Percival's younger brother

Hot on the tail of the S&M piston-engined Provost was this build of the jet variant, the new-tool Airfix 1/72 Jet Provost JP.3. This was a pre-release version built for Airfix Model World mag so there were no decals, but fortunately Xtradecals had just released their set for the kit. The build itself was simple and straightforward enough, with just a couple of glitches and omissions, mainly the various intakes on the fuselage spine and the spurious centre-frame on the canopy which had to be removed. Great little kit though, I really enjoyed it.

Hunting in Malaysia

I'd never heard of S&M Models until Airfix Model World magazine asked me to build this kit. After decades, finally a replacement for the venerable Matchbox 1/72 Percival-Hunting Provost. It was a joy to build, well detailed with good fit (although the three-piece canopy was a bit fiddly). Malaysian markings were one of the options on the decal sheet but I modified the scheme to represent a different aircraft, which required new serials and the checkerboard cowling and fuselage band.

Boxcar Blues

Roden produce kits of some of the most interesting subjects around, and I jumped at the opportunity to add the C-119 to my 1/144 collection. Unfortunately the quality of Roden's kits often lets them down, and such was the case with this model. The surface of the plastic was very rough (so much so that I could have used one fuselage half as a sanding block) and the fit of the tail booms was also 'challenging'. But, it's done and on the shelf.

Avia biplane

RS Models 1/72 Avia Ba.122 in Czech aerobatic colours.

Phiddly F-4.

Whirlybirds 1/144 F-4J Phantom, a true 'multimedia' kit. Main parts are resin, canopy is vac-form, some parts are white metal and there's a PE fret too. Not exactly an easy build, but the decals were superb. Platz recently released a full injection-moulded kit of the same variant, it would be interesting to compare the two.