sniperUK
-
Posts
840 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Events
Profiles
Forums
Media Demo
Posts posted by sniperUK
-
-
This is getting ridiculous, the Airfix 109 and Mustang are STARTER KITS, they are mainly intended for newcomers to the hobby and for Auntie Joan to buy little Johnny for Christmas or birthday, for sale at museums and airshows, that is why they are simplified and come with paint, brushes and cement and for this they are perfect and also build into nice little models in their own right. I have never seen Eduard, AZ, Zvezda or the like for sale at museums etc, in fact even none of my local model shops stock them. Working with cadets on starting model making these are the kits I would supply them with, the instructions are easy to follow and provide a couple of pages of tips for building as well as showing exactly where to apply glue etc. These are not intended to compete with Eduard etc, the name gives it away, STARTER Set!
-
6
-
1
-
-
6 hours ago, ElectroSoldier said:
Did the Italeri kit have Bravo November decals?
I just had to look that up, the Matchbox kit does have BN decals. I remember building that with the Union Jack on it. Been such a long time since I had forgotten it.
The Airfix kit I built didnt have them though. Maybe it was reboxed?
The Airfix boxing with the Gulf War scheme had Bravo November as the second option.
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/airfix-a05035-boeing-chinook-hc1--109398
-
2 hours ago, ElectroSoldier said:
I think this will be quite nice. I dont think we've ever had model of Bravo November.
Apart from the Matchbox, the Airfix release of Italeri 72...
-
1
-
-
11 hours ago, thepureness said:
Airfix are due to announce surprise releases throughout the year. The new tooled Chinook, B-24 and Bulldog are due the first half of the year.
This is possibly one of those surprises.
I see the Ju-52 as the most likely off that list
Not unless they have a TARDIS, it takes 2-3 years from initial research /scanning to the kit to be ready for announcement /release.
-
Coming in multiple scales, I have their Humber Pig and RUC Tangi Land Rover but this one really is a massive improvement in detail.
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, 71chally said:
Looking at the video (at 02:55 and 14:03) of the new Chinock here, have Airfix catered for the later RAF variants aswel? Or can those large filter be fitted to the earlier/any variants?
The large filters were available at the time of the Gulf War on the HC.1, with the schemes provided both early metal and late composite blades are needed, Bravo November had metal ones during the Falklands.
Differences between the HC.1 and later versions are many, on the HC.2 it had the closed rear pylon, the "stick and wire" antenna on the port side was replaced by a solid towel rail type, additional MAWS sensors and mounts were added to the front and rear pylons, there were three cargo hooks from the 2 onwards only two on the HC.1. I also think the number of refuelling points were changed. There is a flat pyramid comms mount on the top of the starboard fuselage on the 2 onwards, the 3 and 5 have the large sponsons, the 4 onwards have a "glass" cockpit, the DAS fit developed from basically none on the 1 to all the sensors and flare/chaff dispensers that can be seen on the later ones. The 3 and 5 have different flare /chaff boxes in different locations than the 2 and 4.
Looking at the kit it appears that only the HC.1, early and late can be made from it, there doesn't appear to be any weapons, Minigun or M-60 provided either.
I know the reasoning behind making the HC.1 but I would really have preferred the later variants so that the MERT cabs from Herrick could be built as well as the RAF special schemed ones from the last several years.
I'm afraid the HC.1 doesn't do it for me.
-
1
-
1
-
-
1 minute ago, Enzo the Magnificent said:
Now I'm very confused. There is a Vc starter set and a couple of Vc standard kits. Are they they different mouldings?
Yes, though designed at the same time.
-
1
-
-
2 minutes ago, cherisy said:
Silly question as it's early doors but does anyone know if it's new tool or the old incantation?
New tooling the previous one was the Italeri reboxed.
-
2
-
-
My one arrived on Thursday along with another FAA one, that was 34 quid using my Hornby points 😁
-
2
-
-
From the Airfix Facebook page the coin is included with the preorders.
-
1
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, One 48 said:
Shrugs ... I bought the 1/48 Gannet and Seaking, couple of weeks a go, now I see complaints, hard to imagine the kits are flawed now, whats up with the kits guys ? Please
With my ones sweet FA, just about the most perfect kits I've ever built, go together without problems and molded perfectly.
-
19
-
2
-
-
9 hours ago, Ratch said:
I'm a bit confused by the payloads offered. What do they consist of? Are both payloads equally valid for al three marking options, or are they specific?
2x Mk.30 passively-homing acoustic torpedoes
6 x Mk.11 250lb depth-charges
5 x Sonobuoy8x unguided rockets.
They suit any of the schemes as they were the most common used by the Gannet.
-
1
-
3
-
-
7 hours ago, HAAFPhot said:
Good luck with that. Thales etc are still tight lipped on the various fits.
Fit in the photographic role,(high and low level) and for observation.
Camera fits:
Low level fit, (250ft height for camera passes) 2 Vinpan pods one on each wing (shorten jaguar pod) 360 degree spinning cameras with 180 photographic cover using either colour, b&w or IR film fitted, with a further camera fitted in the rear cab looking straight down.
High Level fit for operation between 2000 and 10000 ft, 2 cameras adjusted for height before take off, one camera in rear cab looking straight down, the other oblique camera at a 45*deg through aperture in rear port door.
