justaspitcrazy!

Hi Chaps. cheers for all the info. It looks like i might be scratch building a ladder then! Raguk, that's a lovely Rafale you've got there mate

Hi all, I was wandering if there are any Rafale aficionados out there who can help with this? I am going to be building Revells lovely Rafale M (Bomb and rack) in the near future and as I will be displaying it as wheels down, Canopy open, armed, with FOD covers RBF tags etc. I have bought a resin Damocles pod for it also to depict an aircraft flown in support of Libyan rebels. I am however dismayed to find the kit has no boarding ladder! Does any body know where to source one from? L'Arsenal have a range of photo etch ladders but I'm not sure they're right for the job. Also, in terms of the RBF tags, I can only find English or Israeli types. Would it be usual to find RBF tags on Rafales with English lettering? Also a rough guide as to their placement would help. Many thanks all. Ben.

Edgar, thanks. Exceptionally useful.

Ok chaps,another question.... The emergency survival kit stored in the seat pan, what colour was it during the 60's? Some restored seats have a bright yellow kit and other sources say it's olive drab?? Thanks, Ben.

Hmmmm.... It may require asking the museum staff what it is and when it was done...

Ok, so Ray has got back to me and informed me that the gold coating was applied to all legs, wheel wells and covers.

Hi all. I've been doing some enquiries into this gold colour and got in touch with Ray Deacon the author of the radfan hunters page and this was what he had to say on the matter from experience... It is interesting that you spotted the colour differences on the undercarriage legs as it is something we 'old boys' had a discussion on last year. Unfortunately, no one could remember for sure why the gold colour appeared but the consensus was that is was a new type of protective coating for the Middle East environment. It was applied to the legs and the inside of the undercarriage doors and wheel wells. If my memory serves me correctly, the colour tended to fade over time. I have asked him whether the treatment was applied only to the forward gear and wells or applied to all the undercarriage. As soon as i get a definite answer I'll let you all know. Ben.

Cheers sarge!

This is bloody marvelous! Top job so far I can't get over how massive this is! As soon as I saw those tyres on the matt my brain started upscaling the kit and I was like "holy s**t!" Also it's lovely to build a model as a tribute, I often say to people when they ask why I spend so long on projects that "I do it for the guy who flew the plain" or " for the chap who fought in the tank", I don't know any of them but each piece is dedicated to them in remembrance. Here's a link to a model I built for just that reason. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234952706-148-tamyia-spitfire-mki/ My granddad fought on D-Day and survived Burma (albeit having been shot through both his knees) and I never got to meet him, so my models are as much a tribute to him as they are to every person from that amazing but frightening time. Best of luck on the build mate, I'm sure you'll do the old lady justice. I'll be following this one very happily. Ben.

Excellent info and reference all round chaps. In terms of actually recreating the look of the coating I've had success with a coat of Tamiya titanium followed by successive thin coats of Tamiya clear yellow. I'll post up a photo as soon as i get chance. Ben.

No need to apologise Tony, i posed the question so I'm happy for any and all insights into something that's obviously perplexing more than just me! There must be some ex personnel out there who can shed light on this!!

Tony, Thanks for that. I had a feeling it was something to do with corrosion reduction as I've only seen it on hunters in Aden. I thinks I'll definitely be doing an Aden hunter as you don't see many around with the Gold LG and not too many more in a nice Matte weathered paint job. Thanks again for your insights. Ben.

Hi Tony. I've always fancied the kit and now they've re-popped it i couldn't resist. A 1/32 harrier would be nice indeed! There does seem to be a distinct lack of aftermarket for her, but perhaps that's a testament to the kit. I sa someone somewhere do a build of Jons Gorgeous miss demeanor and it was all done free hand via airbrush. It was astonishing and certainly not for the beginner! Would love to see some shots of your T.7 if you ever feel like sharing, I'm a big lover of the hunter so it's inspiring to see others work. I'm tempted to pick up the true details set and an extra decal sheet to depict a hunter from the Aden emergency. Would present a chance to give her a nice used and weathered look. Strangely though in all the shots I've seen of the aircraft in that theatre the forward main under carriage is a gold colour and I've no idea why?? Ben

Thankyou Dennis

Hi all, I will not be posting any updates for a short while (in fact I haven't moved any further since my last post) as my wife is imminently about to have our second child. I still plan on building the tank into a diorama based in Normandy immediately post D-Day involving muddy fields and thick brocage hedges but this will have to wait, so for the time being the churchy has gone in the display cabinet. She is by no means finished though so watch this space! Thanks for following my build though and a big thank you to everyone who has contributed via research, anecdotes and especially to Steve A.K.A Fatfingers for the mega useful Sherman tracks that helped lift it from the rank and file. Speak to you all soon! Ben.

Gents, Any further on my question about the SNEB pods?

Ok Mark thanks for that. I would say I'm safe to use the aftermarket cockpit then. You sound as though you speak from experience! Do you know, was it common to see SNEB pods on an aircraft during the early 60's? The kit decals provided depict an aircraft circa 1963. Many thanks, Ben.

I was looking at your build the other day and it's what pretty much forced my hands into my pockets to buy one! It's a great build Also your display cabinet looks chock full of nice kits, I particularly like the Fairey Gannet which is something you don't see built very often

Wow! now that's an anecdote! Reason I ask is I'm wanting to use the True Details cockpit but its for an F.6. I think though for the most part it looks cosmetically the same....

Ok guys, Putting the keyboard warrior armor back inside our virtual armoires, lets bring things a bit more back on track so to speak. On the subject of Cockpits.. Did the cockpit of the FGA.9 differ drastically from that of the F.6? One would think there was a necessity for bomb aiming gubbins etc?

Ah ok, learning so much. cheers!

Come again?! Really???

Next question.. Were the undersides grey or "aluminium"

Ok chaps plenty of good info here, I'll check out the radfan link. many thanks all. Ben