British Forces Land Rover Patrol

What to do while the Jackal’s glue cures? Make a start on its Operation Herrick “brother”, the Land Rover of course! 

The parts for the Land Rover come on just 2 runners, so one less than the Jackal but this ‘… Patrol’ gift set is supplied with a number of British troops attached to a very distinctive brown plastic runner.  I’ve not yet had chance to look at them close up yet, but it will be very interesting to see what Airfix have provided, it being a long time since they’ve done anything new with figures. 

I hadn’t intended motoring so far ahead with this build but as I started  on the front area, I couldn’t help thinking I needed to press on at at least attach the screen, wings and grill else I’d never get any of these parts to line up with each other later. I’m finding the fit and moulding of this Land Rover to be far less positive and well fitting as the Jackal.  I do, however, think they will make a nice pair when complete. 

To me it’s hard to believe this Land Rover came from the same 2012 stable as the Supercat Jackal, but I am being hypocritical as the Jackal’s moulding is sublimely brilliant. 

When fitting the final walls and doors to this kit, I had to use a little tape to straighten the panels and prevent it looking like a cut and shunt insurance write off!

I thought I’d try a bit of camo netting on this as it seems to have been a regular feature from the archive photos I’ve seen. I still have quite a bit of work to do to make it look a little more convincing and obviously the all important doors and glazing to fit too. 

It should also start to look more the part once I get out the weathering powders as it’s looking far to factory fresh at the moment. 

I wasn't 100% happy with the camo netting feeling it needed the rags adding ... I may have over done it, but after spending 2 hours painting, cutting and applying little bits of masking tape, I'm preferring the look.

After this, I added a little light weathering and painted up a few of the supplied figures and for me, that's it done.

Although a bit raw in places, this kit does have a few nice touches ... for instance, mesh decals for the side windows and the drop down front armoured and grilled windscreen which I did attempt to attach but it would not fit over the wiper blades, so I left it in the down position. 

Supacat Jackal

My next build is taking me somewhat out of my 1:35 scale WW2 comfort zone and right up to date with this  1:48 scale Supercat Jackal. I bought this together with its sister Operation Herrick Afghanistan kit, the Land Rover Patrol, after I noticed my friend’s modern AFVs were getting more interest at a recent Scale Model Show than my WW2 collection. I guess it’s a generation thing! I am also putting on a small Armed Forces Day display at the end of the month and felt perhaps I should move with the times. 

The Jackal or MWMIK (Mobility Weapon-Mounted Installation Kit) is from a family of vehicles designed and developed by Supacat Ltd at their factory just up the road from me, in Honiton, Devon, for use by the British Army and Royal Air Force Regiment. So I feel, even more a good reason to build it, if I needed one! The Airfix kit has just 3 runners and no glazing, so I'm thinking this could be a quick one! 

I read that the vehicle's height-adjustable air suspension system can be lowered onto the bump-stops to provide a stable firing platform when stationary or raised to a maximum 380 mm ground clearance allowing it to clear large obstacles. The detail Airfix have put into this kit’s suspension is really excellent, and perhaps if it were to be re-released, having the option to build lowered in the firing position would be great idea. 

The fine detailing and fit is superb. I love the opening doors and rear “whatever’s” … I guess I’ll find out what these are later … but the hinges are very delicate so I’m sure I’m going to break one off before the build it complete.

I’ve given it a bit of colour and fitted the wheels. For some reason, as the rest of the kit is wonderful, those wheels needed quite a bit of work to get them fitted, but fitted they now are. I also added some belts as I saw these quite visible in the archive photos. 

Next up will be decals, guns and a bit of dusty weathering. I’m also wondering whether to add camo netting that I’ve seen in some photos.

A little weathering, no netting and I'm now done with the Supercat Jackal. 

Panzer IV Ausf.H

I'm so pleased to be back building AFVs and in particular the next tank in my 1;35 scale German Panzer project, this one being the Airfix Panzer IV Ausf.. I know @Topcat_Ern did a great built of this one last May in the Normandy 1944 colours, so I thought I'd have another go at the whitewashed look of an Eastern Front version. Unlike that Panzer III that I recently built, which was white over German Grey, this Panzer IV seems to have had the site applied over Dark Yellow, which will be different.

This 2019 Airfix release is based on a 2018 Academy kit and looks really nice. It also has rubber tracks which I don't normally like, but with the armoured skits fitted, you'll not see too much of them.

The first task in the instructions is to drill all the clearly marked out holes for the ancillary bits and bobs later. It's surprising just how long this takes!

