72modeler

YESSSSS! Thank you, Duncan, on behalf of all of us, for your efforts in making this possible! I hope also that Clear Prop will do as they have done before and release the kit in both scales; regardless, I will certainly get the 1/48 one, as I have always wanted to do Bruce Hinton's 'Squanee.' As you stated, they are going to sell a TON of these, and hopefully somewhere down the line, give us an F-86E/F-10 ! Whoo hoo! Mike @SabrejetTime to begin work on getting us an Avon Sabre, Duncan, and assure your place in the Modelers Hall of Fame!

I believe it was one of the two Tomahawk IIb's listed as being part of No. 73 OTU at Fayid. I have a friend whose uncle flew this very airplane when he was at Fayid for advanced training, and Neville Duke was one of his instructors; my friend has his uncle's logbook, F/O Raymond Harlow, and AK431 EoD is listed as one of the P-40's he flew; he later went on to fly Hurricane IIc's and P-47D's in the CBI, and Spitfire XVI's postwar with 695 Squadron. I am working on building the 1/48 Airfix kit in these same markings as a tribute to my friend's uncle to give to him. He was thrilled that I was able to find a period photo of one of the planes his uncle flew, as seen above. Mike

Wow! I learned something new today! Thanks, Chris! Mike

As @theplasticsurgeon stated, the 1/72 Sword T-28C kit would be the easiest way, but I don't know how available that kit is, as they were released in 2012, and I don't think they have eved been re-released. If you can get a Sword T-28B, all you need to do is shorten the prop blades slightly, (Done to prevent the prop from striking the deck on arrested landings.) and do the cutout under the rear fuselage and rudder for the arresting hook, as can be seen in the photo you posted. IIRC, I don't believe that the T-28C had catapault hooks, but I have the Naval Fighters book on the T-38, and I could look that up. Not sure how available the Sword T-28B kit is, either. That being said, if you can''t find either Sword kit, you could convert the Heller T-28 Fennec kit, but you would need to source new canopies, as the canopies on the Fennec were taller than the USAF/USN T-28B/C. Yoiu would also need to remove the under wing gun pod and fill the voids,, and of, course do the prop and fuselage/arrestor hook mods, too. Good luck on your project! Mike Here is a link to @Tailspin TurtleTommy Thomason's Tailhook Topics blog that should tell you everything you need to know about the differences between the T-28B and T-28C. Note that the T-28C had a 9' 4" prop. TT is the best source for all things related to modeling USN aircraft. (No, we're not related, and I don't get any compensation or favors for recommending his website,, but he has helped so many modelers on both sides of the pond, and I want to show my gratitude).

If by underwing tanks, do you mean the ones carried on the inner wing pylons that also carried bombs on the F-84G? Never recall seeing lights on the nose of those tanks, but after looking at some photos, I think that on some F-84G's, the underwing tanks were the same tanks as the ones used on the wingtips, but without the fins and nav lights. In the attached photo, it looks like the nose cap in which the nav lght would be mounted when used as a tip tank has been capped off with a flat panel. on both of the underwing tanks. That being said, it appears that the 1/48 Tamiya F-84G kit does have lights covered by a clear dome on the underwing fuel tanks. IIRC, the straight winged F-84's had a landing light fitted to each of the inner landing gear doors, so there would be no reason for the underwing tanks to have lights that I could think of. A wild guess would be if a tip tank was used on the underwing pylon, and the light was not removed and capped, then you would see a clear cover on the nose of such tanks. That's as far as my thinking takes me, and might explain why the underwing tanks on the 1/48 Tamiya kit have clear covers. Puzzling, to be sure! Maybe Martin @RidgeRunner might know. What are your thoughts, TB? Mike photo via wikipedia:

Luis, I am not aware of any conversion or upgrade set in 1/72 scale to build an F-10 from a B-25 kit. I have the William Wolf book on the B-25, which is the most comprehensive reference on the Mitchell, and I can take a look to see if there are any diagrams or photos of the F-10. Perhaps @ReccePhreak might have some information. Mike

Not at all- I just thought that it was harder to build that intricate boarding ladder than it was to build the kit! They are both outstanding builds! Mike

Very nice model! Might I ask what the brick red panels are at the wing and stabilizer roots? Replacement panels that are still in primer? Pardon my ignorance! Mike

Nice one! Mike

Museum quality, in all respects! Mike

Very beautiful and realistic metal finish. One of the best builds of the Flying Flatiron I have seen in a long time. Well done! Looks like building the ladder was harder than the kit! Mike

Words fail me! What an incredible build! Looks like you nailed the NIVO, too! You should be proud of this one. Mike

Peter, All I could find was this photo of AM923, a sister ship to your AM925. Although not your Liberator, it should at least help you with fit and color scheme; note the 20mm gun pack under the fuselage. Sorry I couldn't be of more help! Because of the sensitive nature of the radar fit, there might not have been very many photos, if any, allowed. Mike https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=692997227492535&set=pcb.692997334159191

One reason that you don't see photos of Corsairs in the Atlantic Sea Search scheme might be due to the fact that all of the ASW types were based on escort carriers, and maybe Corsairs could not operate from them like Wildcats and Avengers could, As both Hellcats and Corsairs were desperately needed in the PTO, and Wildcats were more than capable to carry out the mission, perhaps that's why you don't see them in the grey/white sea search scheme. That being said, Dennis, I vaguely recall seeing a photo somewhere of a Hellcat in that scheme, but it might have been one of the several types that were used to test the various color combinations that were used to develop that scheme. (I'll see if I can find that photo.) Mike I've seen photos of Wildcats, Avengers, Helldivers, Dauntlesses, Catalinas, Venturas, Liberators, Mitchells, Bolos, and Mariners in the Atlantic scheme, but no Hellcats or Corsairs.

