AnonymousAA72

At the time of the RAF review for The Queen's coronation, an Air Vice Marshal had "his" Meteor F8 painted in overall Dark Green. Details are in the 'Fighting Colours' book by Bruce Robertson - my copy is some 300 miles away at the moment, so I'm unable to confirm its serial....just a thought though......

An indicator of the underside colour of Hunters could be that if the upper wing Camo wraps around and under the leading edge of the wings by a couple of inches then it's likely to be Light Aircraft Grey. Those with a leading edge central split are most likely to be Silver. There are always exceptions of course, some of the 8 Sqn and 208 Sqn FGA9s based in Aden in the early 1960s (see the RADFAN site) had much lower than normal demarkation along the nose area resulting in a wrap under the wings. As T7 rightly says, Light Aircraft Grey was introduced as T7 from 1966 onwards. Most home based FGA9's still in frontline service with 1 and 54 Sqn for example, and the FR10's with 4 and 2 Sqns in RAFG would have had LACG applied.

I'm away from home at the moment, but I'll post some photo's when I get back. I have actually started a rebuild of my GA11, it's been languishing in a box in a sorry state for a few years too many!

For my GA11, I discarded the kit piece and replaced it with a section of the kits Drop tank. Then faired on with Milliput. The rear end wasn't perfect but the external shape okay

Thanks Col, I have a coat of primer on and have given her a rub down or two (oo er Mrs!) . I'm away on hols for a couple of weeks so will get some colour on when I get home...

Just for clarification....The F6A was a Mk6 that had been upgraded to Interim FGA9 standard. Most were eventually fully upgraded to full FGA 9 standard but some never did, as they didn't have the full "tropicalisation/air-con" equipment fit, nor the full weapons fit . Additionally If you look on the upper nose of the FGA9 just in front if the windscreen, there's a small triangular IFF aerial. This doesn't appear on the F6A.......accordingly to Aeroguide 9/Linewrights anyway. .....but, I have seen photo's of standard F6 jets WITH the IFF aerial......so take that as you will. In modelling terms, the F6A and the FGA9 are externally identical....apart from maybe that IFF fit.....maybe?

But Wez, he wasn't asking about the F6A he was asking how to convert the FGA9 into an F6.....

Nicely done Chris! You still have it mate!

One other bit to consider is the wing flaps. The FGA9 kit has cutouts to accommodate the 230 gallon tanks. The F6 didn't have that feature, simply you can ( and maybe, really, should!) glue them closed anyway and fill the groove. Depending on your F6 and it's time frame bring modelled, you could remove the wing extended leading edges, this was a feature of the F6 when first delivered....included early 'Black Arrow' Hunters of 111sqn....

I'll take your word on that Dave, I wasn't there!!

In one of Paul Lucas's books on RAF post war colours, and in SAM, he suggested that some Spitfire FR.18's of 2Sqn in RAFG in standard day fighter schemes were over painted in EDSG and Extra Dark Green upper surfaces with PRU Mauve lower surfaces....

EDSG is most certainly a grey. Xtracolor's version is pretty much spot on. You could also try Humbrol 123.

I think WB188 has come out rather well...I've just started on my a Echelon T8C and whereas it's a great vacform kit...it's certainly a challenge! Very nicely done....

Thank you all for the encouragement...it will come in handy! I promise you that! Construction started with the wings, the right starboard wing as been cut out and re-scribed , `I'm not too happy with the scribing to be honest, The plastic is quite "flaky", but given its age thats hardly surprising! Its proving difficult to get a dead nice straight defined line. I'll have a think about that. I've been toying wit the idea of "plating' the wing in 5thou plastic card, and cut out individual panels and butt-join them. That would also help with the rivets and may, just may, provide a puckered textured stressed skin effect. It may be a step too far!! In which case I'll revert to a good coat or three of Halford's primer, and re-scribe into that. Anyway, progress thus far. Vacform plastic, by its nature is flimsy. To build some rigidity into it. i added strengthening "spars" as used to be recommended in Dynavector kit's, though Taro suggesting supergluing these in, to stop possible melting through of the plastic. I never had any problems, so have used Tamiya thin to glue them in... The wheel wells aren't that well detailed as provided, so I decided to replace the well roof with plastic card. The ribs and plumbing will follow, I need to find some rivets along the main strip. I've been practising with "Rosie the Riveter"" but may revert to Mr Archer's decals! And finally for today....many, many years ago my old and departed friend Peter Ogden gave me an unfinished Hunter FGA9. He couldn't be bothered masking it for painting , so asked if I would finish it off, I had already started my FGA9 build so agreed, but decided to convert Peter's FGA9 into a FRADU GA11. It has seen better days..but as it was handily placed I decided I could use that as a template for scribing, adding ducts etc., and as I still have most off the parts (the niose cone is somewhere safe- I just need to remember where!) I thought it would be nice to re-build it, but back date it an Extra Dark Sea Grey and White jet, instead of the later Dark Sea Grey scheme shown here. It will also let me make good a few mistakes in the original kit (ailerons/airbrakes etc)

Thanks for that Andrew. I have crash moulded canopies in the past, but nothing as big as this! I expect I would use up quite a few sheets of acetate too!! I will try Paul Fisher again,, I have the whole conversion set, so know how well moulded it is. It's an awful lot better than any attempt I may make!

