Gordon Branch

I only just noticed this topic a have read it with interest. What surprises me is that with a couple of great pictures of relics within the Australian War Memorial's collection there still seems to be debate over the actual colour. Okay, my turn to chime in. On page 1 of this discussion you'll see a post from a member from Canberra talking about a scrapbook which had belonged to a 3 Squadron AFC pilot named Pickering. I too am a Canberran member and I will claim that it was my friends and myself who discovered the piece of fabric from MvR's triplane in the book. On the Facebook page referenced here is a photograph we took at the time.

That kit looks really nice. As I look at the sprue pictures I can identify all but one of the parts required for an Hispano-Suiza powered version. The only thing I can't see is the gearbox. I'm not saying it's not there just that I can't see it. This might be the definitive SE.5a in the scale. >Edit: I just found the gearbox. It looks like part 58. An HS powered SE.5a is buildable. <

I ordered 2 from Hobby Easy on 18 March and received them yesterday (Hong Kong to Australia). Beautiful kit. One piece slide moulded hull. Each funnel is one piece slide moulded. PE details galore. The Hobby Easy website shows a release date of 3 April available for pre-order. Maybe they sold the first batch out. http://www.hobbyeasy.com/en/data/yinovyl8xqlvlgzh0wum.html This link is to a Facebook Album I uploaded to the "HMAS in Scale" page. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.1847384322217001&type=1

Not exactly over my house but I went down to Canberra airport the other day to watch this lady arrive. https://images.defence.gov.au/fotoweb/archives/5003-All Defence Imagery/DefenceImagery/2016/S20162938

I don't know if you are still considering an L118 to accompany your beautiful Chook (49 pages its a lot of stuff to read) but my mate John Myszka at Mouse House Enterprises (http://mheaust.com.au/) has just got the moulds for his 1/35 L118/L119 Hamel Gun and will shortly start producing it again. http://mheaust.com.au/MHE/Resin/OZA/Hamel%20gun%20parts.jpg http://mheaust.com.au/MHE/Resin/OZA/L118Hamel%2001.jpg

I like the work you have done on the turret. It's looking good. However there seems to be something wrong with the proportions or the location of the cargo hatch in the hull top. As it stands it looks like you couldn't open the cargo hatch with the turret in place.

http://dbdesignbureau.buckmasterfamily.id.au/drawings_cac_wirraway.htm

There are two types of RAAF Super Hornet in the ME. All our F/A-18Fs are Block II aircraft but those with serials in the range A44-201 to 212 are "plain" Super Hornets. Those with serials in the A44-213 to 224 are Super Hornets that have been pre-wired to allow conversion to E/A-18G Growlers so they have all the lumps and bumps of a Growler although they are functionally the same as the plain ones.

http://www.gaspatchmodels.com/products/metal-turnbuckles-32.html Gaspatch Models

The man you want is Pappy (Anthony Pappadis). He worked on real 1:1 RAAF F-111s and knows the best way to make 'em. He appears to be a member here. Alternatively you could go to Aussie Modeller International. Search there and you'll find something.

Google is your friend. https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Antoinette+VII&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=yB3FU7yKDcfTkwXZlYCADA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=657

"The main trick is placing them in a pattern that looks convincing" I love you work but get a contrived feeling when I look at the placement of the plants. Some of them seem to be in nice neat little lines. This is a common problem in dioramas I have seen. There was a famous lady gardener here in Australia who used to design and build "natural" gardens. Her method of randomly placing trees and shrubs in the garden was to get a bucket of potatoes and toss them into the area to be vegetated. She would then plant in the place a potato landed. Maybe to "randomly" place a plant in diorama rice grains could be used in a similar manner. I admit this isn't my idea but comes from watching my granddaughter playing with dry rice with her toy kitchen and looking at the patterns on my floor after she had finished.

Hi Ray. Yep I'm here. Yep - Peter Jackson created the audio-visual for the Anzac Hall AFC display. It is very, very spectacular and gives you the feeling of Great War aerial combat. My only problem is that is bears no resemblance to any combat mission flown by 2AFC (the AFC's SE.5 squadron) during the conflict. While I know the man has exhibited a lot of "artistic license" to make the thing exciting, there were plenty of real combats which would have made just as good a story. (Whinge Mode Off)

The Albatros D.V has a direct link to the Australian Flying Corps. It was shot down by a 3 Squadron AFC RE.8 in a famous action in 1917. See http://www.3squadron.org.au/subpages/RE8.htm for details of the "Ghost RE.8". The Pfalz D.XII has no connection to Australia other than being war booty presented to Australia after the war. Both now reside in the Anzac Hall at the Australian War Memorial after being restored to as new to original condition as could be determined. I was lucky enough to visit the AWM workshops and see the aircraft under restoration and talk to the conservators. The amount of work done to repair them from previous botched restorations and to get them to original condition was astounding. The pictures linked to above were taken at the workshops just after the restoration was finished and in the Anzac Hall. Another interesting link is this one: http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/F00035 This was taken by the famous Australian photographer/cinematographer, Frank Hurley. It contains vision of AFC operations in France, The Middle East and England.

