general melchett

Thanks Chris, Sorry, probably the way the captions read but I know the first shot was of a shorter XT just showing the possible paint line. My mistake about the next few, as you say they aren't X25, not sure why I thought they were but the caption for the one showing the three standing crewmen reads X-Craft 25, Rothsay, 18th April, 1944 just wondering what colour the sides were in, it doesn't look black though the upper surfaces do. I noticed the difference with the triangular periscope fairing, in fact I've altered mine to portray the later style so will go for X24 or 25. Interesting that all X-Craft from X20 on were overall black, must look for more info on that. Cheers Melchie

I've been away one day and look what's happened !...you're talking about aeroplanes again, disgraceful ! Having spent the day with the likes of Perdu, Radleigh and a few other BM plastic-wrangler types at Coventry I thought you should know that you were mentioned in dispatches on more than one occasion...however I think we best leave it at that ! Overshot the carrier a tad.....notice how everyone is studiously ignoring the aircrew member on the right, (shades of 'Septic' and the Tiger)....

Good point my old friend...but it's a totally different sort of medication needed now, one that involves lots of words that start with 'psych' and end with 'chosis' ! A likely tale..herbal I bet. Ah the Horse and Jockstrap, a fine watering hole...and within staggering distance of the base too....

This of course is not news to the authorities.......well, like Mungo Park, keep carving your way into the interior, I'm sure as ever the results will be well worth the effort expended. We happy band of plastic carving nut-jobs really should be heavily medicated...

I'm sorry Perspex of Mars but this nugget will just have to wait.....a man's trousers may depend on it.. Pete, I think you probably meant to say that you were drinking van loads of liquid sustenance having been delivered to certain pubs in Harmston, Coleby & Welbourn......by thunder not the Thorold Arms, Tempest Arms or the Bell at Coleby by any chance ?

Hi Chris, Thanks for that, I have a lot of images now but still seem as confused as ever. These photos seem to show something different again, the first appears to show the black demarcation line running along the forward hull bulge, (pretty much as Brengun have there's depicted in the painting guide) though of course this could be down to the light/shadow/printing, etc, etc. Whereas these of X25 show the upper sides to be light, definitely a dark, (black?) side cargo, of course as these photos were taken in 1944 this may be one of the pair painted in the Overlord yellow ochre/Hooker's Green scheme..... Seems like the censor has airbrushed out the air induction mast... Here the decking appears black but light coloured side-cargo. And this one shows no signs of any demarcation lines at all. 'looks to be' an overall grey. What do you think ? trouble is I'm a stickler for getting it right.... Cheers Melchie...

Damn decent of you Martian he tends to lurk a lot these days, ever since the estate's cricket debacle where he disgraced himself at the crease...would you be a dear thing and bundle him up, keeping the potty on his head and post him back here second class, post haste, (don't bother with recorded delivery I'm not signing for him) ....I have a few errands I want him to run, mainly to the local bird sanctuary, village fire station and the estate's insurance brokerage. Where's this blasted Blackburn thingy they're all on about ?

So it was your old charabang buzzing the place was it , swerving all over the road, the CCTV could hardly keep up.......all will be presented as evidence. Not so much to do with the Pu, Ningi or Flanian Pobble Bead for that matter Pete, no, no more Darling's over-zealous attempt at dislodging a few nesting Cormorants...I told him 22 litres of Super Unleaded and 15 bales of hay would be a tad over enthusiastic but he's a headstrong old cove....talking of which I haven't seen him for a couple of days !

Great Scott! even you know it, guard, guard bolt all the doors, hammer large pieces of crooked wood against all the windows! This security leak is far worse than we'd imagined ! I can see this is going to end badly so I'll have no alternative other than to break out the trusty standby, always goes down well at the annual regimental Whine & Anthrax bash... No, no, no......surely ... head of the 'Dream-Team' design department.

It's my duty as a peer of the realm not to mention servant of His Majesty King George the V to winkle out such information, no matter how unpalatable and relay it to the troops. Darling tells me that legally you're between a Roc and a hard place over this and following consultation with our finance department bods he's quite happy to give you a thorough going over in the invoicing department....

He looks the height of sartorial elegance what with his mask, underpants over his tights and cape flapping away in the breeze...

Yes but at least he can see his house from up there...and he had an unimpeded, front seat view of his own demise to boot. Crisp, You must add to that the Fairey Pintail...Fairey's half-hearted attempt at producing an aircraft to rival the worst of Bob Blackburn's creations... Martian, If I'd been consultant on the project I would have had added a few more wings so that he could sit even higher, added a step-ladder for the poor blighter, (even the Blackburn had one of those) and maybe fitted pram wheels to the wing tips much like Darling's moped to keep the thing upright, though apparently the widely spaced skids under the fins were supposed to do that...mind you if all else failed, (and it probably did) it would make a fine agricultural tool for digging furrows strapped behind a couple of Lincolnshire finest Shires...

I did see the TP Martian but didn't think it too ugly...silly, definitely but not actually fugly, just two overlarge Avro 504's bunged together in the attempt at making yet another seemingly hopeless failure.... Funny you should say that as no sooner had I put down my quill than Darling just came rushing into the boudoir showing me this ...the wondrous Blackburn AD Scout.....a novel way to commit suicide methinks !

Thanks guys, 3chord, yes very strange, it looked so nice in the box too, hopefully mine was just a one-off but QC really should have been better especially and when you consider that the conversion set is almost as expensive as the donor kit...the last resin kit I built with this many air bubbles was the Magna 'Cadbury's Aero' Short Sperrin...hopefully they've sorted things out now.

Now funnily enough I came across a Contrail Kangeroo in the kitswap last year up for a reasonable price but made the fatal error of wandering off to 'think about it' with the inevitable consequence that upon my return a mere ten minutes later some cad had purloined it ! Always a bad move, thinking about things..... You leave me no alternative other than to up the stakes yet again......a Blackburn F.3 along with a Blackburn Sidecar chucked in for good measure and if that doesn't do the trick I'll just have to finish my PH Model Botha, gobberwarts and all...