It has become customary to post a retrospective at the end of the year, and this one will be no exception. In the past few years I have just posted pictures on Facebook and Twitter (don’t get me started on X, I left in a blaze of vitriol). Just posting pics doesn’t really do justice as to why I built what I did , or what I thought of the build itself. I hope to be more expansive here.

I was quick off the blocks on January 1st, there was a Twitter Group Build #AU4243WIGB that was toatally up my street. The premise was that Japan launched an invasion of Australia not long after Pearl Harbour. I had many Japanese aircraft in the stash, and I had just managed to get Marshall of the Fleet Yamamoto’s personal transport off Ebay for an absolute steal. Deadline was March 31st, just how many could I get over the line?

Experience has taught me that if I am going multi for a group build, I need to get something fairly simple done first, it alleviates the pressure I put upon myself. I know with group builds that I won’t be presenting the best model, but I will make up for it either by originality or sheer force of numbers. Hasegawa’s Nakajima Ki-44 “Tojo” fitted the bill nicely, and BANG, 2 weeks later she was finished. It wasn’t close to being a good build, but I was up and running.

Despite the fact that I really enjoy building Japanese aircraft, I had never built the most famous of them all. This was the perfect occassion to correct this ommission, up next Eduard’s magnificent Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 21 “Zeke” or “Zero”. I adore Eduard kits, they are probably my favourite manufacturer. However they are so demanding that I really only have the mental bandwidth to tackle a couple a year, and here I am with a deadline. The best part of an aircraft build for me is the cockpit, and this kit really steps up in this department.

Something new had arrived in the post to be tested then used on this kit, Flory washes. A game changer for me as I don’t have much success with panel lines. Boy, was I pleased with the result.

Now for the main event. I would normally wall mount a model of this size, but the kit is a special edition, I figured it would be a waste if I didn’t use the extras.

As it was a Tamiya all I had to do was shake the box about a bit, and out came a fully built plane. I am not much cop at painting figures, and at 1/48 that really shows.

During lulls on the Zero, I built the vehicles that would help tell the story.

For the diorama I used the basing unit from a folding dining table that had been sitting in our junk shed. It told the simple tale of Admiral Yamamoto departing to inspect the gains made at Darwin. In reality this arcraft carried him to his death.

I had just enough time to cram in Fine Molds’ Nakajima Ki-32 “Oscar”, rushed to defend Darwin as the Allies successfully counter attacked, still in her Manchoukuo Air Force markings. Fine Molds kits cost quite a pretty penny for what they are. Rarity value in this country I guess, because what is in the box really isn’t worth it.

And that was the end of March with #AU4243WIGB done and dusted. It also marked the last time I have taken part in a group build. I feel there could be a post on its own about that so stay tuned.

I sort of meandered about for the next few months, picking up kits, then either getting bogged down or losing interest. Trouble was, 2 of these were projects I had been longing to do.

Eduard’s MiG-21 is considered by many to be the best out there. The Fishbed was also a glaring absentee on my early Soviet shelf. I have no wish to add to the Red Stars thanks to events in Ukraine. I worked around this by displaying it in a Ugandan Army Air Force scheme from the time of Idi Amin’s reign of terror. As I said earlier I only have the capacity to build a couple of Eduards a year, and this one almost broke me. 8 sessions totalling 14 hours to put on 256 stencils. Never again…until the next time.

At the same time I was wrestling with the MiG-21 MF, I tackled Zvezda’s Bumerang APC which was being battle tested in Donetsk. I got a fair bit of grief on social media for both using a Russian kit manufacturer, and the nature of the subject. This was unfair, I had purchased the kit long before the invasion, Zvezda had their money from me for some time. The subject is distasteful, but the critics had no idea how I was going to display it. Still, nobody stops jumping into an argument with a fully informed opinion do they? The kit is amazing, I really enoyed the build. It had a clever knack of being simple in its complexity. I also experimented a bit more with oils, and was happy with the results. Unfortunately this went on the back burner because I had a block on painting the very well sculpted figures I had decided to use. Got there eventually, and I am pleased that I did. For the first time ever, I looked on at some thing I built with pride. It’s called “Run!” and depicts 2 Ukranian war correspondents. I think this puts to bed the idea I was glorifying Russia.

