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Hi James, The underside colour is the same as the upper surface colour. Also the camouflage pattern of the undersurface is basically the as the upperside pattern. Akira

Hi James, I took the F-104J photo back in 1982 and I cannot remember the exact camouflage colours in comparison to other low-vis greys on military a/c. The photo shows a little too pinkish due to the poor developping process of the Kodachrome KM film. According to Hasegawa's instruction sheet for this particular F-104J kit, it says. . . . . . Darker grey; mixture of Gunze Mr.Color #308(FS36375) x 6 plus #305(FS36118) x 4. Lighter Grey; mixture of Gunze Mr.Color #308(FS36375) x 9 plus #305(FS36118) x 1. I hope this will help you to some extent. Hi Andy, You surely will meet Jun-san at Hora-Buro's monthly meeting to be held at Harajyuku/Tokyo on 18MAY19, as he is a Top Dog of Hora-Buro. Hi Jeffrey, Looking forward to seeing you at Shizuoka Hobby Show. Please join our big dinner in Shizuoka on 10/11MAY19 with your wife.

Wow, I made a stupid mistake in picking up the wrong main wheels !! Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I still remember that you suggested me NOT to use the wrong wheels. However, I'm already too tired tackling the Canberra kit, and I may leave it as it is forever(Ha-Ha!!). I have my LAST question about the Canberra. When I applied decals on the lower fuselage, I noticed a couple of "K"-shaped markings/stencils, one is in front of the nose landing gear and the other is at immediately aft of the bomb bay. What is the meanings of these K-shaped marks??? Akira

Hello James and John, I finally completed my Canberra TT.18 model a couple of weeks ago, and I uploaded a short article about my recent Canberra project with some photos on my website. I hope you both can enjoy my Canberra article by clicking on the following URL. If you have any comment on the article, please let me know it. http://nabe3saviation.web.fc2.com/modelTT18.html I'd like to say "Thank you" again to both of you for your great help for my Canberra project. I'm really looking forward to the great pleasure of meeting both of you at Telford show this comming November. Akira

Hi there, I have another question. Could you help me again? What is the colour on the oval-shaped frame on the glass nose on the grey TT.18?? Is it light grey? or yellow?? or black??? Thank you in advance. Akira

Hi Jeffrey, I'm currently working on an Airfix Canberra in 1/48 scale, and I plan to finish it as a grey TT.18 with No.7 Sqdn markings. As for the canopy for my TT.18, I do not use an Airfix canopy in the kit because it doesn't look right(too flat). Instead, I plan to use a Classic Airframes' canopy part as it looks much better. Please send me an email before you come over Japan next time. I owe you a lot of money, right?(Ha-Ha!). Akira

This photo(yellow/blue/red lights) is exactly what I wanted to see!! Before I confirmed this photo, I mistakenly jumped the gun by painting the housing of the lights in black already(Ha-Ha!!), so I have to change the colour from black to white tomorrow together with adding two white separation plates between the lights. I plan to finish the assembly process by the end of March and I will start the painting process from early-April. I think I can complete my Canberra TT.18 by the end of April if everything work out well in smooth fashion. I lately well realized your words "Classic Airframes's kit is more recommended rather than the Airfix kit". What I found were. . . . . .(1),Panel lines are more accurate on the CA kit. (2), The Airfix kit is missing panel lines for the spoilers under the wing. (3), Shape of the vertical tail fin is more accurate on the CA kit. (4), Airfix kit ignores landing light under the port wing. (5), Spoiler heads are slightly raised from the wing surface, and the Airfix kit ignores it. (6), The airfix kit ignores a side window for the backseater on the right-side. (7), Shape of the wing-tip tanks does not look right on the Airfix kit, though the length of the tank of the AC kit looks too short. (8), Clear canopy of the Airfix kit is too shallow(flat), so I use the CA canopy following your advice. (9), Airfix kit ignores small air intakes at the leading adge of the inboard wing. (10), Serious modification is needed on the tailplane on the Airfix kit. However, I'm still happy with the Airfix kit and I'm enjoying building it. John and James, "Thanks again for your continuous support and useful advices". Hope to meet you at Telford this coming November. Akira

Hello, I have further questions regarding the following two items, which John mentioned above. (1), How the auxiliary window just back from the nose cone looks like?? Do you have a close-up photo looking up to the window from immediately below?? (2), What is the doward identification lights forward of the bomb bay doors?? What are these lights for?? Do you have a close-up photo looking up the lights from immediately below?? Thank you again in advance. I'm currently assembling the fuselage, and I want to put them in my model before I glue the fuselage halves together. Akira

