Truro Model Builder

Paul, you are not wrong. Airshows are becoming very samey indeed, for a number of reasons: lack of military participation, costs and the post-Shoreham situation are all among them. The other main reason is the move towards beach and coastal sites. Fewer shows are being held at airfields, and this year sees the last Wings and Wheels at Dunsfold and the last Abingdon Air Fayre. Shuttleworth and Duxford continue to go from strength to strength, though it is noticeable that aircraft based at these airfields tend not to travel much to other venues. Farnborough is no longer holding the public weekend, though that is as much through the organiser's apathy as much as the post-Shoreham restrictions. The almost total disappearance of classic jets has not helped either. Those that we have had have mostly gone abroad or been grounded, and we are left with a handful of Jet Provost/Strikemasters. The MoD has very little interest in supporting civilian events. There are now only two events organised by the military, and the RAF's show is at Cosford, where only a small proportion of its existing inventory can actually land and take off. They rely a lot on the RAF Museum and the technical school to make up numbers. The RAF still has a number of solo display acts, and this year we have the Typhoon, Chinook, Tutor and Tucano, all of which are making a number of appearances at different venues, but RAF static representation at non-military events has practically disappeared. Also this year, the Red Arrows will be departing for North America for the remainder of the season post-RIAT in July, and a lot of show organisers are facing the loss of their biggest draw as a result. The appearance of the Red Arrows in a show's line up can make or break it. As regards RIAT, it is still the event to go to, though that is partly due to the overall decline in other shows. However, they are offering a Ukrainian Flanker, Spanish Harrier duo, USAF Osprey and four separate flying demos from the Italian Air Force amongst other things. Their pricing strategy is going over the top, and they are shamefully charging the same admission for the Friday 'half-show' as they are for either of the full weekend days. Some acts are not displaying both Saturday and Sunday either, which makes for a decision to either miss some things or fork out for both days. Last year I attended the arrivals days rather than the show days for the first time, enjoyed it rather more, and will be doing the same this year. I recommend it as a cheaper alternative, as you still see most of the flying displays and watch everything arrive for the static. Overall, my impression is that the air display industry in the UK is for the most part in decline. Not terminal, thankfully, as we are still incredibly lucky in the number of events we have, but many of them are smaller and facing ever increasing regulation. I remember the KC-135 line-ups at Fairford, the massed helicopter approach to the soundtrack of Ride of the Valkyries at Middle Wallop and counting aircraft from thirteen nations taking part in the St. Mawgan air day, and I count myself very, very lucky to have seen them all. Sadly, we must now set our expectations lower.

Never mind the panel lines. I'm really not sure about the colour references. Is that the right shade of chocolate brown?

Can't anybody take a joke these days? Or has humour departed the forum?

Given its operational record I'm hardly surprised.

What it does raise, particularly for those of us involved in organising our own club shows, is the security of the venues we use. It is a heartbreaking story and I feel terribly for the guys who have had their work destroyed, but let's not kid ourselves and think it could not happen elsewhere. SMW enjoys the onsite security services provided by the TIC, but the vast majority of shows at which we display our models rely just on a locked key and maybe a burglar alarm as well.

The following had received the IFR probe as C.1Ps (with redelivery dates) before the Argentine surrender: XV200 (29 Apr), XV179 (13 May), XV218 (25 May), XV196 (31 May), XV206 (3 Jun) and XV291 (9 Jun). In addition XV296 was undertaking its flight test trials following conversion to C.1K tanker configration. All info from Falklands -The Air War (Burden et al, Arms and Armour Press 1986).

I believe -and I stand to be corrected- that they were wired for the AIM-9P.

Early production Typhoons had black and white stripes on the wings ( some on upper and lower, others on lower only) to prevent mis-identification with the Fw 190, as you say -as did a number of early Tempests. They were laid out in a different pattern to D-Day markings and I am fairly sure that by 1944 they had been all but discontinued. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Hawker_Typhoon_Mk_IB_of_No._486_Squadron_RAF,_27_October_1943._CH11578.jpg

Putting my tongue firmly in my cheek, I have to ask of those who are desperate to have this kit in their hands, are you intending to sweep everything else off the worktop and crack on with it, or is that Spitfire XIV-shaped hole in your stash collecting too much dust?

We could do with decent 1/72nd kits of the T-45 and the Hawk 200 to go with the various T.1/100 models that have been released.

Isn't the real issue the person who put the model in the competition? Has the perpetrator of this vindictive act been identified? Have they been kicked out of the club as a result? Or even been kicked in with size twelves? I suggest applying rusty pliers to fingernails as an opener when you find them. Good luck with your project.

Thanks, Dave. I'd quite forgotten that the Shadow flight had been spun off and raised to squadron status. I wouldn't be surprised if the Shadow does have a secondary domestic role, however. Occasionally one will appear on ADS-B flight tracking websites undertaking a circular flight pattern somewhere over the UK for a couple of hours. Presumably they are doing something Secret Squirrel -either that or the rudder has become jammed.

I thought that No.5 Squadron had taken over their duties with their Shadow R.1s.

Seeing footage of it rolling out of the hangar, I find myself humming the Zero-X music from the opening sequence of Thunderbirds Are Go.

Down this way those little arthropods are known as grammersows.