Darius43

1:48 Blackburn Buccaneers built from the Airfix kits. RN Buccaneer S1 using a Maintrack Models resin conversion. RN Buccaneer S2 RAF Buccaneer S2 Cheers Darius

Hawker Seahawk FGA-4 built from the 1:48:scale Falcon vacform kit. De Haviland Sea Venom FAW-21 built from the 1:48 scale Aeroclub mixed media kit. Another vacform kit - a Fairey Gannet AS Mk1 built from the 1:48 scale Dynavector kit with a scratch built wing fold. In the short time they were in production, Dynavector produced some superb kits. Cheers Darius

Blackburn Firebrand built from the 1:48 scale Magna Models resin kit. Westland Wyvern S4 built from the 1:48 scale Dynavector vacform kit. Cheers Darius

Sea Mosquito TR33 made from a much bashed about 1:48 scale Monogram FBVI kit and a Paragon Designs conversion set. Sea Vixen FAW2 built from the 1:48 scale Dynavector vacform kit. Supermarine Scimitar built from the 1:48 scale Contrail vacform kit. Cheers Darius

RAF and RN Land Rover fire engines - 1:48 scale ASAM Models kits. Cheers Darius

Dassault Super Etendard - 1:48 scale Heller kit. Cheers Darius

This is an old Esci 1:48 kit of the Saab Viggen that I purchased second hand from a model shop in South London. It resided in the pending stack until in a spurt of enthusiasm I decided I needed a splinter camouflaged Viggen in my collection. On opening the box to check out the parts I discovered that there were two right hand side fuselage sprues and no left hand side!! What to do? - cannot take it back and no chance of getting replacement parts from the manufacturer. In a major lapse of sanity I decided upon the following: Slice up one half of the fuselage with a razor saw into 4mm wide sections and re-assemble them in reverse using plenty of liquid cement, filler and wet-n-dry paper. I duly garrotted the fuselage and reassembled it on the intact right hand moulding. The resultant object was worthy of display in the Tate Modern [Art Museum] but after much sanding and filling (and vice versa) it resembled the undulating curves of the Viggen. The cockpit area required a bit of care and attention, however some plastic card stock and more filler resolved this area of construction. The remaining kit parts were all present and correct and were assembled as per the instructions. The splinter paint scheme was brush applied with extensive use of Tamiya masking tape but after the fuselage saga this operation was quite therapeutic. The kit decals were applied with extra details added as shown in a 3-view illustration of the aircraft published in the Encyclopaedia of Military Aircraft (Aerospace Publications). The moral of this story - check the contents when buying second hand kits... Cheers Darius

Monty’s map caravan - 1:48 Hart Models kit. Cheers Darius A couple of DUKWs. 1:48 ASAM Models kit. Modified 1:50 Solido diecast. Cheers Darius

A few Land Rovers - all 1:48 scale. Cheers Darius

North African Bailey Bridge diorama. Cheers Darius

Various Shermans converted from 1:48 Bandai kits or Corgi diecasts. Cheers Darius

In addition to 1:48 aircraft I have been building 1:48 scale white metal kits of military vehicles and converting Corgi 1:50 diecasts. The pontoons in the first vehicle were scratch built. Cheers Darius

Strategic Air Command is one of my favourite films - regularly gets played on dvd. The B36 Peacemaker is an amazing aircraft - six turning and four burning. There was a 1:48 resin kit of the B36 produced a few years ago. I have a 1:48 Concorde kit from the same manufacturer - as yet unbuilt… Cheers Darius

Bedford RL & Queen Mary trailer 1:48 ASAM white metal kit Cheers Darius

1:48 F-86 Sabres Esci F-86E Hasegawa F86-F Cheers Darius

1:48 scale Avro Vulcan B2 built from the Aeroclub mixed media kit. Cheers Darius

My first and only experience of being on the footplate of a steam loco - aged 6 in 1971 in Pune, India. I remember being allowed to pull the chain that blew the whistle. Cheers Darius

Auster Autocars built from the very old Lincoln International kits. Cheers Darius

Restored 1:48 resin Leopard Moth. Cheers Darius 1:48 scale Dh88 Comet Racer built from the Heritage Aviation resin and white metal kit. Cheers Darius

Some silvered wings. Cheers Darius SA Bulldog and some RAF and RN piston trainers. Cheers Darius

Some Spitfies and Seafires. Cheers Darius

Some more completed vacform kits. Cheers Darius Civil line up. Cheers Darius

1:48 scale aircraft hangar - modified cardboard kit. Cheers Darius

C-133 Cargomaster built from the 1:48 scale ID Models vacform kit. How it was made Cheers Darius

Albatross!!! The first is from the 1:48 Trumpeter kit and the second from the 1:48 RVHP resin kit. Cheers Darius