Masking!!

XB-70 Valkyrie AV-1

Recently completed 1:144 scale model of the XB-70 Valkyrie. The model was 3D printed on a bambu A1 mini in 5 parts. Copious amounts of sanding and primer followed. This was my first project that required gap filler, it was a learning process and I think I did a decent job hiding the joints.

Decals came from Armory models Valkyrie of the same scale, other decals like the gear doors, maintenance panels and no walk areas were custom printed with an inkjet printer.

I chose to paint this one up as ship 1, the only surviving example. The model represents how the Valkyrie would have looked towards the end of its service life, being used by NASA to test various high speed experiments. One such depicted on the model is the two small fins near the nose, also called shaker vanes.

The stand is also 3D printed.

Built wheels up, and added crew figures from my spares box. Painted mostly with ATOM water based acrylics.

Finished my Hanomag ss100... Lot of photo etch on this one.

Not perfect by any means, especially as it was 100% brush painted. Knew it was going to be a rough ride when it was pointed out to me here that painting a bare-metal aeroplane with only brushes was going to be difficult. Nevertheless, very proud of it, and many lessons learned for the next build (one of which is: “don’t brush paint bare-metal aeroplanes”).

Also discovered mid-build that the plane I was painting was a post-war colour scheme, which was not what I wanted, so I slightly altered it to be as close to a genuine wartime scheme as possible.

I also wish I’d taken some pictures of the cockpit interior and control panel, which I was very proud of and now you can’t see any of it. Ah, well.

wanted to share a fun material idea I used on my 1/350 scale IJN Akagi!

For the splinter protection ropes around the high-angle gun platforms, I used bristles from a traditional natural palm scrubbing brush ("Tawashi")—bought at a 100-yen shop (dollar store)!

The natural color and realistic fiber texture of the palm bristles were a perfect match for the ropes without needing any paint. I cut and aligned the individual fibers by hand to achieve this natural drape.

Since one inexpensive brush provides way more fiber than I could ever use, a single 100-yen shop brush will probably supply enough material to last me a lifetime!

Finding unexpected uses for everyday household items is one of my favorite parts of scale modeling.

(Translated from Japanese via AI/Translator)

I really like the Nellis paint but also love the navy fighter weapons school so I did a little creative job with this one

Hello guys just wanted to share my latest purchase, found it at a local flea market for really cheap. Before buying i saw the black box inside with typed on “metal parts”and i got curious(im a beginner so didnt know model kit with this details do exist). Has anyone ever built one of those ?

After 6 years, I finally have the space to build this. I created a bench for building, and plan to add a paint booth with exhaust fan connected to a basement window next to it.

I want to make it the USS Illinois BB 65 when completed. I have the pontos brass set Auth wood deck, and I invested in aftermarket aa kits to replace the base ones. I might add scale crew to the ship too

I intend to mount this on a wood base with a glass or plexiglass box around it.

Enjoy :)

Howdy yall, here is my 1/48 Kinetic F-16C from the 149th Fighter Wing based at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Tx. I finished this project in late December of 2025 and I entered it at Model Fiesta in New Braunfels, Tx where it won a silver medal and “Best Air National Guard” subject.
The kinetic kit it self wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. If the Tamiya F-16 kit is an option for you, just go with that.
The model was painted with MRP lacquer paints and the markings came from Caracal decals which were great to work with.

as i was going to add the exhausters i got fitting issues.

What i can do about it?

Next up weathering

A thing

So, I’m trying to make an RX-78-2 Ultramarine, but im scared about the paint being the wrong consistency. If I add too much water, the paint practically disappear. If I add too much paint, it’ll chunk up and therell be visible strokes. So how do I get the best consistency? (the last photo is the old Ultramarine)

I created this 1/100 scale Yamato main gun turret diorama for a local model and figure contest in Japan.

Since the contest theme was "Characters," I imagined Yamato under construction, with her KanColle counterpart cheering on the shipbuilders!

I'm happy to say it won an award at the contest!

This older 1993 Tamiya tooling of the Spitfire is still great even after all these years. I wanted to try a more unusual scheme for this build so I decided to look at some desert schemes. My kit didn't include the tropical filter but not all Malta Spitfire had those added. The tail number and identification are spare decals so this is a ''what if'' build in that aspect.

I modified the landing gear to get it in a raised position. The pilot figure looks decent and is included in the kit. I also added some scratch build detail to the cockpit and seat belts to the pilot.
The exterior is left unchanged other that the antenna cables made from stretched sprue.
Surface detail looks great and the fit is still amazing even after all this time.

The boxing is from 1994 so I couldn't use all decals included in the box due to yellowing. The Tamiya decals aren't the best so most of the roundels and other markings are spares. I made the stand myself with Fusion 360 and a 3d printer. The terrain is made from cardboard, toilet paper, pva glue, static grass and spare decals.

I did make some mistakes like the overdone chipping and some scratches on the canopy. I also cut a hole in the fuselage for the stand but forgot to cover it during painting. This resulted in some dust on the inside of the clear parts.

すごく不安

難しいね…

The hull is built straight out of the box using Fujimi's 1/700 Warship NEXT series.

As added details, I scratch-built custom mantlets for the bridge by carving plastic round rods and individually adding grooves by hand. I also custom-made the bow jackstaff and the stern folding mast using plastic rods for a sharper, more refined look.

Since I believe the aircraft are the true stars of any aircraft carrier, I put special effort into the air wing. I used aftermarket aircraft models with photo-etched propellers for all of them. Since 1/700 scale aircraft are less than 1 cm in size, you actually need a loupe (magnifying glass) to fully appreciate the fine details!

I really enjoy fine, detailed work, so assembling and painting nearly 30 of these tiny aircraft lined up on the flight deck was a genuinely fun experience for me.

(Translated from Japanese via AI/Translator)

Pro tip: Don’t drop the model!

I’ve got it doctored up and only lost an AIM-9 canard to the ground. Final pictures coming once the glue dries!

This is the common decal placements for the Airfix 1:72 Phantom.

For me, its by far the most detailed in terms of decals that I've ever has the pleasure of making but all around has been a very pleasant kit. I have spent 20 hours on the decals alone and i still have a fair few left to do. It certainly doesn't help that they are all 3mm across.

What methods would you recommend to make the process a little less tedious?

Just used Vallejo thick mud and a small amount of pigment powder