tempestfan

It must be Close to 20 years since I last flew in a 737, since then only singular return flights with the 146, Fokker 100 and Canadair, with the vast majority of miles in 320 series machines. I clearly recall that when I visited a Lufthansa Technik facility in the 90s, the guide pointed out that Boeings were built like aircraft were in the 30s, with structures mostly built from laminated and rivetted alu, while Airbus extensively used chemical milling for weight reasons. I assume Boeing has also adopted the more conventional advanced processes apart from Composites, as this will have been essential to save weight ? If true that would mean that essentially the shape remains the same/similar, with bones and Skin entirely different. Rather ironic that Lufthansa was so instrumental in launching the 737 ...

There was another one a couple of weeks back for something like 35 or so delivered, but usual Price is around 40. I won't complain. At that Price I'd even accept some undescribed defects - some months ago I bought the Tillmann Hellcat book from some UK outlet, described as good or even very good. It was completely soiled all round, and had massive water damage with "noses" on the pages. Don't want to know how a bad book by this seller Looks like. As it was something like 5 € delivered, I left alone... It was one of the most rational things I've ever done

Just stumbled over Barrie Hygate's Brit Experimental Aircraft on Abe - 13 € delivered to Germany induced a record-beating series of clicks.

..as did Fujimi.

Hi Corsair, Marl is on the lower Rhine - that may be not too far from Münster, but as I said, Munster is in the Lüneburger Heide. Sinsheim from Frankfurt is manageable, though. --- I don't think any Pfalz D.IIIs survived, so in all probability it's a replica.

Airfix: Museum series (Paddle Steamer etc.) Revell: Beatles 1963ish (very rare, very expensive), Westinghouse Atomic Power Plant (dito); the Excavator Corby mentioned was released around the same time as the Oil Rig, and I have a dim Feeling there was a third kit in the "range" Some of the Aurora moulds Knight mentioned were taken over by Monogram, the majority however rejected by them and the mould material recycled. I think Polar Lights may have made facsimile moulds of some.

How about HiPlanes unpainted ?

Better look up your Navi - the Panzermuseum is at Munster (NOT Münster !), which is some 50-odd km south of Hamburg. Sinsheim is some 20 km east of Speyer ! So Sinsheim and Munster are well over 500 km apart (believe me, I was Born not too far from Sinsheim and now live not too far from Munster...). Not sure if Dornier built the Magister (I thought they were by Messerschmitt), but the one above the 109 Looks like the 4 seater. The pseudo-F-4J (Angels) Looks like a paintwashed D with a fake navy BuAer # painted on - did the BA have 153xxx Js ?

I have the Duval drawings somewhere, but I don't recall whether they feature a rib schematic. Besides, they are said to have some serious inaccuracies.

Not too sure about that - but he was the enemy of my enemy... One thing's for sure, Syria is a highly interesting microcosm of very fluent and surprising lines of alliance.

While I don't sympathise with the Syrian gvmt. side particularly, I have my doubts this is in line with international law, and that flying over one's own territory is "pushing luck" - except factually, of course...

Well, a Tamiya Vb to Vc is just as OOB than an Airfix b to c... as Graham pointed out. Original Heller had raised Details, no idea about the newly-tooled (?) parts by Smer. There is some Chance that those may be recessed, as Smer took over a number of the smaller Czech companies' moulds (Kovozavody Semily/Vista, Antares) and may have drawn in some toolmaking Expertise from there, possibly embodied in their rather good Il-2s. The fact remains that the Heller Vb isn't that impressive. Edit: Pics here. Canopy seems also newly-tooled. With the Tamiya kit, you'll have to restore/alter much of the wing panelling (if it bothers you), so the Advantage I see over the Airfix is merely a bit more Cockpit (I think), and not having to rescribe the fuselage.

The ancient Profile (1966 or so) stated 181 was PRU Blue, so obviously those outlandish colours weren't easy to identify way back when.

Is the port upper wing half of uniform cross section ? The pic *** suggests *** there may a "slimming" down somewhere inboard of the tip, as there ***appears *** to be a chordwise "dark line" on the Forward half of the Profile. --- Having the cowlings on the wings doesn't seem particularly user-friendly. Is this one of the kits Gordon Sutcliffe still whittled out of some Palette Wood ?

You assume correctly, but you've probably guessed it from the deafening silence re this kit up to now...certainly the worst Option, and unless they had different moulds, not really Close to a Vc anyway. In case you consider the wing mod route as suggested by Giorgio, you could look for the 1974 Airfix Vb. It has a small Problem with the aileron chord IIRC (symmetrical above and below), but otherwise should have a decent shape, and is/used to be around aplenty.