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The most famous paint job of the Second World War… and it had to be done in a hurry.

On the eve of D-Day, RAF ground crews were ordered to paint black and white invasion stripes onto thousands of Allied aircraft.

No masking tape. No careful measurements. Just brushes, brooms, mops and buckets of paint.

Many worked through the night, knowing the stripes only had to do one thing: Stop Allied gunners shooting down their own aircraft.

Sometimes the stories behind the paint are every bit as interesting as the aircraft themselves.

Building models. Telling stories.

1/48 scale Eduard Spitfire FR Mk.Vc. Swipe to see the full scene. by @models.by.chris

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3 months ago

Did I mention I won an award…

Delighted to have taken a Gold award in the Aircraft Diorama category at this years Scale Scotland model show. This was my first time entering a model in any kind of show, was pretty chuffed to go home with an award 🏅

The model is the @eduardcompany 1/48 scale Fw 190F-8, in the markings of an aircraft based in Hungary during the winter 1944/1945.

The figures are from @icm.kits and it was the box art that gave me the inspiration for the build. Some creative license taken… I’m not sure the canopy would have been open/uncovered during painting… especially in the snow. Anyway, it was a great kit to build and fun to paint something a bit different.

What do you think?

#fw190 #scalemodelling #148scale #modelbuilding #modelkit #plasticmodel #wwii #aviation #avgeek #history #scaleaviation #wehaveways #warbird #modelkits_insta #hobbyworld #warplaneofinsta #hataka #eduardmodels by @models.by.chris

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4 years ago

“No, of course we’re not lost…”

Crewing up my Sherman Firefly. I enjoy this stage of a model, adding all the little details.

Edit… I do need to paint that compass!!

#scalemodelsworld #sherman #shermanfirefly #ryefieldmodel #miniartmodels #mapreading #135scalemodel #135diorama #135scale #ww2scalemodel #wehavewaysofmakingyoutalk by @models.by.chris

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5 years ago

This is the Airfix 1:1200 Tribal Class Destroyer and it is ridiculously tiny 😂

It’s certainly smaller than my usual 1/48 Spitfires so is taking a bit of getting used to. The detail Airfix have managed to cram onto something this size is pretty impressive though. Especially given the age of the tooling!

No idea how this is going to turn out, but I’m enjoying it so far. Now to work out how on earth I’m going to paint it 👀

#airfix #royalnavy #wehavewaysofmakingyoutalk by @models.by.chris

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13 days ago

Sometimes you just need to build something completely different ⚓️

I’ve been in a bit of a modelling slump since We Have Ways Fest. I’ve had plenty of ideas, but haven’t really felt the same enthusiasm for sitting down at the bench.
So… I’m changing direction.

I’ve ordered the Airfix 1:1200 Sink the Bismarck! Gift Set and I’m going to have a go at some nautical modelling.

Ships are completely outside my usual 1:48 aircraft comfort zone, so I’m pretty excited about trying something new.

So here’s to trying something different, learning a few new skills and of course, there’s no shortage of stories behind these subjects 🌊⚓️ by @models.by.chris

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17 days ago

Some models carry a story of their own.

This beautiful Swordfish belongs to a friend of mine, who bought it at We Have Ways Fest this weekend with the money going towards @finleystouch

I was lucky enough to get my hands on it for a quick photoshoot before it heads off to its new home.

One of the things I love about scale modelling is that a model can become more than just a miniature aircraft. It can tell a story, preserve a memory or, in this case, help support a really worthwhile cause.
So this one feels particularly special.

A model built with skill. Bought with generosity. And now helping make a difference. ❤️

@wehavewayspod @redfivemodels #scalemodelling #wehavewaysfest #faireyswordfish #kitoff by @models.by.chris

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a month ago

What a weekend 🇬🇧

Had an absolute blast at We Have Ways Fest and loved getting the chance to give my first ever talk about scale modelling and the stories behind the models.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, listened to me ramble about scale models and the stories behind them, and especially for all the lovely comments afterwards. It genuinely meant a lot.