What I do in a slump is to go to Tamiya’s little 1/48 vehicles, they can be built in 2-3 days, and really boost the mojo. I managed a couple during this time. Later in the year a friend gave me some off cuts from logs he had been chopping, so I mounted them.

I only managed one more set piece, something that had been in my head for a few years. A tricky path had to be navigated, as I wanted an “End of Days” feel in May 1945 Berlin. There will be a post later about how I model Nazi equipment. I also don’t like showing the Soviet Union in a good light. Along came “Complacency”, A Soviet IS-2 rumbles down a Berlin street on 10th May, assured they were safe, trouble is for some the war was not over. further experimentation with oils gave me the look I was aiming for.

My favourite aircraft to build is the MiG-15 Fagot, I return to it at least once a year. I finally got hold of 3 Hobby 2000 boxings of the Bronco kit with added extras. I have quite a few decal sets, with some challenging schemes. The confidence I had gained from this year’s earlier builds meant I was ready to go. The Quinta 3D decals were a revelation, as was the Reskit cockpit ladder and chocks. The splatter camouflage was achieved by using a sponge.

This success, plus a viewing of Bridges at Toko-Ri put me in a Fast Jets vibe. Only one thing would suffice, Hobby Boss’ F9-F Panther. Somebody helpfully told me it was unbuildable because it’s not correct. Frankly I don’t care, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. It was a blast to build, no great cockpit detail this time around, it just went together well with no issues other than where to store the weight needed to keep the nose sitting down.

During the summer I got my hands on a job lot of 8 Japanese aircraft for a very agreeable price. I have found though that the decals are probaly shot on all of them, but no worry. Consequently I have spent the last months of the year exactly how I spent the first few. Having begun the year with …..ahem….zero Zeroes, I end it with 2. Hasegawa’s offering being significantly easier to construct than Eduard’s. Couldn’t be having that really, so why not add a difficult colour scheme? Another done with a sponge.

Included in that job lot was Tamiya’s Aichi M6A1 Seiran. I mean, who wouldn’t want to build a submarine launched aircraft? It flew half a mission, the war in the Pacific ending after all three had taken off. The aircraft and the submarine were scuttled. Once again this was an easy build from the Japanese masters.

Last of the Japanese trio was also from Tamiya, a Nakajima J1N1 “Irving”. A night fighter with dorsal mounted cannon to creep up underneath US bombers. It went together very nicely, but I had a mare with the decals, not only was the kit set done, but the aftermarket set I had bought split as well. The markings on this are therefore a fiction from the spares drawer.

I was fortunate in that Matt who supplied the off cuts liked what I had done with them. Bigger ones have found their way to me. I am quite excited by the opportunities that have opened up for my armour stash. The very last job for the year finally got a kit I had built in 2022 properly displayed. A French VBL in UN service in Croatia, I had been once again delaying painting figures that I had sourced at considerable cost. I don’t know why I do this, I may not be particularly adept at painting figures, but once I have started I do enjoy the simple process I have been given by a fellow modeller. Hedley, if you are reading this, thanks.

In summary a strange year for building models in the shed of beer and plastic. It felt as 2023 progressed that I wasn’t achieving much, and yet as I look back over the 3 hours it has taken me to compile this, quite a lot has been done. It has been a year in which my best work has been done, and finally I am starting to believe that I am getting good at this…..sort of.

Interesting statistic, hopefully my wife Shona will not read this far. That’s 16 kits built this year….I bought 26 to replace them.

Thanks very much if you have read all of this. I wish you all a prosperous 2024.