Amen to that, Gary. I think in last years Group Build, I knocked out three? Two definently, but I think three? And I still knocked out a couple more Japanese kits after that which were not shown in the build. Yet I was not able to start the one I signed up for in the Battle of Britain Group Build.
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Thatâs okay. Better to concentrate on subjects you do feel like building than those you donât. This is supposed to be FUN, afterall!
BTW> Iâve redone the GB badges that I have personally run (Iâve actually been in several more run by others) and resized them so theyâll show up better.
Gary
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Exactly. Iâve learned that lesson myself. There are way too many things I genuinely want to build to spend six months working on something just because it happens to fit a Group Build. 
I noticed your badges too. They look good! Iâve been playing around with mine for the same reason and trying to keep them fairly small so eventually I can have several lined up in my signature without them taking over every post.
Looking at yours, though, I noticed theyâre all square while the Unarmed & Unafraid badge I made is round. Now youâve got me wondering if I should redo mine as a square so itâll be more consistent with the other badges once I start collecting a few of them.
Of course, first I actually have to finish the builds so I can earn some more badges. 
I can definitely relate to that. Iâm way behind on a couple of Group Builds myself.
My F-86 was for last yearâs Korean War Group Build, and I should finally have the theater stripes repainted today, which will pretty much finish that one.
Then thereâs my F-4 for the Japanese Group Build, which managed to flow right over from 2025 into 2026. That one should finally be finished next week too.
So apparently Iâm pretty good at joining Group Builds. Finishing them on schedule is another matter entirely.
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Hi Sam, I know exaclty what you are talking about ! Itâs a kind of sickness, but I can not help it. As faras the stock is concerned, however, Iâm not often opening boxes to look at the parts, instructions and decals, unless I get the urge to build that particular model, and I then start planning the improvements needed.. My stock mostly includes aircraft, at various scales ranging from 1/200 to 1/32, but also AFVs, ships, real spacecraft, cars and some SF/F, without counting quite a few figures and busts (not included in my earlier count..!). So many interesting things out there..! I do own a few âcollectorsâ items but I do plan to build those.. one day. LOL
This is an interesting idea. Surely there are enough model ship subjects one could do as well as U.S. Aircraft; however, what does one have to work with if one wanted to build a j-aircraft that participated in Midway. Is there any photographic evidence of such aircraft? I am guessing markings would not have changed since Pearl Harbor but who knows. Are there any wrecks shot down over Midway island such as there were at Pearl Harbor? Just curious if anyone knows the answers to these questionsâŚ
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Looking at the opening post, I donât think Freddie was too prescriptive on the form of kit whether itâs American or Japanese, Flies, Floats, Flaks or sinks on command (i.e. the submarines - I couldnât think of a submarine F-word). I suspect anything goes here so long as the choice of subject had participated in the battle and is finsihed with markings of suitable historical provenance.
With six aircraft carriers in theatre, there are plenty of opportunities to represent Japanese aircraft however I suspect weâre restricted to carrier-borne aircraft only as the land bases would have been out of range. Hasegawa has kits for a number of subjects including Vals, Jakes and Kates that are explicity identified as Midway participants, but Iâm sure there are other kits whose liveries and markings can be corellated with the carriers present at the time out of the box.
One of the reasons I want to do this GB is because of the wide variety of subjects offered.
On the US side, there are the three carriers, their respective air groups, their escort ships, submarines and PT Boats. The Midway contingents of both the Navy, Marine Corps and the Army Air Force as well. There was plenty of AA guns, trucks and the like stationed on the island as well.
The Japanese side is a little more restrictive. Four Carriers, their Air Groups escorting destroyers, heavy and light cruisers, battleships and submarines.
I have a link that has a bunch of profiles of Japanese aircraft that fought at Midway. I will post that to give the participants access to that information. Unfortunately, most of the official Japanese records are with the carriers at the bottom of the sea, and much of the surviving stuff was destroyed to keep the general Japanese public from finding out about the defeat.
The overall Japanese plan for the Midway operation was actually a three part affair. Part one was a feint towards the Aleutian Islands to draw out attention from the real target. There was the Southern Invasion Force that was to carry out the actual invasion itself, and then the main force, the four Japanese carriers responsible for subduing Midwayâs defenses.
