uploading your model photos to ChatGPT to create AI-generated scenes and backgrounds..

 

Have you noticed AI-generated model 'images' appearing on model forums yet? AI is everywhere. AI is still developing - the world is not due to end until mid-2028 - and will likely penetrate even further into all aspects of our lives. 'General' intelligence is apparently the goal - when AI learns how to improve itself with no human intervention because we simply won't be able to keep up or control it. AI has already come frighteningly close to 'creating' decent music, video film clips and images. It is everywhere and in everything on social media and youtube - although a lot of it is dross. In some sectors, for example, the music scene, it is already embedding itself among “real” artists and albums. AI has already 'created' the No. 1 song in the charts! So much so that we’re being fooled without even realizing it. If it isn’t explicitly stated that something is AI-generated, it has become increasingly difficult nowadays to distinguish between real and fake.

If you don't already know, it is possible to upload any random model photo to the ChatGPT app on your phone and ask it via a simple text box to create any sort of scene/background you wish. The 'results' are pretty impressive  -  provided of course that you are very precise with the 'prompts. And while doing this consider for a moment what the software is actually doing. Trawling or 'scraping' the web for similar scenes which it can 'copy' and 'reproduce' or 're-model'..

Put it in AI and on one level of course 'your' model no longer represents the model you originally completed. The app has the annoying habit of 'manipulating' your original photo in ways that are unexpected and hopelessly 'inaccurate'...the key here is to be very very precise in the text prompts that you give the app; eg after creating some of the images here I learnt to add a 'Do not modify the aircraft' prompt ..but even that does not always work..

Airfix Jaguar in Gulf War setting..despite specifying 'RAF' the ChatGPT app still gave me a 'pointy' nose French-like variant and got the undercarriage doors 'wrong'!

Here's Keith's Viking from my last post. I asked the app to depict a scene from Manston, Kent in 1967. However it shows passengers attempting to board via a non-existent 'door'. The door is at the rear of the real aircraft on the port side! I could perhaps have used the 'edit' button to eliminate this error I presume. Being a little more 'precise' on the ChatGPT 'prompts' would possibly make for a better image.

This is Dale's Kittyhawk Mirage - the image I took of the model on club night last week and then uploaded to the ChatGPT app and the AI-generated result from the app. Note how the app will modify the 'pose' of the model according to the scene you ask it to 'create'. I don't think this AI result is too bad - although note the typo on the tailfin and the weird 'hybrid' airframe in the background!

Harmless fun or a threat to modellers and model-making everywhere? I can see some modellers building models just to create these sorts of images-  no need to detail cockpits or worry about a decent paint scheme. The AI image generation app really renders the detail on the aircraft - including 'metallic' finish - really rather well...but - and its a big 'but'. AI is a divisive topic at the moment. Everyone and his dog appears to be using it - use it or be seen as 'out-of-touch'. The ChatGPT app is free to use at the moment - 'creating' a 'dependency' as some would have it. And while there are some constraints to usage in the 'free' app, an unlimited 'subscription' costs around $20/month. It is in the field of music particularly where the 'science' is moving faster than our law makers, where AI has copied millions and millions of songs to 'create' new material for whoever - no musical knowledge necessary- with no apparent thought for plagiarism or copyright. But it is hardly the end-users' fault that our legislators haven't ruled on this yet! As usual, there are big bucks to be made..

Here is Nigel's  AI image generation attempt with the Airfix Jaguar. Well unfortunately the nose is still 'wrong' and the app has 'mis-rendered' the base of the tailfin. 

East Kent Scale Modellers February club night (1) - Keith's Invicta Airways airliners

There were a host of superlative scale models on display at our second club night of 2026 - none more so than Keith's Invicta Airways airliners. The Valom Vickers Viking was accompanied on the table by a fantastic build of the Revell C-54/DC-4 Skymaster. Invicta Airways (later Invicta International Airlines) was based at Manston in the 1960s. Founded by Hugh Kennard, the company was a noted user of the Vickers VC.1 Viking (including registrations G-AOVF, G-ANCF, G-AHOY, G-AHPL, and G-AHOW) alongside Douglas DC-4s..

