CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 12 AT 11:59PM CENTRAL TIME – SEE BELOW FOR HOW TO ENTER

Man, it’s hard to believe this blog’s been up and going for just over two years! What originally started as a small diversion has grown into a pretty substantial site with a following that’s nothing to sneeze at!

Last year, to mark the first anniversary and as a thank you to those of you who read and comment, I hosted a giveaway of two kits – a 1/32 Hasegawa P-47 Thunderbolt and Bronco’s 1/35 Bishop 25-pounder SPG.

Now, it’s time for round two! This year I’m streamlining things somewhat to avoid some of the confusion that popped up in 2011. So…no more voting on the giveaway kits. To make it up, though, I’m adding a third kit to the pot!

Without further adieu, here they are!

1/48 Tamiya Ilyushin Il-2M3 Shturmovik

I have to admit, when Tamiya drops a new kit, they tend to drop it as a total bombshell from almost out of the blue. Whereas we tend to know what’s coming down the pipe from Revell (hello Uhu!) or Trumpeter (1/32 Black Widow, anyone?), Tamiya plays their cards close until the kit’s more or less ready to go.

I don’t think anyone was expecting Tamiya to do a 1/48 Il-2, but my goodness is the kit a beauty. Quite possibly the single best 1/48 kit ever produced, and that’s saying a lot.

1/35 AFV Club Valentine Mk.II

To be honest, I had a hard time finding good armor to toss into the pot this year. Last year saw a lot of interesting and unique releases, but this year has definitely been lighter. Still, this recent Valentine from AFV Club is a doozy of a kit that looks a far cry from their frustrating Achilles Mk.IIc I built a while back. I have one in my stash and can say with confidence whoever wins this will be rather pleased with it!

1/72 Revell Handley Page Halifax B

Revell has quietly been on a tear lately with its 1/72 bomber fleet, and the Halifax has been receiving very solid reviews in spite of some minor shape issues with the engine nacelles (to which I say…it still looks like a Halifax!). And besides, have to cater to the tiny-scale fans out there!

What do you have to do?

Okay. Entering is simple.

Leave a comment below sharing a “lesson learned” or bit of wisdom you’ve picked up from modeling. Make sure your email is provided somewhere so I can get in touch if you win.

That’s it! Once the contest wraps up at the end of Monday, November 12th, I’ll pull a list of the comments, apply them against a random number generator, and pull out three winners. The first will get their choice between the Il-2, Valentine and Halifax. Then the second will get their choice between the two remaining kits. The third winner will get, well, the third kit.

Don’t live in the US? Don’t worry – you’re totally eligible for this contest as well. We may need to collaborate on sourcing the kit from somewhere that won’t kill on international shipping, but we’ll make it work.

So that’s it…comment away and best of luck! And thanks to you all for reading and commenting! I promise the blog will get back to normal speed soon, now that the stealth build period is behind me.