72modeler

Wow- that's a neat C7R! model! I love the Jake the Skull motif they have been using! BTW, next year's Corvette is going to be mid-engine- watch out, Ford GT's; Chevy is back! OK, enough off-topic banter- it's back to modeling! Mike

Yes, yes, on all counts! A very attractive color scheme and an excellent build! Long overdue for replacement by Airfix and with some clever engineering, they could get a lot of versions out of a basic set of sprues. Mike

Daniel, Roll out the Barrel! You did a great job on the metal panels, too. How does the Tarangus kit stack up against the old Heller release? IIRC wasn't the Heller kit a later version with the sawtooth extension on the wings? I never got very far on my Heller kit, as I couldn't figure out a decent way to do the speedbrakes deployed. Well done! Mike

Stuart, For what it's worth, the wheel bays, doors, struts and wheels of the Naval Air Museum's FJ-1 are finished the same way that you did your model; I checked the photos I took of it to make sure. BTW, a very nice job on your Fury! Mike

Oops- my mistake! I was just excited that I actually knew how they worked! Mike

The outboard tabs were servo tabs- their function was to reduce the effort needed to move the elevators. When the control column was moved forward or aft to raise or lower the nose, the servo tab moved in the opposite direction of the elevators, which assisted in deflecting the elevators in the desired direction- the servo tab deflected upward to assist the elevators downward, and vice versa. The inboard tabs were trim tabs and moved in unison up or down to trim the Beaufighter nose up or down, as needed, when the trim wheel was rotated. The servo tab linkage, as described in the diagram that was posted as a link, was connected to the elevator bellcrank in such a way that the servo tabs were deflected in the opposite direction of the elevators, thus assisting them in moving. Think of it as a poor man's power assisted controls. Servo tabs were used on many aircraft, especially multi-engine ones, to lessen the effort needed by the flight crew to move the controls. Mike

IIRC, Mushroom Model Publications did a monograph on the Flycatcher in their Orange series that I think is still available. I don't have it, but it should have some good detail photos as well as photos of preserved examples that might be useful. Mike

Oh, blast! My Corvettes did not do well at all this year! However, I did get to watch the Chaparral 2D win in person at the Nurburgring in 66, but the 2F failed to finish at LeMans in '67 when I was there. Those were the days... Mike

In addition to the QB 72006 PBY props mentioned above, QB also makes a set of B-25 HS props, 72010. I think I have both of these sets and can check to see if the diameter is the same 12' 1" that you need- the blade shapes are very close to what was on the Baltimore and can easily be re-shaped. Either set has nicer hubs than come with the kit props. QB also makes R2600 engines 72030, but I don't think the crankcase shape is correct for any R2600. Hope this helps. I'll try to get into my QB sets this week end and get back to you. I also found an excellent color photo that has a closeup of the prop blade profile and hub- scroll down to see the photo. http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php/99281-Project-Martin-A-30-Baltimore/page12 Mike

You took the words right out of my mouth! Definitely better than the original! Mike

Tom, Brings back many wonderful memories of when we were stationed at Shaw AB in the late 50's- 363rd TRW RF-101's and RB-66's. Loved the 363rd markings and miss hearing the One-O-Wonders taking off all day long in afterburner...that was one LOUD airplane and shook our base housing, even though we were a mile or two from the flightline. Very nice model, but then again, all of yours seem to be! The VooDoo was one awesome weenie cooker! Mike

Nicest AH-6 build I have seen in a long time- great finish, too! Question- are the running lights red on both sides as on your model, or should the LH one be red and the RH one green? Not really up on rotary wing details, so just asking for my edification. Mike

Hoo boy! Pretty pricey tailwheel, mate! (I've done far worse to get one part- I admit it...it's a disease, I tell ya!) Mike

Mr. Fudge, I think Seahawk and Graham are correct. The three written reference books I had, two AJ monographs and one MBI monograph, as well as a search on one of the RAF serial number search sites, all list KJ194 as a P-47D-28RE bubbletop. The -28RE was the first production block to have the smooth cockpit floor that replaced the corrugated floor of the versions up to and including the -27RE. The -28RE did not have the dorsal fin strake which was first fitted to the -30RE block and subsequent. Hope this helps,

Hello, all, Just got an email from Caracal with news and description of new and reprinted decal sheets. I thought some of you might be interested in seeing them, as some of the subjects have been recent topic discussions. The one we ALL have been waiting for on the FJ-2/3 Furies is not among them, doggone it! I do not have an affiliation with Caracal, nor do I receive any consideration or compensation for mentioning their products, but I have sent them yet another request to do the Fury sheet ASAP as well as a sheet of WW2 FAA codes in white and red with white outline in both 1/72 and 1/48 scales...a few more requests might speed up the process. (Mike, I wasn't sure the best place for this topic- if you need to move it, please feel free.) Mike https://mailchi.mp/caracalmodels/new-decal-sheets-and-b-58-reprint-from-caracal-models-2904421?e=b9f6163f7b