I think someone issued a replacement canopy for the Trumpeter Lightning, though I do believe that is somewhat wider, inaccurately so.I haven't checked my Lightning kit in the stash, though I would think a replacement crash formed canopy may be the only alternative...

Thanks for that suggestion. I actually sent Paul Fisher an e- mail a few years ago asking him if he could sell me one, but there was no reply! That's probably one of the reasons I stalled the build. I have a few options though......I may just send him another e-mail, though someone on here offered to make a vac- form replacement for me. I shan't mention any names, but I will be sending him an e- mail soon! Alternatively I may try to crash mould one of my own....

Hope so Duncan...it should certainly be a long build, you may need a goodly supply of popcorn! They certainly were. Always a shame that they never issued a Lightning two-seater.

Okay a tentative start... Vac-form kit's really aren't that scary! Honestly! Basically once you've removed the parts from the backing sheet, you stick the parts together! A bit like a plastic kit.......oh wait! Echelon kit's (Two Hunter's and a Lightning basically) were amongst the best, along with the likes of Dynavector and Aeroclub. I started with one of the wings. I separated the piece from the backing sheet along the raised plinth. Simply score with a sharp blade and snap it off. There's plenty of a plastic "buffer" to avoid any grief! A limitation of this medium is that panel lines can be a little vague. They are here on this kit, and from what I can tell , are in the correct place! I decided to re-define them. I used a Jeweller's Tungsten Scriber that I purchased in London's Hatton Garden a long tome ago. Its sharp and removes just the right amount of plastic. I've gone in a bit closer and here I've removed the plastic backing up to the wings, and the aux air intake on the wing top . Note that I haven't removed all of the required edging plastic. I'll do that with a file and wetn'dry paper. I've removed the gear bay doors. Not too sure about the shape of that though!

I bought this kit a good decade or so ago now, off of e-bay, atnd it wasn't cheap then! I've been planning on making a start on it since purchase, so thought now was as good a time as any. In fact what I think prompted me to start was the Hunter GB. I've started a 1/72nd T8 on there, and knew full well that given my track record of actually finishing anything - particularly on GB's, that I would have no chance on finishing this beastie in that time! Now, before you ask, yes I do have Fisher's cracking conversion set, and yes, I will build that one day, but sometimes modelling is as much about the journey as anything else. I have thoroughly enjoyed building vac-forms in the past and will savour this one . It will be a long build, as most of my models tend to be nowadays. When I get bored with it, I'll put it to one side and finish off one of the others I started last year, or the year before (this list is growing I'm afraid!!). But for the meantime lets get cracking and see how far I get... I'm building that GB 1/72nd T8C as a FRADU jet in the 1980's in Dayglo and LACG. I happen to think that this would look rather fetching on a mammoth model like this would look rather nice in 1/32nd....although another possible candidate may be an Admiral's barge, I'd like to use the airfield arrestor hook you see..though If I decide on a T7 it will most likely be something with a Raspberry Ripple flavour, though 92 Sqns Blue Diamond's XL571 is a candidate......we shall see. Box is well tatty!! Echelon provided four solid sheets of quality moulded vac formed sheets... One with the fuselage... Two for the wings.... One for the rest..... A clear (well it WAS clear when it was issued - it's a bit yellow now!) canopy and spine. This can be used on its own, or in conjunction with the vac-formed part...I will need to replace that though. Undercarriage and seats etc., in good old 1980's white metal!! Decals....well bearing in mind these are approaching 30 years old I think they are bearing up rather well! Designed by Richard Ward by all accounts, he of Modeldecal fame, so we know that they are accurate. Just hope I can use them. You may notice that the single seater decal sheet is there too. Frank Brown (Mr Echelon) donated the sheet when I purchased one of his last Lightnings 20 odd years ago! He had to find a box to put it in! Top bloke! I have actually made a tentative start today. I'll post a couple of photo's later. BUT before I do, I'd like to say that i know the amount of research that Frank Brown and Edgar Brookes put into this kit. I never got around to building a Spitfire for Edgar's GB, so I'd like to dedicate this to his memory. I know we differed on certain things at times, but he gave an awful lot to this hobby. I'm grateful for that.

It is a nice kit, but not without a few 'foibles'...... luckily as there only a few parts, it can be knocked up pretty quick... it does need a bit of filler, particularly where the intakes join on to the wing As I'm building a T8c, it needed an airfield arrestor hook, an extended tail bumper. Added from rod and plastic card, with the hook carved from sprue next up...some primer to see where the problem are.......

Liking that Tom.....very good indeed

I agree. Whereas it's a difficult shade to assess in print and on the Internet, I think that when initially applied in 1976 the red used was most likely Post Office Red. The same colour used in the national markings, and that used on the Union flag. As stated earlier, I also believe that Signal Red was also used, but later, individual photo's of some aIrcraft, such as Jaguars and Tornado seem to suggest the later.I still haven't received a reply from Qinetic..........must be a state secret!!!

I'm a bit confused...it doesn't take a lot to do that nowadays!!...in your WIP it shows the B(I)8 kit being used as the basis, certainly the wings used aren't the extended PR9 wings......

That is one helluva superb Canberra there.... love it!