Simon Cornes

Corsaircorp, Thank you for telling us this story. It is one more example of a time rapidly fading from living memory and we are the better for being able to read it. I think any young person caught up in a world war would have spent a large part of their time being frightened and it doesn't matter which side you fought on; whether you were a prisoner or whether you were free. War is hell and surviving is the most important thing. Please excuse the heated discussions between some of my country men, they mean no harm and are only expressing honestly felt opinions and I hope that if they have any really strong views that they will discuss it between themselves via PM and not in your thread, Thanks again Simon

Very interesting Corsaircorp - I'm looking forward to the next instalment!

Damned useful for Avspecs - now they can get their 1:1 scale copies right. You know how it is, wrong curve to the nose, maybe a bit pinched - rubbish interior to the gear bays. Now they will be able to get it right at last!! Thats until someone comes up with the 'original plans - update 10.1' and then we start again!! Now all we need is the same for the Hornet and then maybe a few sizeable components, preferably in the same shed as a dismantled Whitley and a Sterling!! Look.........I see a pig!! And it flies!.......

Hi Massimo You've convinced me! I'm going with a pale blue about the same as RLM 65. Frankly I'm not surprised the flap/gear bay colour is the same as the underside, makes much more sense! Regards Simon

Massimo Thank you so much for joining this conversation! In my case I am completing a model started by someone else and the cockpit is already painted - what looks like RLM02 overall so I know thats probably wrong based on what I have already read. The kit instructions suggest that the flap and undercarriage bays, also the slat housing, should be finished in a light grey so I have a bottle of Modelmaster Russian Underside Grey which I thought would do. It strikes me though that really they could be any colour and I had considered a natural metal finish for the flap area. Now I'm thinking I should be painting them in light blue - approximating to RLM 65 - but maybe anything goes?!!!! Thanks again Simon

I have recently acquired some 1/72 B-47 markings and the SAC shield is just outlined in blue with none of the colour for the mailed fist, lightning bolts or olive branch! Its probably right but every photo above includes what I think of as the normal SAC shield! Simon

And how did I end up in the AFV forum? Senior moment I think!!

Absolutely. As you say, it looks good, at least the rain does but as I said previously, that canopy looks like it needs a bit of work! It would be interesting to see a built one though! I agree about the price - not cheap but then none of the K4C/Heritage stuff is cheap in my experience. I assume its probably cast by the likes of Anigrand but that canopy bothers me. For the money I would expect a 2 piece clear resin casting I think. Simon

I saw this on the Kits for Cash site today. Looks to be a decent kit, albeit not cheap at £48. It has a vac form canopy mind you that looks a bit vague whereas clear resin would probably look better but its certainly unique! Simon

Well guys, on visiting my LMS I discovered that they still had some Russian AF Testors MM paint so I acquired two bottles of the upper surface green, one of the undersurface pale blue (very much like RLM 65 as has already been said) and a bottle of the underside grey, which I will use for the slat, flap and undercarriage areas. This will be a great relief as I am trying to complete a part built kit that has some parts missing - so I will have to scratch build the entire tailwheel assembly but minus doors as I know that some airframes had the doors removed and a leather gaiter fitted to close off the bay and the wheel was then fixed down. I also need to scratchbuild the gunsight. I will use the instructions as a guide, particularly the parts map so that I can compare the drawing dimensions with parts I actually have to work out things like the tailwheel diameter then I'll see what I might have in the spares box. It's a pity I have to do this as the guy who started to build this had the Eduard cockpit etch and flap etch and had done some great work but not all of the parts came to me so I've had to scratchbuild 'riblets' for the underside of the wing above the flaps using the bits I do have as a guide and the again referring to the Eduard instructions. Not perfect but it will hopefully pass muster and I won't have the flaps more than 10 degrees or so down so it will be okay! This is why I am keen to get the bays painted! All good fun Simon

Thanks guys. As a dedicated enamalist I am thinking I might nip into the LMS to see what AK paints might be available for a MiG-3. One of the things that concerns me about those paints is the tiny bottles. I'm sure they're smaller than tinlets and I get to dilute enamel and don't you spray acrylics straight out of the bottle?

Thanks Jury, all advice is appreciated. I must admit that I thought the colour would be a light grey, not light blue! I've just found a Vallejo equivalent for Humbrol 115 - Vallejo 972 - which is the same as RLM 65!! Also Tamiya XF23 apparently. The thing is, Trumpeter suggest that the gear and flap bays are light grey and then the undersides are pale blue!! But then all over RLM 65 would make life easier! In the days of Humbrol Authentics, Russian Green was HT1 but I'm thinking that any shade of dark green may well do! Simon

Incidentally, who do you use to host your images now that PB is only available to the upper echelons of society!

I am working my way through a Trumpeter kit and would like some opinion please regarding the interior colours of the flap housing, undercarriage bays, slat housings and radiator bath. Most of those are supposed to be 'light grey' - according to the instructions - but I'm not sure about the rad bath. If it was a Spitfire it would all be underside colour but can anyone recommend a particular colour and clarify the colour of everything inside the radiator intake please? Bear in mind that I use enamels so its no good referring to Vallejo or similar!! Maybe Humbrol 64? Thanks Simon

That is great! I really must get hold of one of those kits!