Bedders

FWIW I've spent quite a while, over a number of occasions in recent years, staring at MT847 and wondering why it looks so ropey (besides the paint job). I don't think there's an engine in the front (the pic shows a Griffon on a trolley next to the airframe) and the propeller seems to be mounted in a very ramshackle way with all the blades set at different angles of pitch. The cannon shrouds are too long for the mark and are poorly mounted, and the supercharger intake is missing a bit at the back. So for my money it's not the best example to base references on: it's all probably held together with string and the angle of the exhaust pipes and perceived thrust line are both probably way off.

Does the yellow handle denote an ejection seat? Didn't know they had those. Justin

Excellent work. As well as the colour scheme, the radio gubbins behind the seat looks great. J

Apologies- I am. Emoji added. Looks exquisite. See above. Looks excellent!

This doesn't look very good at all.... 😍 J

Hiya, I'm still slightly stuck in the research phase but almost ready to get moving on it again. I've been using drawings to get a better sense of the canopy proportions so I can make a buck for a plunge-mould. More updates soon I hope. Justin

Those canopy masters look exquisite. I just wish someone would make one for XP-51F, G and J. Would help immensely with my group build entry... Justin

Looking really great Cookie. Particularly lovely flappery. J

Can I like this more than once? In any case the 1/48 will also enable a better nose to be put onto the Airfix XIX. Justin

Can we have a group build?

There are plenty of decal sheets out there, but their accuracy is not always the best. Some are old and could be updated (e.g Micro-/Superscale). Other more recent ones are incorrect (e.g. the code letters on KitsWorld 4FG subjects are too tall). Others again have been produced in short runs and are now hard to find. And others again might have fitted old kits reasonably well, but might not work well on new, more accurate kits. Over the years more original photos have come to light enabling more subjects to be decalled in theory. But decal firms are perhaps reluctant to decal subjects that are not linked to well-known pilots or units, hence the range remains somewhat limited. I had hoped that the Arma Hobby B-model kits would generate a new swathe of decals for these great kits, but not much has happened. That gives Arma space to issue a wide range of boxings if they choose to do so (as KP have done incidentally with their less-than-perfect B-model kit). Let's see what happens when Eduard issue their Ds. There's money to be made if someone wants to. Justin

Phwoar...

Lovely Hunter - very well done. Justin

Looking very niiice Cookie. I've got one of these kits but am slightly loathe to start it as I have too many others still in progress. But I'll be following along enviously..l J

I agree it's a bit of a mess at the moment. Probably struggling to find its way as the demographic of both staff and visitors changes. And coming to grips with design mistakes made the past. With the balconies/galleries now closed, it's not really a patch on what I remember as a kid. The first world war stuff is good though. J Justin

Not my scale, but that looks rather wonderful. J

Lovely job. I sat in her once when she was 3W-P. Didn't know then that she had previously been a low-back XVI. Justin

Looks great with the flaps. I can almost hear the engines whistling on the approach! Justin

Very nice indeed. Really like that colour scheme. Justin

Despite the fact that the wings are a bit too short in span, and the fuselage likewise could be 1mm longer, I quite like the Sword kits. I’ve made a high back FXIV and an XVIII out of them , both on BM RFI somewhere, as is my recent Sword/Xtrakit XII), and I have more kits to do (including potentially using one for a XIX). But as others have said above, you do need a greater degree of patience with them as they fall into the ‘art’ category of Spitfire kit, as opposed to Tamiya’s/Eduard’s ‘science’. Justin

Thanks Dave. Yes the G started with a tail like the F, which was similar in height to the B/D, but then got a taller one that was also used on the H and J. As for the canopy I’d seen that Fury suggestion too and will investigate further. Justin

Well I'm gonna have a go at this. After reasonable success at an H-model a couple of years ago using the RS Models kit, and the research involved in that (see inspiration gallery), I think I have a reasonable understanding of the Lightweights to try something more ambitious. The XP-51F, G and J were basically the same aeroplane with different engines and tail units, and given that the Allison nose on the J is very different indeed, I'll steer clear of that for now. Instead I'll try my hand at one of the Merlin-powered Lightweights, most probably the G for the first attempt, cos a) I think it's the nicest looking, and b) with a top speed of 491/492/495/498 mph (I've seen various figures claimed), it was the fastest Mustang ever (racers aside). The hardest thing to sort will be the canopy, but I won't really be able to start on that task until I've got a reasonably complete airframe to attach it to. So I'd better get started. Here's a pile of bits. I've already started on the fuselage surgery, and have stuck the wing halves together. But I fear that doesn't mean I'm anywhere near the 25% complete point yet. Further updates soon I hope, but given we've just moved house and there is a fair bit of DIY to do to get it ship-shape, this one ain't gonna be quick...! Justin

Very nice indeed. Like the Aussie camo a lot. Justin

Absolutely top notch. Love it. Want one! Justin

Interesting pics. WR-D appears to have one upper wing roundel bigger than the other. And does AN-L have a Saffer fin flash? Justin