Observation ops, just special radio kit, camera mounts for handheld camera as well as using stabilised bino’s.😉
-
1
-
-
2 hours ago, 71chally said:
The two COD Gannets used for Ark Royal when she became the sole carrier were XG790 and XA466, both were with B Flt 849NAS coded 040-R while with the carrier. By the mid 1970s the CODs were high on utilisation and hours with XG790 being withdrawn and later scrapped, and XA466 attached to the HQ flt of 849 at Lossiemouth as 777-LM until the unit disbanded in 1978. In fact, by then the dedicated COD role had evaporated and Gannet T.5s, AEW.3s and Sea Kings were all used for carrier mail, spares and crew deliveries.
There are 1:48 decals of XA466 777-LM when it wore its unique and short lived Sky/Extra Dark Sea Grey scheme, but not sure there are any that depict a 1970s Ark Royal COD, you would probably need to mix and match existing decals.
The basics of a full COD* conversion was fitting the ventral radome blanking panel, and removing the radar and associated equipment from the rear and middle cockpits. Baggage pods and pylons could be fitted, though these weren't always used.
In line with all Gannets, various mods were made over time, obvious external ones by the 1970s were ILS aerials mounted on a plinth mid way down the spine, anti-collision lights fitted aft of the rear cockpit canopy and aft of the radome blanking panel, HF aerials and wires, blade aerials on the outer wings and the 'towel rail' aerial under the fwd port bomb door.
*XA430 & XG786 retained the radome for a short while, early-mid 1960s.
Can't think of good single online resources as such, I find for reference pictures you're best Googling the aircraft by serial, seems to find more pictures than if you do it by type.
I've got some images here, but haven't got around to scanning most of my historical images yet,
CTA Decals have a dedicated 1970 Ark Royal sheet that includes the COD Gannet, I have used the Sea King ones from it on my build, it also has Phantom, Buccaneer and AEW Gannet on the sheet.
-
1
-
-
5 minutes ago, john224 said:
Noticed something new for Airfix, 2 windscreens are provided, one with the wiper molded in and one plain without a wiper "To allow a photo-etch part to be fitted". Not seen that before, a reaction to the criticism they got for the Vulcan canopy perhaps.
On the Sea King as well.
-
1
-
-
56 minutes ago, NAVY870 said:
Made it to No 2 position on the "With thanks to"
Smug mode engaged
I'm there as well 😉😁
-
2
-
1
-
-
Gannet now in stock at Airfix 😁
-
1
-
-
34 minutes ago, Robert said:
From what l remember Airfix did all the scans for their 1/72 Phantom at the Ulster Aviation Society, so they probably have the raw data already.
Regards
Robert
They scanned the one at Duxford as the UAS one was in bits at the time, that scanning was quite a while ago so higher definition data is probably possible now.
-
26 minutes ago, 224 Peter said:
Airfix research people make mistakes because they are young people who are not really interested in (or don't really care about) the subject from the perspective of historical accuracy.
We older people have the interest and were around to see the subjects in their real world, back in the 60s and 70s.
Museum specimens are a dangerous reference as they have all sorts of changes to make them suitable as exhibits. In my view only examples capable of flight should be used, and even then backed up by photographic evidence.
What a load of ball cocks, you obviously don't know any of the team or their passion for the work they do, I would happily put the current Airfix research team, and their contacts above any other major model company. And yes I have helped them with research and access to aircraft on a few occasions.
-
9
-
-
5 hours ago, 71chally said:
@sniperUK nice pics, particularly as an ECM.6 with the sensor fitted under the bomb bay, you don't see that much at all.
I really like the pics of when your Gannet was in separate sections, again a very rare chance to see a Gannet like that.
Amazing work that UAS have done with XA460.
It's going well, over the last couple of weeks the front and centre sections of the fuselage have been primed ready for painting.
-
4
-
-
The Gannet at the Ulster Aviation Society.
https://www.ulsteraviationsociety.org/fairey-gannet-ecm6-as4
-
1
-
1
-
-
With the Hornby points I had and Club members discount, on the way for £34.91 certainly can't beat that 😜😂
-
2
-
-
Finished this this morning, the new Airfix Sea King, an absolutely fantastic kit with no build or fit problems at all, painted with Mr Hobby 14 Navy Blue, it has the right grey tone for RAF blue grey. I used the CTA Sixth Commission Ark Royal decals sheet to finish it as XV654, R050, 824NAS HMS Ark Royal 1970.
I also used a set of Eduard H-60 five point seat harness for the cockpit. The only problem with this is that I want to build more of them 😜
-
52
-
1
-
-
5 hours ago, 71chally said:
The code presentation and fonts on AS Gannets varied a lot, I would say more than other type in the FAA at the time, ranging from stencilled on to almost a handpainted look on some aircraft. There tends to be a common style within a Squadron, but option 2 '292' which is quite standard looking code has quite a different presentation to other 815 NAS Gannets.
The 086 code is unusual as well, but it is correct going off photos.
I've never seen a photo or illustration of XA460 as '446' the code presentation and the spinner colours, which were generally black on 849 HQ Flt Gannets are more unusual, however the Ulster Aviation Museum ( @sniperUK ) have been involved with Airfix on this kit so I would assume they have evidence of this scheme and presentation of it.
Won't the "Y" equally suffice?😁
I must admit I find the boxart slightly underwhelming (especially after the Sea King box), it is artistically very good as usual, but maybe needed more anti-sub or deck 'action'.
A couple of photos from the 460 information board at the UAS today, and 460 as she is getting ready for painting.
-
2
-
Airfix 1/72 P-51D Mustang simplified starter kit - due Spring 2024
in The Rumourmonger
Posted
That's exactly how they will come, it's the entire reason they are made, I'm really looking forward to the Shannon class Lifeboat, again the intention for this is for it to be available through the RNLI shops and stands, I know my local RNLI are looking forward to it being available as are The Sir Samuel Kelly lifeboat restoration team for their shop.