Is that ship modeller’s humour 
? Considering how immensely funny I already am, I should probably stay away from the boats !
Magnus
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Hehe… I’m pretty sure there’s a coded message in there too 
Excellent, looks much better. Nice one Russell 
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Great jobs on your new additions, Russell! Like them all very much, congrats!
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Ladies and Gentlemen!
It’s been some time since I have posted here. After finishing the Grumman Martlet last year I spent the remainder of the year and the start of this year finishing off HMS Dauntless in 1/350 over in the salty side of the hobby.
After which, I thought I’d start the first kit in what I’m planning as an Illustrious Trilogy, featuring Aircraft that served upon that very important ship…
Therefore, I present to you my version of Special Hobby’s 1/72 Fairey Fulmar MkII
This is BP782/OR, No 806 NAS, who served on HMS Illustrious off Ceylon in the Indian Ocean in the summer of 1942…
It took quite a while to get this one over the finish line. 6 months to be specific. Lack of mojo and lack of time being major factors in the long build time. The kit itself was ok, but if the lack of locations pins is an issue, then this kit is not your friend.
Thanks for looking, comments welcome, as always… 
Other Illustrious challenges await 
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Nice addition to your collection, Russell! The Fulmar is not often seen. Painting looks great, a bit of weathering but not too much. What paints did you use ? That wire looks frightning to me. I would have problems in 1/48 with that and here it looks so easy in 1/72. I should have a look at my Eduard Fulmar.
Photos are also well done 
Torsten
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Hi Torsten
Thankyou for your kind words-they are most appreciated 
Paints are Humbrol enamels, with Abteilung weathering, which I try to keep scale appropriate by making it subtle and just hinting that it’s there…
The rigging is made from a product called Ezy-line. It’s actually elastic and can be stretched taught. I’ve used it on all my ship builds and for my aircraft and I swear by it.
It’s well worth the investment as the effect it creates takes your model to the next level… 
Yes, dust that Fulmar off, and see if you can complete it, because as you say, they are a rare find
Nice little catch up with a few I missed Russ. More great builds with some equally lovely finishing
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Very neat little built Russ, great job! Looking forward to the next one lined up on your bench mate.
Cheers, D
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I thought you were Airfix-only but obviously not ! That’s a nice addition to the collection and as others have already pointed out, not a subject seen very often. I think I had an earlier reincarnation of this kit, it might have been an MPM, that I never built. These newer short-runs are so much better and more refined and the final result is just so much better.
Magnus
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Hello Magnus
Thankyou for stopping by and checking out my Fulmar
No, it’s not just Airfix that I build, although it may seem that way as they certainly have quite a few kits that overlap my area of interest. Next up will be a Timaya kit, and there’s lots of Special Hobby and Eduard kits in the stash to follow…
This kit by Special Hobby fits some way between their earlier short run kits and their latest nicer kits…
Finally, wishing you, and all my fellow kitmakers a merry Christmas and a happy New Year 
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Fellow modellers 
I know it’s been a long while since my last entry into My Aircraft Hangar Collection so I think it is high time for me to present to you the second part of my Illustrious trilogy, Tamiya’s F4U-1A as Vought Corsair FMkII serving with 1830 NAS of the FAA, 7X (JT441) on board HMS Illustrious in the East Indies Fleet 1944…
Here’s a shot of JX taking a nose dive into the deck…
I actually finished the build a couple of weeks back and today we just arrived back from the Warbirds Down Under Airshow 2024 where this bathing beauty was on show amongst many other lovely airframes
Lastly, I know this has been a long drawn out build, but during that time my Dad passed away after a long battle with Progressive Supra Nuclear Palsy hence the lengthy build time… so, this one is dedicated to you Dad… This shot was taken at our local aircraft museum where we loved to go and check out all the planes…
Kit was Tamiya, No75 in their 1/72 series, paint by Humbrol Enamels, and decals by Print Scale…
I’m off to splash around in the salty side of the hobby for a while and attempt to build HMS Punjabi!
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Hi Russell! Good to see you back here!
First of all take my sincere condolence for the passing of your dad. How old was he? This situation is still ahead for me for both parents but it will come sooner than later. Dad is 89, mum 87.
But now to more enjoyable things. Your Corsair looks splendid! What colours did you take (don’t say Humbrol now 
)
Years ago I built a Tamiya Birdcage Corsair Mk. I, of which the RN had only a few. Unfortunately it had a crash from the shelf and looked like the original photo you posted … 
And of course I’ll carry on following your ship build! And I have to check the link now that you’ve posted!
Beautiful work Russ! Sorry to hear about your Dad, if he followed your modelling I am sure he would have been proud of this one.
cheers
Michael
Hi Torsten
Thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate them. 
Dad had just turned 80. A good measure by anyone’s standard for his generation.
And thank you for your kind words on the Corsair. The build was enjoyable, but did drag on quite a bit unfortunately, so I was glad to have done with it.
The colour scheme is based on the FAA Temperate 2 scheme, (1941-1945) of which there’s a great reference here.
And they don’t just list Humbrol colours, but all of them 
Of course for the underside I chose Sky and the upper sides Dark Slate Grey and Extra Dark Sea Grey. The same colours I also used on the Martlet (F4F) and the Fulmar…
Part 3 of the Illustrious trilogy will be a Fairey Swordfish done in Temperate scheme 1 (1939-1941) to represent a Taranto aircraft… And I might just add a fourth to make an Illustrious QUADRILOGY in the form of a Grumman Tarpon aka Avenger!
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Thank you Michael. He was definitely one of the biggest influences on my choice of hobby
Hi Russ, I just saw that your dad has passed… my condolences, this is the hardest thing we humans face in life. May he find peace where he is now, and may you speedily get through the pain of his loss and be left with the happy memories of your times with him!
As have we all, I too have experienced loss and am happy to see that you, as I have, have been able to find at least some pleasure again in modelling - even if it is airplanes!
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