Since we were talking about the Ar-196 that used to be at Willow Grove, I found this article, and I thought you or others might find it of interest: While the name, Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum, has a relatively short history, the beginnings of displaying aircraft at Willow Grove began shortly after World War II. In May 1946, Lieutenant – Commander David Ascher arrived at Naval Air Station (NAS) Willow Grove as the station’s first Aircraft Maintenance Officer. A few months later, a local high school acquired a P-40E “Kittyhawk” from the Army Air Force but after deciding they did not want to keep it, they turned it over to the Navy. Ascher led the movement to modify the aircraft and change the markings to a “Flying Tiger,” thus becoming the first aircraft displayed at Willow Grove. With a large public response, Ascher decided to pursue the acquisition of additional aircrafts. A former shipmate of Ascher’s, Navy Commander John Schwirtz, informed him that a seaplane had been removed from the captured German battle cruiser, Prinz-Eugen, in Philadelphia. Along with some of his personnel, Ascher went to Philadelphia Navy Yard and picked up the seaplanes returning them to Willow Grove. The seaplane, a German Arado, became the second aircraft displayed in early 1947. Ascher then heard about several captured Axis aircraft scheduled to be scrapped at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland after they underwent evaluations. Seeing the potential for something great with these aircraft, Ascher along with the base’s training officer Lieutenant – Commander Hass, flew to Patuxent River in Spring 1947. Together they chose several unique enemy aircraft flown during World War II and gained approval for their return to the Naval Air Station Willow Grove. First, barged to the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Ascher’s selections then had their wings removed for transport to Naval Air Station Willow Grove. These unique aircraft then made their way along the narrow roads north twenty-five miles under local police escort to Naval Air Station Willow Grove for display. Reassembled and repainted with their original markings, the aircraft were placed on display for the public to see. Here are some of the WW2 and postwar types that were on display at Willow Grove: I can see an FJ2/3, F7U-3, Ar-196A, and a B6N Tenzan; IIRC there was also an E16 Saiun. One of the two Ar-234's brought back on HMS Reaper, IIRC, went to the USN at Pax River, but was scrapped.. Good memory! Here's a photo of the Sea Dart at Willow Grove:

I was wondering about that,too, as I remember seeing photos of the one that was at Willow Grove for many years, and there couldn't have been that many Ar-196's lying around in the U.S.! IIRC there was a two-seat Me-262 and an E16 Paul also on outdoor display. If you don't already have this list from the late Joe Baugher's website, it has every axis aircraft that was examined by the allies, by type, history, and disposition. What a museum collection even a fraction of them would have made! Mike https://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/Captured_Axis_Aircraft.html

As an aside, it is my understanding that the two Ar-196's carried by Prinz Eugen were removed before she was sailed to the Pacific by a USN skeleton crew to be sunk in the A-bomb test. Both aircraft were placed is storage with the NASM, and it looks like one of them is going to be restored in Germany. Can't wait to see it! Mike

This has gotten way off course! All I wanted feedback on was which of the two RAF classic fighters, the Spitfire or the Hunter, was the most beautiful;, in your opinion. I didn't mean to open the topic up to which fighter of any nation or type was the prettiest. Julien- can you remove this post for me? Thanks! Mike

I have a bet with one of my UK friends, who has a slight affection for the Hawker Hunter, and has stated that it is the most beautiful fighter ever built, including the Spitfire, Needless to say, I hastened to defend the Spitfire's honor; my personal opinion is that the Hunter is arguably the most beautiful jet fighter ever built, but that the Spitfire, depending upon the version, has to be considered as the most beautiful fighter of all time. What say you? Mike

I also tend to believe the sheet metal of the oil tanks is not painted red or red doped fabric, as the tone does not match the red of the roundels in the photos. Perhaps the oil tanks were painted with Cerrux grey primer, which in b&w photos I have seen does look very similar in tone to what is in the photos. Why would the oil tanks need to be covered by doped fabric in the first place? That being said, I can't wait to see your finished conversion, especially in 1/32 scale! Perhaps @Troy Smith, the resident Hurricane authority, might be able to shed some light on the subject! Mike

Over to you, @Antti_K can you help the poster? Mike

What the others have said- wonderful attention to detail and flawless execution. The Gladiator was such a handsome airplane, and you have done it justice! Mike

Not my scale, but what a beautiful classic biplane and what an incredible model! Museum quality in all respects! Mike

What the 'other' Mike @Sky Keg said goes double for me! Very realistic weathering and fading of the finish. Such a god kit, and so much better than the old Frog release, I am surprised we haven't seem more built. All around outstanding modeling! Mike

Wow- very nice early Lightning! I noticed you got the neutral grey struts and wheel bays that were applied to many P-38's- nice detail! As stated by the others, I am looking forward to seeing the next one in the series! Mike