After trawling through the approx. 60 un-finished models I have
I picked a couple that have a good chance of being completed by the end of the year as I'm not the World's fastest builder.
The first is a BEA 727-100 built from the original Airfix 727-100, which they later stretched into the -200 version. In the RW BEA actually wanted to buy the 727 after spending years giving de Havilland the run-around with the Trident, but the Government wouldn't make the dollars available for the purchase. My choice of colour scheme is the 'High Speed Jack' version, named after the swept Union Jack on the fin, and to my mind it's the definitive BEA scheme.
As you can see below I've already got quite a way with the build, but something in the paint went screwy, I can't remember quite what now, but hopefully it shouldn't be too tough to finish it off.
The second kandidate is a different kettle of fish entirely as it's a VP Models vacform/resin Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster. As you can see below I've got a long way through the build, all the vacform parts have been assembled, as well as the main resin add-ons, and I've even done the interior paintwork as well. Quite why I stopped work on it I've no idea, but there's a good chance it'll get done at last.
The backstory for this one has it that the small production batch of B-43As produced for the USAF was cancelled as soon as the much more capable B-45 was trialled and the B-43s were all put into store. When the RAF's first Canberras were delivered to the Bomber Command squadrons the demand was so high that the planned PR3 versions were delayed and the B-43s were bought from the US and converted into PR aircraft by Avro, and went on to serve with 13 and 58 Squadrons for quite some time.
Yeah, right....