[NARSES2]

Blog Entry #239


as of today, i have started on 2 new WHIF projects. i am converting a revell 1/144 Tu-95 Bear-D into a Luft'46 Amerika bomber, its going to take a lot of modding, painting and sh*t tons of putty. i have sawn off the radar bulges, tail and salvaged a new tail from a Huma 1/72 Junkers Ju.288. so yes, it will be a Junkers bomber, im thinking of calling it the Ju.495.

Sounds interesting Nils 

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #240


this is going to be a quick update of the blog.
PRS work is still ongoing on the 1/144 Junkers Ju.495 (converted revell Tu-95), will need to more filling before assembly/painting can begin.
another few project have been added to the to do list. in the past i have built 2 1/72nd scale TinTin themed models, a Borurian Bf109 and Khemedi Spitfire. now im currently designing decals to replicate these models in 1/144 scale.

there will be no benchtime this weekend, me and the wife are going to invade The Netherlands this weekend (spending the weekend in Eindhoven), of course i will be visiting the local hobbyshops and bring home stash additions (if she can have shopping fun, so can i  ). im hoping to find some Zvezda 1/144 Tu-204's 

more soon.....

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #241


no progress this week, but i will start again this weekend.

i have been looking at the number of civilian airliners i have in the stash, and ive been thinking about what to do with them.
they really need to go at some point, so after some thinking i have come up with the following:

-Boeing 727-200 (to be painted in WHIF SunAir colors, 80/90's scheme)
-Boeing 737-800 (Jetair, realworld)
-Boeing 787-9 (Jetair, realworld)
-Airbus A300F (previously planned as a tanker, now to built as a freighter, possibly a Citybird Cargo version)
-Airbus A320 (2 of them, 1 will be an RAF transorts aircraft, the other a WHIF Flanders Airlines version)
-Airbus A319 (no idea yet, maybe a WHIF Interflug version)
-Airbus A350-900 (WHIF Citybird)
-Tupolev Tu-204-100 (New Flanders Air Force)
-Tupolev Tu-144 (thinking WHIF LuftHansa)
....

more soon...

[TheChronicOne]

Three cheers!!  All this airliner stuff sounds fantastic.

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #242

ok, time for a decent blog entry 

last night, i started on a new smaller side project (well 2 actually), this being 2 revell 1/144 Miniwings kits, a Bf.109e and a Ju-87 Stuka.
both models will be finished in WHIF Bordurian markings, as you might remember i built a 1/72 version a number of years ago.

i got the idea for the Bordurian Stuka after i found this picture on google.
so i thought "why didnt i came up with that?" 



i was first planning on building them for the 1 Week GB, but since i didnt have decals for either i had to start early, and add decals at a later date (designs are almost done, just need to make them for the Stuka).
other projects on the bench are the Junkers Ju.495 Amerikabomber, but no progress there lately.

as noted previously, i have a number of airliner WHIF's comig up, but i might make a few changes in the planning.
the SunAir 727-200 will most likely become a government transport aircraft in the colors of San Theodoros and an A319CJ i built a few years ago, will most likely be repainted in Syldavian government colors.

next to the area 88/mercenary aircraft in 1/144 scale, im planning on building a few new models for the TinTin countries Borduria, Syldavia, Khemed and San Theodoros.

for Khemed, im planning Mig-21's (both in 1/144 and 1/72), i have seen a CGI image of a Khemedi Mig-21 somewhere on the web a few years ago, i saved it with the intention of building a model of that some day 
im also planning a Khemedi Su-27 Flanker in desert camo.

concerning Syldavia, im planning on building a 1/144 version of the Lavochkin La-5FN (based on the 1/72 version i built a few years ago). as for modern equipment, im thinking either American or European hardware, such as F-5E's, F-16's or Mirage 2000's.

San Theodoros was a bit easier to come up with ideas, basing it mostly on the militaries of Brazil and other South American nations.
first up, there are plans for an Mil Mi-24 Hind-D, Northrop F-5E (or Mig-23) and C-123K provider.

Borduria will mostly be German/Soviet equipment, aside from the Bf109 and Ju-87 currently in progress, i might add a Ju-52 transport to the fleet. for more modern equipment, im looking at building a Mig-15, Mig-21 and Mig-29.


imstill trying to get more ideas, both in 1/144 and 1/72, and im currently trying to look at earlier blog entries to refind those ideas 


more soon...

[NARSES2]

Your brain's been in overdrive Nils. Some fantastic ides/projects there

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #243

back at work, on an overcrowded bench. not only am i workign on another 1/72 F-16, 2 1/144 Hawker Tempest Mk.V's and 2 1/144 Hawker Hurricane Mk.1's, i also started on a 1/144 A-10 Thunderbolt for the RAF 100 GB.

i got some vacationdays coming up in a few weeks time, im thinking of taking some time to get things moving again on the shelf of shame, the projects that were started long ago, but still havent finished (currently a 1/72 SeaKing and 3 1/144 Super Hornets).
its taking up a lot of space and i really want them to go before starting on other new larger projects.
meanwhile, the 1/144 Ju.495 that was started a few weeks ago, is also put on hold for some time, awaiting enough free time to continue on it.

meanwhile, in the pest month, i had another stash boost, with over 12 cheap 1/144 kits i ordered from aliexpress, many more (especially gripens, F-111's and F-4 Phantoms) might be ordered soon. most of these for the Area88 themed builds.
right now, im looking at making decals for those projects, the first i completed are the ones for a 1/144 Mirage F1, fown by Kitri in the 2004 anime version. also next on the starting blocks when the bench frees up is a 1/144 F-5E Tiger II, to be painted in Shin Kazama's colors. an F-20 is also in the planning, but i still need scan in the sprues.


more soon...

[Spey_Phantom]

Blog Entry #243 and a half

just want to show yu the newest member of the family, as of today, me and the wife adopted an 8-week old kitten 

meet Pickles 

[PR19_Kit]

I DO hope your model collection is in a safe place, that Pickles looks a right one to me!