Uncle Dick

Imperial War Museum caption with above photo (http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205191230) states: "Training Ship HMS NUBIAN's Wasp anti-submarine helicopter with a display of the variety of weapons which it could carry in the 1980s. The munitions displayed in front of the aircraft include AS 12 missiles, Mk 11 depth charges as well as passive and active Sonobuoys." hence my question about sonobuoys I think we have only scratched the surface with questions about the Westland Wasp and its capabilities/features and service! PS I am trying to wind up Airfix to make the Wasp in kit form both here, on the Airfix thread and their official forum...

One would expect at least half of the new releases to be "spin off" variants from previous new tool releases - for example the Sea King HC4 and now the Sea King HAR3 etc... hence a Navy variant Sea King would be on the cards for future release at some stage, and so on with other new tool release "spin offs".... Shackleton and Victor variants "spin offs" would be on the cards as well Airfix also seem to be covering the RAF training types thoroughly, so one would expect a Harvard, Chipmunk, Percival Provost, Bull Dog or even one of the Grob Tutor powered gliders down track at some stage (or dare I say it a new tool Dominie or King Air - just imagine how many variants of the King Air they could make with all the lumps and bumps!). They seem to have covered quite a few of jet powered trainers so far: Hawk T1, Hawk 127, Gnat, Vampire and now Provost; and in the props they have already produced the Tiger Moth! While the stats are a guide there is always room for an exotic type that is neither British, American, or German the 3 Japanese new tool/ new tool spin off releases Zero, Kate BN1, Kate BN2 show that. And there are plenty of Westland Wasps and Scouts in private hands and Museums for the Airfix LIDAR treatment! Would also like to see a new tool Blood Hound Missile and a revival of the RAF Regiment types - how about a Rapier and radar, some land rover variants and cold war RAF aircraft amo set with some loading trolleys/equipment...

Just did some quick stats on new tool / and or variants with some new tool parts based on Airfix 1/72 aircraft releases for the following years: 2012 4 British 3 American 2 German 2013 11 British 2 German 2014 7 British 1 American 2015 5 British 2 American 2 German 1 Japanese 2016 7 British 2 American 2 German 1 Japanese Totals for the above 5 years 34 British types 8 American 8 German 2 Japanese Average number of New Tool Releases per year ( 9 + 13 + 8 + 10 + 12 / 5 ) = 52 / 5 = 10.4 New Tool Releases per year Of the 52 New Tool Releases (some rounding up to divest the decimals) 34 out of 52 were British Types 34 / 52 = 66% 8 out of 52 were American Types 8 / 52 = 15% 8 out of 52 were German Types 8 / 52 = 15% 2 out of 52 were Japanese Types 2 / 52 = 4% So based on the above we can (notwithstanding Hornby Financial Concerns): 1. Forecast approximately 10 Airfix 1/72 aircraft new tool and new tool variant releases for 2017 2. Forecast 6 to 7 will be British types 3. Forecast 1 to 2 will be American types 4. Forecast 1 to 2 will be German types And of the above new releases 1 will be a Westland Wasp and another will be a Westland Scout So there you have it - take your pick!

Well then I will have to answer my own question in the previous post as I have now finally got my mittens on one and the answer is - yes While unfortunately with the new Kate BN1 release Airfix has done away with the engine cowl sprue for the BN2

What are the missiles on either side of the Nord AS.12 in the image below (looks like some derivative of the Sea Cat)???????? http://www.aviationphotocompany.com/p1040573718/e6873ad0e

Look at all the lovely kit here including buckets of sun shine! (via http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205191230) go on Mr Airfix you know you want to! Anyone able to specifically identify all the kit (looks like sonobuoys as well but how did the Wasp dispense sonobuoys - "chucked out" as it were by the observer or a dedicated device?????)

