My stash just grew again 2026

[Rick Lowe]

That sounds like a Typical Cat, to me. 

[Pellson]

Those are indeed well-laden boxes! How do you find that? From my, very personal perspective indeed, I am somewhat hesitant. While, on one hand, all these exquisitely designed and molded parts do come together a very nice design indeed, I sometimes reflect on how much of it that's really seen or experienced once the kit is built and painted. Soon the other hand, it is, at least to me, a bit fulfilling when a build moves on without too much fuss. I suppose that's one reason for my love for older kits, such as the ancient Revell Draken, or the Hasegawa Convair Deltas.
That said, sometimes, the perfect fit and detail is exactly what you crave.. Well. I'm undecided, methinks..

Speaking about Hasegawa Deltas, I actually snatched another Six from Evilbay this afternoon. I'm not sure what to build from it, but as someone much wiser than I have commented here earlier - you can never have too many Deltas..

[Gondor]

Received just after 8pm from Jadlam, and delivered by Royal Mail,

1 x 1/72 Italeri 1462 Stirling Mk. III to be built real world.

1 x 1/144 Zvezda 7038 Russian Strategic Bomber Tu-95MS "Bear" To be real-world, although I may change the variant.

With regard to the Stirling and my search for clear parts, I may decide to buy a second-hand Airfix kit and use the existing kit I have as a source of spares. It sounds the more sensible thing to do, especially as I intend to butcher it a bit.

[Mossie]

Late Christmas presents from a friend.    Big kits.

1/24 Revell Gemini cspsule
You cannot view this attachment.

That's an oldie. Should be fun. There is a build thread over on Britmodeller showing the various issues to avoid 

Kingston Cycles of Hull closed in 2019. That price sticker must go back to when the kit was released in that box in 1982.

I hope it was £5.99p not £599 

I thought it said £59.99 and he'd spent a lot on me!

I have a bit of a joke that his modelling lamp looks like a Gemini capsule.

No date on the box, but The History Makers Series was from 1982/3. Inflation calculater says it'd be around £20 now. If Revell re-released it, I'm sure it'd go for a lot more.

[frank2056]

Megahobby re-released it as a limited run in 2023: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-03705-gemini-space-capsule--1466627



The re-release was not that expensive (around $30) but I see it's going for a lot more on ebay.

[Rick Lowe]

With regard to the Stirling and my search for clear parts, I may decide to buy a second-hand Airfix kit and use the existing kit I have as a source of spares. It sounds the more sensible thing to do, especially as I intend to butcher it a bit.

Alistair, check this out:

https://www.falconmodels.co.nz/clearvax/set17.html

Never mind, I see you already have one...

[Captain Canada]

I thought you had a Scale Reference Cat on hand? 

Haha.

[Gondor]

Received today from Freightdog

1 x 1/72 FDR72141 DH Mosquito Tropical intakes (Tamiya kit). I'm a bit dubious if I will actually need them for a two stage merlin engined Mosquito, but if Lee, our resident Mosquito expert, says so, then they will go on the Highball Navalised/B.35 I am thinking of doing.

[Spey_Phantom]

just arrived:

-Mini Hobby Models 1/144 Mirage F1C
-CC Lee 1/144 Mirage 2000-5F

[killnoizer]

Unbelieveable, gifted by friends from the Club at the Weekend or catched for a very, very friendly amount ☺️.

Heinkel 219 in 1:72 , one of my favourite kits ,NOS

10 x Me 262 from Revell, my bread and butter resource for whatif , NOS

Phantom Tiger Meet in 1:32 , NOS

Matchbox Corsair 2 , NOS

GOTHA Bomber WW1, NOS .

Plus a great collection of drop tanks, Bombs and pilot figures.

[PR19_Kit]

10 x Me 262 from Revell, my bread and butter resource for whatif , NOS

HOW many?     

That's an entire week's production from 1944!

[killnoizer]

10 x Me 262 from Revell, my bread and butter resource for whatif , NOS

I was very surprised too, trust me. 
But it was not possible to say no.

I have used just 4 of them since Christmas, so it is not really a problem. 



HOW many?     

That's an entire week's production from 1944!

[The Wooksta!]

10 x Me 262 from Revell, my bread and butter resource for whatif , NOS

HOW many?     

That's an entire week's production from 1944!

TBH, I bought 12 from my LHS on it's day of release back in 1997.

[The Wooksta!]

Received today from Freightdog

1 x 1/72 FDR72141 DH Mosquito Tropical intakes (Tamiya kit). I'm a bit dubious if I will actually need them for a two stage merlin engined Mosquito, but if Lee, our resident Mosquito expert, says so, then they will go on the Highball Navalised/B.35 I am thinking of doing.

Not on a two stage Mosquito, because they're already built in.    TBH, I don't think you really need two stage Merlins for essentially low level attack, it's an engine for medium/high altitude.  There's a reason why the two stage Merlin was never used for the fighter bombers - it was definitely proposed for UK production (Sharp/Bowyer mention a two stage Merlin FB.XI - need to check that as there was a proposal for the NF.II to be refitted with two stage Merlins as the NF.X, I may have it the wrong way round.  I also think there may have been a proposal for a two stage Merlin conversion of the mk XII at one stage, which I think would look well sleek) and Canada gave up on plans after just one solitary FB21 got them (the ONLY Canadian production two stage Merlin Mosquito was KB106, the few others were B.XXVs converted in the UK, despite what some author insists).  There's always a trade off between extra weight versus extra power for a given role.  Yes, I know Spitfire fighter bombers had them, but that was more down to use in the air superiority role once they'd dropped their bombs and could take on Fw 190s on their own terms, plus the Spitfires were being used as bomb trucks because there was just so many of them to spare at that point.  There's other reasons why I think it's a none starter and an in service Highball Sea Mosquito would be a better proposal, but that's not for this thread.  The Paragon/Blackbird Highball fairing will fit an Airfix PR.16 so it's physically possible (I did some test fitting some months back as I've tentative plans to do a Mosquito Squadron one) and the navalisation was carried out on an additional three PR16s post war (RG171-173).  There were plans for an additional Highball equipped FB.VIs to be sent to the Far East according to Paul Lucas.

But having the tropical filters gives you more scope, because a lot of the post war aircraft were fitted with them as standard.  Indeed, many were retrofitted.  RS625, more commonly known as NE-D in the Tamiya kit, didn't have them in it's wartime guise but was photographed with them post war with 204 AFS.  NT181 didn't have them during the war when photographed with one of the bomber support units, but definitely did afterwards when it was with 4 Sqn.  The bulk of Australian built aircraft got them, but you've got an entirely separate can of worms there down to the different cowlings, exhausts and intakes, for which there is no off the shelf fix.  Well, unless you want to chop up an expensive set of Brengun two stage Merlins.  The Canadian production FB26s (again, different cowlings, but it's an easy fill and rescribe job) that the RAF got and wereused by several squadrons, notably 249 Sqn in Kenya, and those exported for use by the Republican Chinese all had tropical filters.  Besides, the tropical filters add something extra visually, you have more shots in your locker and it wasn't a waste of money.

Finally, thank you for the title "Resident Mosquito Expert".  My modesty compels me to say that I'm merely an informed amateur with a good reference library, but my ego is flattered nonetheless.

[Gondor]