Sydhuey

Looks like the big wooden ex Luftwaffe Hangar at Sola, Stavanger. I'd say faded std EDSG , closest machine has had fuselage roundel changed and now working on wing roundels , centre machine has had roundels re done, with lanoline lines on the lower fuselage.

Yes, this has been a problem with a few aircraft with the same Sqn codes but different serials and getting schemes and timeframes mixed up between aircraft

The NE series introduced the single upper colour EDSG over Sky, NT850 being a later series would have been in the single upper colour from the factory, there were basically no machines left is Sqn service by D-Day in the two tone DSG/EDSG upper scheme, the two tone scheme was basically a 42/43 scheme, the single upper colour scheme from the start of 44 till end of war.

It was actually more widely used than most think , most modern models and decal sheets seem to drop them but in actual fact should be there , as most aircraft pics are from the side the Medium Green doesn't stand out and on faded aircraft the colours blend, P-40K thru P-40N's had them but most models/decal sheets don't , the most interesting pic I've seen is an RAF Kittyhawk IV newly delivered to the MTO getting its Dark Earth scheme applied over the Factory Olive Drab/Medium Green, the Olive Drab areas still had their Medium Green Spotches on the leading and trailing edges of wing and tail, but no artwork or decals of RAF Kittyhawks show this, it would still be there on basically all late RAF Kittyhawk's as the Olive Drab wasn't touched just the DE pattern applied.

As an examples , the RAAF DB-7B's ran British bomb racks as this was the std bomb in Australia early in the war, with the conversion to strafers the weight of all the guns in the nose reduced the bomb load , 2 x 250 Ib SAP and 2 x 500 Ib MC bombs was the std load (250's in fwd bay , 500's in aft of bay), as A-20C's came into use they carried std 4 x 500 Ib MC bombs, later when A-20G's came into use they switched to US bombs and Bomb racks , std load was 4 x 500 Ib US bombs with 4 x 300 Ib US bombs for long range missions also by mid 44 Australian British style bombs were being cast with single lug one side and dual lug the other side to fit British or US bomb racks . In Italy by mid late 44 with Boston IV's coming into use and the easy supply of US bombs usually US bombs were carried as late US style bombs were also available with single and double lug allowing the fitment on both racks. Europe based Boston's used British bombs their whole time , photo's I have of 88 and 342 with Mk IV/V's show them dropping British style bombs.

the Bomb bay of all models of the DB-7B Boston III, A-20C Boston IIIA and A-20J/K Boston IV/V are the same the only difference is British aircraft had British bomb racks , and these were changeable for US racks if using US bombs as in Italy .

Nice model!!! well done a great representation of a 31 Sqn TSS Mk VI, just one grey area , I don't have my Beaufighter info here but half the Mk VI's had flat tails and about half had the dihedral tail as you have on the model , just not sure which batch this serial falls in , also at this time the Mk VI's were still running the older observers canopy modified to take a gun not the late purpose designed gun type canopy.

HK models had a J/K (Boston IV/V) nose on display when this model was released, when you do a Glass nose version just remember RAF Boston IV's never ran D-Day stripes , in late 44 fuselage only black/white ID stripes were added to them but removed in early 45.

Std US colours as delivered OD, Medium Green splotches over Neutral Grey, If RAF units repainted the Neutral Grey at OH you would have to look for repaint marks, but as the Mk IV's only came on Sqn strength in mid Jun 44 these were still very new aircraft so vast majority would be in NG. HK kit is only for a solid nosed G .

Your two projected 14 Sqn Marauders FK130 and FK375, is one going to be in the initial Desert scheme and one in the later TSS maritime role scheme?

