JohnT

I got an e-mail today from the former pupils association of my school (where Eric attended many years before) advising that Edinburgh University Air Squadron were looking to have a statue of Eric placed in the entrance to Edinburgh Airport and also start a flying scholarship fund to get children to go solo. Rather than rabbit on I have copied and pasted part below missing out the personal history bit which you all know so well already So here:- " Our fund-raising committee, composed of ex Squadron members, is aiming to raise £50k for the statue and then at least £40k to provide flying scholarships for deserving young people to achieve solo standard. A first solo flight in an aircraft is a memorable, and often life changing, event. Please do make a contribution. Thank you. PLEASE DONATE AT: http://www.edinburghuas.com/winkle-memorial To get to know the man go to Kirsty Young’s Desert Island Discs: 3000th edition at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04nvgq1 I will put some of my plastic loft insulation money their way John T

Matt If all else fails Falcon do a clear Vac replacement for the Hunter.

Sleep well and thank you for your service http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-40791988

Early Lightnings cockpit black and late marks changed to grey No doubt someone will be along in a minute who is a Lightning expert and will be able to say exactly when the change took place. which mark are you modelling? John

Mike - I have photos of kids pouring over a crashed one in 1940. One looks like you. You can't recall what the inside looked like can you?

And one more thing to add into the mix - there are three or so photos taken at varying angles. The machine gun magazines look clean, pristine and have been numbered in small white paint numbers. The overall finish is very clean and pristine. It makes me wonder when in the life of this machine the photos were taken. Looking through the perspex outside the aircraft one sees its indoors in a hanger or factory (doors/walls). I think on balance its maybe newly delivered given there are ammunition magazines in evidence on the aircraft but thats a wild guess on my part with not much evidence to support that.

Intriguing. Just goes to show that just when you think you have nailed something down along comes an exception. Still think I will go for RLM 02 throughout. Or does anyone want to egg me on with some natural metal in some areas?

Dave That's very helpful. Apart from being useless with pics I didn't think I could or should reproduce the photos in the book but the metal in the pics does look er shiny! Photos taken of a one off maybe?? Oh how the Gods of modelling accuracy chose to destroy us by driving us insane.

Hi FatFlyhalf, That seems wrong typing that 😁 You and I think alike but the book threw me for sure. It's by Eddie Creek, Brett Green and KA Merrick so I did pause for thought hence opening this topic. Stuff getting a new doctor who. Why is there no available Britmodeller Tardis when we need one to check these things out.

Shaun each one better than the last. The backdrop to the Apache is perfect. Stunning and many many thanks for sharing them all. John

Fellow Bm'ers I was just about to start a Ju 87B of the Battle of Britain period of Stg2 and like all good modellers had a trawl of the net to see what the consensus was as to the cockpit colours and a good read of a few books to boot. Just as I was about to settle for RLM 02 for the overall colour in the cockpit and RLM 66 for the instrument panel which seems the broad consensus for pre 1941 I find this which may throw a small (large?) spanner in the works? On reading Luftwaffe Camo and markings 33-45 Photo Archive 1 there are some good photos of cockpit interiors. One caption for a photo of the rear gunners area reads:- "While the Ju 87B machine gun retention locks and the cross frame below the gun were painted in 02, the rest of the cockpit was bare metal other than the gunners seat and the inside of the canopy framework." Certainly the areas described looks like unpainted metal in the photos but all the usual warnings re interpretation of black and white photos apply So are we wrong to paint the whole tub in RLM 02? Sounds like it if the authors are correct and I think the book and series is pretty well regarded? Answers on a postcard/ post below please! Oh and as for RLM 02 apparently the colour of paint didn't change till later but earlier different lacquers were applied. Quite what that does to tone before adding the old "scale colour" chestnut I am not sure. Anyway I can easily use RLM 02 for the area it was on - but what about those seemingly unpainted areas? bestest to all John

Thought this might be of interest http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-40648104

Not 1, not 2 but 3 C130 Hercules going around in circles at low altitude over the sunny Borders. its almost like the 1980's all over again Looks like follow my leader. Wonder whats up with them

Very nice Marty. Something very WW1 Teutonic about the Albi's I always think. Nice scheme and build Sir

At Brixham, Devon and a helicopter large by the sound hovering and searching just off our cove with a spotlight on the sea. Been circling the sea and coast for about 45 minutes Looks and sounds like a SAR job sadly