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AndrewCJ50

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  1. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Colleagues Do you know of paint sets available or your own favourites colours/makes for me to paint 1/35 British paratrooper smocks? Thanks for your advice Andrew
  2. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Colleagues I sometimes wonder whether the hanger always steals the show! This is card from Noy's Miniatures and features in many of my model posts. Can't have been a bad job to be paid to fly Spitfires in the post war RAF with no one shooting at you anymore. Shame that most of the Spitfires were then junked as the Vampires and Meteors came in! Andrew
  3. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Fellow Modellers The cut down later Spitfires with bubble canopies have a potent and beautiful look all of their own. This is Eduard's elegant post-war MkXVI with their markings for 501 Squadron at Filton (Bristol). Nice that they somehow held onto their sky European theatre band! I opted for the easy life with their one piece resin cowling and Barracuda resin pilot door. I think being based at Filton does qualify for it being placed in my usual hanger setting! Figures are from Gunthwaite if I remember correctly Hope you like it? Regards Andrew
  4. AndrewCJ50
    Thank you colleagues for your kind comments. I perhaps now ought to confess I busted off the pitot tube and still haven't found it on the floor. I fear my wife's next vacuuming session will settle the matter! Also Revell forgot the ventral radio altimeter aerials which I guess i ought to scratch build (did anyone notice?) The AK paint was their dark sea blue which seems to me to be spot on! Regards Andrew
  5. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Colleagues Although the Korean War was famous as the first jet conflict, the reality was that most sorties were by WWII vintage piston era aircraft. For the USN this meant a return to conflict for the Corsair. This is the Revell F4U-4 Corsair with Eduard PE and decals from Print scale for an aircraft flown by Lt Pullman of VF-193 onboard USS Princeton in August 1952. The decals are terrifyingly thin and fold into themselves as soon as you look at them. The paint is from the new AK range which I found very impressive. The engineering of the kit is a mixed bag, the cockpit isn't correct for the F4U-4 (Eduard to the rescue), the chin air intake needed to be drilled out and the wing layout is only appropriate for an early 6-gun 50 cal aircraft. Nevertheless, the panel lines are perfect for the scale. The deck handler admittedly belongs to a more modern era (Reedoak), but at least you get an impression of the size of the aircraft. The deck and backdrop are from Coastal Kits Hope you like it? Regards Andrew
  6. AndrewCJ50
    Thank you all for kind words Hope it will inspire more to pop their completed builds in dioramas? Andrew
  7. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Fellow Modellers I've always rather liked the archaic look of the Meteor NF12, an uneasy transition to the new world of speed offered by the jet engine from the rugged airframes of WWII. The NF11 and NF12 replaced the RAF's ageing Mosquito NF36 in the night defence role. Reading the Meteor Boy's book, radar operators said they were lucky to spot an opponent at anything over 5 miles and that they could only intercept a Canberra if the bomber 'co-operated'! The Special Hobby kit offers excellent interior and undercarriage detail but an uncertain fit. I replaced the cannon fittings with the Master 'E-wing' barrels. The markings are for 46 Squadron at RAF Odiham in 1955. Also included is the Airfix Bedford refueller and a Series I Landrover from Oxford diecast which I have re-sprayed and weathered hope you like the scene? Regards Andrew
  8. AndrewCJ50
    Thanks all for your kind words Am annoyed I will have to remove and make good on the RWR kit, that Airfix did not tell me was only for aircraft in the Falklands. Yes, I am that hanger Guy! Hope you won't get bored with it? More to come Andrew
  9. AndrewCJ50
    Thanks Guest house in Cornwall, looks like some emergency remedial work needed. You have an amazing collection of Sea kings yourself too! Just twigged that Jonners was an XZ589 pilot, respect Sir and thank you! I wonder what 'Santa drop' referred to? Regards Andrew
  10. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Colleagues Thank you for your guidance, these yellow birds seem to have been regularly tweaked and transformed over 20 years and it was difficult for me to follow. I presume the RWR you mention is the mini shark fin under the tail boom? Must get out my scalpel! Presumably the transformation of RAF to CRAB was done by helpful RN personnel? Andrew
  11. AndrewCJ50
    Dear All It would be nice to know we have our own personal rescue helicopter standing by, I now have my own, albeit in 1/72 scale and unlikely to be able to winch me up! This is the Airfix HAR3 with Eduard PE and the Xtradecal markings for 202 squadron RAF Lossiemouth early 1990s. Perhaps some of you remember this Crab rescue bird? Looking at pictures on the internet, from heavy use some had exhaust streaking down their backs. I don't mind Airfix's heavy panel lines so much on a helicopter and I added my own rivets. The lights are lenses for Little Cars I filled the interior with lots of first aid bags made from putty! Like many Airfix kits I found the engineering ambitious but the fit not perfect Hope you like it? Andrew
  12. AndrewCJ50
    Does anyone know if the Lightning and Starfighter ever had any mock dogfights? Both designs were quite focused on high altitude bomber interception and had little surplus fuel to mess around. Both I think had good power to weight ratios, but maybe the Lightning would win in a turning fight? Andrew
  13. AndrewCJ50