Midway, was the most critical battle fought by the US Navy in World War Two. Not the biggest, but it was the most critical. A friend of mine put it this way. âAt 10:00 hours, the Japanese were winning the war in the Pacific, By 10:30 hours, they were notâŚâ
I think there is a LOT of room for modelers to build a whole slew of subjects in many areas of modeling and if there is enough interestsI hope to move ahead. Your thoughts?
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Spot on with your analogy PR. There are many aspects of Midway that will appeal to a wide range of modeling interests.
I have been burying myself in research the past two weeks getting ducks in a row and that sort of thing. Also I am close to the badges. One American and one Japanese. There will not be a limit on how many kits an individual wants to build. Who knows, one might be pulled into the study of Midway, as I was, after researching for a build. There are SO many parts and facets to consider.
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I am in if you guys start this
And here I thought it was only my wife who doesnât understand me 
I was only asking about finding legit j-aircraft subjects for the battle of MidwayâSince not many (did any?) survive and what ever film was shot probably went to the bottom of the Pacific 
That said, I only found two Hasegawa boxing with âMidwayâ in the title. One was a 1/72 Kate and this Jake Float Plane. I would not mind building the Jake as Japanese recon/float plans have always interested me.
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Ooooh build that one with the catapult. Very cool
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Here is a link for a bunch of color profiles of Japanese naval aircraft. Starts with the real early years and proceeds through the end of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Arm in 1945. Many of the 1:48 scale Hasegawa kits are based of these and they show the box art AND backed up with photographs of the real aircraft. Pilot information is included where available. There are specific spots on Midway listed.
Another website to visit is the Battle of Midway Round Table. It is a discussion blog about all things Midway and I learned things that I never knew, and stuff that was never written about in all the main reference books on Midway.. Itâs a fantastic resource and it is free to join or browse.
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Thatâs neat! Give it a go.
As for me, looking through my stash, I have the old Monogram TBF Avenger (which with a bit of modification can be built into an early version), a Tamiya F4F-4 Wildcat, and an Aichi D3A1 Val (which I would need new decals for, if I can determine colors and markings for Hiyru).
Iâll try to build as many as I can, depending upon what happens in the future.
Gary
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Check this webpage out. Click on 2026 updates and scroll down to the Midway Battle. All types of Japanese aircraft involved are pictures as well the carriers they flew from. Complete with markings.
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Apologies mate, I have misread you there - Looks like we went Midway kit hunting in the same place though! That floatplane looks pretty neat!
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Very cools site. I was not aware of this. Thanks.
Im on the fence about this as Iâm not done with my hobby room and going to school full time but I have an idea.
As I like to do the unusual, how about building a B-26 for the midway build? There were four B-26 Marauders used as makeshift torpedo bombers . Most notably the army air corps Suzy Q.
I would have to source some torpedoes and any reference photos if any existâŚâŚ..
James Esq.
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Itâs not my group build but that sounds legit to me! I love the historical aspects of this hobby, in fact it is my favorite part.
Itâs an interesting little known and vastly overshadowed part of the conflict.
- First B-26 (Lt. William Watson): Shot down by Zeros before it could release its torpedo.
- Second B-26 (Lt. James Muri): His aircraft, âSusie-Qâ, was completely shot to pieces. Muri managed to drop his torpedo at the carrier Akagi (which missed) and then realized he was trapped. Zeros were buzzing all around him, and anti-aircraft fire from the surrounding battleships made it impossible to turn away..
- The âKamikazeâ Moment: In a desperate move to survive, Muri flew Susie-Q directly down the flight deck of the Akagi at deck-level, buzzing the carrierâs bridge. The Japanese officers, including Admiral Nagumo, actually threw themselves to the deck, thinking the bomber was going to hit into them. Muri escaped, but Susie-Q landed back at Midway with over 500 bullet and shrapnel holes, a dead tail gunner, and two wounded crewmen.
The Suzy Q was the only plane to make it back to the island and land on its wheels with one main gear flat tire.
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Third B-26 (Lt. Herbert Mayes): Mayesâ aircraft was hit repeatedly and caught fire. Unable to pull up, his burning B-26 cartwheeled through the air and narrowly missed impacted directly into the Akagiâs bridge by mere feet, splashing violently into the ocean right next to the hull.
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Fourth B-26 (Lt. James Collins): Collins managed to drop his torpedo (which also missed) and successfully flew his heavily damaged bomber back to Midway. This aircraft was so badly damaged it did not make a conventional landing.
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