H.M.S. Victory

Model: H.M.S. Victory

"HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, best known as Lord Nelson's flag-ship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805."

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Victory was commissioned (put on active duty) in March 1778 under Captain John Lindsay until May 1778 when Admiral Augustus Keppel made her his flagship, and appointed Rear Admiral John Campbell (1st Captain) and Captain Jonathan Faulknor (2nd Captain).

Victory was armed with smooth bore, cast iron cannon. Initially she carried thirty 42-pounders (19 kg) on her lower deck, twenty-eight 24-pounders (11 kg) on her middle deck, and thirty 12-pounders (5 kg) on her upper deck, together with twelve 6-pounders on her quarterdeck and forecastle. In May 1778, the 42-pounders were replaced by 32-pounders (15 kg), but the 42-pounders were reinstated in April 1779; eventually, in 1803, the 42-pounders were permanently replaced by 32-pounders. In 1782, all the 6-pounders were replaced by 12-pounders. Later, she also carried two carronade guns, firing 68-lb (31 kg) round shot.^[18] In January 1808, Victory was reduced to a 98-gun second rate, but was reclassed as a 104-gun first rate in February 1817.

More info @ The Wikipedia page

My goodness this model had me tearing out my hair (what little is left) from my head with all those cannons and other fiddly bits. The model require a slow build especially having to leave the glue overnight to set hard - else it just fell apart at every stage!

The ship came alive when I put the sails up, making the project come to a excited end. It sits every so proudly now on the high shelf in my bedroom. A testimony to my hardest project yet.

Compiled and written by
David "Modelling Away in Perth" Innes

Navy UH-1B Huey

Model: Navy UH-1B Huey (87228) 1/72 Scale

"The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a military helicopter powered by a single turboshaft engine, with two-blade main and tail rotors."

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During service in the Vietnam War, the UH-1 was used for various purposes and various terms for each task abounded. UH-1s tasked with ground attack or armed escort were outfitted with rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and machine guns. As early as 1962, UH-1s were modified locally by the companies themselves, who fabricated their own mounting systems. 

These gunship UH-1s were commonly referred to as "Frogs" or "Hogs" if they carried rockets, and "Cobras" or simply "Guns" if they had guns. 

UH-1s tasked and configured for troop transport were often called "Slicks" due to an absence of weapons pods. Slicks did have door gunners, but were generally employed in the troop transport and medevac roles. UH-1s also flew hunter-killer teams with observation helicopters, namely the Bell OH-58A Kiowa and the Hughes OH-6 Cayuse (Loach).

Towards the end of the conflict, the UH-1 was tested with TOW missiles, and two UH-1B helicopters equipped with the XM26 Armament Subsystem were deployed to help counter the 1972 Easter Invasion.

More info @ The Wikipedia page

This was actually my first model attempt, so I made a few noob mistakes! Still had some fun learning better techniques and what not to do on future projects. Both the helicopter propellers move and it came with a number of side weapon variants - to which I chose the rocket launcher and the chain gun.

While only a fairly simple model to build, some of those small pieces drove me nutz, using tweezers to hold them in place while I awaited for glue to harden. Still, my patience was rewarded and the detail in the cock pit looks rather good.

Compiled and written by

David "Modelling Away in Perth" Innes 

F/A-18F Super Hornet

Model: F/A-18F Super Hornet (04509) 1/48 Scale

"The first VF-102 was established on 1 May 1952 and redesignated VA-36 on 1 July 1955. The second VF-102 in 1955, was redesignated as VFA-102."

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With the disestablishment VF-33, VF-102 became America's sole F-14 unit, completing its final deployment on 24 February 1996. Upon America's decommissioning in 1996, VF-102 (and the rest of CVW-1) was assigned to USS George Washington.

In 1997, the squadron deployed aboard George Washington. A port visit to Haifa, Israel was cut short late in November as the carrier battle group was ordered to the Persian Gulf in response to Saddam Hussein's barring UN weapon inspectors from carrying out their assigned tasks. As the crisis grew George Washington joined the USS Nimitz and HMS Invincible. VF-102 returned to Norfolk on 13 March 1998.

In Autumn 1999, VF-102 deployed again to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch over southern Iraq. VF-102 carried out strikes on numerous anti-aircraft and radar sites and conducted numerous TARPS missions.

More info @ The Wikipedia page

I really enjoyed making this plane. The cockpit and the missles / rockets were a bit of a challenge, especially when attempting to dry them. As I was doing this project I felt it wouldn't hold together well when handled, since it had alot of stuff on the bottom that could come lose.

Fortunately enough I bought a little stand from Stanbridge's hobby store in Mount Lawley, Perth that elevated the model giving it more of a view of the planes undercarriage without having to "man handle" the model itself.


Compiled and written by
David "Modelling Away in Perth" Innes

1/32 Scale German Medium Armoured Radio Vehicle

Model: Sd.Kfz.251/17 Ausf.C Command Version

"The Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track was an armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by the Hanomag company during World War II, and based on their earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle."

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There were four main model modifications (Ausführung A through D), which formed the basis for at least 22 variants.^[1] The initial idea was for a vehicle that could be used to transport a single squad of 10 panzergrenadiers to the battlefield protected from enemy small arms fire, and with some protection from artillery fire. In addition, the standard mounting of at least one MG 34 or MG 42 machine gun allowed the vehicle to provide support by fire for the infantry squad once they had disembarked in battle.

More info @ The Wikipedia Page

This was another modelling project I took during the renovations of the outdoor shed. The shed needed alot of painting at this stage, so in between painting the walls, I would relax at night-time building the above. The back of the model opens up and you can see the internal radio equipment and benches and the engine bay opens up showing the little block of power inside.

I had some trouble painting this model due to doing it in the summer time - hence I began doing this at night time. Lesson learnt for future modelling projects.


Compiled and written by
David "Modelling Away in Perth" Innes