• Ships of Scale has incorportated an extra level of security when you log In. Please follow on-screen prompts to acknowledge that you are not a robot via a "Check Box" or a "Pictorial Check Box Puzzle". This is needed due to higher level of AI Activity Security.
  • SUBSCRIBE TO SHIPS IN SCALE TODAY!

    The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026!
    Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue.

    NOTE THAT OUR NEXT ISSUE WILL BE July/August 2026
  • Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
    As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.

My 1/72 scale aircraft

Still waiting on decals. :(

On a side note, my flight in September became unavailable in the biplane. So rather than reschedule, I switched to a Vultee BT-13.


They make a 1/72 scale model…so I may have to find and build one…lol
They are not easy to find, as they are no longer making the kit. But not unlike the Bristol Bulldog, I can find one online. ;)
 
Last edited:
My decals finally arrived 10 days after I ordered them…sigh! So I finished the Bristol Bulldog.
Pics…


Considering it’s a kit from the late 60s and early 70s, it has decent detail. I did add a few parts and some additional detail.
But I think it’s a nice kit. They are going to become very hard to find soon, so I am glad to have one in my collection.
The WW1/biplane shelf is now at 10 aircraft…



I may switch to a WW2 aircraft next, not sure. I just ordered a Soviet Yak-3 and an Avia B534 early series biplane. So my kits in boxes keeps growing. I’m at 82 kits now with 61 built. My goal is an aircraft museum in 1/72 scale. ROTF
 
Last edited:
My BT-13 Valiant kit arrived and it looks like it’s going to be a great model.
In addition I just found and purchased an older Douglass TBD-1 Devastator kit in 1/72 scale.
Also while I put on the decals for Bristol Bulldog, which I got from a Spitfire decal kit, I took the time to put some extra decals on my Spitfire and I also did a little extra weathering.
So here is my Spitfire after giving it some extra love…;)
 
Last edited:
I decided to build another old kit from the 60s I found online. It’s a Curtiss P-36, which was the precursor to the P-40 Warhawk.

Above is an example.
The kit is an old Monogram …


Talk about basic instructions! ROTF
Anyway, I think I can make a nice example out of it.
Preliminary work has begun…there were some bad gaps that needed filling, but is to be expected on a 60 plus year old kit!


See ya next time…
 
Last edited:
Starting to add some decals as most of the painting is done.


Once again, it’s a very basic kit, but I think it’s going to look nice once finished.
Next I have to finish all the decals and add the propeller, canopy and landing gear. Then a final clear coat.
See ya next time…
 
Last edited:
When going through your WWI and WWII models I can't help myself thinking that there were quite a few ugly looking birds.
For some reason I find the esthetics of (some of) the German WWI aircraft more pleasing than the majority of the Allied designs. This turns about 180 degrees for the WWII war birds, where I find some of the Allied designs more pleasing than the German designs. For me all time favorites are the Fokker DVII and the Albatross D2 for the WWI era and the Spitfire, P51 Mustang, the P38 Lightning, the P47 Thunderbolt and the DH98 Mosquito for the WWII period. (Limited to fighter aircraft, although the Mosquito is a questionable one.)
With that in mind I thoroughly enjoy your growing, indiscriminate collection of war birds and that's apart from the effort you put into these little gems to do them justice; one would almost forget your models are really small.
Looking forward to the next additions.
 
RDN1954 said:
When going through your WWI and WWII models I can't help myself thinking that there were quite a few ugly looking birds.
For some reason I find the esthetics of (some of) the German WWI aircraft more pleasing than the majority of the Allied designs. This turns about 180 degrees for the WWII war birds, where I find some of the Allied designs more pleasing than the German designs. For me all time favorites are the Fokker DVII and the Albatross D2 for the WWI era and the Spitfire, P51 Mustang, the P38 Lightning, the P47 Thunderbolt and the DH98 Mosquito for the WWII period. (Limited to fighter aircraft, although the Mosquito is a questionable one.)
With that in mind I thoroughly enjoy your growing, indiscriminate collection of war birds and that's apart from the effort you put into these little gems to do them justice; one would almost forget your models are really small.
Looking forward to the next additions.
Click to expand...
Thank you Johan! It all started with a few of my favorites and next thing you know, I wanted to collect all of them. ;)
I actually like all the aircraft you mentioned, my favs too; Fokker D VII, Albatros D.Va, Spitfire, P-51D Mustang, P-47D Thunderbolt, P-38 Lightning and the Mosquito, to name a few. All very beautiful aircraft in my opinion.
I originally only had US and German aircraft when I began, then I decided to add the English, French, Japanese, Soviet, etc. I am looking to add some Italian aircraft as well, although mostly ugly IMO.
I am constantly looking for and purchasing new kits to add to my collection. Some bombers will be added soon, I already a have a B-17. And I started adding some trainers already. So I am expanding beyond fighters.

Above is some of my current kits in boxes, and there are a few added since I took this picture…lol.
It’s always a hard decision what to build next. I think the Mosquito may be my next build, which is very detailed and will be a lengthy build.
At 83 aircraft currently and still buying and building! Right now 61 are completed and on the shelves. It has become an obsession! ;)
Glad to have you follow my journey.
 