Hello James and John, I'm currently making the bulges of the spotlight by using an artificial wood. I have another question about the spotlight. How should I make/paint the surface of the spotlight lens? Does it look like a clear lens with a silver reflector just like a landing light or a taxi light?? Or, does it have a black lens cover in front of the spotlight lens?? Thank you again in advance. Akira

Thank you very much for your quick answer. Akira

I have additional two questions below, and could you help me on these questions?? (1), Number of backseat on the TT.18, only one? or two?? According to the instruction sheet of the Classic Airframes' TT.18 kit, they instruct to place only one ejection seat in the back side. However, according to the TT.18 cockpit photos of the Canberra SIG, it clearly shows that there are two ejection seats in the back side. (2), According to the paint instruction sheet of the Classic Airframes' TT.18 kit, there is "NO" national roundels on under surface(outboard side) of the wing of WJ639. I wonder if the grey WJ639 did surely not have the roundel on the underside of the wing???

James and John, Thank you so much for your prompt feedback. I fully understand the shape of the rear view mirrors and the spotlights. I surely will add them on my TT.18 model. Thank you again. Akira

Hello James, I did not know the uniqueness of the WJ639 you mentioned. Do you have some close-up photos of the spotlight and the external rear view mirrors of the WJ639?? Thank you in advance. Akira

Hello everyone, thank you very much for your discussion on the question I asked to you yesterday. I understand that the colours of the questioned areas are not specified in one designated colour but the colours vary in a few different ways. In other words, I can paint them in any colors(Ha-Ha!). At the beginning, I plan to finish my TT.18 as a grey "WH856" which I pictured at St.Mawgan in 1974. However, I realized that the WH856 did not carry my favourite tail marking of the No.7 Sqdn at the time of my photography. So, my current plan is to build it as a grey "WJ693", mainly because the Classic Airframes' TT.18 kit has this WJ639 decals within the kit I have. Also, you provided me with a few photos of the WJ639 on this forum. Judging from my 1974 photo of the grey WH856, the nose wheel hub is clearly "aluminum" and the nose wheel leg(strut) is clearly light grey(NOT white). Inner surface of the nose gear door looks very dark (could be black??) due to extreme under exposure. Anyway, thank you again for your great support. I plan to finish my TT.18 sometime in May, and I will upload some photos of my TT.18 on my website as soon as it is completed. Akira

I started building the Airfix Canberra(1/48) at the beginning of 2018. I have a question, and could you help me with the following questions? What is the color of (1) interior surface of the landing gear wells, (2) landing gear struts and (3) inner surface of the flaps??? According to the Airfix kit instruction, they all are "Aluminum", however, judging from the walkaround photos you provided, the landing gear struts look light grey (almost white??) and the inside surface of the flaps look light grey too. I'm quite confused, and I'd appreciate it greatly if someone could kindly help me in this matter. I plan to finish my Canberra as TT.18 with grey upper surface operated by No.7 Sqdn in the mid-1970s.

Thank you James for your helpful advice. I surely will keep it in mind. Akira

As always, thank you very much for your continual suppot. I'm so glad to know that an Airfix's Canberra "B(i).6" kit can be used as a base kit for my TT.18 project. I do have a Classic Airframes' Canberra TT.18 kit(1/48), so I plan to use some Classic Airframes parts as well, including the Rushton target system, the engine compressor fan and the B.2 wheel, etc.. So, I don't plan to buy an Alleycat parts(set). In any case, thank you James for your Alleycat information and thank you Andy for your kind consideration. I've never visited St.Mawgan again after 1974, James. I plan to start building my TT.18 sometime in September. I'm pretty sure that I'll have some additional questions during the process of my TT.18 building, so please let me ask you further questions on this Britmodeller.com. Naturally, I will upload some photos of my TT.18 on my website as soon as it is completed (hopefully by the end of this year), and I will post the notice on this Britmodeller page. Will do my best efforts on the TT.18 project in order not to disappoint you all. I do hope I can meet you all at the Telford show in 2018, as I'm seriously considering my first visit to the Telford show next year. Thank you again.