Fitting the chassis pieces is the next very simple task ... but I've halted at a decision point surrounding which rear plate to fit, as there two options with no explanation - intriguing! My Osprey New Vanguard guide on the Panzer IV has a drawing of an Ausf H with what looks to be the more detailed drive ends, so I’ve decided to fit the more detailed part G42 for no other reason than that. The same book was also used to decide on the correct ‘cast idler wheel’, the one with the narrower double set of spokes.

This kit seems to have a number of these random decision points. Oddly, such options would normally be easy to decide on as they tend to follow a final scheme; not however, as far as I can see, this one! The next decision point is the type of return rollers to fit. The two options look to be either rubber or steel tyred versions, the latter, I believe, being a rubber saving ‘upgrade’.  Checking through my 1979 collection of Bruce Quarrie “Panzers in Russia” WW2 photo albums, I came across a photo of a PzKpfw IV H and supporting infantry where the Panzer clearly has the rubber saving steel return rollers and so parts H60 & H62 were selected. 

With the wheels installed, superstructure constructed and dry fit to the chassis, it really does look a solid, well designed kit. The challenge facing me now is deciding on which version of bullet splash guard to fit! I’m thinking the more elaborate one with seemingly more protection. 

I've fitted that bullet splash guard with the extra raised section - all the better to protect the crew from projectiles making their way through the join between turret and superstructure. I understand that bullet splash was first seen as an issue for tank crews during WWI. It occurs when a bullet hits an armoured plate, does not penetrate, but fractures into tiny pieces of sharp metal that flies in all directions at high speed. I never stop learning with this hobby! 

Work on the Panzer IV now focusses on fitting tracks and building the body of the tank. There is really so much detail in this kit, it's fantastic. You'll see from the above picture that I decided to prime the lower drive train area. I did this before fitting it to the superstructure as I wanted to get good coverage in those hidden recesses between the wheels and around the tracks which I sometimes find challenging once mudguards etc. are in place.

Next, I move onto building the skirts and the turret. I believe, having fitted these to the Stug IV, that I can leave the skirts detachable as they should hang nicely off those spiked rails, which means that I can fit them later which is vital if I'm to be able to get to paint the detailing on those tools and spare wheels.

The construction is complete and I’ve really enjoyed building this kit; there’s just so much detail to enjoy. I’ve also found a 3DGizmo German Tank Commander that fits without surgery! I do like having a figure in my tanks.

I decided to apply the chalk white winter camouflage over just the dark yellow base coat rather than apply the addition camouflage colours of green and brown, as I felt these would just get lost. I then distressed the white surface with a Humbrol weathering brush and added grime with set of oils and finally a little snow effect to bring the temperature now to that of winter on the eastern front!

While the Airfix painting instructions suggest this Panzer IV was part of the 3rd or 20th Panzer Division, my research has identified it to more likely to be a tank of the 4th Panzer Division, 35 Panzer Regiment. Both the 3rd and 4th use the Berlin bear emblem, but it’s the official shield symbol that belongs to German 4th Panzer Division that clinches it for me. Quite interestingly, the addition of crossed swords below the emblem was apparently added in August 1943 after the Generalmajor and commander of the 4th Panzer Division, General Erich Schneider (1894-1980) was awarded the Knight's Cross.

One final post from me on this Panzer IV is an embarrassing correction. Someone pointed out to me that I’d attached the Turret Schurzen upside down! Considering the number of Panzer IV pictures I had studied and the time it took me to decide the correct way to fit these, I was stunned and shocked to have made such a school boy error!

So, I carefully removed them from their brackets and using a cotton bud I removed the varnish I’d applied with thinner. I then soaked them, decals down, in a solution of DecalFix for a good hour. 

Carefully using a blade I was able to tease the decals free and rotate them to the correct way up. Unfortunately the bear is handed and so I had to swap them between parts. Now if anyone has used decal softener you’ll appreciate this is no easy task, as a well softened decal is as fragile and temperamental as wet tissue paper! 

Final corrected shots of the Panzer IV

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk.XVIII

 Next up, another Spitfire! 

This is one I’ve been waiting for the right moment to build as it has a bit of a story. 

Today would have been my father’s 90th birthday. He passed Christmas 2021 and while I was up at my parents’ Cumbria home doing that eldest brother thing, I got a call from Airfix’s Michael Clegg asking if he could use two of my Sea King helicopters in a spread he was working on for his Workbench blog.

See here: https://uk.airfix.com/community/blog-and-news/workbench/mitchells-masterpiece-inherits-griffon-power

This not only helped take our minds off the  reason why I had had to dash north but also introduced me to a fact about one of my favourite aircraft which I had not previously known. 

