71chally

You get both wingtips in the K.2 box, there are two sets of clear parts, only one in the B.2 box. The B.2 wingtips are on the same sprue (M) as the canopy, the K.2 tips are on a new sprue (N) with the camera crate windows for the SR.2 option. These clear parts which are the upper and outer part of the wings incorporate the shortening of the outer wing, along with the new solid parts in this kit.

I would buy it off you in a heart beat! Conversion topics are always interesting, with enough work you can make anything look like something else, but it depends on how straightforward the builder wants to keep things. Back in the day I saw some fantastic and accurate B.2 conversions from the Matchbox Victor K.2, using balsa wood, dope and filler. However I do get that it is far more straightforward if the bits were in the box, extending the wings is definitely harder work than reducing them. At least with the B.2 wing tips they can be reduced. PS I have literally just sold a B.2 for £45.

Sorry misread your post @Evil_Toast_RSA , if you can grab the K.2, especially at that price, do so! Both my kits are in storage, but from memory the K.2 kit has the extra sprues over the B.2 kit so you will have the B.2 bomb doors etc included, but I'm not sure that you get the original clear plastic parts sprue and if so it may just come with the K.2 wingtips which would require extending the outer wings a bit.

The Airfix K.2 is the harder kit to find by a long shot, unsure why but possibly because the B.2 kit had two releases but then the K.2 was hard to find before that second B.2 release. I would be surprised if Airfix don't re-release the K.2 at some point though. It's not an impossible conversion, the outer wings are shorter on the K.2 which I think is facilitated in the kit, but there are other minor differences and of course the edition of the centre HDU bulge and the two wing pods. There was a really good thread on here about victor differences, will try and find it. Edit, this is the one I forgot that it's about B.1 v B.2 differences, but it might contain relevant info.

I like A-10s, but don't know a great deal about them. Could an A-10A kit follow this boxing, or be created from this kit?

We've had one since the late 1970s, Matchbox (and later Revell) Spitfire F.22/24. I must admit I'm befuddled with the DBMK schedule of releases. I won't pretend to understand the industry and get that these are very hard and strange times, but without a kit actually being released how can we judge on what will actually be produced and in the box. I'm really looking forward to the Scimitar and hope it doesn't get delayed by other projects.

Excellent news, cannot wait to get hold of a couple of these!

and carried by the diminutive, and possibly more steam driven, Sea Hawk operationally by the Dutch Navy.

Brilliant info and pics, thank you. The camo finish does look interesting, it looks to me that the RVHP kit option has possibly copied the colour profile, but it would be great to think that they were both based on references. The profile states 1975, this is odd as most sources seem to state that the Vietnamese didn't get them until 1980/81? Were Be-12s loaned before this time I wonder? Vietnam did re-paint some of it's Soviet suppled equipment in some great camo schemes, so it would be nice to find photos of the Berievs in such a scheme. @Blimpyboy great info in those links, thank you.

Superb build @jeaton01 are those props actually spinning or have you devised a way of making them look like they are spinning?

A publicity and set up shot, the Strikemaster didn't carry Sidewinders. I'm thinking I've seen reference to this being set up with operational RNZAF Skyhawk loads. Still an interesting basis for a model!

These images certainly back that up, https://www.fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=172253

Funny, I was briefly looking into this recently while contemplating a Zvezda build, from photos it seems the wraparound scheme was introduced to the RAF Hercules fleet in the late 1980s early '90s, but took a while to roll out with some aircraft wearing the old scheme into the mid 1990s. I'm not sure if C.1s and C.3s were refinished in different timeframes, but would imagine the change was timed with maintenance schedules.

Did the Beriev Be-12 in Vietnamese Navy service remain in the usual grey or grey/blue finish of the type, or did they ever receive their own colour scheme,? I've been looking for photo references for these aircraft but can't find anything online, does anyone here have any pointers for good and trustworthy reference material for these? Thanks in advance.

@Johnson there's another picture here, gives an idea of scale, https://www.dreamstime.com/westland-wessex-has-xp-yeovilton-somerset-united-kingdom-october-rd-helicopter-display-fleet-air-arm-museum-image267747564

I don't think they simply based it on an EA-6 Prowler, otherwise there would have at least been panel lines to represent the closed door. Seems like a bizarre oversight to me, maybe the teams of the larger Intruder kits aren't necessarily involved with this kit. Hopefully they will have taken the wing differences into account with these kits. Other than this glaring omission, the kit actually looks quite nice to me, certainly in respect of the detail and options,

Hi @Johnson This is the image from Lees' book, hope it helps. Westland Wessex HAS.1 Type 194 Sonar Transducer @Lee Howard by James Thomas, on Flickr

I wonder if it started out as dayglow orange that faded to yellow.

RAF FG.1s also used the ballast rounds. I'm aware of the extra fuel cell thing on FGR.2s, but that doesn't always seem to be the overriding reason as to why they were fitted, or not. They do seem to have been a rare fit on Royal Navy FG.1s, but possibly due to what Tim says above, certain ordnance layouts required it? Even odder is the asymmetric use of ballast rounds, seen on both Navy and RAF Phantoms.

I'm inclined to agree ( I love Fujimi), but other than the undercarriage doors, which are easy enough to scribe on, doesn't this kit look better for engraved detail and possible parts? I guess, what I'm trying to ask, are there any other obvious clangers with the Trumpeter kit?

Welcome aboard! Fascinating career, must have been something else operating Phantoms off a carrier deck. I would recommend tackling the kit yourself though, the kit isn't so rare, but being immortalised in kit decal form is! Just take your time and maybe pick up some tips from the forum, and have fun with it.

The Italeri/Revell S55 series of helicopter kits are quite decent, there is no comparison with the Airfix kit. They look right and go together well, downside is that some parts are over simplified and the detail is a little bit on the heavy side for this day and age. If you are super picky about detail, then you need to research the actual helicopter that you want to build, and put the necessary work into the kit. One example, the windscreen is correct for some earlier versions and requires a little work to make it right for other versions. Though the S55/Whirlwind basic airframe essentially remained the same throughout it's life, there were many minor changes across the versions, such as engine grille arrangements, windscreen pillars, aerials, and the most obvious change the cranked tail boom. The tail boom was cranked to help alleviate the main rotor blade tips striking the tail in some conditions issue, and was introduced as a mod across Sikorsky and Westland machines, this also brought with it a new straight tailplane and tail rotor upright structure. Italeri and Revell have released kits with both styles of tail boom. The RAF Dec and Xtradecal sheets listed above are great for Royal Navy and RAF S55 & Whirlwinds, there have also been other sheets available for many of the other military operators of S.55/H-19, HRS and HO4S, including Printscale 72107 & 108 that covers US Air Force, Navy, Marines and Army, Argentinian, French, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Canadian, and Israel. There are many other decals aswel, I've seen markings for Yugoslavian, Japanese, South American and North African operators.

I'm not sure it would prevent me from buying one (hanging out for the Prowler boxing), but that does seem a major oversight!

If @Lee Howard is amenable, I could post an image from his book?

The more I look at this kit the more I think it would be a superb choice as Airfix's first 1:24 scale biplane subject.