I took walkaround photos of a CH-53D(USMC) and a couple of MH-53Ms(USAF) several years ago, and I uploaded the photos on my website. If you are interested in these walkaround photos, please click on the following URL. I hope this will help you some. 1, CH-53D; http://nabe3saviation.web.fc2.com/waCH53.html 2, MH-53M; http://nabe3saviation.web.fc2.com/waMH53.html Akira

Thank you very much James and John for your great support on walkaround photos and informative advices on modeling. I thinK I already have enough walkaround pictures for my Canberra project. When I visited RAF St.Mawgan in August 1974, it was an airshow day at St.Mawgan. A British friend of mine obtained a photo permission for me to take pictures of Canberras of No.7 Sqdn on the flight line, and I was able to take pictures of two Canberra TT.18s in Grey scheme and two other TT.18s in Green/Grey camouflage. Two of them(WH856/Grey & WJ629/Camo) did not carry their sqdn marking on the fin unfortunately. I was able to photograph several Canberra T.4s as well at the same time. Yesterday, a friend of mine gave me an Airfix kit for my project. Unfortunately, it was not a "B.2" kit but a "B(i).6/B.20" kit. Please forgive me to ask you another question again this time. Can I use this "B(i).6" kit as a BASE kit for the TT.18??? I have poor knowledge about Canberra's variants, and so, I do not know exactly what are differences "in appearance" between Canberra B.2 and B(i).6. I simply want to know if fuselage/wing parts of the B(i).6 kit are the same as the ones of the B.2 kit. I don't care about the parts for the gun pack and under-wing rocket pods of the "B(i).6" kit. Frankly speaking, I prefer Airfix kit as a base kit for my TT.18 project. I'm currently working on time/labor consuming Hasegawa's old F-104G kit in 1/32 scale and I'm fairly tired of model building now(honestly!), so I want to spend a little easier, smoother and stress-free life during my Canberra project(Ha-Ha!!). Surface molding (panel lines, etc.) of the Airfix kit is NOT so bad as I was anticipated, fortunately, and I can live with it with some extra work. I'm so glad to know that James liked my website, and I hope some of my walkaround photos on the website will help British modelers as well to some extent. Looking forward to recieving your informative advices regarding the above-mentioned Airfix kits. Thanks in advance. Akira

I have another favour to ask of you. Could anyone provide me with good walkaround website which shows me sharp & clear pictures of wing (both upper and under surfaces) details of the Canberra B.2 or any other variants derived from the B.2 model. I took walkaround photos of EB-57 Canberra in the US (refer to my website, http://nabe3saviation.web.fc2.com/waEB57.html) and I want to study "what are differences" between the British and the US Canberras in appearance especially its panel lines and rivet/screw layout on the surfaces. Thank you James for your helpful information about the "tailplane/fuselage junction". I noticed that the EB-57 mentioned above had the same style junction, and I'll put this junction style to some extent on my forthcoming Canberra model. Akira

Thank you John and James for your prompt replies regarding the differences between the two Canberra kits, Classic Airframes/CA and Airfix. I bought a CA kit (TT.18) lately in Tokyo, and a friend of mine will give me his Airfix kit within a week. I plan to compare these two kits at first and I'll pick up one of them as a base kit for my Canberra project. According to the comments provided from James and John, the CA kit seems to be better for my project, and most likely I will pick up the CA one. I'm a member of a local aircraft modeling club named "Hora-Buro" and we have an annual model show in Tokyo every October. Each year we have an assigned subject for the show, and this year's subject is "NATO v.s. Warsaw Pact (Cold War)", and so I'm currently working on a Hasegawa's F-104G in 1/32 scale with Belgium markings. 2018 will be the 100th anniversary of the RAF, and so our 2018's assigned subject will be the RAF aircraft. That is the reason why my next project will be the Canberra TT.18 of No.7 Sqdn., which is VERY memorable a/c for me since I was able to photograph several TT.18s at St.Mawgan in 1974 and the yellow/black diagonal stripes were so impressive in my mind. Please let me ask you additional questions in future when I have any further questions about the TT.18. Thank you again. Akira

My name's Akira(first name) Watanabe(last) and my registration to the Britmodeller.com is complete only today. First of all, thank you so much for all the British modellers who supported me on the TT.18's red(orange?) wing stripe question. The topside photo of the grey TT.18 which was posted by "Canberra kid" on 14AUG17 shows exactly what was asked for, and I now have a very clean picture of the TT.18's wing stripe. Frankly speaking, I did not know that the TT.18 had a towel rail aerial on the port inboard wing. Also, all the walkaround photos of the TT.18 provided on this site will surely help me a lot during my next project of the TT.18 in 1/48 scale. Could anyone kindly advice me which model kit is more recommended, either a Classic Airframe kit or an Airfix kit??? What are good/weak points of them?