One of the last fighter versions of the Spitfire, the Mk.XVIII flew on “Operation Firedog” in Malaya during the 1950s Emergency just my father was out there with the British Army, or at least en route. 

At the time I was talking to Michael Clegg about the Sea Kings he kindly offered to send me an Airfix kit in return for using my models and story. I naturally suggested the Spitfire would be the perfect one considering its significance:  my father having served in Malaya at more or less the same time, and for it being unveiled in the same article as my Sea Kings. Anyway, despite many a friendly follow up on my part, nothing ever arrived from Michael and so, I was fortunate enough to have sufficient  Airfix flying hours to ensure I secured a kit before it sold out, and it’s been in my stash ever since. 

It now seems only right to mark this, my father’s 90th birthday, to finally build it. 

Development of the Spitfire F Mk.XVIII the 'Super Spitfire' was started towards the end of 1943 and the first Mk.XVIII Griffin 65 powered Spitfire was delivered to the RAF on 28 May 1945. 99 aircraft were completed for the fighter/bomber role with the provision for wing mounted bombs and rockets. 

One of the first tasks when building this kit  is to drill out holes for either bombs or rockets. Airfix’s painting instructions, state they were in Kuala Lumpur in 1947, but it wasn’t actually until the end of June 1948 that 60 Sqn provided a detachment of their Spitfires to the Taskforce at Kuala Lumpur, which was also the first time they used rockets too which is what I’ve gone for. More on their use in the Malayan Emergency later.

Some will hate my approach with the cockpit interior. Being so beautifully moulded it seems horrifying not to paint and weather every nook and bump. However, having built the Spitfire FR Mk.XIV last year with pilot installed, I know you can see nothing at all of that interior once it's all put together. So as my new mantra is, only paint what you can see I've fitted the pilot in his seat and added a little of putty to his arm joints ready for one of my favourite bits, the detail brush painting. 

Meanwhile, here’s how and when the first Spitfire to be delivered was reported. 

JANUARY 1947 (OPERATIONS)  F/O QUILTER

“There has been little flying on the Squadron this month, principally because of a shortage of aircraft.  On the 15th our first Spitfire Mk.XVIII was flown from Seletar by the Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader Constable Maxwell DFC, DFC but apart from this one Spitfire there has only been our Harvard and another Harvard obligingly loaned by 81 Squadron. 

Our home field, Tenah, only became serviceable for limited flying as recently as the 29th, of this month when our two aircraft were flown over from Seletar. The flying we had managed to do previously had entailed our making the tiresome journey to Seletar by road everyday, thereby shortening our airborne hours even further.

Next month, fortunately, holds brighter prospects as several more of our keenly awaited Spitfires are very near completion and the Tenah runways should become closer to full serviceability.”

I feel my building of of TP222 is one of the Spitfires keenly awaited though it is still some way off being completed 

Lockheed Super-G Constellation

 Next up … Minicraft’s 1:144 scale, 1950’s airliner, the Lockheed Super-G Constellation, “Super Connie”. 

Very much a break from my usual subject matter but a build I’ve agreed to do for, Roy a friend from my Seaton Scale Modelling Group, he’s provided the kit and me the glue!

It looks a straightforward enough kit although light on detail, I guess that’s the a symptom of the small scale.

Time now to let these bits cure. 

This Constellation has to be one of the most unusual aircraft to have taken to the air. It reminds me of those futuristic looking craft the IR Thunderbird’s had to go and rescue when I was a boy! 

This kit is nice and simple though every bit is heavily covered in flash and will need quite a bit of filler along the seams but I’m enjoying it, however, I've discovered that Farrell & Gold’s modelling paste is more like Vallejo’s Plastic Putty which dries like rubber and won’t sand.

Hoping I’d managed to leave sufficient filler in the gaps, I dug out the Humbrol Maskol to mask the smallest glazing I’ve ever seen. I did start off with masking tape, but the canopy was just too small. 

Then, as much of the Constellation’s TWA paintwork is natural metal and I find white sprays best over silver, it was out with the Liquid Metal. Unfortunately this showed up the failings in Farrel & Gold’s filler, as the fuselage seams are still too visible for me. So, once the silver has cured I’m going to give the more chalky AK Modelling Putty a go, this I have found does sand but it also shrinks … I hate filling!!

That seam along the top of the fuselage has been driving me insane! SO much so, that I tried an approach I’ve never considered before and it’s something others may want to make note of. I masked a corridor either side of the seam and loaded it was 'sandable' filler, not the rubbery stuff! I then smoothed the filler and removed the masking tape to leave a ridge like a Mohican haircut along the length of the fuselage. Today, now dry, I sanded the area smooth and the results, not perfect but definitely passable and 100% better than my earlier attempts … did I say I hated filling - almost as much as commissions!

