Graham T

Interesting, clever & nicely done!

Top job! Can I ask about the seats? Are they the kit seats with enhancements or A/M? I ask because I couldn't find A/M seats (MB Mk.9?) for my GR1 that I built recently.

Thanks! The white is Xtracolour enamel. Generally white is a PITA to spray. I bought some of the Tamiya white lacquer to try on my HP Victor refurbishment a few months ago but wasn't impressed (I actually binned the unused bottles in case I was tempted to give them another go!) so I'm sticking with Xtracolour!

Handsome!!!

Not bad for a limited run kit but those with better skills than mine will make a better fist of it. Basically OOB but I invested in a set of masks for all those windows! Biggest problems was the decals (which look good once on but they stick as soon as they touch & come apart very easily if you try to move them, the "Far East Transport Wing" legend on the starboard side is a mess). And the engine mounts which, unless cut back will project them too far forward. Also I followed the decal placement instructions (as you would) but it seems that the large decal on the forward cargo door SHOULD be on the aft door - highly annoying. Anyway, there it is. Photographed with the Dakota (Airfix) that the Valetta was intended to replace. Armed with this experience, I've treated my elf to their Twin Pioneer for a future project.

Nice , especially that Bucc!!

I'm not an expert but weren't the RAF examples later Comets 2/3/4? Longer fuselages than the 1 and bigger wings? If so using a 1 as a basis would require "some work"!

On the home straight with my Valom Valetta but a bit stumped by the positioning of the sundry aerials etc. The instructions show positions for them - DF loops, ILS aerials etc. but split them according to the a/c serial number, quoting alternatives for VX574 & WD197, NEITHER of which are the options in the kit I'm building (VW202 & VJ497 which is the option I'm building). I'm assuming that perhaps the instructions are "generic" with other Valetta kits from Valom. Can anyone tell me what I should use for VJ497? I have found an image of 497 that at least shows the DF loop but anything else is either not fitted or not apparent on the photo!

The cockpit of the Texan looks big enough to play tennis in!

Thanks Mate. Sadly my scratch building skills suck big time so I guess I'll just have to live with the kit seat. But at least I can stop looking for a replacement!

Trying in vain to find this seat in 1/48 scale to suit my Kinetic Harrier GR1. Anyone know a source? Tried CMK & Wolfpack.

Just finished & it's rather a nice little kit. However not helped by the rather confusing & contradictory instructions! Aside from that it goes together quite nicely with the only fit issues for me being the main u/c bay which is very hard to align. I remembered this from their Sea Harrier I built last year so took a great deal more care with this one but to no avail. Therefore the main & nose bay doors are closed (as they often were to avoid FOD so there!). Seat is over simplified with some spurious etched seat belts provided; I've just dropped mine in to place pending a resin A/M seat if I can find one. Also the MARTRA pods are a joke with the rocket heads poking out - even Kinetic know they got this wrong as they advise you to drill them out! I didn't fancy that so I used a pair of resin pods (Flightpath) that I found in the spares box. In addition, I read on here somewhere that the wing pylons are incorrectly positioned with the inner ones too far forward & the outer ones too far inboard so corrected this without too much trouble. Xtracolour paints & kit decals (really very good) for a 1 Squadron machine 1970.

I can only imagine the patience needed to apply that camo!

I built the Monogram F106 last year & found it as good as I remembered in from 30 years ago. Raised panel lines of course but great detail!

Im currently building this kit & see here: I simply cannot believe I am the ONLY modeller to have cocked this up but it LOOKS that way!

I watched & enjoyed it too (especially the blond!). What ruined it for me (actually, the writer of a letter to the Telegraph!) was the anachronistic ticket machine carried by the bus conductor in one scene! I kid you not!

Much confusion here. I'm building their GR1/3 as a 1. The instructions say to use lower wing parts I1 & I3 which I have done. When attaching the ailerons, you are also told to add parts E4 which I assume are actuator covers. These parts each have two pegs: a rear one which corresponds to the holes in the ailerons themselves but….no corresponding holes in the lower wings. The kit contains ANOTHER set of wings - parts B1,2 & 3 & these DO possess the required holes. Furthermore the illustration of the parts on step 8 of the instructions clearly show the holes as being present. The other difference between the lower wing parts around the outrigger bays which are quite different between the two. If I'm honest, I think I recall exactly the same issue with their FRS1 that I built a couple of years back. I'm sure I can get around the problem (either by drilling holes in the wings or simply snipping of the front locating peg) but I can't see what I did wrong! Anyone else noticed this?

Beautiful!!

Thanks Chaps

Last week I was in a local amateur musical production, since when I & about 25-30% of the cast of 30 or so have come down with Covid! Two years I've managed to dodge it! Two years! Anyway happily I retired (early!) in the autumn so at least I'm able to take things easy while I recover. Which brings me on to the 1/48 Kinetic Harrier & a couple of questions to enable me to make a better job of it than I did their Sea Harrier! Firstly, I'm building an early 1970 GR1 of 1 squadron. The instructions give white as the colour for the nose & main gear bays but I'm thinking they should be Light Aircraft Grey? They also suggest that the intakes right back to the fan are the exterior colours (i.e., Dark Green/Dark Sea Grey) but once again I suspect LAG on so early an example? The cockpit is called out in Dark Admiralty Grey which sounds right but could it have been black in 1969/70? Finally the Matra pods; Kinetic have moulded them with protruding rockets which I don't think is right?! In any event they then tell you to remove the rocket tips by sanding & drilling anyway! Don't fancy that, think I'll arm mine with bombs! Answers to these questions or further general advise on the kit gratefully accepted!

Go away! That's the real thing!!!!!!!

I had NO IDEA this kit existed!

That is beautiful!

When I built mine as an FB5, I felt that the flat wingtips in the kit looked a wee bit TOO narrow, so I attached the FB3 tips & when fully dry, I cut/sanded them to the FB5/9 shape, at the same time cutting a notch for the clear landing light.

Great pics of some surprisingly clean aircraft!