The Manston-based Invicta Airways fleet flew passenger and cargo charters between 1965 and 1968 both within the UK and to Europe and was the last British operator of the Vickers Viking, a type derived from the Wellington bomber. This particular aircraft, G-AHOY - registered to Invicta Airways during 1966 as G-AIVF - operated her final service on January 30 1968 when she flew from Liverpool to Manston. During 1968 Invicta Airways became an all-Skymaster operator.

Models built by Keith Jones

new-tool Airfix for 2026 at The Model Works show

 

January saw the second ever Airfix model show held at Airfix HQ in Margate, Kent. The show featured a table of Airfix new-tools for 2026 and participation from the local clubs, including East Kent, Gravesham and Shepway.  Here are the first views of the new Ju 52, Canberra and Jaguar T.2 on the Airfix stand including the 'new' Club Viggen kit, far left. The new Ju 52 with open doors, hatches and roof looks especially impressive - but then with a slated retail price of around £50 it certainly should be.

 

a tour around the RAF Museum Hendon, James Holland and Al Murray

 

James Holland and Al Murray take a tour around the RAF Museum Hendon in north London. Certainly one of the world's great aviation collections, but somewhat diminished in the view of this blogger since the move of key airframes both to Cosford and abroad. The twin-seat Fw 190 is in Germany, the Me 262 and 'black 6' are in Cosford. However since I was last there the Me 163 Komet has come down to London from Cosford at least. This video is well worth watching as the guys climb inside, inspect, and analyze with contemporary footage some of WW II's most legendary fighters and bombers. Subtitled 'beyond the ropes', the nice thing about Hendon is that there are so few ropes - as you can see from my photos below - and certainly no staff around to keep visitors the 'right' side of them! So many types  in the museum at Hendon that were not mentioned - eg, Bf 110 G, Ju 87 Stuka, He 111- lets hope there's another video soon.

A single click inside the red box to view here


00:00 - Intro: Behind the ropes at RAF Hendon
00:19 - The Avro Lancaster: Inside the heavy bomber
08:48 - Bristol Beaufighter: The Twin engined bruiser
14:30 - The Wooden Wonder: De Havilland Mosquito
20:10 - The Rocket: Me 163 Komet
31:06 - Spitfire Vs Hurricane
33:40 - Hawker Hurricane: The unsung hero
43:33 - Supermarine Spitfire
53:45 - The Bf 109

Some photos taken by this blog on our last visit of the types looked at in the video . Click on the image to get a bigger view.

  

new tool 1:72nd Airfix Wessex HC. 2 build review (2) - first completion of 2026

Still minus a few stencils and small parts but here are a few views of the new-tool Airfix Wessex HC 2. It is a lovely kit, very finely detailed over 86 build stages. Unfortunately not a very pleasurable build experience, possibly to do with the fact that you have to paint/decal the model before attaching most of the parts. One or two of these crucially don't fit too well, which is a pain and one or two disappeared who knows where. And I wish Airfix would identify some of the smaller parts too - what for example are the small 'jaw' like parts that go onto the bottom of the gear legs?  I left these off until the end and they were so much easier to deal with this way. The 'folding' tail rotor and main rotor blades are great options - just rather fiddly to get in position, while the main rotor head probably needs some brass rod or similar to 'stiffen' up the construction. Needless to say masking the canopy was several hours work too and I'm still not sure whether those upper panels should be 'tinted'. Geoff Coughlan's build has them, others don't. The exhausts are just a little clunky - comprising two halves the join is difficult to eradicate at the lip so I've hidden it with some foil covers. Camo was free-handed with AK Real Colors - that's how easy these paints are to work with..

Not only are the rotor blades rather tricky to position folded, the instructions don't exactly clarify the painting and finishing of them. Note on this image (below) how the dark green upper surfaces of the blades are only facing 'outwards' on the starboard fold. The black lower sufaces are 'outwards' on the port fold.

I'll give this kit  a good 8/10 and if we get a yellow one in a forthcoming release I'll definitely add it to the collection..