What I neglected to also say was that when smoothing the filler I thought I’d use a wetted finger, you know, just as you would to smooth mastic in a bathroom. However, I’d forgotten that I’d filled my water pot with Tamiya’s lacquer thinner which proceeded to burn off a large section of paint from the wing! Much fine sanding and repainting seems to have restored the wing to its former glory but it was touch and go at one point! 

After waiting a few days for that Liquid Metal silver to 100% cure it was time for some complex upper wing masking. Vallejo’s Liquid Metal is great stuff but it does like sticking to masking tape! I would have shown you the masked area but all you’d have actually seen was a mummified aircraft shape! The end result, I think if you look closely, is much more rewarding.

The next challenge was masking for the painting the fuselage which, inexplicably has to be white. Painting today’s airliners must be so much easier! 

So I’ve masked and applied white to the fuselage and tail fin, leaving just the black for the wing de-icing leading edges and nose cone. 

Oh yes, it’s also suggested I mask up paint thin black lines around that light grey panelling on the wing surfaces and add double bands around the tails. I’ve placed an order for a set of line decals as I’m concerned any masking will remove that paint. For me not only does Liquid Metal  lift easily, not much sticks to it very well either.

I think I’ll start work on the black detailing and engines next.

Having hand painted the wing de-icing leading edges and nose cone, those decals I bought for the wing outlining did not really add anything for the effort required to fix them, so I have gone without!

Time now to tackle those decals.

I first tested the Liquid Decal Film on a set of decals from the kit that I won't be using. While the decal stayed together with the film, because they were already crazed on the backing paper, the cracks in them remained very visible and the deck itself was now noticeably thicker. I, therefore, decided to risk trying to go without the film and fit them piece by piece. 

While challenging, this worked for the OK for the tail, but the large fuselage decal which I first attempted on the port side of the aircraft broke into so many pieces it probably took me an hour to get them anywhere near lined up - but once in place, there was absolutely no way to move them in unison to make those fine adjustments in alignment. So, where they lay was where they stay! 

For the starboard side, I felt I had to go with the Liquid Decal Film and suffer the cracked look. As it happened, the film prevented hidden faults from breaking it into many more pieces as it did on the port side, so this was a plus. It also, however, allowed the decal still to break along larger cracks permitting me to align the decal better on the aircraft. 

I now hope a final application of decal softener will get them sucked down nice and tight to the model, as the edges of these old decals did show signs of curling, just cause a bit more angst!

Next up will be the undercarriage, engines and propellers and then a final gloss coat. Should still be on target for next Wednesday's social.

Well, that’s the Super-G Constellation build complete. I just hope it will live up to Roy's expectations when he sees it in its full plastic glory!

I had to pull out all the tools in my toolbox to complete what I hope is a reasonable representation of this incredible looking aircraft. 

The decals had not aged well over their 27 years in the box and indeed, although Minicraft have rereleased this kit 9 more times through to 2014 this is a genuine 1998 version 1 release! I notice that one of my favourite model companies, Academy, re-boxed this kit in 2024 and released it in a most unusual scheme as a USAF EC-121 Warning Star. 

Meanwhile, I decided to finish this TWA aircraft with a satin varnish as opposed to gloss feeling that airliners are shiny but not usually a high gloss of a classic car. 

I’m pleased I managed to get it finished ahead of our Wednesday evening social, it was a close run thing with those decals! 

Panzer III Ausf J

Having just built Tamiya's Panzer II, I fancy now working my way through Airfix's Panzer III, IV & VI to complete the set. There are no fewer than 11 runners in this Panzer III kit, more parts than you can shake a stick at and it looks like the tracks are made up of individual pieces distributed across 4 runners, so this isn't going to be one of my sprint builds!

This kit can be built out of the box in one of two Eastern front schemes, so to be different, and as my preferred Afrika Korps scheme is not an option, I'm going to go for the long barrelled Scheme B, finished in White. I've not done one like this before, so will be a nice challenge. Also, with hindsight, this decision is a fortunate one, as the first task in the build is to pre-drill multiple 1mm holes in the 9 seemingly random pieces and if you get carried away, as I did, Scheme B requires one to drill all 20+ holes! 

I’ve built the chassis and running gear. I even blasted through the building of those tracks which I thought would be the end of me; just shows how the more you do something the easier it gets!

One interesting feature of this later Panzer III is the inclusion of the additional armour on the front vertical plate. Something that my Haynes Panzer III Manual - essential reading - covers in detail.