Just making a Mk XIV Wellington (actually a conversion of a diecast Corgi Mk X with a XIV nose grafted on) and would like to know the internal colour of the light operator's position in the nose and any other details if photo's exist of the nose interior thanks.

there are some good Boston decals for 88 on the DK decal sheet DK72062 I helped Franta with including RH-E AL289 in the early markings you want with an Aussie connection, Flown by FO Abbott RAAF (Later killed flying Ventura's flew tour on Boston's and tour on Venturas , killed just before his Mosquito conversion)

454 RAAF operated Baltimores in the bomber role till Aug 45 when they disbanded and 459 RAAF operated Baltimores in the MR role till Mar 45 when they disbanded

Never seen any Hack/transport conversions with the 47th , only seen some in Pacific units, glass nose refitted and all armor and armament removed, that was about it .

When the Desert AF transitioned from North Africa to Italy the long tail P-40K's (Kittyhawk III's) had their Middle Stone overpainter with Dark Green and the lower surface with Light/Sky Grey , the Short tail P-40K's generally (but not all) stayed in Desert scheme as they were soon to be replaced , as Curtiss now only did P-40's in OD/NG (P-40M's and the soon to be released P-40N) scheme the RAF stayed with that but soon found they didn't like the OD in the low level close support role they were now primarily doing , as very few P-40M's arrived in Italy most stayed in OD some were repainted DG/DE, subsequent new delivery P-40N's (Kittyhawk IV) were repainted in a disruptive pattern of Dark Earth over the OD at depots before delivery to the Sqn's.

Thanks, I also just found the 1/56 Rubicon M4 Sherman Composite/Firefly Ic Hybrid kit comes with a High bustle 75 mm turret and a low bustle Firefly turret , I may cut the radio box off the Firefly turret and graft it on the High Bustle.

yes unfortunately none of the model or after market manufactures have got a High bustle turret for a Firefly correct yet with a factory oval loaders hatch , they all assume its the Brit conversion square hatch

one of the features of the Ic Hybrid Firefly that gets missed , as most of them had late high bustle turrets on them they had the later oval loaders hatch factory fitted and so didn't need the brit square hatch fitted at Firefly conversion.

Early E8 features , no muzzle brake , Split loaders hatch and T-66 track

Other RAAF Mk 21 on that sheet is A8-23, with 31 Sqn , EH-C, early Mk 21 without wing .50's , more than likely 250 Ib bombs under wings , not sure about rocket fit.

That Dark Slate Grey is miles too Blue Grey for Dark Slate Grey, needs a green tinge too it , the EDSG is good.

Anything is possible , though the TSS scheme the Dark Slate Grey fades badly in the tropics to almost a single colour with the Extra Dark Sea Grey, which is the one of the reasons it was dropped, A19-120 is an old flat tail MkVIc so by the end of 43 would have been overhauled at least once and had the Sky replaced with RAAF Sky Blue, it does appear to have a two colour top , the demarcation goes thru the middle of the roundel which is the std position. With the fading of the DSG to almost a single colour with the EDSG you could refer to them as being Grey over Sky Blue. Debaser, as your Grandfather got to 30 Sqn at the end of 43 I am not surprised he said they were "Grey" only the first 54 were in TLS and with losses and age almost all the original batch were out of Sqn service by then , The belief all RAAF Beaufighters were in TLS is like the myth all Brit Kittyhawks are Desert scheme , it just keeps hanging round.

2 Sqn did a few things not official , they stripped some D's to NMF then had to repaint them , reduced the blue on 48" roundels but kept same size white to give an odd size roundel (didn't retain the 5/2 ration that other sqn's did when they reduced their 48" roundels) , most 2 Sqn B-25's had nose art when it was frowned upon at most other units, yellow code ? at other units maybe not at 2 Sqn anything possible.

I wouldn't say controversial , sorted out a lot of the incorrect interpretations of schemes and timeframes , particularly with "D's" going from OD to NMF then back to Foliage Green, only bit I don't agree with Garry about is I believe the nose gun shell deflectors are fume extractors to try and reduce the gun gases in the nose, the fixed nose guns have shell collectors in the nose not ejected overboard , the cheek gun pack eject their brass overboard but not the nose guns.

ADF Serials Telegraph newsletter Vol 11 Issue 3 has a very detailed article on 2 Sqn B-25's by Garry Sheperdson