The ADF fairing is available in 1/48 and 1/72 from RedRoo Models. http://www.redroomodels.com/conversions.php?conversion=378 http://www.redroomodels.com/conversions.php?conversion=398

Hmmm - I just found this thread. With the preference for the bolded ones. I'd like a DH.5, a DH.6, a DH.9, an Avro 504K, a Bristol Boxkite, a Bristol Scout, a BE.2a, BE.2c and BE.2e, a Clerget Camel F.1, a Camel 2F.1 and maybe a Camel Comic and and a Camel 2-seater. I'll also say a Viper SE.5a because in spite of Roden doing one, WNW is better and can be cheaper than Roden here in Oz. A Handley-Page O/400 would be awesome but where the hell would you put it. I'd have to sell my granddaughter to pay for that lot (@ current prices there's probably about $A1300 or GBP750 (Before you add your other stuff))

Sorry Andy, Yes I did get your PM thanks. I've been away from home (Canberra) for a week in Perth visiting my Grandmother who took a tumble. As she is 105 years I thought I better go over to see her. She actually seems pretty good so I came home on the weekend. I'm pretty confident she'll be around when my 2nd Granddaughter is born in late November and my Grandmother turns 106. Back to the subject: Another Mosquito Flt Lt Vickers flew was NS502/M which was the subject of a 1/32 Corgi diecast model and well documented in a series of photos at the IWM. Harold Vickers would have flown this aircraft in this colour scheme as one of the two missions he flew in this aircraft was just after D-Day. http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205210632 http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205127015 http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205087416 In addition he flew this PR.IX on a test. http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205127124 I've got an Airfix 1:48 Mosquito PR.XVI in the process of being assembled that I'm going to do for Ian in the NS502 scheme. I'm buiilding it wheels up and mounting it on an acrylic rod.

You are correct - Flt Lt Harold Vickers. His son Ian is my wife's ballroom dancing partner. Funnily enough Ian's uncle has a street in the suburb of Canberra I live in named after him. He was a pilot with the original Flying Doctor Service. There is book written by a New Zealander, Ronald Foster, named Focus on Europe. Flt Lt Vickers is mentioned quite a lot in that book and I recommend it to anyone interested in WW2 aviation. I bought a copy for Ian, as well as myself, when I discovered it. Interestingly, Harold did not receive a DFC in spite of flying about 60 missions over occupied Europe and being shot down by some BF109s south of Paris (on the mission after the 17 August mission). BTW the spelling for the target on the 17 August flight comes from the slightly illegible entry in the diary. I can only assume he didn't get a DFC coz' he was a very naughty boy (read the book ) http://www.aircrashsites-scotland.co.uk/Site/page_images/mosquito_corryfoyness/544-sqdn-a-flight-1944_50.jpg This picture shows A Flt of 544Sqn at Leuchars in 1944. Harold Vickers is 3rd from the right in the front row. 2nd from the left is Malcolm Mosely, Vickers' navigator. The WAAF in the front row centre eventually became Harold Vickers wife. P.S. I let Ian know about this thread.

I have a friend whose father was an RAAF pilot with 544Sqn and whose mother was a WAAF photo interpreter with the squadron. He has lent me a copy of his father's log book which, as I read it now, shows he flew this particular aircraft on 16 June 1944 on a mission over the Marseilles area and again on 17 August 1944 Rounne(?) in occupied France. Thanks for this.

I have just got my 1/48 Italeri Wessex HAS.3. I aim to do mine as an RAN HAS.31B. Trawling through the net I found some pictures of the Wessex at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney (I think) including a very nice one of the belly conduits etc. Comparison to the 4+ publication shows the HAS.31B has the same configuration as the RN's HAS.1. http://www.grubby-fingers-aircraft-illustration.com/images/Wessex_N7-216_02_med.jpg Dear Colin @ ROTORcraft have you done your HAS.1 update/backdate as promised above?

Hi Dave, This isn't a book it's a plan set. I have Paul Webb's set for HMS SPEY which consists of 2 large (A0?) dieline prints. They were drawn by an E.N. Wilson. I assume the HMS FAL set would have been drawn by the same draftsman. I remember seeing the FAL set the same time I bought the SPEY set at Hyland's Bookshop in Melbourne here in Oz. Hyland's no longer has the River Class plans in their catalogue. Unfortunately, Paul Webb is no longer is business so his stuff is hard to find. Though I did see his drawings in both the books on British cruisers by Norman Friedman. I don't know about the availability of Webb's stuff on Ebay. Your only hope might be to wait for John Lambert to do his River Class set. (But personally, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting.) Gordon

I hope I'm not too late. Try this place for F-111 details. http://www.ozmods-kits.com/scaledown-conversions-upgrades-148

Umm fellas, That's EUR 6,500 PLUS Shipping @ EUR 2,800 (On my version of Ebay) That's EUR 9,300!