It’s no good running headlong into a kit such as this, banging the parts together with carefree abandon, and then wondering why the dominoes have fallen over and subsequent parts in later stages, don’t fit.
20th February 2025.
Every day, the first thing I type out for this website is the date. How the hell have we already got to the 20th of February?! Surely, Christmas was only last weekend?! Bloody hell, time is flying by…
Anyhoo…
At last – I hear you all cry – I’ve finished the Airfix Anson and finally, I can reveal some completed shots of the little fella. Yay! Joking aside, this has been a long project that has pushed and pulled me in directions I wasn’t expecting and though it’s not the most difficult model to build, there were a few areas (most notably the glazing) that resulted in some quick bitten fingernails and at times, blue language. Still, it’s done now, so what do I think of the kit and the completed model?
I’d wanted to build the kit for a while so I was hoping that it would reward me with a pleasant experience and a model that I would be proud to display. In the main both of those wishes were fulfilled, especially the latter, by adding immeasurably to the contents of my display case.
In terms of a project, the kit offered plenty challenges, most notably that fabric and metal finish. I’d read elsewhere that the kit could be a pig to build, with at least one third-party accusation that it was a ‘putty monster’. Having now built the kit I can assure you that both of these accusations are in the main, nonsense. Look, I get that modellers are at different points along the experience path, but you have to at least work in the basics as part of a build and they include preplanning, dry fitting and checked alignment, all of which make this kit no more involved or difficult than anything else of similar size and complexity. That was indeed true with this kit, the aircraft’s complex layout, that interior and those glazed panels and large windscreen, making such things not just recommended, I would say mandatory. It’s no good running headlong into a kit such as this, banging the parts together with carefree abandon, and then wondering why the dominoes have fallen over and subsequent parts in later stages, don’t fit. So no, I didn’t experience those things!
The model is certainly handsome now it’s done and thanks to those Portuguese markings, I’ve now built a machine from a hitherto ignored service which I would say, is another bonus! The model is now photographed and I’m in the process of writing up the feature for Brett and Model Airplane International. So far I’ve captioned over 50 images, so the feature will be nice and detailed should you wish to read about the model and how I put it together. In the meantime, here are a few shots of my completed Airfix Anson. I hope you enjoy seeing them!
With the Anson finished I can turn my attention back to the Magic Factory A-4M Skyhawk 2 that I’ve been trying to completed for my new book.
It’s pretty much done now, with all painting, decalling and subassemblies, finished and dry. All that remains are the cockpit details and canopy and then the underwing stores that I’ve collected to replicate the aircraft as it appeared in Yuma, prior to retirement. That little lot shouldn’t take too long, so all being well it will be done over the next week so I can finally complete the book (so long as I don’t have the kind of hurdles that have rather typified this week!). If you would like to read a little more about both, please check out the following link:
And that only leaves me with future projects for work, both of which look to be the same kit: the Airfix 1/48 Westland Lysander Mk.I/Mk.III.
As I’m planning to build two of these kits, I’ve decided to approach them in two different ways. One will be built and painted to reflect a clean, shall we say traditional build. The other will be built and painted using my normal raft of weathering techniques to create a more used appearance. The idea here is to see if the application of weathering has an impact of my personal opinion of a completed model. Which will I prefer: clean or weathered? Only time will tell…
See you tomorrow.
TODAY’S MUSIC CHOICES…
it’s been a Mod Revival day today with one band, unsurprisingly, taking centre-stage…
The Jam: All Mod Cons
The Jam: Setting Sons
The Jam: Sound Affects
The Jam: The Gift
Secret Affair: Time For Action
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