Last edited:
dockattner said:
Yes, we know that about you, Dean ROTF ROTF ROTF. I think many of us are "guilty as charged."
Click to expand...
True, we all have one or two! I think mine are model building and music. My favorite model subjects are aircraft, cars and ships, in that order. Its nice to share with others our passions and obsessions. It becomes a common bond and also a place to share techniques and get opinions. I started building ships because I wanted to build a wooden model, and I love the old war ships with their decorations and cannons. Unfortunately i don't like building a100 cannons or doing the rigging for the sails...ROTF
 
At least you have sufficient material to survive the coming winter evenings...
Although, at the speed you're building now, it won't last you until coming Christmas.

I like your idea of having a collection of warbirds at scale 1:72; it presents various, slightly (or not so slightly) different (design) approaches for more or less similar mission profiles, look for instance at machine gun installations on WWI aircraft or liquid-cooled or air-cooled engines, radial-, line-, v- and rotary engines, etc, etc.
 
RDN1954 said:
At least you have sufficient material to survive the coming winter evenings...
Although, at the speed you're building now, it won't last you until coming Christmas.

I like your idea of having a collection of warbirds at scale 1:72; it presents various, slightly (or not so slightly) different (design) approaches for more or less similar mission profiles, look for instance at machine gun installations on WWI aircraft or liquid-cooled or air-cooled engines, radial-, line-, v- and rotary engines, etc, etc.
Click to expand...
I do have some 1/48, 1/32 and 1/16 scale aircraft, but they have all taken a backseat as I pursue building my 1/72 scale collection. It’s as small of a scale as you can get and still see a decent amount of detail. And I like being able to see the difference in size of the aircraft and the different designs. You can put any two side by side and compare. So I think maintaining a scale is best. In which case I have some kits to sell! ROTF
I have created a problem I hadn’t foreseen…dusting! Last weekend I dusted all of them, one shelf at a time. Taking all the aircraft off and dusting them with a fine brush and then vacuuming the shelf and placing them all back on the shelf. Two hours later my entire room and all my models were dusted!
Oh well, maybe shelves with glass in the future…;)
 
Back to the P-36…

I like putting parts on a toothpick or holding them with clips so I can paint and let dry prior to assembly.

The canopy was painted with a brush. This type is actually nice because the edges of the frame are raised so you can just run the brush between the ridges and get a nice edge without much effort. ;)


To my surprise, thought it shouldn’t have been, there was a large gap at the windshield and fuselage. So I used some PVA glue to fill. Then painted black once dried.
I use Weldbond because it dries very clear. This is actually what I always use to install canopy glass. ;) The best end result with no glue being visible without magnification.
I also come back on landing gear and put some PVA around the base of the struts to give extra strength. Once dried you never know it’s there visibly. ;)


The kit had a nice little section with info on the P-36, as shown above.
See you soon with the finished model…
 
Last edited:
After decals, varnish, lading gear, propeller and canopy…she is finished!
Excuse the quality of pics…just documenting it and hopefully giving an idea of how she looks. Always looks worse in pics. Must have got the ugly camera in my IPhone that makes everything look worse…ROTF


And a picture next to the Curriss P-40, the version after the P-36…


You can see the similarities in design.
And finally at home on the shelf next to my two P-40s…


Well that’s 62 built and more to go.

That said I really have to finish my clock project, but I’m still putting on coats of paint to get ready for final assembly.
The remaining time can be used for models…so I am sure I will probably start another build soon. ;)
 
Last edited:
One last thing…rudder decals…

These are never fun, for many reasons. They are always too big with excess overhanging the sides, and they rarely want to stick well around the radiused edges.
My technique is to put one side on, using Micro Set and Micro Sol. Then let that fully dry. Then I use my fine sanding stick and carefully sand at an angle on the edges of the rudder which removes the excess decal by creating a cut on the decal at the edge of the rudder. Then I repeat on the other side.
Then I have to paint the colors on the edge of the rudder with a fine paint brush to join the two sides. Then that is all painted with Matt varnish. Far more work than would be obvious! ;)
Anyway, that’s how I do it. If anyone has a better solution…I’m all ears! I hate doing those.
 
Last edited:
So that's what now, about a model per day? Insomnia is insidious, isn't it. ROTF

That's a beautiful P-36. We live about 20 minutes from the Glenn Curtiss Museum which is in Hammondsport, NY. No P-36, but a P-40 along with many other examples of his aircraft in addition to the motorcycles he manufactured. Quite an interesting place if you ever want to get away from the heat and hurricanes of Houston (I lived in Bellaire for most of the '80s). ROTF
 
RussF said:
So that's what now, about a model per day? Insomnia is insidious, isn't it. ROTF

That's a beautiful P-36. We live about 20 minutes from the Glenn Curtiss Museum which is in Hammondsport, NY. No P-36, but a P-40 along with many other examples of his aircraft in addition to the motorcycles he manufactured. Quite an interesting place if you ever want to get away from the heat and hurricanes of Houston (I lived in Bellaire for most of the '80s). ROTF
Click to expand...
Thanks Russ. My wife is from NY, so there’s always a chance I might take a trip up that way. If I do I will certainly visit the museum. ;)
And as you know…


This is where I go to see aircraft and they have a museum and you can fly in the airplanes. I’m counting the days until I go flying! ;)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top