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I recently saw this decal sheet for Whitleys being a future item at Hannant's and have a watch on it. What intrigues me though is option number 15. Did Coastal Command actually have Whitleys painted as shown with black undersides? It doesn't seem right to me, but hey, you never know. Any confirmation or denial of such a scheme would be appreciated. Thanks Dave

I've seen the photo before, probably in one of the Squadron books on Carrier units. I am not aware of any decals being made for this aircraft, but there was a Model Alliance sheet that had the change of markings to an FAA Phantom that operated for a time from a U.S. carrier. They changed Royal Navy to Colonial Navy and at least on the fuselage changed the roundel to the Pre-WW II U.S. star and red dot. I believe Hannant's still has some for sale and may even be planning it for a new sheet when the new Airfix kit comes out. Later, Dave

I've seen some howlers that they have put out. I've also seen a lot of quality material such as color photos taken in and around Metz during WW I that were quite interesting. It pays to be a discerning consumer of news. Later, Dave

The article also showed previous examples of writing on bombs from WW II to the present. Since they had somebody there to take the picture, or got it from the MoD, that in itself should make it legit. If there was a flying saucer in the background, THEN I might have wondered about it a bit! Later, Dave

I saw this photo in the Daily Mail a few days back. It is legit, and it seems to me in the article they said it was on a Typhoon. Later, Dave

I did another search for photos. The upper linked photo is from my previous post. The lower one is of an AT-6C. Comparing the two pictures it does appear that the cockpit starts at the same place, about 40% of mean chord, the nose forward of the cockpit is definitely longer. https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=snj-1&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001#id=1&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fen.academic.ru%2Fpictures%2Fenwiki%2F83%2FSNJ-1_at_NAS_Pensacola_c1940.jpeg&action=click https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=at-6+aircraft&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001#id=153&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdanielrychcik.com%2Fferte10%2Fnorth_american_at-6c_harvard_1.jpg&action=click Graham, if you need an NA-57 canopy for the Azur kit, send me a PM and I can send you one. Later, Dave

If you decide to try it again, scale Aircraft Conversions has a white metal set for the Academy kit that, besides the landing gear, also includes the cockpit floor which is supposed to give you enough weight not to be a tail sitter. Later, Dave

I was looking through one of my references this afternoon just before heading off for work and it turns out that the early SNJs had the same fin and rudder as the BT-9 and NJ-1, at least up through the SNJ-2. May be worth cutting off the fin and rudder from one of the AT-6s that I have to make an early SNJ. The extra length on the BT-9 canopy versus the AT-6 canopy seems to because by the front cockpit of the BT-9 being further forward than that of the AT-6. On the AT-6 the front of the cockpit starts at about mid chord on the wing while it is further forward on the BT-9. Probably had to do with CG adjustments since the AT-6 had a longer fuselage and heavier engine than the BT-9/NA-57 family. Later, Dave Found a couple of pictures of a SNJ-1 to show about the fin and rudder. I also noticed a further conundrum. It looks to have the longer canopy of a BT-9! https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=snj-1&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001#id=1&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fen.academic.ru%2Fpictures%2Fenwiki%2F83%2FSNJ-1_at_NAS_Pensacola_c1940.jpeg&action=click https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=snj-1&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001#id=4&iurl=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F2%2F20%2FFirst_SNJ-1_in_flight_near_Anacostia_c1940.jpeg&action=click

The canopy with the SH BT-9 kit has a flat windshield and the triangular quarter panels. My NA-57 kits are not available at the moment, but they also have vac canopies and I would expect that they are the same as in the BT-9 kit. Later, Dave

Comparing the canopy from the Heller kit with the BT-9 canopy, the extra length of about 10 - 12 scale inches (I measured it out this morning) is in the aft section. On the AT-6 there are three side panels, with two rounded panels for each side panel. The rear fixed section of the canopy goes directly into it's curve downwards. On the BT-9, there are side panels to match each of the top rounded panels. Whereas the AT-6 has three side panels, there are six on the BT-9, but the overall length is the same. However there is an extra side panel that is part of the rear fixed section of the canopy. I am considering buying the Pavla resin AT-6 cockpit for the rest of my Special Hobby/Azur BT-9/NA-57 kits and maybe use some sheet plastic to lengthen the rear part of the cockpit. The existing parts have been a nightmare to use in that the floorboard is too thin with where they have you install it and there are no locating ledges to fit the rear section up to. I will just have to put up with it on this one but not on the others. Later, Dave

It's been several decades since I was last in the UK, but I never knew the BNP to be using swastikas. You apparently were lumping them in with the Nazis who definitely were not right wing. Is the BNP a far right bunch of looneys? Without knowing their economic leanings, I was always under the impression that they were a bunch of neo-nazis. If they are more like the KKK and are of a capitalist bent, then they are far right looneys just like the John Birch Society that used to be bigger in the 50s than they are now, if they even still exist, who saw commies around every corner. Please, enough with the politics and back to the subject at hand. Later, Dave

Sorry, the Nazis were extreme LEFT Wing looneys. It is right in the name of their party, the National SOCIALIST Party of Germany. The Germans have had socialist tendencies dating back to at least Bismarck when the government started providing health care. Later, Dave

Maybe just a bit off topic here, but as I am currently building the Special Hobby BT-9, which will be done as the Swedish Sk 14, I noticed that the canopy on the AT-6 is about 12 -18 scale inches SHORTER than the canopy on the BT-9. doing a search on some photos of the BT-9 and AT-6 to compare actual canopy lengths, it does appear that the BT-9 did in fact have a longer canopy than the AT-6. I have also thought about getting an older, cheaper kit of the AT-6 and putting it's fin and rudder on the BT-9 to make a BT-14, but not sure about that now. Later, Dave

With the Sword T-33 for some reason the front cockpit coaming is a separate piece which is a pain to get to fit right and it also throws off the windscreen as well. Maybe Airfix can re-tool their F-80. It would certainly be cheaper than a Platz F-80. Later, Dave

My first one was about in 1962, the Mongram 1/32 Grumman Gulfhawk. They re-issued it about 30 years ago and I have it waiting in the stash to get built as soon as I can ever get around to finishing my WNW FE2b. In the mean time I have several 72nd scale projects going right now. Later, Dave