Also managed to see some fantastic stuff along the way including a Hurricane up close (more on that later) and almost getting run over by a sextant 😂

Definitely a weekend I won’t forget. Already looking forward to doing it all again @wehavewayspod @thealmurray @jamesholland1940

#WeHaveWaysFest #ScaleModelling #WW2 #MilitaryHistory #modelmaking by @models.by.chris

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a month ago

Another wonderful weekend at We Have Ways Fest! An incredible line up of talks, authors, re-enactors, vehicles, fly pasts, big bangs and model kits! What more could you want? 😊😊🪖🙏🙏

Big thanks to all involved and @thealmurray @jamesholland1940 for an incredible event. I was very pleased to support @fog_models for another year and chat model making and all things plastic to anyone who asked!

Made it to see @models.by.chris on Saturday morning and his very entertaining talk on his love of model kits, it was very well attended and received, well done mate! 👏👏😊😊

#livinghistory #ww2 #armour #firepower #modelmaker by @models.by.chris

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a month ago

Two weeks until I’m speaking at the UK’s largest WW2 history festival We Have Ways Fest 2026 @wehavewayspod
I can’t wait to talk about scale models and how they can be used to tell stories and help us connect with the human stories behind the machines and hardware. Join me at 9am on Saturday 12 September in The Arsenal 🎪

Who’s going to be there? by @models.by.chris

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2 months ago

Spitfire Sunday - Maltese Blue 🇲🇹

By April 1942, Malta was desperately short of fighter aircraft. On 20 April, 47 Spitfires were flown from the American carrier USS Wasp to Malta in Operation Calendar.

Among them was BR112, a Spitfire Mk.Vc that would serve with No. 185 Squadron.
The aircraft arrived in the familiar Mediterranean desert camouflage, but received a hastily applied dark-blue overpaint intended to camouflage them against the Mediterranean sky and sea. Under Malta’s intense sun and relentless operational use, the blue quickly became battered, revealing the colours beneath.

That unusual finish was the main inspiration for this build. I wanted to capture a Spitfire that looked like it had actually been to Malta — sun-baked, worn and very much in the thick of the fighting.

BR112 went on to fly combat operations over Malta and Sicily, before being forced down in Sicily in September 1942.

Another Spitfire, another story. by @models.by.chris

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2 months ago

The beginning of a new diorama… do you like the vision?

A P-51 Mustang, three USAAF pilots and a map.

The idea is to capture one of those quieter moments before a mission, the pilots gathered around the map going over their route while a Mustang waits nearby.

This is very much an idea at the moment. The Mustang is semi-assembled but still waiting for paint. One of the pilots is held together with white tac!!

There’s still a long way to go, but I always enjoy this stage of a diorama: when it’s still just a collection of models and an idea, and you can start to see where the finished scene is heading.

Mustang by @officialairfix and figures are @icm.kits by @models.by.chris

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2 months ago

Spitfire Sunday - The face of the Battle of Britain

There are countless photographs of the Battle of Britain that show pilots as heroes.
This isn’t really one of them.

Taken at Fowlmere on 21 September 1940, the photograph shows Squadron Leader Brian “Sandy” Lane shortly after a sortie with No. 19 Squadron. The strain of combat is written all over his face.

Lane was just 23.

He had taken command of 19 Squadron only a few weeks earlier, on 5 September, and was flying Spitfires from Fowlmere at one of the most intense stages of the Battle of Britain.

His preferred aircraft was Spitfire Mk.Ia P9386, QV-K — an aircraft that has become particularly well known to modellers thanks to its distinctive markings and oversized fuselage roundels.

I’ve tried to recreate that photograph in miniature: the Spitfire, the pilot and, most importantly, that moment after the fighting when the adrenaline has gone and the exhaustion remains.

It’s easy, looking back 86 years later, to see the pilots of 1940 as almost mythical figures.

But photographs like this remind us that they were very young men.

Brian Lane survived the Battle of Britain, but was killed in December 1942 after disappearing over the North Sea while serving with No. 167 Squadron. He was 25.

This is my attempt to tell a little of his story in 1/32 scale. by @models.by.chris

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2 months ago