Edgar

Slightly concerned about your plans, regarding the harness. Are you certain that the Trumpeter offering is a Sutton harness? I've only seen a photo, of the harness, in place, and it appeared to have some odd (triangular?) fittings, at the ends of the straps. The Sutton harness consisted of four straps, which had blunt ends, with a series of holes running down the middle of each strap. There was a "pin" underneath one strap, which came through a hole, and a triangular "clip," which hung loose from one of the other straps. If the Trumpeter harness doesn't look like that, it ain't a Sutton. Edgar

Since we're in mode, there's no such thing as a one pence; it's still one penny, two pence, etc. Now to retire to the bunker............ Edgar

I suppose being within driving distance does tend to narrow my vision a little My last catalogue quotes £19.22, for a 1.05K tin. If you have no luck, and are going to Yate, on the 19th., I can get a can, for you; at least you'll save the postage. We could, also, discuss your view of my grumpiness Edgar

What went wrong with Tiranti? I bought some T20, from them, only a couple of months ago. Edgar

Oh, Lord, now he needs to prove that he can count Edgar

'Fraid so (though I wouldn't call it "duffed up." How many chances do you get to trawl through the RAF Museum's archives?), and a red one (on so many models)just compounds the felony; I think that was a post-war H&S special. I was looking at a display, several years ago, at a Shuttleworth model show, when the man, standing next to me, said "All these lovely models, but, do you know, all the time, during the war, that I flew Spitfires, I never saw a red crowbar; black, green, silver, yes, but red, never." Edgar

The "plastic" seat was introduced (as an extra option, not a replacement) from 14-5-1940. It was strengthened 19-4-1942. The crowbar wasn't introduced until 4-11-1941. Rear armour protection was introduced from 6-2-1940. Since this is BRITmodeller, the dates are d/m/y, before anyone asks Edgar

I would suspect the u/c attachments, if they could be reached. They'd be two of the strongest areas, and I believe that they had cranes, in Malta, so they'd be able to lift it enough to get at the u/c. Not sure about repair, either; if it was badly damaged, it would, probably, have been pushed to one side, for future use as spare parts, or Luftwaffe target practice! Edgar

N3200 first flew 29-11-39, went to 8M.U. 2-12-39, then 19 Squadron 19-4-40. Failed to return 27-5-40. Dug up, from Calais; last year, together with 92 Squadron's 1a P9374 (also Calais,) and Seafire IIC MB293 (ex Malta,) she was in storage, in a workshop "somewhere in Braintree," awaiting restoration. Apparently it has the pump-style u/c retraction, and the owner wants it restored the same way. Edgar

It says that it's distributed by Squadron; if that means that it goes, first, to the U.S., then comes here, well, since time immemorial, we've said "Pounds for dollars." Way back, in the 70s, a Monogram kit, originally costing $10.95, was £10.95, here. Edgar

According to his son, he has, always, been misquoted. He maintains that he said "Bloody silly, naming it after a failure." He felt that people might be influenced, against the Type 300, because of the way the Type 224 failed. Edgar

The Revell 1/32nd FGA9 is kit no.04703; it's been superceded by the F.6, but you might still see some around. Edgar

I think they're called "closed," or "Under new management." Edgar

AA guns were more likely to be round, not on, the airfield; any emergency landing would have been fraught with danger, with a gun in the way. Vehicles (except, maybe, a motorbike) would have been a bit unlikely, too, with petrol rationing; a battalion's ration was only 30 gallons, per week, and that was reserved for the quartermaster. An untidy pile of bikes would be the most likely, I'd think, maybe with somebody (or bodies,) scanning the sky, with binoculars, watching for the next raid. Even Lord Gort rode a bike, to save fuel. Edgar

Still can't find anything definitive, but, in the same area, if you're planning on making the rudder pedals, on 8, more realistic (until September, 1940,) there was only a single bar, with the leather toe-strap. Edgar

Without photos, it's impossible to be sure, but, in "Fly For Your Life," Stanford Tuck tells how 65 Squadron, shortly after receiving Gladiators (which would have been 1937,) had a visit by German dignitaries, and Milch asked him how the reflector sight worked. If they had the sight, in 1937, I doubt that the pilots would, willingly, have gone back to a ring-and-bead. There's a photo, of him, flying FZ-L, immediately pre-war, and, even though the bead is there, there appears to be a reflector sight hiding behind the glare from the windscreen. Edgar

I bought the SAM books, and use them, solely, for the photos, and sketches; for instance, it's the only book, that I've seen, which shows an unrebuilt Mk.I, with the original cockpit colour. As with all things Caruana, treat the "scale" drawings with deep suspicion, though. The Mosquito book does have some useful photos, and sketches, but the modelling section is rather mirth-producing, since every model has one elevator up, and the other down, like ailerons. The Beaufighter, and Hurricane, books are identical, in format, but the caveat, regarding the drawings, is especially important, on the Hurricane. I suggest that only Arthur Bentley's NEW drawings should be used, since he, recently, amended them, following Peter Cooke's research. Edgar

I suspect that you might struggle to find Testor's paints, in deepest Essex, so I'll give you the Humbrol colours, with Xtracolor in brackets:- top Ocean Grey 106 (X006) Dark Green 163 (X001) undersides Sea Grey Medium 165 (X003) spinner and tail band Sky; try Beige Green 90 (very close, or X007) Edgar

I got a wooden spoon, for Christmas; might as well use it. Edgar

Don't really want to spoil your fun here, but "less conspicuous" doesn't gel with the Sky spinners. Neil, you didn't say which Squadron this is, but, if they were based with one, or more, Coastal Command Squadron(s,) Slate grey, or Extra Dark Sea Grey, might have been available, as an emergency. I think that you might need a four-sided coin; that I'd like to see. Edgar

In the RAF Museum's reprint, of the Mosquito II,XII, and XVII manual, one of the instructions, regarding the interior painting, reads "the shaded portions indicate hydraulic resisting paint specification D.T.D.399 (finish "P") grey green on inside of fuselage shell." On "ordinary" interior areas, there was a coat of primer, followed by cellulose enamel grey green, then hydraulic resisting paint, then acid resisting paint. Whether the last two were grey-green, or colourless, I don't know, but the manual makes it obvious that there were both grey green cellulose, and grey green hydraulic resistant paints. On the external surfaces, the camouflage went straight onto the anti-u/v silver. As far as I know, metal aircraft were painted straight onto the bare metal; after all they weren't expected to last very long. When I worked, as a volunteer, at Halton, on a XVI, we found that the cockpit parts had been painted grey green before assembly, so the paintshop was able to match the colour exactly to those parts which hadn't seen the light of day for around 45 years. While stripping the paint from the exterior, we found nothing between the aluminium and the first camouflage coat. Edgar

Sorry, folks, put it down to age. No wonder I gave up on flying models, and stuck to plastics. Edgar

Bucket-Shatner? Nope, don't get it; must be the North/South divide, again. Edgar

Being a Babylon 5 man, I haven't a clue what you're talking about By heck, that smile, of Delenn's, still makes me go weak at the knees Edgar

Until a manufacturer bites the bullet, and builds in the variable wing incidence, so that the wing has its, almost unique, twist, a model Spitfire is unlikely to look right. They've done it, on the modern jets, but don't seem to realise that it existed all those years ago. It caused the tip to stall, AFTER the rest of the wing, so that the Spitfire never exhibited the viciousness, leading up to the stall, that other aircraft had. Edgar Marks 0/10; must do better in future