Mick Drover

Nice. My connection to the RAAF is my dad. He was an airframe fitter with time on the Mirages, Canberras, F-111 and Caribou. I got a ride in a Caribou from Amberley to Richmond for the Easter holidays in 88. At the time he was WOE at 38 squadron and was close to finishing his 20 years so he could arrange trips. For a young teenager it seemed like we were flying for days, probably closer to 3 hours with some night flying....uuugh. At the back of the bay near the ramp with the Richmond AB league team coming home from a weekend game! Didn't even get to the cockpit because they were all asleep with their feet outstretched. I'd love to see a new tool Caribou. Perhaps Dora Wings, ICM or Special Hobby; they seem like the folks that would tackle that sort of subject. Mick

It would appear they were indeed a Mk.20 in the RAAF. Thanks @Michael louey

Cheers Michael. I'd always thought they were B.20; I've learnt something today. Thanks for the info! Stoked to have a new tool version of the Canberra. I was just mentioning to a mate on FB that all I need is a new tool Caribou and I'll have all of dad's RAAF aircraft in 72nd. Cheers, Mick

That's interesting to hear them called Mk.20. The official RAAF designation was B.20 I'll have to ask dad.

The RAAF B.20 was derived from the B.2 and licence built. They had extra fuel in the wings.

Great tip (is that a pun??) Parabat. What was your tool of choice to cut the small hole? Looks like a tidy result doing it that way. Good job. Mick

Ooooh, that is rather nice. Good to hear about the AK colours too. I've chosen the same ones for a Luftwaffe RF-4E in the same splinter-esque scheme though from the Hasegawa RF-4E kit.. Noted about the silver underside too. Good job. Mick

Lovely Bruce. The details are great, gotta be happy with it.

Thanks Scooby. Yes, removing the film from big decals on a flat surface is doable, smaller ones not so much. Thankyou! Thanks Mike

Hi Toryu. I really appreciate that. I’m definitely more in the “looks good to me” camp than the “measured with calipers against a blueprint” camp. While I totally get and respect the drive for accuracy, I tend to build more for aesthetic appeal and enjoyment rather than strict adherence to historical finishes. I’ve read similar notes on the extensive use of putty and lacquer. But then again, we’ve all seen some spectacular rivet-heavy kits come out of even the big-name manufacturers (Trumpeter’s team clearly work in shifts), and I figure if they can take liberties, so can I! That said, I’ve got no issue tweaking a glaring inaccuracy if it sticks out (Airfix’s recent Vulcan ECM pylon comes to mind). But for the most part, I’ll take a bit of artistic licence and enjoy the ride. Cheers for the insight! Mick

Looks like they got what they asked for! It looks fantastic, even if the weathering is a flight of fancy. There are so many juicy details to take away for the next WWII era build. Love it. Mick

Hi all. I've just wrapped up this A6M3 Zero recently—Eduard’s 1/48 Type 32 kit, finished as V-187 from the Tainan Kokutai during their time at Buna, New Guinea, August 1942. This build turned into a bit of a paint experiment. Even though it’s a single-colour scheme on paper, I wanted to see how much visual interest I could get through patchwork modulation and tonal variation. I used a 50:50 mix of Mr. Color C336 (Hemp) and C60 (RLM02), applied lightly over a patchy base to let some texture show through. The variation doesn’t fully come across in photos, but it adds a lot in person. Decals are from the kit. I removed the large carrier film—as is the fashion lately—and had a happy accident on the fin. Some of the black ink wore away over the raised rivets while removing the film, and it ended up looking like natural paint wear. Couldn’t have planned it better. The pitot tube decided to disappear mid-build, so I scratch-built a replacement from sleeved brass using another Eduard Zero pitot as a guide. Looks cleaner and it’s much sturdier—accidental upgrade. Chipping was done selectively using chipping fluid under areas of the top coat, particularly around wing roots and access panels. Followed that up with a gloss coat, decals, and a flat finish to tie it all together. The subject itself offered a lot of scope for weathering—Tainan Kokutai’s operations in New Guinea were tough on airframes, and the Type 32 was a bit of an oddball variant in a harsh theatre. Appreciate any feedback. Photos are slightly pushed in contrast to help show the paint variation—still doesn’t quite match what’s visible to the eye, but close enough. Cheers, Mick Kit: Eduard 1/48 A6M3 Zero Type 32 Markings: V-187, Tainan Kokutai, Buna, New Guinea, August 1942 Paints: Mr. Color C336/C60 mix (top), Mr. Color 56 IJN Grey-Green (underside) Mods: Scratch-built pitot tube, carrier film removed, patchwork paintwork, selective chipping

Thanks slater. The OD sounds about right for that conflict. Cheers, Mick

Hi all, I’m working on an FAA IA-58 Pucará from the Falklands War/Guerra de las Malvinas, specifically one armed with LAU-3 rocket pods, and I’m trying to nail down the correct colours for the rocket heads and motors as they would have been seen in Argentine service. Does anyone happen to know what colours were commonly used for the rocket warheads and motors in this context? I've come across a few references showing different finishes—some look metallic, others olive drab or even black—but nothing definitive for how the Argentinians would’ve had them loaded in 1982. Any insight or photos would be a huge help! Cheers Mick

Looking good Marco. Those exhausts are looking mighty thick, will you work on those to thin them down? Cheers, Mick