On seeing the reference pictures I have actually opened the visor, shown closed here, and will use some canopy glue to add some armoured glass in the gap Airfix have left in the kit.

I’ve loved building this kit … to me, it's definitely on of the better Academy mouldings I've seen … it’s superb. The only thing missing is a figure, however, for once one of my 3DGizmo German tank commanders does actually fit in the cupola; this one is way roomier than Tamiya's Panzer II. So I'm very happy with that!

This is a very interesting kit and probably deserves building in both markings as it covers the evolution of the Ausf J Panzer III. Following the instructions for Scheme B, the later 1943 Kharkov Offensive variant, I get to fit the spare set of wheels, and the additional spaced armour,  on the front vertical plate and 'Vorpanzer' (front armour) to the turret. The order to add extra armour came from Hitler via Field Marshal Keitel on 7 July 1941. It was the combat in North Africa, rather than Russia, that was the driver behind the order.

In addition to more armour I also get to fit the later 50mm KwK 39 gun, increased in length from the KwK 38's 2.1m (L/42) to 3.0m (L/60). Having previously been rejected, fearing that the longer barrel would restrict manoeuvrability if it protruded beyond the front hull, it increased its AP performance by around 30%.

The detailing of the gun's breach is a really nice touch and while there is an opportunity to have the turret's side hatches open, the lack of additional interior turret detail and being able to see my commander suspended in mid air had led me to close mine. There is however, a good opportunity for someone out there to do some nice interior scratch building, as Airfix (Academy) have started us off with a good bit of breach and inner hatch detailing.

Continuing with the detailing, I love the crisp moulding of this rear hull area. Those hatches could very easily be modified to reveal the Maybach engine beneath (scratch builders take note) and the accuracy of the later fitted mushroom air inlets introduced to improve cooling in North Africa is excellent.

Now, I move onto the fun bit … the colouring in. I have left the main wheels unglued so that, if I desire, I should be able to remove them with the tracks to paint separately, however, I have become more inclined recently to paint and weather them in situ, similarly the tools and boxes. My reasoning here is lightly spraying, as I do, the final camouflage colours over a good black layering of primer, I think provides for some nice shadowing, giving the model a better 3D look about it, and this includes the wheels and tracks. But that's just my view.  I will then aim to complete it in the winter markings of SS-Panzer Regiment 2, Kharkov Offensive, Russia, February 1943.

After a good covering of Black primer, which getting into all those nooks and crannies took quite some effort, I applied a layer of German Grey. I was almost tempted to leave the painting here, but the plain red tank number decals required would be probably not be visible against the dark background and I had promised myself the challenge of trying out a white wash winter camouflage scene. Oh yes, and as a last minute change, I added a bucket left over from a recent Fury Sherman build, something I'd seen in an archive photo and there were those hanging chains at the back just crying out for something to hang from them!

I then sprayed on a layer of diluted Vallejo chipping fluid across the whole tank. I had seen hairspray used in the same way before, but as I had the fluid thought using the correct medium would be OK. As it was, it did take a bit more white than I had anticipated to then evenly cover it owing to the paint forming, in places, into a bit of a crazy paving effect. Although dry, perhaps it needed longer to cure? I'm always a bit too hasty.  As you can see from these two pictures, I painted the solid colours with all ancillaries fixed, al be it I did remove the turret.

Once the White wash was dry, I pulled out my stiff Humbrol weathering brush and with a bit of water I worked on the edges and some of the flat areas which would perhaps get knocked, rubbed or walked on to remove some of the white. I had a number of winter Russian front archive pictures to work from and went for recreating a lighter bit of weathering for this one, it having only recently been painted.

I think those individual track pieces form a quite realistic line over the upper return wheels, the way they sag. They take quite an effort to build but I'm starting to warm to them in favour of the rubber tracks.

The 3DGizmo figure fitted in nicely, but I may have another go at detailing his uniform; I'm feeling his all black covering is lacking something.

I do like the crisp detailing on this kit, I found the suspension arms, particularly interesting as that was a unique feature of this model of tank. I decided also to leave a little of the white wash over painting on some of the tools, like the jack, as I am sure they would not have removed everything when applying the camouflage. 

Finally, I decided to leave the numbers off of the side of the turret and just affix them to the rear. I really did not fancy working them over the raised detail and again, reference pictures I've seen often omit them, as I am sure that after frequent reapplication of the white wash, the crews would soon tire of re-stensiling them back on!

I hope you like the final effect. I can see some things I'd do differently next time, but that's the beauty of this hobby, I don't think we ever stop learning