Heres an interesting image of a Wasp with unusual markings circa Falklands War probably from the hospital vessels - Hecla, Hydra etc... From: http://www.zona-militar.com/foros/threads/imágenes-del-conflicto-de-malvinas-fotos.258/ Have not seen any other images of these red cross marked Wasps anyone have any further details on the red cross marked Wasps? Out of interest does any one know whether the Wasp ever carried a door mounted Machine Gun?

I would prefer Airfix release a new tool Wasp and Scout - I would also hope they take the time to give you all the options, removable doors, emergency floats, missile sight, folding rotor/tail, weapons/accessories (Oh boy what a range of kit on the Wasp - Nuke depth charge, SS12 missiles, torpedoes, depth charges, Exocet missile reflector, SS11 on the Scout x 4, bubble doors etc) And don't forget the dogfight double with a difference - Westland Scout & Pucara

Most interesting - thank you all Gentlemen, for your informative replies, some intriguing historical operations that I have not read about previously, so very little pictures exist - if yo have not read the accounts of Operation Pocket Money - the mining of Haiphong harbour in 1972 by A-6 and A-7 from the Uss Coral Sea I would recommend it. Short extract from Wiki: The operation was timed to coincide with a televised speech by President Richard Nixon at 21:00 8 May (Eastern United States time). The opening phase of the mining mission was assigned to USS Coral Sea. Carrier Air Wing Commander Roger Sheets planned the mission with air wing mine warfare officer Lieutenant Commander Harvey Ickle, who was VA-22 operations officer, and United States Marine Corps Captain Charlie Carr, who would be bombardier-navigator in the lead plane establishing the critical attack azimuth and timing the mine releases. Three A-6 Intruders would carry 1,000-pound (450 kg) Mk-52 magnetic mines to be dropped in Haiphong's inner channel, and six Navy A-7 Corsair IIs would carry 500-pound (230 kg) Mk-36 acoustic mines to be dropped in the outer portion of the channel. Each plane would carry four mines.[2]The Mk-52 mines were 80 inches (2.0 m) long and 19 inches (48 cm) in diameter. They were parachute-retarded and intended to be fitted with an aerodynamic nose cap during transport; but Coral Sea had only six nose caps, so each A-6 would suffer the drag penalty of two uncapped mines That B/W A-6 pic Finn has kindly posted appears to be one of the VMA-224 Bengals Intruders from the initial mission of Op Pocket Money (A Marine Corps Intruder with mines what a rarity in my book - outstanding subject matter!) in these lovely colours images from http://www.usscoralsea.net/ Some of the A-7's below with mines for reference from the raid (photo below shows what I believe to be a Mk 36 Acoustic mine) caption for below image (which is a match shape wise for the bronze coloured store at the beginning of this thread) reads: 'Mine assembly shop at Souda Bay, Crete .Practice Mk-55 brought up to flight status. These were taken maybe January of 73' caption for below image (note shape difference from above image) reads: Mine assembly shop at Souda Bay, Crete. Mk-56 fully assembled ready to go. Around January of 73 the above 2 images from http://minemen.org/PicsFrmGregWarr.htm This is the only colour photo I could find of a live mine mounted on a A-7 - it is described as a Mk 52 but I cannot be sure Just for interest the below pic looks like 1,000lb Mk 83 Snakeye bomb (looks like it is bronze in colour as well) but is in fact a Mark 63 "Quickstrike" Mine aboard the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in November 2003

Came across this gold/brass coloured stores/ordnance load (via evil bay) and cannot identify it? Anyone able to shed some light on it?

Excellent exotic photo Francis - many thanks for sharing it with us, that would make a lovely diorama! I have learnt a great deal about the Wasp from this thread, thanks also to 71chally for explaining those door bulges!

Best I could find Below pic not very satisfactory I know but at least it may inspire ideas on diorama then theres always the below option...

Thanks Mick - that makes much more sense - finally got it (always used to think they were stretchers Homer Simpson moment)!