    Dear exdraken I am no expert but isn't every fighter a compromise depending on the preferred features of the buyer? The current wonder fighter F-35 is relatively slow and has modest range but great in other dimensions. The F-104 could very quickly reach a high altitude to despatch an incoming Nuclear bomber but as you say had no chance in a slow speed dogfight. Perhaps I should have said the F-104 was a no-compromise high altitude bomber interceptor? Coming up to Vietnam the USAF thought the missile had put paid to the dogfight and so no need to train for that. Prior to the Battle of Britain our fighters practiced formation attacks to mow down bomber formations, knowing a fighter escort would not be there to defend them, as the range from Germany would be too great. Real life is often different from what we expected! Regards Andrew
  14. AndrewCJ50
    Fantastic work Tony, do tell us how you created that worn mottled look on the paint job? Regards Andrew
  15. AndrewCJ50
    Thanks Jay about the bear and Hokkaido, that would make sense being the Northern Island and having bears. Think the bear has turned up on some other more recent aircraft like their F-15J Regards Andrew
  16. AndrewCJ50
    Thanks Vultures! The Starfighter looks ultra slim compared to the Lightning. The divergence in design at the time was amazing and to think many of the Engineers were not that long ago working on the piston engine fighters of WWII Regards Andrew
  17. AndrewCJ50
    Thank you again colleagues The Hasegawa F-104J boxing comes with a wide range of both JASDF and Canadian markings. Thing the Japanese went a bit bonkers with the stencils and warnings though! Regards Andrew
  18. AndrewCJ50
    Thank you for kind comments everyone The F-104 is such an ultra no compromise design it still takes your breath away. Just as everyone thought you needed extreme swept wings, Lockheed went instead for small and thin instead. I would still be frightened if I had to fly it though Regards Andrew
  19. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Fellow Britmodellers I hope you are not getting bored with my hanger? They seem to accept a wide range of aircraft for servicing! Japan was one of the many countries who decided to buy Lockheed’s affordable and futuristic looking Mach-2 interceptor. The 203 Squadron replaced the ageing F-86D sabres in the QRA role with the Starfighter in 1964 and held onto them until the advent of the F-15 replacement in 1984. 203 squadron are based at Chitose in Hokkaido (the north eastern island). Don't ask me why they have a Teddy Bear with a star shaped bra for their symbol! The majority of the 210 F-104J models were built by Mitsubishi in Japan. The Hasegawa kit maybe somewhat old but its discrete panel lines are second to none. Unfortunately, the fuselage is divided into nose and main body to allow for the manufacturer to easily have a twin seat model. Mating the two halves perfectly is almost impossible. The model has Eduard PE and a master pitot tube. The kit is still sold and can be picked up very cheaply. Hope you like it? Regards Andrew
  20. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Colleagues Thanks for your kind words, yes it is Noy's miniatures for the hanger and Hasegawa for the equipment. The figures are modern French ground crew from Reedoak. Normally I photograph against a scenic backdrop but the hanger makes life a lot easier. If you get the angle right you feel you are up close to the real aircraft. If you liked this have a look at my recent post on the F-8 Crusader. Must remember about the drip trays for next time! Regards Andrew
  21. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Colleagues Here is the founding father or is it the patron saint of Britmodeller, the EE Lightning! This is the Airfix kit boosted with Aires exhausts, Eduard PE, Quickboost air scoops, Pavla cockpit and Master pitot tube (which speared my finger on one occasion). Can't say it was an easy build regarding fit. The F2A was only to be found in 19 and 92 squadrons based in Germany and only 31 aircraft existed. They were operated by 19 squadron at RAF Gutersloh until 1976. I didn't want to do exactly the same aircraft as the Airfix markings so found a photo on the internet of this bird and used the Extradecal decal extras set for Lightnings The figure gives you an idea of the size of the beast Hope you like it? Andrew
  22. AndrewCJ50
    Thank you for your kind comments Be warned, you will be seeing that hanger again with my next models! Amazing that printed card and some plastic can work so well. Andrew
  23. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Colleagues Here is the Academy 1/72 F-8E Crusader. This is a really a charming kit to build, neither too complex nor over simplified. The only problem I had was somehow getting the undercarriage bay out of alignment with the fuselage. I only discovered this once everything was buttoned up and I popped the wheels on, result one drunken Crusader! Answer was to drill a new hole and re-connect one of the undercarriage legs, a working solution and no harm done. Being myself, the aircraft is loaded with an Aires resin afterburner, resin air scoops (Quickboost), Master pitot tube, Eduard sidewinders (which went a bit wrong), Aires resin ejector seat, Eduard PE set and Aviprint decals. hope these pictures work? VF-162 was embarked on USS Oriskany and with her A-4 Skyhawks undertook some of the most dangerous missions of the Vietnam air war. Regular missions to Haiphong and Hanoi took a steady toll of aircraft largely to AA and SAM missiles. The Commander of VF 162, Dick Bellinger, used this aircraft to down a Mig-21 in October 1966. In that year the carrier groups were running short of ordnance, so F-8 aircraft frequently launched with only two sidewinders rather than four. In the evening, helicopters would ferry sidewinders to carriers in the most need for the next day’s mission! The courage of the aviators on USS Oriskany can be read in the book ‘Bloody sixteen’ by Peter Fey The figures are 3-D printed by Reedoak Regards Andrew
  24. AndrewCJ50
    Thanks Guys I think Army trucks can have a relatable human quality. It's also nice to have a break from making 240 track links for a tank 🙁 Regards Andrew
  25. AndrewCJ50
    Dear Modellers The ubiquitous Army truck in early 1950s' Russia was the ZIS-151. A largely reverse engineered Studebacker 6X6 which had so impressed the Soviets in WWII. The kit is a pleasure to build, and I could not stop myself detailing the engine and adding a new resin figure from TANK. The mechanic and officer are also from TANK and the resin wheels from Panzer Art hope you like it comrades? Andrew
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