Heres another photo showing the spheres on top of the stretchers (I presume they are stretchers?) from the front of Waikato's Wasp

Just re-visited this excellent pic of a Kiwi Wasp 1302779.jpg anyone able to say what the spheres on top of the stretchers are - they appear much smaller than the usual luneberg type radar reflectors as mounted on the Wasp undercarriage sponsons in Royal Navy use Presume they are just a smaller version of the radar reflectors as used by Royal Navy Wasps????? But why mount them on top of the stretchers? Are they just peculiar to NZ Wasps???

Honestly - forget trying to match a pigment of paint with an image of these stealth jets, virtually every different photo and lighting condition will produce a darker or lighter shade of grey with these jets, any shade of dark grey is accurate in my book! And you will never have the radar absorbing particles in the paint either

Add kits going out of production and having to contemplate paying 5 - 20 times their original price on evil bay years later!

Blimey, Is it just me or is everyone affected by ANTSCADS ? I used to buy between 1 to 2 of the new Airfix releases prior to their new tool 1/72 Swordfish, then it went up to between 3 - 4 each of the new tool releases, now I cannot do without at least 5 or 6...and in some cases up to 8 or 9 kits each (Sea Kings were the culprits there...): Currently Beaufighter TF.10 x 6 on order USAAF Bomber Resupply Set x 6 on order I can only blame it on the quality of their new tool releases and the rumours Hornby are in financial trouble, can't be anything wrong with me can there?

Just wondering with the new Airfix 1/72 Beau TF.10 release are you able to make a TF.X or have they done away with the sprue required?

Very light on the accessories too - some figures (drivers at the very least), a bomb lift trolly (to replace the one in their ancient USAAF personnel set) see below some 250lb bombs, maintenance accessories... would also have rounded out the kit

Looking at the sprues from the latest Airfix work bench, it appears the kit will only have 4 x 500lb bombs and 2 x 1,000lb bombs, only one M5 bomb trailer and the M6 Chevi tow vehicle + the other vehicles... I really would like to see Airfix come out with a separate set with only the bombs & M5 trailer - say 2 or 3 sprues of each in the set as a Series 2 or 3 Currently, If you want say 4 or more M5 trailers loaded you will have to fork out at least 48 quid minimum for 4 kits... needless to say having only one M5 trailer loaded for a diorama is not very realistic...

Pls disregard - wrong thread

You lot have had too much corn flakes, after eating coco pops everyone knows a 1/72 Westland Wasp is required

Now then the 1/72 MIG-25PD looks interesting - 98 parts in the kit according to the Hasegawa web site! ミグ25PD フォックスバット “ロシア空軍” スケール … 1:72 品番 … 02213 出荷時期…2016年09月15日 本体価格 … 3400円（+消費税） パーツ数 … 98 模型全長 … 307mm 模型全幅 … 195mm Might this be a new tool??????????? as their old kit has around 53 parts? Or have I lost something in the translation...or is it a re-pop of someone else's kit?

I must confess up until a few years ago I thought the spherical radar reflectors were floatation devices! Chaps please note the Exocet has been around since the early seventies in its ship launched version the MM38 and the Russian Styx missile has been around since the 60's... Now then having established that the Westland Wasp was the first "stealth design" requiring radar reflectors, pre dating any Yank designs across the pond - (I might be stretching it a bit here I know but what the hell! ) Flankerman the first Wasp I built was the airfix scout converted into a wasp look a like using Harrier side wheels and match sticks at the age of about 15 - and that was good fun! Rob, thanks for the clue on the airwaves set - did not know a radar deflector decoy was included I will pick one up, but that also raises my curiosity even more: 1. The radar deflector exocet decoy version that Airwaves have made - was that also used on Sea Kings and if so where did they carry them or was it only used on Wasps? 2. Can anyone direct me to photos of the said exocet decoy device on Wasps and Sea Kings - as I have found diddly squat! Thanks for all the replies!